DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTIONBy Martha Havens

Associate Director for Elementary Pacific Union Conference

OUR GOALS FOR TODAY

• To walk away understanding the general components of Differentiated Instruction

• To decide where am I, as an educator, in a

continuum of Differentiated Instruction

• To make a choice and move myself, my students and my resources towards a Differentiated Classroom by starting at…

Differentiated Instruction

is a teacher’s response to learner’s needs

guided by general principles of differentiation such as

respectful tasks

flexible grouping

ongoing assessment and adjustment

GRAPHICAL DEFINITION

through a range of instructional and management strategies such as

according to student’s

Content

Teachers can differentiate

Process Product

Readiness Interests Learning Profile

Multiple intelligencesTaped materialAnchor activitiesVarying organizersVaried supplementary materialsLiterature circles

Tiered lessonsTiered centersTiered productsLearning contractsSmall-group instructionGroup investigationIndependent study

4MATVaried questioning strategiesInterest centersInterest groupsVaried homeworkCompactingVaried journal prompts

Allan, S.D. & Tomlinson, CA (2000). Leadership for Differentiating Schools & Classrooms. Alexandria, VA: ASCD

CONTENT: • Curriculum Guides• Standards• Key Learnings• Textbooks

PROCESS: How the teacher plans instruction

PRODUCT: How the student demonstrates mastery of the content

PREPARATION

ASSESSMENT

Diff

eren

tiat

ing

for

Stud

ent

Read

ines

s

Differentiating for Student Interest

Differentiating for Learning Profile

Managing the Differentiated Classroom

• A different lesson for each student each day• Giving all the students the same work or even identical

assessment all the time• Assuming that all students learn by listening

• Merely having Centers in the classroom

• Assigning more work to students who have demonstrated mastery in an area

• Only for students who demonstrate a need for acceleration

• Quantity but Quality

Differentiated Instruction is NOT:

Differentiated Instruction is a concept that makes it possible to maximize learning for ALL students.

It is a collection of instructionally intelligent strategies based on student-centered best

practices that make it possible for teachers to create different pathways that respond to the

needs of diverse learners.

Definition & Goal ofDifferentiated Instruction:

SDE: Las Vegas, Nevada; July 2010

IN OTHER WORDS…

Differentiated Instruction is outstanding teaching. Teaching that cares for the success of each individual student as a whole person.

It is Christian Education at its BEST!

What did Ellen G. White tell us about Differentiated Instruction years ago?

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN …

Where can you start and/or “fine tune”:

• Content ?• Assessment?• Planning resources?• What are my student’s learning profile?• What are my students level of readiness?• What are my student’s interests?• What strategies do I use? • Classroom management anyone?