Differentiation In Learning

Differentiation is the adjustment of the teaching process according to the
learning needs of the students.

It can be aimed at:
A whole class
Groups within the class
Individuals

Getting Started With Differentiation
“In the end, all learners need your energy, your heart and your
mind. They have that in common because they are humans. How they
need you however differs. Unless we understand and respond to those

differences, we fail many learners.”

Getting Started with DIFFERENTIATION

WHAT:
Teaching with student variance in mind
Starting where the kids are
Responsive teaching rather than one-size fits all
Proactively planning varied approaches
Honoring each student’s needs and maximizing each student’s learning
Reacting responsively to a learner’s needs
Shaking up the classroom so students have multiple options for taking in
information, making sense of ideas, and expressing what they learn

Getting Started

Examine your philosophy about individual needs
Start small
Grow slowly…but grow
Envision how an activity will look
Step back and reflect

Where Do I Begin? -Start small…but start!

▪ Getting to know your students:
▪ Assessment, assessment, assessment…
▪ Identifying interests
▪ Learning profile strategies
▪ Preparing the learning environment
▪ Differentiating content
▪ Differentiating process
▪ Differentiating product

Curriculum Differentiation

What How

It is a process teacher use By making changes in the depth
to enhance learning and breadth of student learning

Why When

To improve the match between During class, using varied
pedagogy/andragogy and involves
the learner’s arious teaching pretesting
methods

Teachers Can Differentiate Through:

Lessons

Content Environment

Process Product

The Maker Model, June Maker, (1982)

Content Is

The ‘KNOW’

Content of curriculum comprises: Content can be

✓ Ideas
✓ Concepts
✓ Information/knowledge presented to students

made: More complex
More varied
✓ Organized differently
✓
✓

Differentiating Content
Important that high ability students have an understanding of the “basics”
Pretesting helps establish this
Need to be taught at a faster pace with less repetition and possibly from a
different starting point.
Content goals should include outcomes adapted or changed to suit the
established knowledge base of the students

✓ Does everyone need to know this?
✓ Should everyone know this?
✓ Could everyone do this?
✓ Consider benchmarks, grade level

Differentiating Content…

Multiple texts
Varied computer programs
Varied time allotments
Interest centers
Contracts/CAP
Group Investigation
Compacting

Process Is

The ‘DO’
Process is the way in which content is presented to students:
✓ Questions
✓ Learning activities
Process can be differentiated by:
✓ Modifying the level of thinking (i.e., Bloom’s)
✓ Changing the pace
✓ Changing the approach

Differentiating Process

Processing skills help students manipulate knowledge/information in
meaningful ways.

Research has shown that gifted students benefit significantly from higher
order thinking training.

Careful preparation of questions is essential
Adopt a thinking model e.g., deBono’s Six Thinking Hats, and use it
repeatedly to allow students to internalise it.

Differentiating Process

Tiered assignments Multiple intelligences
Learning centers assignments

Graphic organizers Simulations

Small Group investigation Jigsaw
RAFT (Role, Audience, Leveled Texts
Format, Topic) Independent Study
Learning Contracts deBono’s Six Thinking Hats
Literature Circles Learning Study
RAFT (Role, Audience, etc
Format, Topic)

Instructional Styles

Independent Study high involvement
CAP low involvement
Mentorships
Projects
Simulation/role playing
Electronic learning
Learning games
Learning centers
Field trips
Cooperative learning
Peer tutoring
Small grou discussions
Demonstration
Discussion
Lecture

Tiered Lessons: What Is Tiering?

One form of differentiation
Ensures that students with different learning needs work with the same
essentials and use the same key skills but at different levels of:
Complexity
Abstractness
Open-endedness

What can be tiered?

Assignments Materials etc
Homework Assessments
Activities Learning Centres
Experiments

Product Is

‘COMMUNICATION’ of learning
Product is:

✓ What the students produce
✓ NOT a summation of content Should involve:
✓ Higher level reasoning skills (Bloom’s Taxonomy)
❖ Analysing
❖ Evaluating
❖ Creating

Differentiating Product

Gifted students require high but specific expectations and depth with product:
Real world problems and products
Variety of production requirements and alternatives
Open-ended product alternatives that encourage creative responses
A reason for sharing their findings
A real audience
Realistic corrective feedback

Mobile Differentiating Product
Portfolio Debate
Essays Multiple intelligences-based orientations
Model Negotiated criteria
Poem/Song Test Scores
Game
Book
etc

Differentiating Learning Environment
Changes to the physical environment
Consistent use of pretesting
Decrease in frequency of large group activities
Increase in
1. Small group teaching activities
2. Flexible small group learning activities
3. Varied Homework
4. Learning Centers
5. Interest Centers
6. Independent projects (inside and outside classroom)

Types Of Groups...

Within-class groups
Between-class groups
Enrichment groups
Cooperative groups
Interest-based groups
Ability vs. mix ability grouping

Differentiating Teacher

Teacher becoming part of the learning exploration
Changes in organizing and managing classroom
Changes in role from knowledge-giver to facilitator
Must have appropriate base knowledge and skills
Teacher becoming part of the learning exploration

How To Differentiate a Lesson
Consider adjusting these components:

OBJECTIVE/LEARNING OUTCOMES (vary depth or breadth, openended
tasks)

INTRODUCTION (use graphic organizers, pretesting, add an intriguing
twist...)

GROUPING
INSTRUCTION ( vary teaching methods, use inductive, deductive or hands-
on strategies; alter pace)
LEARNING ACTIVITIES (concrete to abstract, visual to tactile, Bloom’s)
RESOURCES (vary the depth, complexity, format)
PRODUCTS (assign or create options, alternatives or open-ended formats)

Managing a Differentiated Classroom: Some
Practical Considerations

Giving thoughtful directions
Establish routines for getting help
Stay aware, stay organized
Consider “home base” seats
Establish start-up and wrap-up procedures
Teach students to work for quality

Giving Directions

If the whole class is doing the same activity, give the directions to the whole
group

Do not give multiple task directions to the whole class
For small group work, taped directions can be use so students can listen to
them repeatedly
Use task cards to give directions to small groups
Once directions were given, students cannot interrupt while teacher is with
a group

INSTRUCTIONAL AND MANAGEMENT

STRATEGIES FOR

DIFFERENTIATION

STRATEGY DESCRIPTION OF SUGGESTIONS FOR WHY

STRATEGY USE WITH GIFTED APPROPRIATE

LEARNERS FOR GIFTED

LEARNERS

A 3-step process that * Explain the process * Recognizes large

: (i) assesses what a and its benefits to reservoir of

student knows about students and parents * knowledge

material to be studied * Document pre- * Satisfies hunger to

COMPACTING and what the student assessment learn more about
topics than school
still needs to master. * Allow student much

(ii) plans for learning choice in use of time often allows
what is not known “bought” through * Encourages

and excuses student previous mastery * independence

from what is known, * Use written plans and * Eliminates

and timelines for boredom and

(iii) plans for freed- accelerated or lethargy resulting

up time to be spent in enrichment study from unnecessary

enriched or * Can use group drill and practice.

accelerated study. compacting for

several students

Process through * Build on student * Builds on student

which student and interest interest

teacher identify * Allow the student * Satisfies curiosity

problems or topics or maximum freedom to * Teaching planning
interest to the student.
INDEPENDENT Both student and plan, based on and research skills
PROJECTS
student readiness for at advanced levels

teacher plan a method freedom. * Encourages
of investigating the * independence
problem or topic and Teacher provides * Allows work with
identifying the type complex and
of product the student guidance and * abstract ideas
will develop. This Allows long-term
product should structure to and in-depth work
address the problem on topics of
and demonstrate the supplement student interest
student’s ability to * Taps into high
apply skills and capacity to plan and * motivation

to ensure high

standards of

production

Use preset timelines *

to zap procrastination

knowledge to the * Use process logs to
problem or topic. document the process

involved throughout

the study.

* Established criteria

for success

Interest centers (often * Make certain that the * Allows
opportunity for
used with younger task is suitably in study in greater
breadth and depth
students) and interest greater Allows
introduction of
groups (often used * complex for a topics not in the
regular curriculum
INTEREST with older students) highability learner. * Can satisfy
CENTERS OR curiosity-explore
typically provide * Allow students of hows and ways *
INTEREST Can allow student
GROUPS enrichment for like interests to work choice
Can draw on
TIERED students who can * together ability to make
ASSIGNMENTS connections
demonstrate * Involve the gifted * between fields and
topics.
mastery/competence learner in researching *
Allows early
with required work. and creating interest exploration and
application of
They are sometimes a centers and principles
Encourages
vehicle for providing interestgroup tasks broader reading
than otherwise
students with * Allow some large * Can focus on
problem solving
meaningful study blocks of time for Can provide
meaningful work
when basic * working on the with peers of
similar interest and
assignments are interest * Change readiness
Can develop
completed. centers less often, creative talents

using more depth in

fewer topics

In a heterogeneous * Use advanced *
class, a teacher uses *
varied levels of * materials
activities to ensure
that students explore * Make certain the
ideas at a level that
builds on their prior activity is complex
knowledge and
prompts continued Ensure that students *
growth. Student
groups are varied must transform
approaches to
exploration of ideas, not merely *
essential ideas. reproduce them

Make the activity *
open ended

*

INSTRUCTIONAL AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR DIFFERENTIATION
(CONTINUED)

STRATEGY DESCRIPTION OF SUGGESTIONS FOR WHY

FLEXIBLE SKILLS STRATEGY USE WITH GIFTED APPROPRIATE
GROUPING
LEARNERS FOR GIFTED

LEARNERS

Students are matched * Exempt gifted * Acknowledge

to skills work by learners from basic quick mastery and

virtue of readiness, skills work in areas recall of

not with the where they information

assumption that al demonstrate a high * Can provide

need the same level of performance opportunity for

spelling task, (100% is not development of

computation drill, required) advanced skills,

writing assignment, * When skills work is including skills of

etc. Movement needed, place it in a production and

among groups is meaningful context expression
common, based on
as often as possible * Can “buy” time

readiness on a given * Ensure that gifted for advanced

skill and growth in learners develop work * Can allow

that skill advanced knowledge a chance for

and skills in their independent work
areas talent at the student’s

own pace

Learning centers can * Have some * Can draw on
be “stations” or learning tasks that
require transformation advanced thinking
and application
collections of * Don’t have all skills
students do all tasks at
materials learners use all centers * Monitor * Can provide
what students do and
to explore topics or learn at centers * for continuous
Balance student and
LEARNING practice skills. For teacher choice about development of
CENTERS centers to be completed
gifted learners, student skills

learning centers * Can draw on

should move beyond advanced reading

cursory exploration skills

of topics and practice * Can allow

of basic skills, and for

should provide study student independence

in greater breadth and * Can

depth on interesting develop

and important topics. advanced skills with

research and

technology.

In class discussions * All learners need * Can tap into
to think at high levels
and on tests, the * What makes a talent as a thinker
question high level
teacher attempts to * Can develop
for an
ensure that the highly advanced learner is its metacognition
combination of (awareness of one’s
HIGH-LEVEL able learner is advanced
QUESTIONS
presented with information with thinking)
complex thinking
questions that draw requirements * Can move the
* Require students
on advanced level of to defend answers student beyond easy
* Use open-
information, require ended facility with glib
questions
leaps of answers to

understanding, and developing logic and

challenge thinking integrity in

substantiating

answers and opinions

with reason and

evidence.

The students works * Match the * Can allow the

with a resource mentor with the child’s students to work on

teacher, media talent/interest area expert-level

MENTORSHIP/ specialist, parent * Make sure problems and tasks

APPRENTICESHIPS volunteer, or agreements concerning * Can draw

community member roles are written down on

to develop, carry out for mentor, students, creativity

all or part of a project teacher and parent * Can set

or task. This is also * Be specific problem solving in a

useful way to help about the goals of the relevant context

students develop collaboration * Can allow

skills of production in * Monitor the adultlevel

a field and to develop progress of the conversation * Can

careera awareness mentorship and help the introduce the child to

students address snags if meaningful

they occur yardsticks of

performance

INSTRUCTIONAL AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES
FOR DIFFERENTIATION (CONTINUED)

STRATEGY DESCRIPTION OF SUGGESTIONS FOR WHY
APPROPRIATE
STRATEGY USE WITH GIFTED FOR GIFTED

LEARNERS LEARNERS

Contracts take a * If the student * Teaches a sense of
has a high level of basic accountability
number of forms that skills in a subject, do not
make skills work the
begin with an centerpiece of the
contract
agreement between * When possible,
focus the contract on
CONTRACTS/ student and teacher. concepts, themes, or
MANAGEMENT problems and integrate
The teacher grants the skills into the
PLANS required projects or
certain freedoms and products
* Establish clear
choices about how a and rigorous standards
for success at the outset.
student will complete

tasks, and the student

agrees to use the

freedoms

appropriately in

designing and

completing work

according to

specifications

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE
VERBAL LINGUISTIC

LOGICAL –
MATHEMATICS

BODILY –
KINESTHETIC
MUSICAL – RHYTHM
INTERPERSONAL
INTRAPERSONAL
VISUAL – SPATIAL
NATURALIST

SPIRITUAL

DIFFERENTIATION PLANNING GUIDE

SUBJECT : ………………………………… TOPIC :

………………………………… SUBTOPIC : …………………………………

OBJECTIVES (DSKP/HSP/CS)
TYPES OF GROUPS KNOWLEDGE :

SKILL
WITHIN CLASS
BETWEEN CLASS
ENRICHMENT GROUP
COOPERATIVE
INTEREST – BASED

METHOD OF GROUP SELF – SELECTION
ASSIGNMENT TEACHER – SELECTION

PRETEST TO USE
IN WHAT WAY THE PROCESS
OF LEARNING IN THIS UNIT
BE DIFFERENTIATED