How to Differentiate Instruction
Good Planning
We tend to choose paths of learning that make the most sense to us personally.
In a classroom where there is only one available path toward learning, many students will feel lost, uncomfortable, or confused.
Differentiating instruction in a classroom takes carefull planning. No longer will you be planning the exact same lesson for the entire class. Many times there wil be different content, processes, and products for different groups of students within the same classroom (Tomlinson, 1995). How can this be accomplished fairly?
Content, Processes, and Products
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Content refers to the concepts and subconcepts each student learns in a particular lesson.
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Process refers to the learning experiences that you choose to provide for your students to achieve an understanding of the content in a lesson.
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Products are the end result of the lesson. Each student applies what she or he has learned in the lesson to create a final product, or to show his or her acquired skill.
How can these elements of a lesson (content, processes, and products) be different for different students, and still allow each student to come away with knowledge of the same major concepts and skills?
The key is to be clear about what major concepts or principles you want your students to gain from the lesson.
“The teacher should think in terms of what students must learn rather than what tasks they must complete.” –Casteel & Johnson
When you begin with a solid major concept (sometimes called “Big Idea” or “Enduring Understanding”) you will have an easier time planning learning experiences that aim to enhance understanding of that concept. Although the major concept for every child is the same, you can easily plan several ways to approach learning the same concept.
The major concept (Big Idea or Enduring Understanding) serves as an anchor for the unit/lesson you are planning to differentiate. Even if you decide to take different students on varying paths of learning, they will all end up at the same point with an understanding of the same major concept.
Good planning takes effort and practice. Check out the following web sites for help with developing strong Major Concepts/Enduring Understandings:
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Take a look at this sample lesson plan to see how you can teach your students the same concept with multiple paths that are appropriate for the students’ needs.
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©2005
Educational Studies |
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Ardith Harle, Chair: |