Differentiation 101: A Basic Guide to Differentiated Instruction

Differentiation.  Differentiated Curriculum.  Differentiated Instructional Strategies.  At conferences, parent gatherings, and curriculum planning meetings, the term differentiation is thrown around like a Frisbee. As a newly hired teacher, I recall nodding my head and blinking blankly whenever the term was whizzed at me.  The definition of differentiation is taken for granted; thus, no one ever pauses to tell what differentiation means.  This article will do just that.

In a nutshell, differentiation—which is sometimes referred to as differentiated instruction—refers to a method of curriculum planning and instruction that offers learners a wide variety of ways to acquire understanding.  The following bullet points offer a quick and dirty guide to differentiated instruction.  These bullets outline the three elements of the curriculum that can be differentiated as well as the three learner characteristics that can be taken into account while differentiating your instruction.

The following elements of your curriculum can be differentiated

·       Content: Content is considered the “stuff” of the curriculum.  This “stuff” includes what the instructor plans for learners to understand as well as the ways the learner will gain access to the desired knowledge and skills.   To differentiate according to Content, an instructor can do the following:

§       Provide text on multiple levels of difficulty

§       Use part-to-whole or whole-to-part instruction

§       Use manipulatives, Internet resources, audio recordings, and other non-conventional “text”

·      Process: Process refers to the activities in which learners engage in order to gain understanding of the subject.  A conventional way to think about Process is to consider it as the things learners do in the class and for homework.  To differentiate according to Process, the instructor can do the following:

§       Vary amount of support given by the instructor

§       Give learners choices about how they express what they learn

§       Provide varied assignment options at differing levels of difficulty or based on learner interests

·      Product: Products are the end result, the things learners create to demonstrate what they understand and/or are able to do after they have moved through the curriculum.  Some examples of learning products are essays, poems, quiz/test answers, presentations, blogs, websites, skits, videos, plays, and other dramatizations.  To differentiate according to Product, the instructor can do the following:

§       Provide rubrics (a grid showing how learners will be assessed) for assignments

§       Vary types of resources learners can use in preparing products (text, Internet resources, books, encyclopedias, interviews, tours, pamphlets, etc)

§       Allow learners to design a product around essential learning goals—to express what they know in varied ways (e.g. speaking, writing, drawing)

The following are three learner characteristics instructors can take into account when planning to differentiate: 

·      Readiness:  Readiness refers to the understanding and preparedness learners have at the start of study. Because learners vary in preparation and knowledge (in other words, what they bring to the classroom and to specific assignments), they require different levels of difficulty.  To differentiate according to Readiness, instructors can do the following:

§       Add student teach-backs to assignments

§       Add or remove peer conferencing, instruction, and models for a task

§       Make the task more or less familiar  (e.g. by adding or removing information and resources)

·      Interest: Interests, in terms of differentiation, can be thought of as the learner’s “academic taste buds.”  Because learners have different taste buds, instructors can align curriculum with topics or pursuits that satisfy the palate of each learner.  To differentiate according to Interest, instructors can do the following

§       Provide a wide variety of choices for topics and products

§       Provide a variety of avenues for learner exploration of a topic

§       Give learners a choice of tasks and products, including learner-designed options

·      Learning Profile:  Just as the height and shape of students vary (even within the same grade), so do their learner profiles.  No matter how students are grouped, each group will have learners with different interests, levels of readiness, learning styles, talents, and standardized test scores.  One understanding of learning styles is Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences.  Gardner’s theory delineates the following categories: Bodily-kinesthetic, Interpersonal, Verbal-linguistic, Logical-mathematical, Naturalistic, Intrapersonal, Visual-spatial, and Musical.  To differentiate according to Learning Profile, instructors can do the following:

§       Provide choice of spaces for activities (e.g. desks, couches, and floor seating)

§       Present information in a variety of ways (video, handout, lecture, peer-to-peer talks)

§       Provide learning opportunities in various modes (musical, visual display, movement and manipulatives)

Differentiation helps instructors engineer curriculum that reaches the widest number of learner possible. With the above guide highlighting the primary tenets of differentiation, you can approach your curriculum—and the next faculty meeting—with a basket full of knowledge and tools to differentiate in all of your curriculum. 

Bio:  James Guilford holds a MA in Gifted Education from Teachers College at Columbia University.  He is the author of the young-adult novel, The Pencil Test.  Download curricula and chapters of his novel for free at www.jamesguilford.com.

Parent Teacher Meetings: Five Ways to More Successful Conferences

With a crumpled slip of paper titled “Conference Rooms and Times” in hand, you bustle through the double doors and cross the lobby. You sign in with reception, swig two cups of warm soda, and then power walk past the mural with the smiling moon and sun.  Round a corner, up a flight of stairs and you reach your child’s classroom.  Just outside of the door, you smooth your shirt and find a trashcan to discard you now-empty soda cup.  You enter the room, shake hands with the instructor, and take your seat in the too-small chair.  This is when you realize that you are not sure exactly why you are here.

Have you ever found yourself at a loss during a meeting with your child’s teachers?  The questions that zip through your head at the post office, in the grocery store, or during a rear-view-mirror chat with your child vanish when you are face-to-face with your child’s instructor.  The following five suggestions will help you make the best use of your next parent-teacher conference.

1. Make a list.  Depending on the practices of the school, parents may receive notices for conferences weeks or months in advance.  Then, when the date for conferences rolls around, concerns you had at the start of the year have buried themselves beneath a pile of other non-school-related issues.  To avoid such forgetfulness, keep a running list on your desktop, in your PDA, on the fridge, or in some other frequently referenced place.  In addition to concerns, be sure to include points of praise about the teacher and/or about the school.  Keeping a running list will improve the value and efficiency of conferences for you, your child, and your child’s instructor. 
2. Get the basics.  With the slue of Individualized Education Plans, Educational Action Plans, Rewards-and-Consequences Contracts, and Student Portfolios, not to mention Report Cards and Mid- and End-of-Term Narrative Progress Reports, conference times can be spent reviewing one or a number of these assessments.  Although these documents are important, reviewing each detail of a written report is not the best use of conference times.  In addition to assessment questions, be sure to get information about dates, times and materials needed for upcoming events.  Use part of your conference time to ask basic questions about the class calendar, the school calendar, and your family’s obligations (e.g. What exactly do you need to bring to the “Saturday Super Sale”?).  Getting basic information will ensure that you and your child are prepared for upcoming events. 
3. Offer assistance.  Educators face a tremendous workload.  Beyond an educator’s contracted duties lay a host of unanticipated tasks, such as locating speakers, planning fieldtrips, and setting up end-of-the year class snacks.  To help the instructor better serve your student (and, by extension, the class of students and the school community) offer assistance.  During the conference, note your area(s) of expertise.  Also, be sure to ask about ways you can assist with upcoming projects and events.
4. Keep an open mind.  Often, students come home with harrowing reports of the “mean” teacher, of being “singled out,” or of “useless” assignments.  As a concerned parent, you are justifiably alarmed by these accounts of schoolhouse savagery.  Before you enter the classroom with a glass full of accusation to be doused in the face of the instructor, take a step back and consider all of the information that may be excluded from your child’s report.  After you have taken a breath or two, jot down a list of open-ended question that will allow you to get a fuller picture of your child’s classroom experience.  Try a few of the following question in your next conference:

• “Describe a day in the life of your students?”
• “What do you consider disruptive behavior and how is it handled in the classroom?”
• “How do you communicate class expectations to students?”
• “My child has expressed concern about (“blank”).  Tell me more about this?”

5. Include your child.  Depending on the nature of the conference, consider including your child in the discussion.  A few days before the conference date, talk with your child about her classroom experience. If you have an elementary aged child, then ask her to list three things she likes about the classroom and/or the school and three things she thinks needs work.  Next, ask her how she would change these things.  For an older student, you can ask her to reflect on things that are going well and on things she would like to improve.  Because teachers may want to discuss sensitive issues, be sure to ask for permission to include your child. 

Just as there is no official handbook for raising a child, there are no official rules for engaging in parent-teacher conferences.  But if you take to heart the guidelines in this article, then you will walk into your next conference feeling better prepared, and you will walk out of this conference feeling more informed about your child’s educational experience. 

Author's Bio: James Guilford is an writer and educator.  He is the author of the young-adult novel, THE PENCIL TEST.  Visit him at http://www.JamesGuilford.com.