Differentiated Instruction: One Size Doesn’t Fit All
Every child has a different learning style and pace…. Each child is unique, not only capable of learning but also capable of succeeding. ~ Robert John Meehan ~
No two children learn in the same way. While we might agree that ever American eight-year-old should be able to read and multiply, beyond those basics, there are few reasons to make every student follow the same path. ~John Katzman~
As educators, we all have a common goal. We want to have the ability to make a real difference in the lives of the children that we teach. Each day that we work with students, we have the potential to make a lasting impression. Teachers want to be able to help students find their voices so that they can advocate for themselves not only in the classroom but in life.
Everyone learns differently. No two brains are alike. The brain is made up of many different networks that help with learning. Some people learn better by seeing, others learn better by hearing and still others need to do something in order to really learn new information. As educators, it is very important to get to know our students because this will give insight into how they learn best. When we design our lessons, it is extremely important to keep this in mind. A question many educators have is how can we meet the needs of all our students in our classrooms? One way to address this is to differentiate lessons to meet each student’s individual interest, needs, and strengths. Teaching this way gives students choice and flexibility in how they learn, and helps teachers personalize learning.
One thing that helped me to become a better teacher was to try and look at each lesson with the lens of my students. I tried to anticipate where they might be confused, and I always encouraged students to make mistakes. Yes, make mistakes because this allowed me to see their thought process and adjust the lesson accordingly. Circulating the room also helped me as a teacher to see where students were having difficulty. Exit tickets and Do Now assignments also provided me with valuable information to help me differentiate learning.
The objective of differentiation is to lift the performance of all students, including those who are falling behind as well our most highly performing students. Differentiated instruction allows us to give students the support they need instead of lumping them together in one big group. Smaller groups make it easier to see who has mastered the lesson goals and has acquired the skills to move on. Teaching in large groups makes it more difficult to zero in on individual student needs and identify which students need extra support; making it easy for students to slip between the cracks.
According to Tomlinson, an expert on differentiation, teachers can differentiate instruction through four ways: 1) content, 2) process, 3) product, and 4) learning environment.
Content: Teachers can differentiate the content of a lesson by designing activities for groups of students that cover various levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Bloom states that a student cannot move to higher-ordered thinking unless they achieve the lower-ordered thinking skills. The six levels are: remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. We know that students excel when they are presented information in their preferred learning style. Differentiation includes delivering the material to each style: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Within each of my lessons, I provided different ways for my students to learn the information. Some students learned best while reading chapters of the textbook, while others needed to watch a video to reinforce the information.
Process: We know that students also excel when they are given the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding using their preferred learning style after information has been taught. Teachers are encouraged to consider the individual needs of their students and to give them a choice on whether they want to work in pairs, small groups or individually. I found that varying my grouping strategies helped all my students. Sometimes I would assign groups and sometimes I allowed my students to choose. Having students assign roles within their groups was also a helpful strategy. One student was selected by their peers to be the coordinator, one the recorder, one the illustrator, and one the presenter. This allowed me to circulate the room and work with each group. I really enjoyed this activity because it taught the students how to work together and communicate.
Product: The product is what the student does or creates at the end of a topic or unit of study to demonstrate the mastery. Students should be able to learn and produce the evidence of learning in a way that a student prefers based on their learning style. Teachers should not only rely on tests to assess mastery. Knowing your students and the way they learn best can help you design appropriate assessment tools. Giving my students choices on how they wanted to show mastery of content really helped my students to excel.
Learning Environment: The conditions for optimal learning include both physical and psychological elements. A flexible classroom layout is key, incorporating various types of furniture and arrangements to support both individual and group work. It is also important to create a classroom environment that supports a safe and supportive learning environment. In my classroom, I liked to have music playing softly in the background. I always encouraged the students to help me find the music they felt helped them concentrate. For some students, the music was distracting, and we agreed that they could leave in their earbuds. I was always rearranging the desks in my classroom depending on the lesson. I wanted to allow collaboration amongst the students, the desks were arranged accordingly. Students that did not feel comfortable working with their peers were able to sit by themselves.
Education should never be viewed as one size fits all. Research shows that when we differentiate, students are more engaged in learning. Students are more successful when they have choices and teachers will see fewer negative behaviors. Students need to feel that they are capable of learning. We want our students to enjoy being in school. Although teachers find it difficult to find the time and resources to differentiate their lessons, the outcome is worthwhile. I too found it difficult in the beginning to differentiate my lessons. As time went by, I became comfortable with it and filled by “differentiation toolbox” with a wide variety of strategies. I always encourage teachers to use the most valuable resources… their colleagues and students. They often provided me with insights that helped me make differentiation take center stage in my classroom!
If you would like more information about how we can help support DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION in your school or district, go to our website www.cmdi.us to set up a free discovery call.