Differentiated+Instruction

= ~ Differentiating Instruction ~  =


 * Differentiating Instructionmedia type="youtube" key="3lzzZbPN-8s" height="313" width="381" align="right" **

No two students enter a classroom with identical abilities, experiences, and needs. Learning style, language proficiency, background knowledge, readiness to learn, andother factors can vary widely within a single class group. Regardlessof their individual differences, however, students are expected to master thesame concepts, principles, and skills. Helping all students succeed in theirlearning is an enormous challenge that requires innovative thinking.
 * Meeting Students Where They Are **

What is differentiated instruction? Differentiated instruction is an instructional theory that allows teachers to face this challenge by taking diverse student factors into account when planning and delivering instruction. Based on this theory, teachers canstructure learning environments that address the variety of learning styles,interests, and abilities found within a classroom.

**How doesdifferentiated instruction work?** Differentiated instruction is based upon the belief that students learn best when they make connections between the curriculum and their diverse interests and experiences, and that the greatest learning occurs when students are pushed slightly beyond the point where they can work without assistance.This point differs for students who are working below grade level and for those who are gifted in a given area.Rather than simply "teaching to the middle" by providing asingle avenue for learning for all students in a class, teachers usingdifferentiated instruction match tasks, activities, and assessments with their students' interests, abilities, and learning preferences.

** Laying the Foundation for Differentiated Instruction ** Differentiated instruction does not happen by accident. It requires planning, commitment, and acknowledgment of the fact that diverse abilities,experiences, and interests have a tremendous impact on student learning. If you are considering using differentiated instruction in your classroom, the three steps below provide a place to start.

**//1. Get to know your students.//**
 * Identify the level at which individual students are working in your subject area. Standardized test scores and other information found in student records can help determine this information.
 * Administer a learning style inventory to determine how your students’ best learn. An instrument can be obtained through the guidance department at your school.
 * Determine student interests. On a regular basis, ask students to identify topics that interest them and activities that occupy their non-school time.

**// 2. Identify areas of your curriculum that could be adapted to //** //differentiated instruction.//
 * Study the instructional goals and objectives for your subject established by your state's department of education. Identify the major concepts, principles, and skills students should learn.
 * Choose one or two broad concepts or skills that lend themselves to being taught at different degrees of complexity.
 * Brainstorm ideas for activities, tasks, and assessments that address a specific concept or skill. Ideas should cover a range of learning preferences, abilities, and interests.

**// 3. Examine your role as teacher in the differentiated classroom. //**
 * Brainstorm ways to vary your instructional delivery methods. Target auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners in your approaches.
 * Develop a general plan for facilitating time, space, and materials in your classroom. On any given day, not all students will be working on the same assignment at the same time. You must have a plan for student access to necessary materials, where individuals or groups will work, and how much time can be allotted to specific tasks.
 * Identify alternative methods of assessing student performance and understanding. Assessment results should increase teacher understanding of students' abilities, interests, and needs, and should be incorporated into future planning.

TWO POWERPOINTS with more information
 * 1) [[file:differentiation powerpoint.ppt]]
 * 2) [[file:differentiation powerpoint 2.ppt]]
 * 3) Differentiated Instruction Links