2. The Basics
• Instruction is differentiated based on three
major areas:
– Content
– Process
– Product
• Each of these methods of differentiations
provide a different approach for students to
gain knowledge
3. Differentiation by Content
―Content is the input of teaching and
learning…What we teach or what we
want students to learn‖
- Tomlinson, page 72
4. How to Differentiate Content?
• Modify instruction based on Student Need
• Teach only the Critical Concepts for the
students need to learn
• Utilize Curriculum Compacting
• Vary Resources and Materials
• Implement Learning Contracts
• Minilessons
• Use a Variety of Support Systems
5. Based on Student Need
• Content can be
differentiated based on
the needs of individual
students in the class
• We can change how we
provide access to the
content
• We can also match our
content to student
needs
• There are three levels of
Differentiation based on student
need:
– Readiness - matching the
material or information students
are asked to learn to a student’s
capacity to read and understand it
– Interest - including the curriculum
ideas and materials that build on
current student interests or
extend student interests
– Learning Profile - ensuring that
students has a way of coming at
materials and ideas that match his
preferred way of learning
6. By focusing instruction on the
critical concepts needed, it will
help students better
understand an area of study
by emphasizing key concepts
and principles.
7. Concept Based Teaching
• Concepts are building blocks for meaning
– Provide the critical concepts students need in order to be
successful
– Help student learn how to determine and predict patterns
and use those patterns to think about various forms of life
helps them
• (1) understand rather than memorize,
• (2) retain ideas and facts longer because they are more
meaningful,
• (3) make connections between subjects and facets of a single
subject,
• (4) relate ideas to their own lives, and
• (5) build networks of meaning for effectively dealing with future
knowledge
9. Curriculum Compacting
• This process should be
implemented in Three Stages
• Stage 1 –
– Assesses what students know
and don’t know about a
particular topic or chapter
– Initial assessment occurs
– Teachers notes skills and
understandings each student
has mastered
– Exempts students from whole-
class instruction and activities in
content areas they have already
mastered
• Stage 2 –
– Teacher notes skills and
understandings covered in the
study in which the student did
not demonstrate mastery
• Stage 3 –
– Teacher and student design
investigation or study for the
student to engage in while
others are working the general
lessons
– Agree on projects parameters,
goals, time lines, procedures for
completing the tasks, criteria for
evaluation, other necessary
elements
10. • Keeping records when using compacting has
three benefits:
– Teachers demonstrate accountability for student
learning
– Parents understand why it is advantageous for
their children to work with an alternate task
– Students develop awareness of their specific
learning profiles
Curriculum Compacting
11. Differentiated by Process
―Process means sense-making or the
opportunity for learners to process the
content or ideas and skills to which
they have been introduced‖
- Tomlinson, page 72
12. Student Need
You can differentiate process based student need.
Anytime we think of differentiation – we must first
consider what our students need…
According to Tomlinson, ―An effective activity is
essentially a sense-making process, designed to help a
student progress from a current point of understanding
to a more complex level of understanding.‖
13. Student Need
Differentiate Process based on:
Readiness By matching the complexity of a task to a
student’s current level of understanding
and skill
Interest By giving student choices about facets of
a topic in which to specialize or helping
them link a personal interest to a goal
Learning
Profile
By encouraging students to make sense of
an idea preferred way of learning
You can differentiate Process by Readiness, Interest, and Learning
Profile. With process, however, you focus on the specific tasks or
activities students will complete.
14. Strategies and Ideas to
Differentiate Process
Weblinks, Video examples, and
Definitions
15. Differentiated Instruction Strategies
• Multiple Intelligences –
present materials based on
the learning styles of the
students. To read more on
multiple intelligences, please
review this website.
• http://www.thomasarmstron
g.com/multiple_intelligences.
htm
• Interest groups – utilizing
informal information
collecting processes, you can
identify the varying interests
of the students in your class,
group students based on
those interests, and allow
them to explore their area of
interest—and, meet the
academic goals set for the
course.
16. Differentiated Instruction Strategies
• Varied graphic organizers – graphic organizers
are an excellent tool to help students
understand or follow difficult content, that
other students may comprehend with little
aide or assistance. It is important for students
to understand how and when to use graphic
organizers in their independent work.
17. • Complex instruction – Assign open-ended group work
and activities that foster higher-order thinking skills.
Students work cooperatively and are assigned specific
roles and tasks.
• Vermont University - Video
http://www.uvm.edu/complexinstruction/
• Center for Multi-Cultural Education
http://depts.washington.edu/centerme/complex.htm
Differentiated Instruction Strategies
18. Differentiated Instruction Strategies
• Concept Attainment –
students will compare and
contrast traits of groups or
categories that are related to
the concept students are to
learn. In groups, students
find specific examples of
attributes that distinguish the
difference.
For specific steps:
Saskatoon Public Schools
http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/inst
r/strats/cattain/
• Independent Study – allow
students to select relevant
topics and begin a course of
study. To help guide the
students towards the content
you would like for them to
uncover, provide probing or
guiding questions.
19. Differentiated Instruction Strategies
• Learning logs – students write and reflect on
their learning. Often through this process,
students make discoveries about learning they
may not have been able to articulate or
demonstrate by completing assignments or
tasks.
For specific steps:
Saskatoon Public Schools
http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/strats/logs/
20. Differentiated Instruction Strategies
• Journals – through writing in journals,
students can connect their current knowledge
to previous learning. Also, students will be
able to explore ideas in writing.
Saskatoon Public Schools
http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/strats/journal/i
ndex.html
21. Differentiated Instruction Strategies
• Cubing – students will explore a particular
topic or issue from six different viewpoints:
describing, comparing, associating, analyzing,
applying, and arguing
This website provides additional information
The Cache
http://www.humboldt.edu/~tdd2/Cubing.htm
22. Differentiated Instruction Strategies
• Learning centers/
Interest centers –
develop content,
interest, skill based
centers in the classroom
that students can rotate
through, be assigned to,
or select areas of
interest.
• Learning contracts –
provide options for
students regarding
pacing, learning goals,
and needs via learning
contracts.
Saskatoon Public Schools
http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/P
D/instr/strats/learningco
ntracts/index.html
23. Differentiated Instruction Strategies
• Literature circles – assign students who are sharing the same text in
to groups who have shared goals, and possibly different roles or
responsibilities to the group regarding the text.
Saskatoon Public Schools
• http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/strats/literaturecircles/index.html
All America Reads
• http://www.allamericareads.org/lessonplan/strategies/during/litcirc1.
htm
Annenberg Video Example (Select ―Sharing the Text‖, ―Book Buddies‖,
and ―Discussion Strategies‖
• http://www.learner.org/resources/series182.html#
24. Differentiated Instruction Strategies
• Role playing – allow students to
act out characters, fictional and
real, to demonstrate an
understanding of the text,
character, plot, or critical ideas.
Saskatoon Public Schools
• http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr
/strats/roleplaying/index.html
• Cooperative controversy
(debate) – provide students with
a problem and allow them to
develop an argument for or
against it. Students will have the
opportunity to present their side
of a particular argument with a
debate.
Saskatoon Public Schools
• http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr
/strats/structuredcon/index.html
• http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr
/strats/debates/index.html
25. Differentiated Instruction Strategies
• Choice boards - (a visual
display of options or
possibilities the student can
choose from) allow students
to select from the visual
depiction of options – instead
of verbal or written options
traditionally posed to
students. This method is
especially helpful for
students who may have
particular learning disorders.
• PMI – have students list
pluses and minuses when
interpreting points about a
topic
26. Differentiated Instruction Strategies
• Mind-Mapping – allow students to generate
mental maps of critical concepts or ideas
Saskatoon Public Schools
• http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/strats/mind
map/index.html
JCU Study Skills Online
• http://www.jcu.edu.au/tldinfo/learningskills/m
indmap/howto.html
27. Differentiated Instruction Strategies
• Jigsaw or Think-pair – share – use the these techniques to
facilitate cooperative learning and dynamic grouping of students.
Jigsaw Classroom
• http://www.jigsaw.org/
Saskatoon Public Schools
• http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/strats/jigsaw/index.html
Reading Quest
• http://www.readingquest.org.uk/
Saskatoon Public Schools
http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/strats/think/index.html
28. Keep in mind when differentiating
process…
Each strategy should engage students
in a different thinking or processing
response
29. Differentiation by Product
―Help students individually or in groups
rethink, use, extend what they have
learned over a long period of time—a
unit, semester, or year‖
- Tomlinson
30. We’ve discussed how to approach
differentiated instruction based on
content. We’ve also explored how to
differentiate the process of instruction.
As we begin to look at ways to modify
final products based on student needs,
interests, and learning profiles.
31. Points to Consider
• Some students can show what they know
better in a product than a written test.
• By differentiating what students are expected
to produce at the end of the learning,
students to think about, apply, or expand on
all key understandings and skills of the
learning using varied methods.
32. Differentiate Products
• Determine core expectations for the quality
students are to pursue in regard to:
– the content in their products
– how they should work on their products, and
– the nature of the final product itself
• Identify knowledge, understandings, skills the
product must incorporate decide on what
format the product will take
33. Differentiating Products for Struggling
Students
• Give assignments in smaller
increments (complete one—
then introduce the other)
• Put directions on audio or
video tapes
• Assist students with creating
timelines for work
• Conduct skill and
organizational instruction in
small groups
• Help students find resources
• Provide templates or
organizers
• Provide models of products
to be produced
• Ensure students have access
to materials in their first
language
34. We’ve explored the basic approaches to
differentiating instruction. As we continue to
work through this course, we will learn
various techniques to teach reading – and you
will be asked to expound on ideas to
differentiate instruction based on student
need.
35. References
Tomlinson, Carol A., James H. Stronge, and
Caroline C. Eidson. How to Differentiate
Instruction in Mixed Ability Classrooms.
Danvers: Association of Supervision and
Curriculum Development, 2001. 72-93.
