Differentiated Instruction

1. Differentiated Instruction How can we help ALL of our students succeed?

2. What is differentiated instruction? • Differentiated instruction is a teaching theory based on the premise that instructional approaches should vary and be adapted in relation to individual and diverse students in classrooms (Hall 2002).

3. Why should we differentiate? • Students have different learning styles • It allows for teachers to do on-going assessments of their students • Independence and classroom ownership • Promotes student choice • To meet the needs of every student in the classroom on their skill level • It allows students to learn at their own pace.

4. How do we determine student’s needs? • Student observation • Pre-tests • Assessment performance • Mulitple-Intelligence data • Personal relationships with the student

5. How do we as teachers, begin differentiating? There are 4 basic differentiating strategies teachers beginning differentiation can try in their classroom. • Differentiating the content/topic • Differentiating the process/activities • Differentiating the product • Differentiating by manipulating the environment or through accommodating individual learning styles

10. Differentiation in Action • This link shows a first grade classroom that uses differentiation effectively to teach math skills. http://uk.video.yahoo.com/watch/4746198?fr=yvmtf

11. What can our students gain from learning in a differentiated classroom? • An education tailored to their specific needs • Success in the classroom • Learning at their own rate • Positive learning experiences • An opportunity to learn the content according to their style of learning