"Differentiating Instruction" Chapter 9

Differentiating Instruction

Making Accommodations for Students with Special Needs in Basic Skills Instruction

Teaching Pre-skills

• Basic skills necessary for performing more complex tasks
• Assess students on relevant pre-skills
• Teach pre-skills to entire class
• Teach pre-skills to individual students

Achieving the goal of differentiating instruction involves the use of a multitude of tools and strategies.

Each lesson: Is based on existing academic and professional standards and is adjusted to be in line with updated versions of those standards as they are written Has a definite aim for all students Includes a variety of teacher strategies aimed at reaching students at all levels Considers student learning styles in the presentation of a lesson Involves all students in the lesson through the use of questioning aimed at different levels of thinking (Bloom's Taxonomy) Allows that some students will require adjusted expectations Provides choice in the method students will use to demonstrate their understanding of the concepts Accepts that different methods are of equal value Evaluates students based on their individual differences

Differentiated instruction: Encourages inclusion of all students Provides instruction across all levels of student achievement and ability Addresses different learning styles Allows teachers to reach all of the students some of the time Allows for diversity among students Fosters relationships and self-worth Meets social, emotional, and academic needs Increases self-efficacy

Principles of a Differentiated Classroom: Learning Experiences are based on diagnosis of student readiness, interest, and/or learning profile Content, Activities (Process), and Products are developed in response to varying needs of varied learners Teaching and Learning are focused on key concepts, understandings, and skills All students participate in work that is engaging and "respectful" (appropriate to student readiness, interest, and/or learning profile) Teacher and students work together to ensure continual engagement and challenge for each learner The teacher coordinates use of time, space, and activities Flexible grouping ensures consistently fluid working arrangements including whole class learning, pairs, triads and quads, student-selected groups, teacher-selected groups, and random groups Time use is flexible in response to student needs A variety of management strategies (such as learning centers, interest centers, compacting, contracts, independent study, tiered assignments, learning buddies, etc.) is used to help target instruction to student needs Clearly established individual and group criteria provide guidance toward success Students are assessed in a variety of appropriate ways to demonstrate their own thought and growth Websites http://www.lcandler.web.aplus.net/index.html Teacher resources; awesome site for elementary teachers http://www.k8accesscenter.org/ What’s New > Effective Classroom Strategies Discussion http://www.learnerslink.com/curriculum.htm Differentiating Instruction ... Effective Strategies to Improve Student Performance http://members.shaw.ca/priscillatheroux/differentiatingstrategies.html Enhance learning with technology... strategies for differentiating