Differentiated Instruction.

Differentiated Instruction

     One of the best features of running a blog is being part of  a community and being able to join the conversation of what other bloggers are posting.  To begin research on differentiated instruction I wanted to bring in the thoughts of other bloggers who are better established and know more about the topic at hand than I.  John McCarthy is an Education Consultant and an Advocate for Student Voice in Learning.  Roughly one year ago he wrote a blog post about ways that teachers can easily plan for diverse learners.  He broke it down into 3 simple steps/concepts to implement into your lesson plan preparation.  The key is to connect content, process, and product uniquely for each learner.  Students each bring their own readiness (or level of knowledge), their own interests, and their own skills and abilities or 'learning profile'.  

     He says an easy way to differentiate content is to switch up the delivery of the content.  Read, watch, lecture, and organize information, utilizing the different learning styles to incorporate every learner.  

     Next, to differentiate process, it is as simple as scheduling in enough time for the students to each have a chance to discuss and evaluate what they have learned.  It is a good tool to help students discover what they understand or need further clarification on and it's an opportunity for teachers to do formative assessment and decide for themselves what their pupils know through observation.  He recommends a processing activity for every 30 minutes of direct instruction.  

     The third and final step is to differentiate product.  In other words, give the students several options on how to show what they have learned.  When the student has an option to choose and give preference to an assignment they will be more motivated and more confident to complete the assignment.  

     I found this article very helpful and easy to digest.  For someone just starting out and looking for a few simple tools to start out their classroom with, this guide is more practical than, say, reading a book on the topic or attending a workshop.  It's meant as a starting point to better differentiated instruction.  If you'd like to read the full article click on the link below.  

John McCarthy's Blog on Edutopia

     For more ideas on how to give your students more involvement and choice in classroom activities, follow the 5 steps that another educational blogger from Edutopia, Rebecca Alber, posted roughly a year ago on her own blog.  She openly suggests that you admit to your class every so often, "I don't know.", and move forward from that point with the whole class on board to spontaneous, unplanned learning.  In places where there's wiggle room, let the students choose the content and work learning goals into content as it arises.  Poll the classroom to show where interests and knowledge is already present to better formulate an educational strategy.  To read the whole article follow this link.

Rebecca Alber's Blog on Edutopia

     One quality video I found on a separate website is Carol Tomlinson's video on beginning differentiated instruction.  She also attempts to break down differentiated instruction so that new teachers do not feel so overwhelmed.  She encourages beginning teachers that the experience is a marathon, not a sprint and to slowly begin adapting and integrating the differentiated approach.  She suggests to start simply by observing and informally pre-assessing students to intentionally note what they might need from you as you proceed with the lesson.  As you become more comfortable with each new technique, build on what you've already accomplished and continue to advance each year.  Follow the link here,

Suggestions on how to begin differentiated instruction

     I will keep my eye out for any more resources and will edit this post as often as possible to offer more information.