Differentiated instruction is a teaching approach that tailors instruction to meet the individual needs of all students. It recognizes that students learn at different paces, in different ways, and with different interests. Teachers who differentiate instruction provide students with a variety of options for how they learn, what they learn, and how they demonstrate their learning. There are many different ways to differentiate instruction. Some common examples include: Differentiating content: This involves providing students with different levels of difficulty or different types of content to learn. For example, a teacher might provide students with different reading passages at different reading levels, or give students different research topics to choose from. Differentiating process: This involves providing students with different ways to learn the same material. For example, a teacher might provide students with visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learning activities, or give students the option to work independently or in small groups. Differentiating product: This involves providing students with different ways to demonstrate their learning. For example, a teacher might allow students to write a report, create a presentation, or design a project to show what they have learned. Differentiating the learning environment: This involves creating a learning environment that is supportive and welcoming for all students. For example, a teacher might provide students with quiet places to work, or give students the option to move around the classroom. Differentiated instruction is important because it helps to ensure that all students have the opportunity to learn and succeed. When teachers differentiate instruction, students are more likely to be engaged in their learning and to reach their full potential. Here are some examples of differentiated instruction in the classroom: In a math class, the teacher might provide students with different levels of difficulty of math problems to solve. For example, some students might be working on multiplication problems, while other students are working on division problems. In a science class, the teacher might give students different research topics to choose from. For example, some students might research different types of animals, while other students might research different types of plants. In an English class, the teacher might allow students to choose between writing a report, creating a presentation, or designing a project to show what they have learned about a novel. In a social studies class, the teacher might provide students with different ways to learn about a historical event. For example, some students might watch a video, while other students might read a primary source document. Differentiated instruction is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Teachers need to get to know their students and their individual needs in order to differentiate instruction effectively. However, when done different

1. Differentiated Instruction
The Basic Steps Towards
Differentiating

2. Super Sleuth
Directions: Walk around the room and find
someone to respond to the questions on your
Super Sleuth paper. After a verbal answer
the person will initial the square.
Rules:
- A person can only answer and initial one
square.
- The goals are to activate prior knowledge and
to meet new people with new ideas.

3. Super Sleuth
What is your definition of
differentiated instruction?
Give an example of when you have
used DI?
What is something you would like
to learn about DI?
When do you use small group
instruction?
Differentiation means as many
lesson plans as you have students.
Agree?
How do you discover how your
students learn?
What is one way you can form
groups in your classroom?
What are some quick on-going
assessments
in your class?
Are DI and assessment related?

4. Let’s Define Differentiated
Instruction
Differentiating instruction is doing
what’s fair for students. It means
creating multiple paths so that students
of different abilities, interests, or
learning needs experience equally
appropriate ways to learn.

5. The Rationale for Differentiated
Instruction
Different levels
of readiness
Different Interests

6. The Rationale for Differentiated
Instruction
Different Ability Levels
Different Cognitive Needs

7. Teachers can differentiate
according to ….
The content
The process
The product

8. Differentiating Content
• Resource materials at varying
readability levels
• Audio and video recordings
• Highlighted vocabulary
• Charts and models
• Interest centers
• Varied manipulatives and resources
• Peer and adult mentors

9. Differentiating Process
(making sense and meaning of content)
• Use leveled or tiered activities
• Interest centers
• Hands-on materials
• Vary pacing according to readiness
• Allow for working alone, in partners,
triads, and small groups
• Allow choice in strategies for
processing and for expressing results of
processing

10. Differentiating Products
(showing what is know and able to be done)
• Tiered product choices
• Model, use and encourage student use
of technology within products and
presentations
• Provide product choices that range in
choices from all multiple intelligences,
options for gender, culture, and race
• Use related arts teachers to help with
student products

11. Strategies to Make
Differentiation Work
1. Tiered Instruction
Changing the level of complexity or
required readiness of a task or unit of
study in order to meet the
developmental needs of the students
involved.

12. Tiering
Key Concept
Or
Understanding
Those who do not
know the concept
Those with some
understanding
Those who
understand the
concept

13. What Can Be Tiered?
• Processes, content
and products
• Assignments
• Homework
• Learning stations
• Assessments
• Writing prompts
• Anchor activities
• Materials

14. What Can We Adjust?
• Level of complexity
• Amount of structure
• Pacing
• Materials
• Concrete to abstract
• Options based on student interests
• Options based on learning styles

15. Tiering Instruction
1. Identify the standards, concepts, or
generalizations you want the students
to learn.
2. Decide if students have the
background necessary to be successful
with the lesson.
3. Assess the students’ readiness,
interests, and learning profiles.

16. Tiering Instructions
4. Create an activity or project that is clearly
focused on the standard, concept or
generalization of the lesson.
5. Adjust the activity to provide different
levels or tiers of difficulty that will lead all
students to an understanding.
6. Develop an assessment component for the
lesson. Remember, it is on-going!

17. Strategies to Make
Differentiation Work
2. Anchoring Activities
These are activities that a student may do at any
time when they have completed their present
assignment or when the teacher is busy with other
students. They may relate to specific needs or
enrichment opportunities, including problems to
solve or journals to write. They could also be part
of a long term project.

18. Strategies to Make
Differentiation Work
3. Flexible Grouping
This allows students to be appropriately
challenged and avoids labeling a student’s readiness
as a static state. It is important to permit
movement between groups because interest changes
as we move from one subject to another

19. Ebb and Flow of Experiences
(Tomlinson)
Back and forth over time or course of unit
Individual Small Group Whole Group Small Group Individual

20. Flexible Grouping
Homogenous/Ability
-Clusters students of similar
abilities, level, learning style,
or interest.
-Usually based on some type
of pre-assessment
Heterogeneous Groups
-Different abilities, levels or
interest
- Good for promoting creative
thinking.
Individualized or
Independent Study
-Self paced learning
-Teaches time management
and responsibility
-Good for remediation or
extensions
Whole Class
-Efficient way to present new
content
-Use for initial instruction

21. Strategies to Make
Differentiation Work
4. Compacting Curriculum
Compacting the curriculum means assessing a
student’s knowledge and skills, and providing
alternative activities for the student who has
already mastered curriculum content. This can
be achieved by pre-testing basic concepts or
using performance assessment methods.
Students demonstrating they do not require
instruction move on to tiered problem solving
activities while others receive instruction.

22. What Differentiation Is …
• Student Centered
• Best practices
• Different
approaches
• 3 or 4 different
activities
• Multiple approaches
to content, process,
and product
• A way of thinking
and planning
• Flexible grouping

23. What Differentiation Isn’t
• One Thing
• A Program
• The Goal
• Hard questions for
some and easy for
others
• 35 different plans
for one classroom
• A chaotic classroom
• Just homogenous
grouping

24. In Summary…..
What is fair isn’t always equal…
and
Differentiation gets us away
from “one size fits all” approach to
curriculum and instruction that doesn’t
fit anyone

25. Bibliography
Campbell, Bruce. The Multiple Intelligences Handbook: Lesson Plans and
More. Stanwood, WA. 1996.
Daniels, Harvey and Bizar. (2005). Teaching The Best Practice Way:
Methods that Matter, K-12. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.
Gregory, Gayle. Differentiated Instructional Strategies in Practice.
Thousand Oaks, CA. 2003.
Tomlinson, Carol Ann. The Differentiated Classroom. Alexandria, VA:
ASCD. 1995.
Wormeli, Rick. Fair Isn’t Always Equal: Assessment and Grading in the
Differentiated Classroom, Stenhouse Publishers, 2006.