An Introduction to Differentiated Instruction Heacox Chapter 1

What D.I. Is Not! Not Individualized Instruction of the 1970’s Not chaotic Not “one size fits all” instruction Not impossible to start doing right away

What D.I. Is Rigorous – students motivated to push themselves Relevant – essential learning, not “fluff” Flexible & varied – students make choices, teacher uses different teaching strategies Complex – challenge students’ thinking & actively engage them

Best of All D.I. is a way “to provide more instruction for those in need without holding back those who (are) ready for new challenges” Therefore, one teacher can meet the needs of all learners in the classroom without falling apart!

Already Using D.I.? Start with what you are already doing Modify your current plans to reach more learners – Assess their strengths, weaknesses, needs Try one lesson, then one unit, then one subject – It will become easier!

Why D.I.? Diverse Learners Cognitive abilities – multiple intelligences, learning preferences – build on strengths, work with weaknesses Learning styles – environment, social organization, sensory preferences Socioeconomic & family factors – hungry, tired, stressed, without supplies

Diverse Learners (cont.) Readiness – some barely there, some ready to move on Learning pace – few examples or much practice Gender influences – differences in pace, environmental preferences, etc. (p. 9) Cultural/ethnic influences – come with ideas on learning, etc.

Diverse Learners (cont.) How value learning – useable & relevant? family’s & friends’ attitudes Confidence in learning – past success or failure?

Areas of D.I. Content Process Product

Content Curricular topics, concepts, themes Determined by state How to differentiate content? Focus on most relevant & essential concepts/skills – increase complexity Eliminate or speed up content

Content (cont.) Pre-assess students’ skills & knowledge to match activities with readiness Give students choices on what to explore more deeply Provide students with resources to match ability level (basic to advanced)

Process The way to teach should reflect the students’ learning styles & preferences How to differentiate process? Add more complexity & abstractness to tasks Engage students in critical & creative thinking Ask them to learn in a variety of ways

Product End results of learning – evidence to “reveal new thinking or ideas” Tangible (poster, written report) Verbal (speech, debate) Action (skit, dance)

Product (cont.) How to differentiate product? Menus! (pp. 105-107) – Think Tac Toe Multiple intelligences – Vienna example Bloom’s Taxonomy “Encourage students to take on challenging work, to run with their ideas, or to come up with unique ways to show what they’ve learned” (p. 11)

The Teacher’s Role in D.I. Facilitator – provide opportunities, organize learning, use time flexibly Collaborator – share D.I. planning with other teachers, combine classes to free up time, share resources, find specialists Environment set-up – see pp. 12-13

F.A.Q.’s Pp. 13-17 “Nutshell” of D.I. - p. 17 Finding your style on the inventory – pp. 19-20