1. APPLIED INSTRUCTION IN A NAVAL CONTEXT
Beth-Ann Pervetich
Post University

2. Educational Context
At present, the Navy has a seven month course of instruction for Surface Warfare Officers, or ship drivers. The first four months are focused solely on learning and becoming proficient in warfighting tactics, and the last three on more administrative, day-to-day, and managerial tasks to enable a ship and its equipment to remain functional, effective, and properly monitored. This course is taught in many units, which are taught in many different ways. There are some differentiated methods used, but in many ways, the instruction is not nearly as effective as it could be, because it is catering to only one type of learner profile, in most cases.

3. Plan and Rationale for Differentiated Instruction
To have an effective and differentiated classroom, a teacher must get to know her learners.
One-time and ongoing
learner sketch, utilizing the Faces of Learning (n.d.) website
Survey
Profile card
Each can be used at the beginning of a unit of study, and/or throughout, and can be kept on file for both the teacher and student to refer back to (Tomlinson & Imbeau, 2010, p.82).
The best chance for students to succeed is if both students and teacher know “what motivates and challenges them when learning… [to] optimize their learning experiences” (UDL, n.d., p.1).

4. Pre-active, Interactive, and Reflective Activities
Students will be assigned to plan a group sail.
a week-long underway evolution that happens every year with multiple Naval ships working together and individually to demonstrate required exercises such as gun-shoots, anchoring, submarine hunting, and aircraft integration.
Students will be broken into groups that include as much diversity in background and experience as possible. They will mind-map what evolutions might be required to be demonstrated during a group sail. (Pre-active)
Students will remain in groups and research who the actual planners of group sail are in the different fleet concentration areas around the world. They will then interview that person to determine what the requirements are for group sail, who needs to be a part of the planning process, and what that process looks like. (Interactive)
Students will develop a plan of action and milestones (POA&M) to outline how they would plan a group sail. This will be done as a group, and then individually, they will provide a feedback report on what they learned throughout the project. This will include each student evaluating the POA&M that they came up with as a group, as well as peer feedback on each group member’s collaboration and team work. (Reflective)

5. Content, Process, and Product
According to Corley (2005), the “cornerstone of differentiation is active planning: the teacher plans instruction strategically to meet learners where they are and to offer multiple avenues through which they can access, understand, and apply learning” (p.13).
Content: “what we teach or what we want students to learn” (Tomlinson, 2001, p.72)
Process: the sense-making portion of instruction.
Product: “a long term endeavor... [that] should help students-individually or in groups-rethink, use, and extend what they have learned over a long period of time” (Tomlinson, 2001, p.85).

6. Strategies for Differentiated Instruction
Additional differentiated tools:
One of these tools is formative assessment given weekly that are then reviewed for those students that understand the content, or need more help. The students will then spend a portion of every day of the following week in either a reteach or an enrich group (Edutopia, 2011).
Another strategy that will be in use will be daily journaling. This practice can help students determine why a concept/learning is important (McCarthy, 2010), and can help the teacher determine if content, process, or product need adjusted, as well as get to know his or her students better.

7. Future Goals
1. Identify two low-prep and one high-prep differentiation strategies (Tomlinson, 2001, p.34) to implement.
2. Find one strategy not yet explored.
3. Inquire of a teacher who is currently teaching using differentiation on how he or she implements and manages that differentiation without becoming overwhelmed.
These goals can be measured in curriculum generation and curriculum comparison, as well as journaling. The goals will need to be revisited periodically, as well.

8. Summary
With all of these differentiated strategies, Navy learning can improve exponentially. There is no limit to how many students can be effectively reached. With multiple modes of content delivery, process variation, and ongoing and differing assessment, every student has the potential for success, regardless of learner profile, interest, or readiness.
Providing the correct tools to at least
begin differentiating instruction is a
significant step towards effective and
life-long learning for both teacher and
students.
Extensive research has concluded that “these types of activities help the learner enhance their critical thinking skills, shaping them into autonomous, productive, law abiding citizens” (Galvan & Coronado, 2014, p.39); there is every reason to implement at least some strategies of differentiation to give every student the ability to succeed.

9. References
Alberta Education. (n.d.). Scaffolding for Student Success. Retrieved from
Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. A. (2011). Engaging the Online Learner: Activities and Resources for Creative Instruction, p.1-14.
Corley, M. (2005). Differentiated Instruction: Adjusting to the Needs of All Learners. National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, 7(c),
Edutopia. (n.d.). Edutopia. Retrieved from
Edutopia. (2011). Reteach and Enrich: How to Make Time for Every Student. Retrieved from
Faces of Learning. (n.d.). Your Learner Sketch. Retrieved from

10. References, Cont.
Galvan, M. E., & Coronado, J.M. (2014). Problem-Based and Project-Based Learning: Promoting Differentiated Instruction. National Teacher Education Journal, 7(4),
McCarthy, B. (2010). Introduction to 4MAT. Retrieved from
Student Profiles. (n.d.). British Columbia Ministry of Education. Retrieved from
Tapscott, D. (2011). Education 2.0. The Agenda with Steve Paikin. Retrieved from
Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). How to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability classrooms. Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. 
Tomlinson, C. A., & Imbeau, M. B. (2010). Leading and managing a differentiated classroom. Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.