Does differentiating within the classroom make
teaching and learning more effective?
This guide will help assist you as a classroom teacher to create the most inclusive classroom possible
through differentiation of the curriculum and your classroom.
What does differentiating mean?
In Education, differentiating simply means
to focus on individual students needs as
opposed to a one size fits all approach. In
the classroom, we can differentiate the
content (what students learn), the process
(how students learn) and the product (the
end result of learning) all according to the
students readiness, interests and learning
profile. The environment and resources
will also play a role in this as they can be
used to your advantage.
Content, process and product make up
differentiation
What does a differentiated classroom
like, sound and feel like?
A classroom which has differentiated
instruction, curriculum and other aspects
will appear as a community where there is
mutual respect for diversity and each
other. The classroom is a safe space
where students feel open to sharing
without judgement and feel valued. To
differentiate instruction means to have
the instructions specified in different
ways. Examples of this include instructions
being written on the board for students to
see, spoken aloud possibly broken into
one step at a time and modelling, printed
out instructions or in braille for blind
students.
There is always more than one way to arrive
at the same answer
A flexible learning space will be evident in
a differentiated classroom. Students will
have tasks which are open-ended and
therefore they can let their creativity flow
and not be penalised by what they cannot
do, but instead rewarded by
demonstrating their abilities in a range of
ways. Students are accountable and
providing more ways can aid this.
Teaching Tips:
1. Explicit Teaching build from prior
knowledge with clear explicit
instructions to create clear
learning goals and expectations
2. Reflect reflecting on lessons in a
range of ways has substantial
value and can help students
memorise and understand
knowledge that has been taught
3. Flexibility continually be ready
for change and embrace it. In a
differentiated classroom no two
students answers will be the same
and being open to this is key
 4. Inclusion provide access for
participation of all students in their
own way no matter how big or
small this contribution may be
5. Collaboration this is a skill which
will come for students to work
collaboratively bringing different
background information and
experiences to learning
Students collaborating enable different ideas to
come together
How does this all link to the AITSL
Standards?
Standard 1 is crucial for this
because as a classroom teacher it
is essential to understand there
are different learning styles and it
is important to use them all.
Standard 2 includes from a range
of ways to get across information
about the curriculum to benefit all
students.
Standard 3 is covered as
differentiated classrooms are
highly effective and work for all
students.
Standard 4 is completed as the
class maintains safety and respect
as well as a community feel to
support.
Standard 5 is demonstrated where
feedback and reflection time is
being provided to consolidate
learning and retain memory.
Standards 6 and 7 come down to
you as a teacher and your
professional experience and
engagement with the
community/carers/parents. It is
essential for you to understand the
students better and produce
yourself as an effective teacher for
providing the opportunity for your
students to learn in the most
efficient and safe way.
Resources:
There are an abundance of scholarly
resources from journal articles, to
Government websites to books on
differentiation. Many resources talk about
explicit teaching and the benefits of these.
Some of these include:
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/
download?doi=10.1.1.548.8705&rep
=rep1&type=pdf An research
project based on differentiation with
findings including scholars such as
Vygotsky and his ZPD
http://www.ascd.org/research-a-
topic/differentiated-instruction-
resources.aspx - Creating an account
enables videos, articles, webinars and
books on differentiation
http://www.aabri.com/manuscripts/
11888.pdf - A Research in Higher
Education Journal explaining
strategies and the need for
differentiation