Differentiated Instruction

Differentiated Instruction

Presented by:
Krysta Menzies
Audience:
K-2nd
Date:
April 15th, 2019

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Differentiated Instruction

Objectives and Standards

 To have a deeper understanding for the usage and importance of differentiated learning
within your classroom
 How to implement differentiated instruction without making any major changes in your
existing classroom model
 NBTS Proposition 1: Teachers are committed to students and their learning
 1. Teachers recognize individual differences in their students and adjust their practice
accordingly
 CSTP Standard 1.1- Using knowledge of students to engage them in learning
 CSTP Standard 1.4- Using a variety of instructional strategies, resources and technologies to
meet students diverse learning needs

Standards were selected from CSTP and NBTS standards for teachers. The purpose of this
presentation will be to give you more insight as to how to plan your instruction to be more
differentiated and why that is important.

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Differentiated Instruction

Think of your favorite lesson you

have ever taught to students…

Why was it memorable?

What components of it were most engaging?
Did your students have fun?
Did you have fun teaching it?
Chances are, you were using components of
differentiated instruction

Before planning for any lesson, try and keep these questions in mind. When you are having
a good time teaching it then your students are more likely to have fun learning and retain
the information being taught!

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Differentiated Instruction

Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7-D3gi2lL8 to view video or

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=differentiated+instruction for a wide
variety of helpful videos.

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Differentiated Instruction

What is differentiated instruction?

Differentiated instruction is
tailoring our curriculum and
lessons to meet the
individual needs of our
students.

Differentiated instruction is a style of teaching that most educators try to incorporate

already. Though it seems like common sense to most of us, it is a challenge to utilize to it’s
fullest potential.

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Differentiated Instruction

What aspects of learning can

educators differentiate?

Content Learning
Process
and Product Environment

Content – what the student needs to learn or how the student will get access to the
information
Products – culminating projects that ask the student to rehearse, apply, and extend
what he or she has learned in a unit
Learning environment – the way the classroom works and feels
Process – activities in which the student engages in order to make sense of or
master the content

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Differentiated Instruction

Be sure to differentiate based on

student’s…

Learning
Readiness Interests
Profile

• Focus on the essential ideas and skills of the content area

• Respond to individual student differences (such as learning style, prior
knowledge, interests, and level of engagement).
• Group students flexibly by shared interest, topic, or ability.

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Differentiated Instruction

Differentiated instruction has been found to be effective

for a wide range of students, from those with learning
disabilities to those considered high achieving.

The traditional style of teaching, lecturing and teacher

led, has been found to be the least effective way of
teaching, with only a 5-10 percent retention rate after 24
hours!

Though the actual research on differentiated instruction is limited, it has been found to be
beneficial for student growth and achievement based on studies that have been done. In
one particular study, “Tieso (2005) studied 31 math teachers and 645 students and
found that differentiated instruction was effective for keeping high-ability students
challenged in heterogeneous classrooms. In this study, preassessments prior to a
three-week unit on statistics and probability indicated that high-performing
students brought greater levels of prior knowledge to the start of the unit. Those
students who were taught using a differentiated curriculum that supplemented the
textbook curriculum and were placed in various groups according to their
performance level demonstrated significantly higher achievement on the post-test
than did high-performing students who were taught using the textbook curriculum
and whole-class instruction. She concluded that revising and differentiating the
curriculum, along with creating purposeful flexible grouping, may significantly
improve students' mathematics achievement, especially for gifted students.”

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Differentiated Instruction

How can we
plan for
differentiation?
• Design lessons based on
students’ learning styles.
• Group students by shared
interest, topic, or ability
• Assess students’ learning using
formative assessment.
• Manage the classroom to
create a safe and supportive
environment.
• Continually assess and adjust
lesson content to meet
students’ needs.

“Differentiating instruction may mean teaching the same material to all students
using a variety of instructional strategies, or it may require the teacher to deliver
lessons at varying levels of difficulty based on the ability of each student.” (What is
Differentiated Instruction? Examples of How to Differentiate Instruction in the
Classroom
By Cathy Weselby • October 1, 2014)

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Differentiated Instruction

Formative assessment
Keep in mind… ideas:
-thumbs up, thumbs down
-observe students
-play simple games
-white boards

Assessing does not always =

-Continually assess; reflect; and adjust content, process, and product to meet
student needs
-Integrate ongoing and meaningful assessments with instruction.

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Differentiated Instruction

How can I start implementing differentiated

instruction strategies, specifically at HOPE?

• Start small
• Utilize techniques on just a few lessons out of a whole unit

• Utilize a differentiated lesson planner

• Consider changing your classroom seating or layout

• Communicate ideas to your team and

administrators!

With HOPE being a unique school and a unique environment, we need to keep in mind our
limitations before implementing anything too drastic. However, there are so many small
things we can start being more aware of to adjust our teaching to be more differentiated.

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Differentiated Instruction

Example of differentiated lesson planner and

lesson

This is just one example I found that was previously teacher created. I also will have an
additional handout for you. You could also visit teacherspayteachers.com for a wide variety
of planners. I love these resources because it breaks down the pieces of the lesson to help
you be more aware of your strategies and why you are choosing them. This is a great tool
to utilize when you are first starting out.

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Differentiated Instruction

First:
Work together to
plan a math lesson
utilizing either the
“Tiered Activity
Planning Template”
Kindergarten: Second:
or “Differentiated
Unit Planner”.
Work together to plan Work together to
a language lesson plan a writing lesson
utilizing either the utilizing either the
“Tiered Activity “Tiered Activity
Planning Template” or Planning Template”
“Differentiated Unit or “Differentiated
Planner”. Unit Planner”.

This activity is meant to be a quick way to practice what we have learned. This lesson can
be a “mini” lesson, more so to get you thinking of differentiated techniques and benefits.

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Differentiated Instruction

Let’s compare…
Think of your original lesson Think of your mini lesson you
from the beginning of the just created with your
presentation team
 What aspects were  What aspects were
differentiated? differentiated?
 What aspects were traditional?  Were any aspects traditional?
 If differentiation was used, what  Did you like this lesson more?
techniques? Why or why not?
 Knowing what you know now, is  What techniques of
there anything you would differentiation did you use?
change?

Comparing between these two lessons is meant to get you thinking about what tools you
were already utilizing and how we can now make them better.

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Differentiated Instruction

• What will you start doing

to incorporate more
differentiated instruction
techniques in your
classroom?

Considering everything you have learned in this presentation, what can you start doing
better? I am positive all of you already are using some of these techniques but did you
learn anything new? Maybe a new strategy or lesson planning tool to start incorporating?

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Differentiated Instruction

Resources
• Nieves, K. (2018) Differentiated in a Rigid Curriculum
• Guido, M. (2016) 20 Differentiated Instruction Strategies and
Examples

• Weselby, C. (2014) What is Differentiated Instruction? Examples of How

Differentiated Instruction in the Classroom

• Huebner, T. (2010) What Research Says About Differentiated Instruction

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