Kids of the same age aren't all alike when it comes to learning, any more than they are alike in terms of size, hobbies, personality, or likes and dislikes. Kids do have many things in common because they are human beings and because they are all children, but they also have important differences. What we share in common makes us human. How we differ makes us individuals. In a classroom with little or no differentiated instruction, only student similarities seem to take center stage. In a differentiated classroom, commonalities are acknowledged and built upon, and student differences become important elements in teaching and learning as well.
To help create lessons that engage and resonate with a diverse classroom, below are 20 differentiated instruction strategies and examples. Available in a condensed and printable list for your desk, you can use 16 in most classes and the last four for math lessons.
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Like learning stations, task cards allow you to give students a range of content. Answering task cards can also be a small-group activity, adding variety to classes that normally focus on solo or large-group learning.
Second, print and laminate cards that each contain a single task or question. Or, use Teachers Pay Teachers to buy pre-made cards. (Check out Prodigy Education's Teachers Pay Teachers page for free resources!)
But if you're struggling to see the value of journaling in a subject like math, for example, you can make time specifically for math journaling. While you connect journaling to your own math objectives, students can make cross-curricular connections.
If you want to learn more, check out K-5 Math Teaching Resources for a detailed overview. Angela Watson at The Cornerstone for Teachers also has great math journal resources you can use in your own class!
Based on the results, you can target lessons to help meet these goals. For example, if the bulk of students discuss a certain aspect of the science curriculum, you can design more activities around it.
Include a clear rubric for each type of project, which clearly defines expectations. In fact, some teachers have their students co-create the rubric with them so they have autonomy in the work they'll be completing and being assessed on. Doing so will keep it challenging and help students meet specific criteria.
Working with 41 grade 7 students throughout an academic year, a 2015 study published by the Canadian Center of Science and Education used contextual learning strategies to teach integers and increase test scores by more than 44%.
Only allow students to switch stations if they feel the need. If they do, consult them about their decision. In each case, you and the student will likely learn more about his or her learning style.
Differentiated instruction strategies overlap in important ways with a number of other pedagogical approaches. Consider reviewing these supplementary strategies to find more ideas, combine different elements of each strategy, and enrich your pedagogical toolkit!
Differentiation is a teaching approach that modifies instruction to meet the individual needs of students. Teachers can differentiate in various ways, such as through the process of instruction, the content being taught, the resources used, or the learning environment.
The goal of differentiation is to ensure that all students are challenged and engaged in their learning, regardless of their skill level or learning style*. With differentiation, teachers can tailor their instruction to meet the diverse needs of their students and help them achieve academic success.
Differentiation is all about creating a personalized learning experience for each student. By adapting instruction to meet individual needs, teachers can create a more engaging and effective learning experience for their students.
This can include activities that cater to different learning styles (*this theory has been heavily criticised as it has been taken out of context in many classrooms), such as visual aids for visual learners or hands-on activities for kinesthetic learners. Differentiation can also involve adjusting the level of difficulty of assignments or providing extra support for struggling students. Ultimately, the goal of differentiation is to create a positive and inclusive learning experience that helps each student reach their full potential.
One may consider differentiation, as a way to teach or even a philosophy that's designed to meet the needs of the whole class. It is not a package or collection of worksheets. It motivates teachers to understand their pupils so they can help each student to enhance learning.
As Carol Ann Tomlinson (1999) explains, differentiation means providing students with many options for gaining knowledge. Carol Ann Tomlinson believes that Differentiation is an instructional strategy to help educators teach while keeping students as well as content in mind. Differentiation ensures that learning and teaching work for every student, which really should be a teacher's main purpose of teaching. Differentiating teaching means that the teacher would observe and identify the similarities and differences among students and use this knowledge to teach students.
2. Process: Every student has a preferred style of learning, and successful differentiation allows the delivery of instruction to different mediums of learning (we are not advocating for learning styles!): auditory learners, visual, verbal and kinesthetic learners. This process-related strategy also considers the fact that each student demands a different amount of support from the instructor, and they may choose to work individually, in groups or pairs. Carol Ann Tomlinson believes that teachers may improve learning by providing support based on the individual needs of each student. The universal thinking framework enables teachers to design different learning journeys that achieve the same goal. Instead of using generic strategies for everyone, teachers can move pupils from an introductory level to a more advanced understanding of the content using the learning actions. Advanced learners can be stretched and challenged using the red icons that indicate higher-order thinking.
3. Product: After completing a lesson, the students create a product to show content mastery. It may be in the form of reports, projects, tests or any other activity. For example, according to Carol Ann Tomlinson, the teachers may ask students to complete activities to show mastery of maths lessons as preferred by the students, depending upon their preferred learning style.
4. learning environment: The optimal learning conditions include both psychological and physical elements. A differentiated classroom layout is crucial, including a wide range of arrangements and classroom furniture to support both personal and group work. Carol Ann Tomlinson states that to support students' psychological wellbeing, teachers must use that classroom management and teaching strategies that promote a supportive and safe learning environment.
There are several broad differentiation strategies that can be used across different subject areas. Differentiation begins from the students' essential understandings, prior knowledge assessment and skills and through individual learning objectives.
It is suggested that the success criteria and the respective learning objectives must be shared with the students. This fosters self-regulation, metacognition and empowers learners to control their learning progress. Following are some of the most effective differentiation strategies used in a differentiated classroom:
Technology has changed education forever. Teachers no longer have to rely solely on textbooks and lectures to teach students. Instead, technology allows teachers to deliver content in an engaging manner. For example, instead of using a textbook to teach reading comprehension, teachers can use interactive books such as iBooks 2. They can also use apps such as Duolingo to provide language learning opportunities. This helps students learn faster and retain information better. And these tools allow teachers to focus on delivering quality content rather than spending time on lesson preparation.
It's common for teachers to prepare one set of lesson plans for each subject. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that everyone learns the same way. Some students may benefit from visual aids, whereas others may learn better from listening to a lecture. Therefore, it makes sense to tailor lesson plans to individual student needs. To do this, teachers can ask students questions about their interests and preferences. Then, they can plan lessons accordingly. For example, if a student enjoys playing sports, he or she may learn better from watching videos of sporting events. If a student prefers to read, teachers can assign articles from online news sources.
Feedback is essential for improving performance. Therefore, providing feedback to students should be part of any teacher's daily routine. However, it takes time to give feedback. Therefore, teachers should schedule regular meetings with students to discuss progress and answer questions. These meetings can be scheduled once per week, once per month, or whenever needed. By scheduling regular meetings, teachers can address issues quickly and efficiently.
Collaborative learning is becoming increasingly popular among educators. Students working together to solve problems can improve their understanding of concepts. In addition, collaborative learning encourages students to share knowledge and resources. As a result, students become more confident in their abilities and develop stronger relationships with peers.
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