Today's classrooms are becoming more academically diverse in most regions of the United States (and elsewhere, for that matter). Many, if not most, classrooms contain students representing both genders and multiple cultures, frequently include students who do not speak English as a first language, and generally contain students with a range of exceptionalities and markedly different experiential backgrounds. These students almost certainly work at differing readiness levels, have varying interests, and learn in a variety of ways?

Psychologists tell us that a student learns only when a task is a little too hard for that student. When a student can do work with little effort, and virtually independently, that student is not learning, but rather rehearsing the known. When a student finds a task beyond his or her reach, frustration, not learning, is the result. Only when a task is a bit beyond the student's comfort level, and the student finds a support system to bridge the gap, does learning occur. This optimum degree of difficulty for learning is referred to as a student's zone of proximal development. Considering today's diverse classrooms, it is unlikely that a teacher will be consistently able to develop one-size-fits-all learning experiences that are in the zones of proximal development of all students in a particular class.

Culture has an important bearing on how individuals learn. While it is clearly not the case that all members of a given culture learn in similar ways, it is the case that learning environments and procedures that are comfortable for many members of one cultural group may not be so to many members of other cultural groups. Students whose classrooms are a cultural misfit often do poorly in school In classrooms where varied cultural groups are represented, a single approach to teaching and learning is unlikely to serve all students well. In fact, because students in any cultural group also vary, even classrooms that are more culturally homogeneous would benefit from multiple approaches to teaching and learning.

Student motivation and task persistence increase when students can work with topics that are of personal interest. Modifying instruction to draw on student interests is likely to result in greater student engagement, higher levels of intrinsic motivation, higher student productivity, greater student autonomy, increased achievement, and an improved sense of self-competence. Encouraging students to link required learning to that which is personally interesting to them seems an important modification for teachers in most classrooms.

The opportunity to learn in ways that make learning more efficient is also likely to make learning more effective. Attention to a student's preferred mode of learning or thinking promotes improved achievement.

What is Differentiated Instruction? -videoDifferentiated Instruction is an instructionalconcept that maximizes learning for ALL studentsregardless of skill level or background. It's based on the fact that in a typical classroom, students vary in their academic abilities, learning styles,personalities, interests, background knowledge and experiences, and levels of motivation forlearning. When a teacher differentiates instruction,he or she uses the best teaching practices andstrategies to create different pathways that respond to the needs of diverse learners.

Differentiated instruction (sometimes referred to as differentiated learning) is a way of thinking about teaching and learning. It means using a variety of instructional strategies that address diverse student learning needs. It places students at the center of teaching and learning and student needs drive instructional planning. Differentiated instruction is a way to enhance learning for all students by engaging them in activities that respond to particular learning needs, strengths, and preferences.

The goals of differentiated instruction are to develop challenging and engaging tasks for each learner (from low-end learner to high-end learner). Instructional activities are flexible and based and evaluated on content, process and product. Teachers respond to students’ readiness, instructional needs, interests and learning preferences and provide opportunities for students to work in varied instructional formats. In a nutshell, a classroom that utilizes differentiated instruction is a learner-responsive, teacher-facilitated classroom where all students have the opportunity to meet curriculum foundational objectives. Lessons should be on inquiry based, problem based and project based instruction.

Step 1- Know Your Students

Determine the ability level of your students.

This can be done by surveying past records ofstudent performance to determine

capabilities, prior learning, past experiences with learning,etc.Learning Styles

Survey student interests.

It is also important to get to know your students

informally. This can be done by an interest

inventory, an interview/conference, or asking

students to respond to an open-ended questionnaire

with key questions about their learning preferences

(depending on the age group). Is behavior management a problem?

This is key when planning for activities that require less

structure. However, it is still important to determine learning

styles and preferences for students who may have a hard

time controlling their behaviors. Sometimes knowing

preferences can help to motivate students to attend to any

tasks that are presented

Step 2- Have a Repertoire of Teaching Strategies

Because "one size does not fit all," it is imperativethat a variety of teaching strategies be used in adifferentiated classroom. Among many teaching strategies that can be considered, there are fourworth mentioning: direct instruction, inquiry-based learning, cooperative learning, and information processing models.

Direct InstructionThis is the most widely used and mosttraditional teaching strategy. It is teacher centered and can be used to cover a greatamount of material in the amount of timeteachers have to cover what students need tolearn. It is structured and is based on mastery learning. More information can be found on: http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/meth

ods/models/

Inquiry-based LearningInquiry-based learning has become verypopular in teaching today. It is based on thescientific method and works very well indeveloping critical thinking and problemsolving skills. It is student centered andrequires students to conduct investigationsindependent of the teacher, unless otherwisedirected or guided through the process ofdiscovery. For more information, go to: http://www.teach-nology.com/currenttrends

/inquiry/

Cooperative LearningProbably one of the most misunderstood strategies forteaching is "cooperative learning." Yet, if employedproperly, cooperative learning can produceextraordinary results in learning outcomes. It is basedon grouping small teams of students heterogeneouslyaccording to ability, interest, background, etc. However, one of the most important features of cooperative learning is to pick the best strategy thatwill be used to assign the task for students to

accomplish.The more popular strategies include Jigsaw, STAD-

StudentTeams, or Group Investigation. For more information, go

to: http://www.teach-nology.com/currenttrends/

cooperative_learning/

Information Processing StrategiesTeaching students "how to" process information is

akey factor in teaching students how tostrategically organize, store, retrieve, and applyinformation presented. Such strategies include,but are not limited to, memorization, KWL,reciprocal teaching, graphic organizing,scaffolding, or webbing. More information on

thistopic can be found at: http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/

methods/info_processing/

Informal and formative as opposed to summative

Classroom assessment is ongoing through personal communications:Questioning: try to question all students –

level the question to ability and aim at higher order thinking

Observation: move around the room, have a room chart and make notes

Observation II (class management): you should know when you have lost “them”

Discussion: with the whole class, group, or individual

Remember wait time Provide at least three seconds of thinking

time after a question and after a response

Utilize "think-pair-share" Allow individual thinking time, discussion

with a partner, and then open up the class discussion

Ask "follow-ups" (Why? Do you agree? Can you elaborate?)

Tell me more. Can you give an example? Withhold judgment

Respond to student answers in a nonevaluative fashion

Ask for summary (to promote active listening) "Could you please summarize John's point?"

Survey the class "How many people agree with the author's point of view?" ("thumbs up, thumbs down")

Allow for student calling "Richard, will you please call on someone else to respond?"

Play devil's advocate

Require students to defend their reasoning against different points of view

Ask students to "unpack their thinking" "Describe how you arrived at your answer."

("think aloud") Call on students randomly. Not just those

with raised hands Student questioning. Let the students

develop their own questions. Cue student responses. "There is not a single

correct answer for this question. I want you to consider alternatives."

Designed to provide different levels of complexity, abstractness, and open-endedness. The curricular content and objective(s) are the same, but the process and/or product are varied according to the student’s level of readiness

Interest centers are set up so that learning experiences are directed toward a specific learner interest. Allowing students to choose a topic can be motivating to them. The teacher may select a variety of topics or areas that students or groups can select.

Students work as part of many different groups depending on the task and/or content.

Groups assigned:ReadinessAssigned by teacherRandomlyChosen by students

Allows students to work with a wide variety of peers and keeps them from being labeled

An agreement between the student and the teacher (they may or may not be written, but written often works better)

Teacher specifies the necessary skills Student identifies the methods for completing

the ask (there may or may not be debate on

establishing and there may or may not be amendments) Allows students to:

Work at an appropriate pace Target their learning style Helps students work independently

This is an excellent way for students to understand what is EXPECTED of them.

Other Differentiation Strategies1. Acceleration                              2. Flexible Grouping                       3. Literature Circles4. Mentoring                                  5. Contracting6. Independent Study                     7. Learning Centers8. Tiered Instruction                        9. Tic-Tac-Toe Choices10.Differentiated Assessment            11.Learning12.Collaborative Learning                13.Project Based Learning14.Inquiry Based Learning                

TIC-TAC-TOE Activities

What is Tiered Instruction? Tiered instruction is a means of teaching one concept and meeting the different learning needs in a group.

What are the steps for tiered instruction?There are 5 major organizational points to

tiering instruction:1. Choose a concept that students should

know or understand and whether to tier according to readiness, interest, or learning profile.

2. Assess student's profile, readiness, and interest.

3. Create an activity or project that is clearly focused on the concept.

4. Adjust the activity to provide different levels of difficulty.

5. Match students to appropriate tiered assignment.

3-5 Examplehttp://www.saskschools.ca/curr_content/

bestpractice/tiered/examples2.html 6-8 Examplehttp://www.saskschools.ca/curr_content/

bestpractice/tiered/examples3.html

Tiered Lesson Plan