Question

Conduct research relating to differentiated instruction. What does differentiated instruction mean? How can a teacher incorporate this concept into their lesson planning? How do student's benefit from differentiation?

Answer 1

Differentiated instruction (also known as differentiated learning ) is a framework or pattern for effective teaching that involves providing different students with different avenues to learning in terms of: acquiring content; processing, constructing, or making sense of ideas and developing teaching materials and assessment measures so that all students within a classroom can learn effectively, regardless of differences in ability. By considering varied learning needs, teachers can develop personalized instruction so that all children in the classroom can learn effectively

There are a number of ways in which a teacher can incorporate this lesson planning. Based on students' skill levels and educational standards, teachers may assign students to complete activities that demonstrate mastery of an educational concept or in a method the student prefers to compose an original song about the content or may be building a 3-dimensional object that explains mastery of concepts. The product is an integral component of the differentiated model, as preparation of the assessments determines both the ‘what' and ‘how' of instruction delivery. When an educator differentiates by-product or performance, they are affording students various ways of demonstrating what they have learned from the lesson or unit.  It is done by using menu unit sheets, choice boards or open-ended lists of final product options. It is meant to allow students to show what they learned based on their learning preferences, interests and strengths.

Also, In differentiated instruction, teachers respond to students' readiness, instructional needs, interests and learning preferences and provide opportunities for students to work in varied instructional formats. A classroom that utilizes differentiated instruction is a learner-responsive, teacher-facilitated classroom where all students have the opportunity to meet curriculum foundation objectives. Lessons may be on inquiry based, problem based and project based instruction.

Students are beneitted by differentiating through the environment which is important as it creates the conditions for optimal learning to take place. Such environment will support or deter the student's quest for affirmation, contribution, power, purpose, and challenge in the classroom. The physical environment should be a place that is flexible with varied types of furniture and arrangements, and areas for quiet individual work as well as areas for group work and collaboration. This supports a variety of ways to engage in flexible and dynamic learning.

Apart from this, when parents come to school and talk about their children, they share their perspectives with the teacher. The teacher views the student more broadly, specifically in relation to students of the same age and in light of developmental benchmarks. The parents can have deeper sense of the student's interests, feelings, and changes over time. The combination of the wide-angle lens viewpoint of the teacher with the close up lens of the parents results in a fuller picture for everyone.