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1. Differentiated Instruction/Co-Teaching- Co-Teaching, where a general education and a special education teacher work together to plan and provide instruction, can use differentiated instruction to design and implement instruction. This ensures that all students stay engaged and receive the support they need.

2. Collaborative Professional Learning Communities- Teachers and other professionals gather to collaborate, share practices and go over data to improve instruction. This helps because educators solve problems and improve their teaching strategies by working together.

3. Data Collection & Progress Monitoring- Educators collect student data. By collecting student data, educators can use the progress monitoring practice to analyze with other professionals to modify instruction.

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1. Collaborative Decision-Making- Where educators and families work together to make the best decisions in the student's educational success.

2. Active Listening- Where one practices by giving full attention and understanding the perspectives of others during a collaborative meeting such as eye contact, verbal affirmations, and ensuring all voices are to be heard.

3. Problem-Solving Frameworks- These are frameworks to lay out problems and collaborate on providing solutions between professionals and families.

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1. Frequent Communication-Educators should have frequent communication with families (parents and students) to keep them updated and understand the students' past experiences and the goals that families have for their students.

2. Culturally Responsive Practices- Educators should understand the family's culture. Family involvement efforts must welcome all cultures to establish the trust needed to support students (Madalyn, n.d.)

3. Collaborative Goal Setting- Educators and families should work together to set shared goals for the student's success.

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1. Differentiated Instruction- This website explains what differentiated instruction is and ways to implement it. It also has highlighted words that you can click on for more information, such as personalized learning methods, it takes you to another page with information on that.

https://www.learninga-z.com/site/company/what-we-do/differentiated-instruction

2. 4 Benefits of an Active Professional Learning Community- this website provides the benefits of Professional Learning Communities and what they entail. One example is that PLC's allow educators to stay on top of new research and technology tools that can be used in the classrooms.

https://iste.org/blog/4-benefits-of-an-active-professional-learning-community#:~:text=PLCs%20allow%20teachers%20an%20easy,doing%20in%20the%20classroom%20matters.

3. A Guide to Progress Monitoring- This website provides information on what progress monitoring is and how to monitor progress in education. It also provides information on how the website can help with progress monitoring.

https://www.panoramaed.com/blog/progress-monitoring-fundamentals-mtss-rti

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Differentiated Instruction Defined and How to Implement It

Engage the most students and create the best outcomes for entire classrooms with differentiated instruction. It's a teaching method that helps bring struggling students up to speed, enables gifted students to learn at a faster pace, and makes teacher's lives easier because learning is more effective. When you use differentiated instruction, you're steering all your students toward the same learning objectives, while giving students the freedom to choose how they get there.

What Is Differentiated Instruction and Why Is It Important?

Differentiated instruction is the process of tailoring lessons to meet each student's individual interests, needs, and strengths. Teaching this way gives students choice and flexibility in how they learn, and helps teachers personalize learning. This method also requires instructional clarity and clearly defined goals for learning, better enabling students to meet those goals.

What Are Some Differentiated Instruction Strategies?

You can differentiate instruction across four main areas: content, process, product, and environment.

To differentiate content, teachers consider the objective of a lesson, then provide students with flexible options about the content they study to meet the objective, from subject or topic to approach or presentation.

With process differentiation, teachers differentiate how students learn. Grouping students based on their individual readiness or to complement each other is one way to accomplish process differentiation. Another is varying the way concepts are taught: through visual, auditory, or kinesthetic lessons, for example.

Product differentiation applies to the types of assignments students create. A teacher might ask students to explain a concept; the product could be a written report, a story, a song, a speech, or an art project. Varying the types of assessments you give students is also an example of product differentiation.

The classroom environment also affects learning. Changing physical things in the classroom, like how desks are set up or arranged, or where students can sit (on beanbags, for example), serves as classroom environment differentiation, which can also include changes to routines and habits.

What Are the Benefits of Differentiated Instruction?

Differentiated instruction is beneficial because it helps educators connect with different learning styles. Not all students will respond to a class lecture; a game or a video may work better with other students. Some students may learn better by reading than they do using a computer. Giving students choices about how they learn enables them to meet learning objectives in the best way for them.

In some classrooms, differentiation will be required for students with disabilities and for English language learners. Differentiating instruction gives all students the opportunity to keep pace with learning objectives.

No matter what you're teaching, some students will find certain material engaging, while others won't, and students will learn the same material in varying amounts of time. Want to make whatever you're teaching more likely to resonate with each one of your students? Differentiated instruction motivates them to learn the material in a way conducive to their own interests and unique learning styles.

What Do Experts Say About Differentiated Instruction?

"We differentiate instruction to honor the reality of the students we teach. They are energetic and outgoing. They are quiet and curious. They are confident and self-doubting. They are interested in a thousand things and deeply immersed in a particular topic. They are academically advanced and 'kids in the middle' and struggling due to cognitive, emotional, economic, or sociological challenges. Many of them speak a different language at home. They learn at different rates and in different ways. And they all come together in our academically diverse classrooms." - Carol Ann Tomlinson (William Clay Parrish, Jr. Professor and Chair of Educational Leadership, Foundations, and Policy)

"Differentiating instruction is really a way of thinking, not a preplanned list of strategies. Oftentimes, it is making decisions in the moment based on this mindset. It's recognizing that 'fair' doesn't always mean treating everyone equally. It's recognizing that all of our students bring different gifts and challenges, and that as educators, we need to recognize those differences and use our professional judgment to flexibly respond to them in our teaching." - Larry Ferlazzo (award-winning teacher at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, California, who writes a teacher advice column for Education Week)

"All teachers want their students to succeed, and all teachers try to make this happen. That is all differentiation is. We complicate differentiation by not allowing ourselves to be provisional with how we apply the foundational pieces of differentiated instruction. Instead, if we address these four questions in our instructional planning, differentiation will always be the result: What do my students need? How do I know? What will I do to meet their needs? How do I know if what I'm doing is working?" - Lisa Westman (instructional coaching, differentiation, and standards-based grading consultant and professional development facilitator)

"Differentiated instruction is dynamic and organic. In a differentiated learning space, teachers and students learn together. Students focus on learning the course content, while teachers tailor their instructional strategies to student learning styles." - Alexa Epitropoulous (media and author relations specialist at ASCD)

How to Implement Differentiated Instruction

To ensure that the same objectives are being pursued by all students (though they each take their own path to get there), differentiated instruction must be standards-based.

First steps for teachers should include diagnostic testing and learning inventories. Your goal is to set baselines for individual students. Then you can identify tactics to help each student achieve the objectives and deliver custom-tailored content.

Differentiated instruction is evident when teachers:

Offer students options to choose from in assignments or lesson plans.

Provide multiple texts and types of learning materials.

Utilize a variety of personalized learning methods and student assessments.

Customize teaching to suit multiple forms of intelligence.

For differentiated instruction to be successful, teachers must clearly explain the learning goals and the criteria for success. Differentiated learning thrives in a classroom environment where students are working toward shared goals with a growth mindset. Teachers must identify and be responsive to student needs, creating a supportive classroom culture where students embrace differentiation for themselves and their peers.

Knowing the unique needs of your students enables you to teach them more effectively, with the goal of improving cognitive and academic outcomes. Learning A-Z provides thousands of differentiated instruction resources for all types of learners. Our products make teaching easier and more effective, giving students more flexibility and learning options.

Support Differentiated Instruction in Your Classroom

Explore our literacy solutions trusted by teachers worldwide, or start a complimentary trial with your students today.

EXPLORE PRODUCTS START TRIAL

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Differentiated Instruction and How to Implement It | Learning A-Z

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Our K-6 products help teachers differentiate literacy instruction and practice to meet each student's individual learning needs.

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1. HLP 2: Lead Effective Meetings with Professionals and Families- This resource provides an administrator's guide to leading effective meetings with professionals and families. It provides tips on how to prepare for meetings and to facilitate meetings.

https://ttaconline.org/Resource/JWHaEa5BS77Z7aGfteW4WA/Resource-hlp-2-lead-effective-meetings-with-professionals-and-families-administrators-guide

2. High Leverage Practices- This website demonstrates that active listening supports both HLP 1 and HLP 2. HLP 2 is an embedded HLP to the two pillars HLP1 and HLP3.

https://highleveragepractices.org/high-leverage-practices

https://highleveragepractices.org/collaboration

3. What Is MTSS?

Multi-Tiered System of Supports- This website provides information on what MTSS is (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) and the benefits of it. It provides the 4 steps of the MTSS Problem Solving model, which supports HLP1, HLP 2, and HLP 3 because they all work together.

https://www.branchingminds.com/mtss-guide#:~:text=4%2DStep%20MTSS%20Problem%20Solving,problem%2Dsolving%20process%20begins%20again.

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HLP 2: Lead Effective Meetings with Professionals and Families (Administrators Guide)

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HLP 2: Lead Effective Meetings with Professionals and Families (Administrators Guide) - The effective special educator wears many hats. One key responsibility is leading meetings with colleagues and family members. Because of our specialized knowledge…

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1. Communicating with Families- This website offers online courses for communicating with families. It talks about the importance of communicating with families and ways to break down the practice into learnable parts.

https://library.teachingworks.org/curriculum-resources/teaching-practices/communicating-with-families/

2. Culturally Responsive Family Engagement: A Path to Partnership- This website talks about the importance of family engagement as part of student success but that culturally responsive communication is the first step to build that trust between families and educators.

https://parentpowered.com/blog/education-equity/culturally-responsive-family-engagement/

3. Building Strong Parent-Teacher Partnerships for Back-to-School Success: A Step-by-Step Guide- This website provides A LOT of information on building a strong partnership between parents and educators. It talks about setting shared goals for student success by providing a clear roadmap that parents, educators, and students can follow.

https://www.parallellearning.com/post/building-strong-parent-teacher-partnerships-for-back-to-school-success-a-step-by-step-guide#:~:text=Collaborative%20Goal%2DSetting,-%E2%80%8D&text=Setting%20shared%20goals%20that%20align,partnership%20between%20educators%20and%20parents.

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What is the work of communicating with families?

Careful and sensitive communication between teachers and families supports student learning. Teachers communicate with families to learn more about children from the people who know them best. Teachers share information about children's activities, learning, and development. Teachers seek ways to partner with families. Communication may take place in person, in writing, or in phone calls. Every conversation with a family is a chance for the teacher to communicate a respectful, open attitude and create a space for a two-way conversation. Teachers must be attentive to considerations of language and culture, respectful and valuing of families, and oriented to working with families to support children.

How can communicating with families advance justice?

Without careful consideration, communications with families can reproduce patterns of injustice in home-school relationships. For example, scheduling meetings or events during school hours, communicating only in English, and making assumptions about "home support" can alienate many families. Instead, teachers can partner with families to access the specialized knowledge they have about their child including: a deep understanding of their strengths, what they care about, conditions for how they learn best, and expertise about home culture and family life. Communication offers opportunities for teachers to learn about a child's past experiences in school, how different family members have experienced school themselves, the goals families have for students, how families think they best support their child at home, and details of the home schedule. Talking with families opens doors for parents to see their child as a student, and for teachers to see their students as whole, multifaceted human beings.

How do we decompose the practice into learnable parts?

The diagram below breaks down work that teachers do when they are communicating with families. This breakdown, or decomposition, helps teacher educators to break down the practice into a set of parts that can be observed and practiced.
Download Decomposition

What does this practice look like in each content area?

Curriculum resources for this high-leverage practice are coming soon!

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Skip to main content Careful and sensitive communication between teachers and families supports student learning. Teachers communicate with families to learn more about children from the people who know them best. Teachers share information about children's activities, learning, and development. Teachers seek ways to partner with families.

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HLP3: Collaborate with Families

This video provides 7 principles to effectively collaborate with families to support student learning. It also provides the benefits of using these principles.

https://youtu.be/r4wOB24nc70?si=0LiCG77CP492XJYO

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TA-Live! HLP1 - Collaborate with Professionals to Increase Student Success

This video states what collaboration involves. It provides principles to what collaboration is and how to collaborate.

https://youtu.be/71_noQM5b80?si=Aw0eq8fHZlO8gKPP

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TA-Live! HLP1 - Collaborate with Professionals to Increase Student Success

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TA-Live! HLP2 - Organize & Facilitate Effective Meetings with Professionals and Families

This video provides the recipe for effective meetings with Professionals and Families. It gives 4 parts to make the meeting effective to build trust.

https://youtu.be/kLguzblorTI?si=g4WV935BkS6Gt3rE

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TA-Live! HLP2 - Organize & Facilitate Effective Meetings with Professionals and Families

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1. Student Progress Monitoring Tool for Data Collection and Graphing

This is an Excel worksheet where educators can collect data on multiple students, store the data, and graph data to be able to set individual goals. This tool helps HLP 1 because educators can collaborate and analyze the data to modify instruction as needed.

https://intensiveintervention.org/resource/student-progress-monitoring-tool-data-collection-and-graphing-excel#:~:text=on%20Intensive%20Intervention.-,Student%20Progress%20Monitoring%20Tool%20for%20Data%20Collection%20and%20Graphing,-Instructions

2. Edpuzzle

Edpuzzle is a website that can be used to differentiate instruction. It provides videos, pictures, sound, multiple-choice questions, and even closed captioning for some videos. This supports HLP 1 because when teachers collaborate, they often mention the benefits of Edpuzzle to increase student success.

https://edpuzzle.com/

3. Google Workspace

Google Workspace; which includes docs, slides, and meet, is a great way to share documents or information, video discussions, real-time feedback, and interactive learning experiences between professionals. This would support HLP 1 because it is a technology tool that is accessible to professionals whether they are at home or at the workplace to be able to collaborate effectively.

https://workspace.google.com/

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Data Collection & Graphing Tool: Data & Goal Setting | NCII

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A spreadsheet based tool to help educators collect academic progress monitoring data across multiple measures and set individualized student goals.

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1. Zoom

Zoom is an app that is available to anyone. It provides meetings where multiple professionals and families can attend. It supports HLP 2 because you can send a link (meeting ID) to anyone who should attend the meeting. You can outline the agenda so participants know what is going to be talked about as well as screen sharing, in case information needs to be shared.

https://www.zoom.com/

2. Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams provides meetings where you can use features like PowerPoint Live, make group calls, collaborate, and even chat if need be. It supports HLP 2 because you can record meetings to review key points, chat to clarify questions and mute yourself to fully listen to the speaker, which promotes active listening.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software

3. Mindomo

Mindomo is a website that has a variety of mind mapping templates. Mind mapping is great to list problems and write solutions. These can support HLP 2 by screen sharing or document sharing if in a zoom call, or you can even print the completed copy in case you need to hand out a copy to everyone involved in the meeting.

https://www.mindomo.com/mindmap/problem-solving-b3d5c77796faf671c6477753eba545b8

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Modernize workflows with Zoom's trusted collaboration tools: including video meetings, team chat, VoIP phone, webinars, whiteboard, contact center, and events.

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1. Classroom webpages-Google classroom

Classroom webpages, such as google classroom can be used to share resources or events with parents.

https://sites.google.com/view/classroom-workspace/

2. Parentsquare

This app allows educators to send messages to parents, or vice versa. I use it all the time with my daughter's teacher to stay updated on what's going in the class or any work they may have.

https://www.parentsquare.com/

3. Bloomz

Bloomz is an app for parents and educators to communicate through messages, videos, and pictures. Allows for tracking goals, progress, and behaviors. It also has the ability to translate messages to non-English speaking families.

https://www.bloomz.com/?utm_term=&utm_campaign=Campaign+%231&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=3776269278&hsa_cam=21064307660&hsa_grp=&hsa_ad=&hsa_src=x&hsa_tgt=&hsa_kw=&hsa_mt=&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAmMC6BhA6EiwAdN5iLWrSjmqfmlSEDufPpYxoiLy-U5xCHea32-MxeW_Rb3O98kHhM4KuqBoCdAwQAvD_BwE

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Google Classroom is the main address of Education, Training, and Study!