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Differentiated Classroom  Chapter 1. What Is a Differentiated Classroom? - by Carol Ann Tomlinson

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Differentiated Classroom  Chapter 1. What Is a Differentiated Classroom? - by Carol Ann Tomlinson

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Examines hallmarks of a differentiated classroom

Provides snapshots of various classrooms and grade levels demonstrating how two lessons on the same topic can be delivered in drastically different ways by incorporating differentiation.

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Learn to Differentiate Instruction in Math - by Elizabeth Wistrom

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Learn to Differentiate Instruction in Math - by Elizabeth Wistrom

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Discusses differentiation including content and process strategies

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Ideas for Teachers on Differentiating Math Instruction

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Differentiating math instruction is one of the simplest ways to ensure you are meeting the needs of every student - regardless of ability. These ideas can be used in your classroom today.

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Differentiating Mathematics
Instruction So EVERYONE Learns 
by Jennifer Taylor-Cox, Ph.D. 

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Differentiating Mathematics
Instruction So EVERYONE Learns 
by Jennifer Taylor-Cox, Ph.D. 

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Discusses the importance of formative assessment

Flexible grouping

Targeted instruction and levels of cognitive demand

The role of learning frameworks in differentiated instruction

Using progress monitoring to make adjustments to instruction

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Making Differentiation a Habit - by Diane Heacox, Ed.D.

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Making Differentiation a Habit - by Diane Heacox, Ed.D.

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Offers educators tools to improve instruction in diverse classrooms

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Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom - by Tomlinson, C. A. & Imbeau, M. (2010)

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Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom - by Tomlinson, C. A. & Imbeau, M. (2010)

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Discusses how to lead and manage a differentiated classroom

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8 Lessons Learned on Differentiating Instruction - by Kechia Williams 

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8 Lessons Learned on Differentiating Instruction - by Kechia Williams 

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Start small

Differentiation can take many forms

Learn about your students and use data to assist you

Importance of pre-assessment

Always have expectations for yourself, as well as, your students

Ways to stay informed on best practice teaching strategies

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My differentiation journey began in 2004 when my principal asked me to attend a weeklong summer conference on differentiated instruction. I was eager to please my principal so I quickly accepted her offer. I was also extremely curious about how I, one person, could possibly address the individual needs of 100 students.

By the end of the conference, I was totally overwhelmed with information: flexible grouping, assessment, inventories, tiered lessons, Carol Ann Tomlinson. My real work, though, didn't begin until after the conference, when I was expected to start using the training I'd received. I was expected to create four differentiated lessons that school year. My methods of differentiation were also observed three times by an administrator from my district. I worked extremely hard that year, but the experience taught me so much.

Throughout that year, I utilized a variety of management pointers for a differentiated classroom that had been presented during the conference. These guidelines helped me to begin integrating basic differentiation without losing my sanity. Here are some of those basic points to help you create a solid foundation for differentiation in your classroom:

Lesson 1

Differentiation does not take place overnight; think of it as a wonderful work in progress. Once I felt comfortable with one aspect of differentiation, I would begin to add something new. For example, I first explained to my students and their parents what would be taking place that year and how it would affect their learning in a positive manner. I then added small things such as allowing my students choices in their reading and writing.

Lesson 2

Like students themselves, differentiation can take on many forms. Differentiation can be accomplished in a number of ways:

Content: What the students learn

Process: Activities used to assist the learning

Products: Demonstration of learning

The methods you use should be based on the student's needs:

Readiness: Student's academic standing

Learning profile: How the student learns

Student's interest

Lesson 3

Learn everything possible about your students. This data assists you in designing your curriculum and lessons:

Administer surveys and inventories throughout the school year: multiple intelligences, reading, writing (PDF), interest, parent, etc.

Analyze prior standardized test scores and administer your own assessment to identify students' strengths and weaknesses.

Lesson 4

Before starting a new unit of study, pre-assess students' knowledge to find out what the students know and do not know about the content in your lesson. This helps you to identify misconceptions, modify instruction if needed, and set up your flexible groups. This assessment may be formal or informal. You may use a variety of techniques to pre-assess such as:

Lesson 5

Begin small. Creating a classroom where individual needs are met can start with one activity, such as allowing students choices. Choices give students a feeling of independence and ownership. Allow students to choose:

Lesson 6

Gradually add more difficult things, such as one differentiated lesson per nine weeks or semester, literature circles, or alternative assessments.

Lesson 7

Set expectations for yourself and your students.

Provide clear and concise directions to students. Students must know what you want them to understand and be able to do. At the beginning of the school year, teach students routines and procedures for entering classroom, turning in homework and class work. It is important that students know what they are doing, where to go, and when to go.

Take ample time to plan, plan, plan; create a schedule if needed.

Lesson 8

Stay up-to-date on best practices by:

Attending conferences or professional development on differentiated instruction.

Observing other teachers in your content area differentiating in their classrooms, and invite colleagues/administrators who are proficient in differentiated instruction to your classroom to observe you differentiating. The feedback is invaluable.

Read literature on differentiated instruction. Here's a brief list of recommended professional books:

The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners by Carol Ann Tomlinson

How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms 2 nd Edition by Carol Ann Tomlinson

Differentiated Instruction: Different Strategies for Different Learners by Char Forsten, Jim Grant, and Betty Hollas

Through the Cracks by Carolyn Sollman, Barbara Emmons, Judith Paoli

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8 Lessons Learned on Differentiating Instruction | Scholastic

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My differentiation journey began in 2004 when my principal asked me to attend a weeklong summer conference on differentiated instruction. I was eager to please my principal so I quickly accepted her offer. I was also extremely curious about how I, one person, could possibly address the individual needs of 100 students.

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Tiering to Avoid Tears:  Developing Assignments that Address All Learners' Needs - by Linda Pigott Robinson

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Tiering to Avoid Tears:  Developing Assignments that Address All Learners' Needs - by Linda Pigott Robinson

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Includes steps to follow while tiering assignments

Modifications to tiers including, skill level, vocabulary, complexity, level of thinking, interest level, abstractness, sophistication of research, openness of process/product, perspective/real-life roles, and real life products

Ways to ensure fairness to all learners during tiered instruction

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Most of the LEARN NC Content has been archived using the Wayback Machine. Instructions for how to access that content is below, including links to frequently requested materials.

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Tiered Instruction:  Beginning the Process - by Bertie Kingore, Ph.D.

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Tiered Instruction:  Beginning the Process - by Bertie Kingore, Ph.D.

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Discusses tiered instruction as a stairwell within learning

Provides guidelines for tiered instruction

Factors that influence the complexity of tiered learning experiences

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Teaching by Tiering - by Cheryll M. Adams and Rebecca L. Pierce

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Teaching by Tiering - by Cheryll M. Adams and Rebecca L. Pierce

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Grouping by readiness level, learning profile, interest

Developing a tiered lesson

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What Research Says About Differentiated Learning -by Tracy A. Huebner

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What Research Says About Differentiated Learning -by Tracy A. Huebner

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Research shows positive results for differentiated learning in mixed ability classes.

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Today's classrooms are filled with diverse learners who differ not only culturally and linguistically but also in their cognitive abilities, background knowledge, and learning preferences. Faced with such diversity, many schools are implementing differentiated instruction in an effort to effectively address all students' learning needs.

What We Know

Researchers at the National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum define differentiated instruction asa process to approach teaching and learning for students of differing abilities in the same class. The intent is to maximize each student's growth and individual success by meeting each student where he or she is . . . rather than expecting students to modify themselves for the curriculum. (Hall, 2002)

Although experts and practitioners acknowledge that the research on differentiated instruction as a specific practice is limited (Allan &amp; Tomlinson, 2000; Anderson, 2007; Hall, 2002), solid research does validate a number of practices that provide the foundation of differentiation. These practices include using effective classroom management procedures; promoting student engagement and motivation; assessing student readiness; responding to learning styles; grouping students for instruction; and teaching to the student's zone of proximal development (the distance between what a learner can demonstrate without assistance and what the learner can do with assistance) (Allan &amp; Tomlinson, 2000; Ellis &amp; Worthington, 1994; Vygotsky, 1978).

Moreover, a growing body of research shows positive results for full implementation of differentiated instruction in mixed-ability classrooms (Rock, Gregg, Ellis, &amp; Gable, 2008). In one three-year study, Canadian scholars researched the application and effects of differentiated instruction in K-12 classrooms in Alberta. They found that differentiated instruction consistently yielded positive results across a broad range of targeted groups. Compared with the general student population, students with mild or severe learning disabilities received more benefits from differentiated and intensive support, especially when the differentiation was delivered in small groups or with targeted instruction (McQuarrie, McRae, &amp; Stack-Cutler, 2008).

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.

Lawrence-Brown (2004) confirms that differentiated instruction can enable students with a wide range of abilities-from gifted students to those with mild or even severe disabilities-to receive an appropriate education in inclusive classrooms. Building on Vaughn, Bos, and Schumm's (2000) basic, three-level planning pyramid and Tomlinson and Kalbfleisch's (1998) work on differentiated classrooms, Lawrence-Brown explains how a teacher might address some students' individualized education plan goals by adapting the classroom curriculum to include manipulatives, visual aids, charts, audiotapes, and explicit expectations, while also offering an enriched curriculum to gifted students.

Baumgartner, Lipowski, and Rush (2003) studied a program to improve reading achievement among elementary and middle school students using differentiated instructional strategies, including flexible grouping, student choice of learning tasks, self-selected reading time, and access to a variety of texts. In all three of the classrooms in the study, the targeted students improved their decoding, phonemic, and comprehension skills. Student attitudes about reading and their own abilities also improved.

What You Can Do

According to Tomlinson and Strickland (2005), teachers usually differentiate instruction by adjusting one or more of the following: the content (what students learn); the process (how students learn); or the product (how students demonstrate their mastery of the knowledge or skills). However, there is no one-size-fits-all model for differentiated instruction; it looks different depending on the prior knowledge, interests, and abilities students bring to a learning situation.

Focus on the essential ideas and skills of the content area, eliminating ancillary tasks and activities.

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.

Integrate ongoing and meaningful assessments with instruction.

Continually assess; reflect; and adjust content, process, and product to meet student needs.

Tomlinson (1999) examined school-level and district-level implementation of differentiated instruction and identified ways that education leaders can best support this change in practice. She recommends that leaders first develop a solid understanding of differentiated instruction so that they can present it coherently to teachers and provide committed school-level leadership. Leaders should also nurture different teaching models; encourage teachers to apply differentiation with flexibility, creativity, and choice; and provide teachers with high-quality professional development as well as time to collaborate, plan, and implement differentiation.

Educators Take Note

Tomlinson (1999) offers a caveat: "For all its promise . . . effective differentiation is complex to use and thus difficult to promote in schools. Moving toward differentiation is a long-term change process" (p. 6). It is best to begin by seeking out the wisdom of other educators who have experience with differentiated instruction, ground your own practice in the theory, and learn in a way that is meaningful to you.

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What Research Says About . . . / Differentiated Learning - ASCD

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Today's classrooms are filled with diverse learners who differ not only culturally and linguistically but also in their cognitive abilities, background knowledge, and learning preferences. Faced with such diversity, many schools are implementing differentiated instruction in an effort to effectively

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Tiered Lessons: One Way to Differentiate Math Instruction - by Rebecca L. Pierce and Cheryll M. Adams

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Tiered Lessons: One Way to Differentiate Math Instruction - by Rebecca L. Pierce and Cheryll M. Adams

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Discusses differentiation

Provides eight useful steps for developing tiered lessons, including identifying the grade and subject level, standards to be addressed, key concept and generalizations, determining if the students have the background necessary to be successful in the lesson, determine which part of the lesson you will tier, determine the type of tiering, and to develop assessments.

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Heather Mac Namara / Research Project Topic

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Heather Mac Namara / Research Project Topic

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What are the effects of tiered instruction on student achievement in a mixed ability math class?