Differentiating Instruction

Differentiating Instruction:

The teacher modifies content, process, and product through the student’s readiness, interests, and learning profiles.

By modifying instruction all students will be able to learn despite all their differences, like strengths and backgrounds.

What Teachers Modify

Content:

Is “THE WHAT” and materials of learning. WHAT are the outcomes of the curriculum, how students can learn with different materials, like textbooks, posters, music, field trips, and all the other possibilities of materials that can be used to explore and expand the students mind. In short there is a choice and range of possibilities.

Process:

Are “THE ACTIVITIES” teachers use to get students to learn. How does the teacher want the students to learn the outcomes or “THE WHAT”. Will the teacher have the students create, read, research, listen? In many ways the teacher wants to have many choices to choose from, I myself would get tired if I only did one type of project, yes I would get really good at it fast, but I wouldn’t know how to use a variety of ways to get what I have learned across. It is important to also have many activities to allow all types to learners to feel engaged, if students just read then students who find this to be a challenge, then you put them at a disadvantage.

Product:

Are “THE VEHICLES” which students demonstrate what they have learned. Traditionally this is tests, asking can the student answer all the questions correctly? But there are many different ways that students can present their knowledge like, conversations, blogs, posters, demonstrating, or presenting. There are so many different possibilities, so teachers should give the students choices to show what they have leaned.

What Students Bring

 Readiness:

This is where the student is in terms of knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Sometimes the student is in a grade level which they are not ready for, or is gifted and understands everything that is presented. There are challenges when it comes to the student’s readiness, do you sacrifice one student even though they struggle, or do you try to bring them to the same level as everyone else despite the time and effort, I would hope everyone would try to help others but sometimes that is just not the case. When it comes to gifted students they are not always engaged with what you teach, but teachers tend to spend extra time with these students to help them achieve greater expectations. This parallel is a little one sided.

Interests:

These are the students passions, curiosity, what gets the students hooked. By using many students hooks we can get students passionate about their learning, they will actively pursue what makes them happy.   Many students say “what the point of learning this?” well if you show them that by learning something they think is trivial then they can apply it to what they love then it will get them more involved. Example: A student is passionately involved in skateboarding but they hate physics, so you can use examples of skateboarding and apply it to the problems.

Student Profiles:

This is the students learning styles, how do they learn in terms of Multiple Intelligences. Are they hands on learners, verbal, logical, reflective? Teachers are able to help students achieve success by using many types of learning styles.