Differentiation is a teaching approach used to adjust lessons to meet the diverse needs of learners within a classroom.
Based on the provided reference, differentiated teaching occurs when a teacher plans a lesson that adjusts either the content being discussed, the process used to learn or the product expected from students to ensure that learners at different starting points can receive the instruction they need to grow and succeed. This means differentiation isn't about teaching a specific subject itself, but rather how any subject matter is taught to accommodate the varying levels, interests, and learning profiles of students.
Understanding Differentiated Teaching
At its core, differentiation is about providing multiple pathways for students to learn key concepts and demonstrate their understanding. It acknowledges that students come to the classroom with different backgrounds, readiness levels, interests, and learning styles.
Rather than teaching a single lesson the same way to all students, a differentiated teacher modifies the lesson elements to better support each student's journey toward mastery.
Key Elements Adjusted in Differentiated Teaching
According to the definition, differentiation focuses on adapting three main components of a lesson:
- Content: What the student needs to learn or the material the teacher uses to teach. This can involve adjusting the complexity of texts, providing different resources (e.g., visual aids, simplified versions, advanced materials), or focusing on specific aspects of a topic for different groups.
- Process: How the student makes sense of the content. This includes varying activities, grouping strategies (individual, pairs, small groups), instructional methods (lecture, discussion, hands-on), and the amount of teacher support provided.
- Product: How the student demonstrates what they have learned. This allows students choices in showing their understanding, such as writing an essay, creating a presentation, building a model, or completing a project, often with varying levels of complexity or requirements.
Reference Inclusion: As stated in the reference, differentiated teaching "adjusts either the content being discussed, the process used to learn or the product expected from students".
The Purpose: Ensuring Learner Success
The primary goal of using differentiation in teaching is explicitly stated in the reference: "to ensure that learners at different starting points can receive the instruction they need to grow and succeed."
This is crucial because a one-size-fits-all approach often leaves some students behind while others are not challenged. By differentiating, teachers can:
- Support struggling learners by providing necessary scaffolding, simpler tasks, or more explicit instruction.
- Challenge advanced learners by offering more complex tasks, opportunities for independent study, or deeper exploration of topics.
- Engage all learners by connecting content to their interests or offering choices in how they learn and demonstrate understanding.
Practical Examples of Differentiation
Differentiation can look different in various classrooms and subjects, but here are some common examples:
- Reading: Providing students with texts on the same topic but at different reading levels.
- Math: Offering various levels of practice problems after introducing a new concept, or allowing students to work on challenge problems once they've mastered the basics.
- Writing: Giving students options for how they respond to a prompt (e.g., paragraph, bullet points, drawing with labels) or providing sentence starters for some students.
- Science: Allowing students to choose between writing a report, creating a presentation, or building a model to explain a scientific process.
- Process Example: Using learning centers where students rotate through different activities addressing the same skill in varied ways (e.g., one center is hands-on, another uses technology, another is a small group with the teacher).
Essentially, differentiation is a strategy applied to the teaching of any subject or skill to make that teaching more effective for a diverse group of students. It's about how the teacher delivers instruction and structures learning opportunities, not what specific subject is being taught.
