What is Differentiated Instruction?

Examples of How to Differentiate

Instruction in the Classroom
By Cathy Weselby • October 1, 2014

Just as everyone has a unique fingerprint, every student has an

individual learning style. Chances are, not all of your students grasp a subject
in the same way or share the same level of ability. So how can you better
deliver your lessons to reach everyone in class? Consider differentiated
instruction—a method you may have heard about but haven’t explored, which
is why you’re here. In this article, learn exactly what it means, how it works,
and the pros and cons.

What differentiated instruction means

Carol Ann Tomlinson is a leader in the area of differentiated learning and
professor of educational leadership, foundations, and policy at the University
of Virginia. Tomlinson describes differentiated instruction as factoring
students’ individual learning styles and levels of readiness
first beforedesigning a lesson plan. Research on the effectiveness of
differentiation shows this method benefits a wide range of students, from
those with learning disabilities to those who are considered high ability.
Differentiating instruction may mean teaching the same material to all
students using a variety of instructional strategies, or it may require the
teacher to deliver lessons at varying levels of difficulty based on the ability of
each student.

Teachers who practice differentiation in the classroom may:

 Design lessons based on students’ learning styles.

 Group students by shared interest, topic, or ability for assignments.
 Assess students’ learning using formative assessment.
 Manage the classroom to create a safe and supportive environment.
 Continually assess and adjust lesson content to meet students’ needs.
History of differentiated instruction
The roots of differentiated instruction go all the way back to the days of the
one-room schoolhouse, where one teacher had students of all ages in one
classroom. As the educational system transitioned to grading schools, it was
assumed that children of the same age learned similarly. However in 1912,
achievement tests were introduced, and the scores revealed the gaps in
student’s abilities within grade levels.

In 1975, Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

(IDEA), ensuring that children with disabilities had equal access to public
education. To reach this student population, many educators used
differentiated instruction strategies. Then came the passage of No Child Left
Behind in 2000, which further encouraged differentiated and skill-based
instruction—and that’s because it works. Research by educator Leslie Owen
Wilson supports differentiating instruction within the classroom, finding that
lecture is the least effective instructional strategy, with only 5 to 10 percent
retention after 24 hours. Engaging in a discussion, practicing after exposure to
content, and teaching others are much more effective ways to ensure learning
retention.
Four ways to differentiate instruction
According to Tomlinson, teachers can differentiate instruction through four
ways: 1) content, 2) process, 3) product, and 4) learning environment.

1. Content
As you already know, fundamental lesson content should cover the standards
of learning set by the school district or state educational standards. But some
students in your class may be completely unfamiliar with the concepts in a
lesson, some students may have partial mastery, and some students may
already be familiar with the content before the lesson begins.

What you could do is differentiate the content by designing activities for

groups of students that cover various levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (a
classification of levels of intellectual behavior going from lower-order thinking
skills to higher-order thinking skills). The six levels are: remembering,
understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating.
Students who are unfamiliar with a lesson could be required to complete tasks
on the lower levels: remembering and understanding. Students with some
mastery could be asked to apply and analyze the content, and students who
 have high levels of mastery could be asked to complete tasks in the areas of
evaluating and creating.

Examples of differentiating activities:

 Match vocabulary words to definitions.

 Read a passage of text and answer related questions.
 Think of a situation that happened to a character in the story and a different
outcome.
 Differentiate fact from opinion in the story.
 Identify an author’s position and provide evidence to support this viewpoint.
 Create a PowerPoint presentation summarizing the lesson.
2. Process
Each student has a preferred learning style, and successful differentiation
includes delivering the material to each style: visual, auditory and kinesthetic,
and through words. This process-related method also addresses the fact that
not all students require the same amount of support from the teacher, and
students could choose to work in pairs, small groups, or individually. And
while some students may benefit from one-on-one interaction with you or the
classroom aide, others may be able to progress by themselves. Teachers can
enhance student learning by offering support based on individual needs.

Examples of differentiating the process:

 Provide textbooks for visual and word learners.

 Allow auditory learners to listen to audio books.
 Give kinesthetic learners the opportunity to complete an interactive
assignment online.
3. Product
The product is what the student creates at the end of the lesson to
demonstrate the mastery of the content. This can be in the form of tests,
projects, reports, or other activities. You could assign students to complete
activities that show mastery of an educational concept in a way the student
prefers, based on learning style.

Examples of differentiating the end product:

 Read and write learners write a book report.

 Visual learners create a graphic organizer of the story.
 Auditory learners give an oral report.
 Kinesthetic learners build a diorama illustrating the story.
4. Learning environment
The conditions for optimal learning include both physical and psychological
elements. A flexible classroom layout is key, incorporating various types of
furniture and arrangements to support both individual and group work.
Psychologically speaking, teachers should use classroom management
techniques that support a safe and supportive learning environment.

Examples of differentiating the environment:

 Break some students into reading groups to discuss the assignment.

 Allow students to read individually if preferred.
 Create quiet spaces where there are no distractions.
Pros and cons of differentiated instruction
The benefits of differentiation in the classroom are often accompanied by the
drawback of an ever-increasing workload. Here are a few factors to keep in
mind:

Pros
 Research shows differentiated instruction is effective for high-ability students
as well as students with mild to severe disabilities.
 When students are given more options on how they can learn material, they
take on more responsibility for their own learning.
 Students appear to be more engaged in learning, and there are reportedly
fewer discipline problems in classrooms where teachers provide differentiated
lessons.
Cons
 Differentiated instruction requires more work during lesson planning, and
many teachers struggle to find the extra time in their schedule.
 The learning curve can be steep and some schools lack professional
development resources.
 Critics argue there isn’t enough research to support the benefits of
differentiated instruction outweighing the added prep time.