Differentiated Instruction

Responding to the Learners Needs

Differentiated Instruction is:

• balancing success and challenge for every student.

• putting the students at the center of the conversation.

Our District Believes

Our mission of the West Essex Regional School District is to produce self-sufficient citizens who are adaptable to change

• continue life-long learning and individual growth.

• to meet the challenges of the future, both societal and technological.

Essential Qualities of Differentiated Instruction

Teachers:• Build background knowledge and vocabulary.• Hold students accountable for their learning

through ongoing assessment.• Provide appropriate choices. • Focus on student strengths (multiple intelligences

,interest and readiness.• Use flexible grouping.• Recognize and plan for concrete,

representational and abstract thinking

• Vary presentation styles.• Create a positive classroom environment.• Model, model, model!• Find opportunities for small group instruction

based on student need.• Tier and scaffold assignments around key

concepts and skills.• Provide appropriate practice and review using

multiple strategies.

Some strategies:Structured teaching is a model for providing

differentiated instruction within whole class and small group instruction. The 4 basic steps are:

• I do it – Focus lesson• We do it – Guided instruction • You do it together – Collaboration and

Differentiation• You do it alone – Independent practice

MOVEMENT STRATEGIES

Scavenger hunts, picture walks, carousel strategies, and read the walls can be used to build prior knowledge and vocabulary, read textbook material, practice and review. These strategies may be tiered in a variety of ways. These strategies allow for movement, collaboration and visuals.

Building Background Knowledge

• Content Reading Strategies e.g. wordsplash, hands-on reading ( paperbag princess), read the walls ( biomes), and structured teaching

• Building vocabulary and concepts e.g. Frayer, picture walk, from the way I see it

The major issues for many children in general education are a lack of content specific vocabulary and few content reading strategies.

GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS

Graphic organizers (Frayer Model, Gathering Grid, KWL, Picture Walk, Venn Diagram, Bow Tie, From the Way I See It, Stop and Spin, Alphabet Soup) allow students to build concepts, organize their thinking and demonstrate understanding in a visual, graphic way.

CHOICE STRATEGY – THE PERFECT 10

This strategy allows students to choose among questions of varied point value to earn the “perfect 10” and demonstrate their understanding of a topic. Questions are primarily based on readiness with each question connecting clearly with the content.

CHOICE STRATEGY - CONTRACTS AND MENUS

Contracts and menus allow students to choose varied products to demonstrate their understanding of a topic. Contracts and menus may be developed based on readiness, interest and/or learning profile.

CHOICE STRATEGIES - BINGO, CHOICE BOARDS OR TIC, TAC, TOE

These strategies allow students to choose products to demonstrate their understanding of a topic. They can be developed based on interest, learning profile or readiness.

CHOICE STRATEGY - RAFT

RAFT is a strategy (role, audience, format and topic) that provides students with a choice of writing prompts based on readiness, interest and learning profile. Each prompt connects directly to the writing or comprehension objective for the lesson.

TIERED ASSIGNMENTS

Tiered assignments provide students with leveled questions and tasks based on their readiness. Every task must connect to the content and essential question but provide an appropriate challenge for each student.

Closing Thoughts

• What did you hear that confirms something you already know and implement about differentiated instruction?

• What did you learn that extended your thinking about differentiated instruction?

• What specific strategy or lesson will meet the needs of your students?