Differentiated Instruction

Differentiated Instruction is a flexible and individual approach to instruction based on students’ specific instructional needs. ReadingRockets.org focuses on Differentiated Instruction as it relates to reading development.

Differentiating Instruction: Meeting Students Where They Are No two students enter a classroom with identical abilities, experiences, and needs. Learning style, language proficiency, background knowledge, readiness to learn, and other factors can vary widely within a single class group. Regardless of their individual differences, however, students are expected to master the same concepts, principles, and skills.

What Is differentiated instruction?Differentiated instruction, also called differentiation, is a process through which teachers enhance learning by matching student characteristics to instruction and assessment. Differentiated instruction allows all students to access the same classroom curriculum by providing entry points, learning tasks, and outcomes that are tailored to students' needs (Hall, Strangman, & Meyer, 2003).

What is differentiated instruction?Differentiated instruction, also called differentiation, is a process through which teachers enhance learning by matching student characteristics to instruction and assessment. Differentiated instruction allows all students to access the same classroom curriculum by providing entry points, learning tasks, and outcomes that are tailored to students' needs (Hall, Strangman, & Meyer, 2003).

A simple answer is that students in the elementary grades vary greatly, and if teachers want to maximize their students' individual potential, they will have to attend to the differences.

In this article, we provide an overview of the recent research on grouping practices (whole class, small group, pairs, one-on-one) during reading instruction for students with disabilities. We also provide suggestions on how teachers can apply this research in the classroom.

Plethora of articles on ReadingRockets.org related to Differentiated Instruction, many of which relate to students with unique learning needs.

Here are some seminal books on differentiation. Set aside time to reflect on the ideas in these texts, and then discuss what you've learned with colleagues. Continually ask, How can this information support change in my teaching practices? This question will start your differentiation journey.

Three videos highlight how Differentiated Instruction is implemented in three different settings, with both students and professional educators.

This article provides an overview of what research says about Differentiated Instruction and what we can do with that knowledge to impact classroom practices.

Article 4 Proven Strategies for Differentiating Instruction Helping Each Child learn Within the Elementary Classroom By now, we're all familiar with the fact that we need to differentiate instruction, but actually being able to meet the specific needs of each students can be a challenge.

Discussions of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners1 are common in educational literature, teacher-preparation programs, and professional development workshops. The theory that students learn more when content is presented in their best modality seems to make sense, seems to be supported by classroom experiences, and offers the hope of maximizing each child's learning by planning different lessons for each type of learner.

Differentiating Instruction in the Preschool Classroom: Bridging Emergent Literacy Instruction and Developmentally Appropriate Practice
By Consulting Author Terri Purcell, Ph.D.