Differentiated Teaching and Learning Activities

        Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet individual student’s needs.  We can differentiate content, process, product, or learning environment.  Assessment is a key piece of differentiation.  I frequently assess all of my students because if I don’t know how a student is performing, I cannot effectively differentiate for them.  I informally assess students in addition to giving formative assessments.  Another way I like to assess students is with exit tickets.  I often will give students a question or two and have them write an answer down on a post-it note and stick it on the door afterwards.  They like doing this and it gives me great insight to their abilities and knowledge of a particular subject.  This is a quick way for me to assess students on any subject or skill.  The results of all my assessments help me tailor my instruction to meet individual student’s needs. 

        Differentiation is crucial to implement if all students are going to have a chance to show growth and progress.  There are many different strategies we can implement that allows us to provide differentiation while incorporating standards-based lessons and learning goals. Some of these strategies are:

·         Vary the length of an assignment

·         Allow for more time to complete an assignment

·         Change the language in an assignment

·         Scaffold the learning activity

·         Shorten the activity

·         Vary the learning activities to include multiple learning modalities

One of the ways I differentiate instruction in my classroom is through math rotations.   My students are split into four groups and go through four rotations during our math time. One of the rotations is “teacher’s choice” and during this time I instruct students in small groups.  The groups are ability-based, so I am able to provide different lessons based on the group’s needs.  I can re-teach, focus on a certain skill, or challenge the group with extended learning activities.  This time also allows me to focus on students individually and I am able to frequently assess their learning.