Molly Hale's List: Week 6 Differentiating the Process

• Vary Materials

  Author Joyce Van Tassel-Baska (2003) suggests that the selection of materials for use in the classroom is a crucial next step to effective differentiated instruction. For instance, students in a third-grade class might be learning how to determine main ideas as a part of the language arts curriculum.

• Vary Process

  When teachers differentiate instruction, they vary not only the materials students use but also the way students interact with them. Varying instructional activities allows all students to learn the same concepts and skills with varied levels of “support, challenge, or complexity” (Tomlinson, 2000, p. 2).
• And differentiating does not mean teaching students one by one. Good (2006) suggests that teachers plan “several activity options, not one for each student. Instead of generating isolated tasks, on any given day the teacher may work with the whole class, small groups, individual students, or a combination of all three” (p. 14).
• When introducing new content, for example, the teacher might address all students but make use of graphs, pictures, or artifacts in addition to lecturing. At another time, teachers might ask most students to work in pairs or independently while they assist a small group of students, using questioning that encourages critical thinking or assesses the students’ level of understanding.
• Teachers can differentiate even in their one-to-one work with students, teaching the same concept but using an interview with one student and flashcards with another. As always, the keys to choosing the “right” strategies are capitalizing on student strengths and possessing a clear understanding of students’ current academic needs. 

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• In a differentiated  classroom, teachers differentiate content, process and product  according to a student's readiness, interest  and learning profile.
• • Content- what the teacher wants the student to  learn and the materials or resources through which that is accomplished
   
  • Process- activities designed to ensure that  students use key skills to make sense out of essential ideas and information
   
  • Products- vehicles through which students  demonstrate and extend what they have learned
   
  • Readiness- a student's entry point relative to  a particular understanding or skill
   
  • Learning Profile- how an individual student  learns
   
   

• In differentiated classrooms, students demonstrating a  need for instruction beyond that of the general education curriculum should be offered a  range of instructional and management opportunities such as:

   

• Compacting- students are allowed to  demonstrate proficiency in curriculum outcomes, units or courses and progress to more  appropriate/challenging instruction.  This reduces redundancy and allows for advanced  programming.

   

  Enrichment Clusters- students are grouped  according to ability for instructional purposes.  Enrichment clusters stress student  choice and students as producers of useful products.

   

  Interest Centers- a center within the  classroom that links curriculum topics to areas of student talent and interest in depth  and breadth.

   

  Tiered Assignments- assignments designed for  varying ability levels.  More complex assignments better meet the needs of  high-ability learners.

   

  Tiered Products- products specially designed  to demonstrate understanding of a topic in a more in-depth manner.

• Graduated Rubrics- the standard and level of  student proficiency and accomplishments designed for students and teachers to measure  learning outcomes. Graduated rubrics offer clear expectations for quality and levels of  excellence to encourage among high-ability learners.

   

  Independent Study- topics selected by  students for in-depth study including a statement of student objective, research, and  planned presentation.  Students design products to demonstrate their understanding of  a topic.  Independent study encourages student autonomy in planning and problem  solving.

   

  Alternative Assessments- students are offered  opportunities to demonstrate their understanding of material learned in  "real-world" ways.

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• Teachers can differentiate at least four classroom elements based on student readiness, interest, or learning profile:

    
   
  • Content – what the student needs to learn or how the student will get access to the information;
   
  • Process – activities in which the student engages in order to make sense of or master the content;
   
  • Products – culminating projects that ask the student to rehearse, apply, and extend what he or she has learned in a unit; and
   
  • Learning environment – the way the classroom works and feels.