Special Education Spotlight: Incorporating Differentiated Instruction in the Classroom

The underlying premise of differentiation is to ensure that all students are working at the appropriative level of challenge. Teachers can differentiate at least four different classroom elements based on student readiness, interest, or learning profile.

1. The first approach is through the content a student needs to learn or how a student will access the content. When teachers differentiate content, they're typically changing WHAT the student is learning. Example: a teacher may provide some students with leveled text on a topic the rest of the class is working on while at the same time allowing other students to engage in a more complex, deeper understanding of that same topic.
2. The next approach to differentiation involves the processes or activities in which students engage. When teachers differentiate the process, they’re adapting tasks to support each student’s mastery of the curriculum. Example: a teacher may have some students practicing math facts with a buddy, others playing a math facts computer game, and the rest of the class creating their own flashcards for additional individual practice.
3. The third approach involves culminating projects or products that ask students to rehearse, apply, and extend what they’ve learned. When teachers differentiate products, they’re giving students various options to demonstrate their knowledge of the curriculum. Example: if a class has just finished a science unit about plants, the teacher may provide options for the students to show what they have learned by creating a PowerPoint presentation, making a poster, or creating a book that could be read to younger students.
4. Finally, the learning environment itself can be differentiated to ensure students feel safe taking ownership of and risks in their learning. Example: you might create places for students to work in the classroom without distraction while also having other areas designated for working collaboratively. By providing students with clear guidelines for working independently, you’ll be giving them the necessary support to be successful regardless of how they approach learning.