Differentiated Teaching

“Differentiation is the act of recognizing and giving expression to a difference; development from the one to the many, the simple to the complex, or the homogeneous to the heterogeneous” (Neebe & Roberts, 2015).

Some Benefits:

Being able to reach a broad range of learners through one lesson.
Making connections between what is being taught (or Standards that need to be reached) and real world experiences/scenarios.
Differentiated Instruction with the State Standards, allows the students’ learning experiences to become more memorable.

To embrace differentiated instruction into my classroom and blend it seamlessly with the State Standards takes some creative thinking, planning, organization and lots of flexibility! My classroom will not be a lecture and test environment – but instead it will be an engaging and interactive environment. The students will partake in hands-on learning, and really explore and question what they are learning, why they are learning it, and how it’ll affect them or others. Taking one to a handful of Standards at a time and building a fun creative curriculum around them is my goal. This divergent curriculum will include art, music, movement, experiments, documentation, project work, and collaboration within each lesson, creating a memorable and in-depth approach to learning. As a teacher I want to provide all of my students all of the tools, saturation, and nurturing necessary to question, explore and develop their way of thinking – differentiation of instruction will allow me to manipulate the standards allowing my students to reach this holy grail of metacognition.

An example of differentiated instruction while teaching the State Standards for a 3rd Grade Solar System lesson would be as follows:

The students will engage in a hands-on learning activity, while working collaboratively with their peers to further discover our solar system, our planets, our sun, and our moon.

They will elaborate on the concept of an orbital rotation, basic facts about our solar system, and the purpose of using numerical data to describe and compare the different planets.

Common Core State Standards:

CSS.ES.3.4
Objects in the sky move in regular and predictable patterns.
CCSS.ES.3.4.d
Students know that Earth is one of several planets that orbit the Sun and that the Moon orbits the Earth.
CCSS.IE.3.5.c
Use numerical data in describing and comparing objects, events, and measurements.

Learning Outcomes/Goals and Objectives:

The child will be able to successfully conduct research and collect information and data.
The child will be able to successfully explain that the planets orbit the Sun and the Moon orbits the Earth.
The child will be able to describe basic facts about the planets in our solar system, our sun, and our moon.
The child will be able to use numerical data in describing and comparing the planets.
The child will be able to work collaboratively with their peers.

Strategies:

Students will work collaboratively with their partner to research facts and details of their assigned planet, sun, or moon.
Paired students will transfer the information learned to an oral presentation.
Students will work together, as a whole class, to develop a chart describing and comparing the size and distance to the sun of their planet, sun, or moon to those of their peers.
Paired students will work together to create a 3D paper Mache model of their planet, sun, or moon.
Students will preform a living museum of our solar system, orally presenting their 3D planet to the rest of their class.
Students will participate in a music and movement activity where they orbit the sun with their planets to a song.

Neebe, D., & Roberts, J. (2015). Power up: Making the shift to 1:1 teaching and learning. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.