The Educator’s Guide: 10 Easy-to-Implement Differentiation Strategies
Learning is not a one-size-fits-all concept. Each student learns in a different way, possesses different strengths, and has different needs in their education. One thing that applies to all students, regardless of background, age, or ability: Students need learning experiences that speak to where they are and where they need to go to achieve mastery.
That’s why differentiated instruction is so important. Differentiation strategies allow educators to individualize parts of their lessons to address every student’s learning needs. Tailored instruction helps fill learning gaps, reinforces concepts, and helps students apply the material in different ways. The key to successfully teaching to meet all your learners’ needs lies in effective differentiation.
With the right resources, every educator can feel confident conducting differentiated instruction in your classroom, knowing you’ve provided the necessary tools and resources for all your students to reach their full potential. At Voyager Sopris Learning®, we are committed to empowering you with effective strategies to make your students’ academic success a reality.
Understanding Differentiated Instruction
Differentiated instruction is conducted in Tier I and Tier II settings and is not a part of any student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan. Differentiated instruction allows educators to address different learning styles and meet individual needs, making academic achievement more equitable and accessible for all students. Students stay engaged with the subject matter and demonstrate their knowledge in various ways. As a whole, it provides a more well-rounded, responsive approach despite grade level or subject matter.
Differentiation strategies are the steps in which a broader concept is accommodated to meet the individual needs of students. The content, process, learning environment, and other learning resources can be differentiated using a variety of strategies at any grade level. This approach provides diverse learning experiences that equip every student with what they need to succeed in the classroom.
Advantages of Differentiated Instruction
Implementing differentiated instruction (DI) promotes a more inclusive classroom by adapting material to satisfy the learning styles and abilities of all students. No student is the same, and each needs a learning environment that recognizes individuality and gives them the tools and resources to reach their full academic potential. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of implementing differentiated instruction in the classroom.
It meets individual student needs, which is especially important for students with disabilities or those learning English as an additional language.
It gives groups or individual students the tools and resources they need to access the content.
It helps teachers better measure student learning and outcomes.
It may reduce behavior issues related to learning frustration, making classroom management easier.
It improves students’ peer-to-peer communication skills and promotes critical thinking.
Four Ways Teachers Can Differentiate Instruction
Differentiation doesn’t have to be an overwhelming process. Educators have spent decades implementing and refining differentiation strategies that make classrooms accessible and equitable for the increasingly diverse student population. Let’s start with the basics and take a look at the four main ways teachers can differentiate instruction:
Content: Content is the information students are learning. Teachers can tailor content to students' learning profiles, readiness, interests, and current understanding of the material. Differentiating content can look like conducting inquiry-based learning for cross-curriculum materials, showing a video after reading a chapter, or providing supplementary texts that align with students’ reading levels. Differentiating content allows students to receive information at their level of capacity and reinforces concepts for all students.
Process: Educators can vary the activities or methods used for students to understand and make sense of the content. Differentiating the teaching process can look like using graphic organizers while students take notes or summarize a lesson, guiding flexible grouping so they can discuss with peers at their level, and using manipulatives to reinforce concepts and aid comprehension. Differentiating the process helps a teacher break the lesson into branches that best align with a student’s learning style and ability.
Product: Teachers can provide different ways for students to demonstrate what they've learned or understood from the lesson. This may include strategies like choice boards to let students choose how they demonstrate knowledge, project-based learning so they have a real-world application of their knowledge, or peer tutoring to support the overall learning process. Differentiating the product helps students engage creativity and critical thinking while demonstrating an understanding of the subject matter.
Learning Environment: Changing the physical and emotional classroom environment can support differentiated instruction. Creating a safe, supportive learning atmosphere reassures students of their security in the classroom, keeps them calm and comfortable, and inspires them to engage more. This can look like designating peer mentors for students who need more help, creating a break area or safe space for students to regather their thoughts and emotions, or setting guidelines and reading materials that reflect different cultures or abilities. Differentiating the learning environment sets the tone for all students to understand the value of their diversity and unique backgrounds or abilities. This leads to a better understanding of their peers and allows all students to feel valued.
Ten Easy-to-Implement Differentiation Teaching Strategies
Bloom’s Taxonomy demonstrates a framework that’s necessary for learners to move through. However, these stages will not be present for all students at the same time, which is why differentiation strategies are pertinent to student success. Differentiated instruction strategies apply to all grade levels from preschool to senior year of high school and across all subjects. They cater to different learning styles and abilities and promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills for students at all levels.
1. Create Learning Stations
Learning stations are distinct areas in the classroom that offer different learning experiences. Each station may focus on the same subject matter but contain different learning strategies for reinforcing the concepts. For example, one station may highlight student work based on partnerships, one station is for group work, and one station allows students to work independently.
2. Differentiate Reading Assignments
Provide opportunities for students to read texts at their reading level. Teachers can prepare a classroom library with varied reading levels. If the entire class is reading the same text, differentiate activities and assignments based on that text to boost comprehension at all levels. For example, students struggling with the text can put events in sequential order, while on-level students identify key details, and students above average write a summary.
3. Adapt Activities
Activities across all subjects can be adapted to help students demonstrate their learning in various ways. When differentiating the learning outcome, give students choices in how they do so, using worksheets or templates to guide their thinking. Some students may also have accommodations written in their IEPs or 504 Plans that require them to access particular resources. Use resources such as technology, manipulatives, or reference guides to aid student learning and outcomes.
4. Provide Visuals
Incorporate visuals during whole-group instruction. This can be in various formats, including diagrams, anchor charts, or graphic organizers. Visuals help students comprehend new information and more easily recall new concepts.
5. Make it Interactive
Kinesthetic learners learn best through hands-on activities. For primary students, incorporate manipulatives into math lessons or games into reading lessons. Other students learn well from their peers and like to talk through their thoughts. Inquiry-based learning strategies grow students’ critical thinking skills and communication.
6. Use Technology
Incorporating audio and video into lessons benefits visual and auditory learning styles. Video keeps students engaged and helps them remember information better by picturing their thoughts as they process new information. Video and audio also make content more accessible to students with disabilities and those learning English as an additional language. They can better understand new concepts and may be given the option to record their responses or products rather than writing or typing. Access to learning apps can also help fill gaps in learning.
7. Give Multiple Assessments
Assessments are measurement tools that help educators determine a student’s comprehension of key concepts, but they can also be used as a tool to guide differentiated classroom instruction. Assessments guide differentiated instruction by showing student progress and growth and deficit learning areas. Plus, they help teachers guide learning goals for each student. Formative assessments can be given as benchmarks throughout a unit or project to guide learning objectives, followed by a summative assessment at the end. Formative and summative assessments should be given to students at all grades and skill levels.
8. Conduct a Writer’s Workshop
The idea of a writer’s workshop in reading and English classes is to break the writing process into smaller chunks, allowing students to focus on one step of the process at a time. During the writer’s workshop, the teacher meets with individual students to touch base on where they are in their writing. During this intimate conference, the teacher will note the student’s understanding as well as their needs. While the teacher is conferring with individual students, the rest of the class is working on one step of the writing process (choosing topics, brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, or publishing) at their own pace either on their own or with peers.
Conducting a writer's workshop helps students develop a routine for their writing process to help them become better writers. This also gives the teacher an opportunity to give individual students extra support if they are stuck on one step.
9. Use Elkonin Boxes
Elkonin boxes are best for beginning readers because they reinforce phonemic awareness by helping students identify sounds in words. This resource is most helpful for three- to five-letter words with one syllable. For example, if the teacher wanted the student to read the word “book,” the teacher would display three boxes. The student would move a token or marker into each box as they decode each sound of the word “book.” The letter B goes in the first box, followed by the “oo” digraph in the second box, and the letter “k” in the last box. This process shows the teacher at what level of phonics the student is performing, and can be used in small groups, individually, or in whole-class practice.
10. Facilitate Mini-Lessons
Presenting mini-lessons allows teachers to reteach parts of a lesson to students who struggled to grasp the concept during whole-class instruction. For example, if a student or group of students are having a difficult time understanding fractions, the teacher can pull students to conduct a mini-lesson while others work independently.
How Voyager Sopris Learning Supports Differentiation Strategies
Differentiation strategies are essential in today's diverse classrooms. They help educators create a more engaging learning environment and meet a student at their level while promoting growth. It keeps students at varying levels challenged and supported. At Voyager Sopris Learning, our research-based programs incorporate differentiated instruction to help educators meet students where they are and keep them on the path to success. If you want to learn more about our reading, writing, and math interventions that include opportunities for differentiation, contact us.