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Tuesday, December 29, 2009

What is Differentiated Instruction?


When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to describe and model both research-based and clinically tested best practices. Accordingly, our mentees should know about differentiated instruction.

Below you will find a definition of differentiated instruction, and four questions to consider regarding whether differentiated instruction is needed.

Differentiated instruction is a useful framework to help teachers plan lessons that meet the diverse needs of their students. To determine whether lesson planning and instruction should be modified, there are at least four questions that need to be considered by teachers. Below you will find those four questions to consider to determine if instruction should be differentiated:

Four Questions To Consider to Differentiate Instruction

1. Will the content that I’m about to teach make sense to all my students?

2. Will the model of teaching or instructional methodology that I’m planning to use be appropriate for all of my students?

3. Will the assessments (i.e. the measures to determine what students know) that I’m planning to use be appropriate for all of my students?

4. Does the lesson that I’m planning to teach relate to the diverse learning styles and multiple intelligences of my students?

If the answer to any of these questions is in the negative, it is incumbent upon the teacher to make the necessary lesson plan and instructional modifications.

On the next post we will discuss suggested lesson plan design modifications in (1) content, (2) instruction, (3) assessments, (4) learning styles and multiple intelligences.

2 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  2. Differentiated Instruction is certainly not an easily-identified, monolithic movement. Indeed, the movement is multi-faceted. There is no DI uniform. Check out 23 Myths of Differentiated Instruction.

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