1. Achieving Differentiation
In little steps

2. Think about those assignments or units that students LOVE and….
START FROM THERE
Keep it simple and small at first…
One lesson per week
One unit per marking period
As your comfort level increases THEN add more and build upon YOUR successes.
The more you do….the easier it gets!

3. Differentiation is NOT a set of strategies…
It’s a way of thinking about teaching & learning
Strategies are tools to accomplish the
goals of DI.
They are no more differentiation
than a hammer and a saw
are the house
they help to build.
Marcia Imbeau, Assoc. Professor, University of Arkansas

4. differentiating instruction means “shaking up” what
At its most basic level,
differentiating instruction
means “shaking up” what
goes on in the classroom
so that students have
multiple options for
taking in information,
making sense of ideas,
and expressing
what they learn.
Marcia Imbeau, Assoc. Professor,
University of Arkansas

5. Differentiation is a teacher’s proactive response to learner needs
Marcia Imbeau, Assoc. Professor, University of Arkansas
Differentiation
is a teacher’s proactive response to learner needs
shaped by mindset
and guided by general principles of differentiation
Building
Community
Quality Curriculum
Teaching Up
Respectful Tasks
Ongoing Assessment
Flexible Grouping
Flexible Management
Teachers can differentiate through
Content The information and ideas students need to grapple with in order to reach the learning goals
Process
How students take in
and make sense of the content
Product
How students show what they know, understand and can do
Affect/
Environment
The climate or tone of the classroom
according to student’s
Readiness
Relative standing to the learning goals
Interest
Passions, affinities, kinships that motivate learning
Learning Profile
Preferred approaches to learning, intelligence preferences, gender and culture
Through a variety of instructional strategies such as
RAFTS…Graphic Organizers…Scaffolding Reading…Tic-Tac-Toe…Learning Contracts….Menus……Tiered Assignments… Learning/Interest Centers… Independent Projects…Intelligence Preferences…..Orbitals….Expression Options……Varied Homework…..Small Group Instruction……Complex Instruction…WebQuests & Web Inquiry…etc.