Differentiating instruction

Differentiating
Instruction
Shaylynn Curtis, Michelle Jones, Sarah
Porter, Veronica Vande Kamp
MTE/533
Sylvia Hill
September 29, 2014

Differentiated Instruction
 Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet
individual needs. Whether teachers differentiate content,
process, products, or the learning environment, the use of
ongoing assessment and flexible grouping makes this a
successful approach to instruction (Tomlinson, 2014).

Four Trends in Differentiating
instruction for science
 Flexibility grouping
Students in the science classroom benefit from
interacting with each other and working toward a
common goal. An example of a goal in science is the
completion of a laboratory exercise. The teacher may
present a concept to the class, then put the students
into pairs or small groups. Changing up the groups
should happen often based on student interests,
student learning style, or whatever factors that may
come into play (Willoughby, 2014).

 Role play
Students with a variety of interests, learning
styles, and abilities can benefit greatly from
activities that are based on authentic situations.
The teacher can create lesson plans around
debates, computer simulations, or science topics
currently in the news (Willoughby, 2014).

 Learning Stations
The teacher can create spaces around the classroom
for small-group or independent investigation of a
scientific experiment or process. The essential
materials and resources should be available at each
space in the classroom. There should be a topic at
each space that correlates with the focus of the study.
The activities at each space should encourage thinking
skills and help students to solve problems
(Willoughby, 2014).

 Orbital studies
Orbital studies is when the teacher develops a list of
topics that is related to a science concept. The teacher
allows the students to select a topic that is of interest
to them. Each student performs their own
investigation with help from the teacher. This type of
activity provides flexibility, level of difficulty, and the
makeup of the product completed by the student
(Willoughby, 2014).

instruction for math
 Student Grouping
- Students are placed in groups according to proficiency.
- Allows teachers to challenge high-achievers, while
providing remediation, repetition, and review for low
achievers (Davis, 2009).
- Provides specific instruction to a few students who are
seen as very high achieving, and sometimes to provide
more individualized assistance to students who are seen to
be achieving significantly below their peers (Davis, 2009).

 Learning Centers
- Classroom learning centers are important part of independent
exploration and learning (Springer, 2011).
- Math learning centers provide an opportunity to practice and
apply skills and strategies taught within the classroom (K-5
Math Teaching Resources, 2010).
- Math learning centers should include: a variety of activities
differentiated to meet the needs of students, hold students
accountable for the work in which they are engaged, and allows
teachers to assess students math skills, strategies, and
understanding (K-5 Math Teaching Resources, 2010).

 Use of manipulatives
- Manipulatives help students make the leap from intuitive
to logical thinking, from concrete to the abstract (
Learning Resources.com)
- Manipulatives are helpful for problem solving skills.

 Increased use of technology
- Apply technology to develop students higher-order-
thinking skills and creativity (Jahan, 2014).
- Use technology resources to collect and analyze
data, interpret results, and communicate findings
to improve instructional practices and maximize
student learning (Jahan, 2014).

Instructional Issues With Trends
for Science
 Role Play
 Requires careful, thoughtful planning which is time consuming.
 Students must be highly interested and motivated in their topic; otherwise
they will not be actively involved.
 Expectations for students must be clear and students must be held
accountable for their research, preparation, and collaboration with peers;
otherwise they will not understand the purpose of the activity.
 Learning Stations
 Students might skip stations if they already know the material or if the
materials is too difficult.
 Some stations might have task designed for advanced students only.

for Science
 Orbital Studies
 May be too difficult or complex for some students. Teachers must provide
varying levels of difficulty for these activities.
 Flexible Grouping
 Students may not like working with the students they are grouped with.
 If students are grouped based on ability, the students with lower abilities will
not benefit from their grouping.

For Mathematics
 Student Grouping
 Group work consumes more time because students must coordinate time,
meet, correspond, make decisions, and integrate the contributions of each
team member.
 Some students lose motivation during group work because of free riding, social
loafing, and conflict with other group members.
 Allocating time for group work, assessing teamwork skills and group dynamics,
and assigning group grades can be difficult for teachers.
 Learning Centers
 Learning Centers require a great deal of planning because teachers must be
able to articulate key skills being learned at each center and to evaluate the
success of that learning center in promoting key skill development.
 Learning Centers may be too difficult or too easy for some students.

For Mathematics
 Use of Manipulatives
 Some teachers do not know when and how to use the manipulatives.
Therefore, their students fail to achieve success with them.
 Students can be easily distracted with manipulatives if rules and procedures
are not put in place when using them.
 Increased use of Technology
 New software, training for teachers, and equipment can be very costly for
schools.
 Teachers need to receive training with the technology so they understand the
benefits to learning and to themselves.
 Adding technology into existing lesson plans takes additional planning time.
 Some software requires a significant amount of classroom time to be utilized.

Whether the trend can be used for
math, science, or both
 Trend: Flexibility Grouping of students
- This trend can be used successfully in any subject. In both math and science,
students can work collaboratively in groups to reach common goals. Depending on
the activity, teachers can use flexibility grouping in a variety of ways. Students can
be grouped by ability or differentiate groups.
 Trend: Learning Stations (centers)
-This trend can be used in both math and science. In math, learning stations can
provide a way for teachers to differentiate instruction. In science, learning stations
can provide a way for students to learn material in a variety of ways. For example,
if students are learning about weather. Stations could be set up for students to
learn about different areas of weather.

 Trend: Role play
- Role play can be used in science and math. It is commonly used in
other subjects, but rarely used in math. Role playing can be used in
science when students debate issues. It can be used in math by
students solving real world problems that involve math. It can be
difficult for some students to be motivated by this trend.
 Trend: Orbital Studies
- Orbital studies can be used in both subjects, however, it is easier in
science. It is easier for students to learn and research different areas in
science. Math is a harder subject to include orbital studies. Students
could chose a math mathematician to research and present to the
class.

 Trend: use of manipulatives
- This trend is commonly used in both math and science. Students in math
use manipulatives to help them learn math concepts. Students use
base ten blocks to help them add or see relationships between
numbers. While in science, students use science manipulatives to
explore and construct their own ideas through trial and error in
experiments.
 Trend: Technology
-The trend of technology is commonly used in math and science.
Teachers use technology to help students practice math facts and to
explore new concepts in science. Many teachers incorporate the use of
smart boards, Ipads, and other forms of technology into their daily
lessons.

Math Manipulatives Lesson Plan
 Grades: 1
 Subject: Math
 Estimated Time Duration: 30 minutes
 Lesson Summary: Students will use manipulatives (such as
currency, pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters) to learn
how to count and add money correctly. This lesson teaches
students to add coin currency correctly with the use of
manipulatives.

Continued
 Instructions: Students will be given a ziplock bag
containing a dollars amount of each coin; 100 pennies, 20
nickels, 10 dime, and 4 quarters. Students will then be
given a worksheet where they are required to place the
appropriate coin(s) in a box that has a desired currency
amount.
27 Cents 12 Cents 34 Cents

Continued
 Materials: Ziplock bag containing a dollars amount of each
coin; 100 pennies, 20 nickels, 10 dime, and 4 quarters, a
worksheet, pencil and scratch paper.
 Expansion: Students that are higher level achievers will be
given a separate worksheet that focuses on subtracting
currency.
 Accommodations: Students that need accommodations
will be provided assistance and a different worksheet that
focuses on currency of 1-10 cents.

References
 lAbout.com. (2014). Issues with Integrating Technology in the classroom. Retrieved from
http://712educators.about.com/od/technologyandeducation/tp/Issues-With-Integrating-
Technology-In-The-Classroom.htm
 lBJU Press. (2014). The Proper Use of Manipulatives in the Math Classroom. Retrieved from
https://www.bjupress.com/resources/articles/t2t/proper-use-of-manipulatives-in-math-classroom.php
 Davis, H., (2009). Education.com. Ability Grouping. Retrieved from:
http://www.education.com/reference/article/ability-grouping/
 lHowes, E. V., Cruz, B.C., (2009). Role-Playing in Science Education: An Effective Strategy for
Developing Multiple Perspectives. Journal of Elementary Science Education, Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 33-
46. Western Illinois University. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ849719.pdf

References continued
 Jahan, A., (2014). Differentiation Using Technology in Math Classrooms. Retrieved from:
http://www.tcea.org/handouts/2013/Speaker10494_Session1928_1.pdf
 K-5 Math Teaching Resources, (2010). Math Centers. Retrieved from:
http://www.k-5mathteachingresources.com/math-centers.html
 Learning Resources. Research on the Benefits of Manipulatives. Retrieved from:
http://www.learningresources.com/text/pdf/Mathresearch.pdf
 lPbworks. (2014). Learning Stations. Retrieved from
http://2differentiate.pbworks.com/w/page/860074/Learning%20Stations

References continued
 Springer, S., (2011). Eduaction.com. Learning Centers in the Classroom. Retrieved
from: http://www.education.com/reference/article/learning-centers/
 lTeaching Excellence & Educational Motivation. (2014). What are the challenges of group work and
how can I address them? Retrieved from
http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/instructionalstrategies/groupprojects/challenges.html
 lUtah Education Network. (2014). Learning Centers. Retrieved from
http://www.uen.org/k-2educator/learning_centers.shtml
 lWilloughby, J. (2014). Improving Science Education with Differentiated Instruction. Retrieved from
http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/subject/improving_science.phtml

Differentiating instruction

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Differentiating instruction