Module 1 Introduction in Differentiated Instruction.pptx

Module 1. Introduction in
Differentiated Instruction

Aims &
Objectives
The aim of this module is to introduce
learners to Differentiated Instruction
as a learner-centric model of
education that aids VET educators
struggling to respond adequately to
varied VET student needs within one
classroom or group.
images can be changed

Learning outcomes
By the end of this module, learner will be able to:
• Develop the basic abilities and skills to understand the diversity
present in their VET classroom or learning groups.
• Identify the strategic responses in order to proactively cater for
student diversity via this structured approach
• Apply these transferable skills and techniques in their work
• Evaluate the level of differentiated instruction in the VET classroom

Keywords
• Differentiated Instruction
• Characteristics and Principles
• Differentiated Activities
• Practical applications, tools, strategies
• Traditional Classrooms VS Differentiated Classrooms

Table of contents
UNIT1: What is Differentiated Instruction?
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Definition
UNIT2: Where all it began?
2.1 History of differentiated instruction (part 1)
2.2 History of differentiated instruction (part 2)
UNIT3: Characteristics and Principles
3.1 Define the concept of Differentiated Instruction
3.2 Characteristics and Principles of Differentiated Instruction
3.3 Learning principles for the promotion of Differentiated Instruction
3.4. Practical applications, tools, strategies for Differentiated Instruction
3.5. Pros and cons of differentiated instruction
UNIT4: Differentiation is …. Differentiation is not…
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Differentiation is
4.3 Differentiation is not
UNIT5: What are the differences between Traditional and Differentiated Classrooms?
5.1 Traditional Classrooms
5.2 Differentiated Classrooms

UNIT 1
What is Differentiated Instruction?

Introduction
• Not all students are alike. Based on this
knowledge, differentiated instruction applies
an approach to teaching and learning so that
students have multiple options for taking in
information and making sense of ideas.
• The model of differentiated instruction requires
teachers to be flexible in their approach to
teaching and adjusting the curriculum and
presentation of information to learners rather
than expecting students to modify themselves
for the curriculum.
• Classroom teaching is a blend of whole-class,
group and individual instruction. Differentiated
Instruction is a teaching theory based on the
premise that instructional approaches should
vary and be adapted in relation to individual
and diverse students in classrooms.

Definition
• To differentiate instruction is to recognize students
varying background knowledge, readiness,
language, preferences in learning, interests, and to
react responsively.
• Differentiated instruction is a process to approach
teaching and learning for students of differing abilities
in the same class. The intent of differentiating
instruction is to maximize each student’s growth and
individual success by meeting each student where he or
she is, and assisting in the learning process.
• Differentiated instruction allows all students to access
the same classroom curriculum by providing entry
points, learning tasks, and outcomes tailored to
students’ learning needs.
Source:
http://edtheory.blogspot.
com/2016/04/differentiat
ed-instruction.html

History of differentiated instruction
• Even though differentiated instruction seems like a new concept
in education, it actually began back in the 1600's. Because
classrooms functioned for all ages with only one teacher and
limited resources, teachers automatically had to improvise.
• As the educational system transitioned to grading schools, it
was assumed that children of the same age learned similarly.
However in 1912, achievement tests were introduced, and the
scores revealed the gaps in student’s abilities within grade
levels.

• In 1975, Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA), ensuring that children with disabilities had equal access
to public education. To reach this student population, many
educators used differentiated instruction strategies. Then came the
passage of No Child Left Behind in 2000, which further encouraged
differentiated and skill-based instruction-and that’s because it works.
• Research by educator Leslie Owen Wilson supports differentiating
instruction within the classroom, finding that lecture is
the least effective instructional strategy, with only 5 to 10 percent
retention after 24 hours. Engaging in a discussion, practicing after
exposure to content, and teaching others are much more effective
ways to ensure learning retention.

In the traditional one-room schoolhouses, teachers needed to
find a way to keep all of the students occupied at the same time
throughout the day as well as to provide material that was
beneficial to all of the different levels of learning. And they had to
do it without the ability to research the best ways or resources to
make their job easier. They had to invent it all themselves. If we
could just interview those teachers, we could find a whole world
full of helpful examples of differentiated instruction without even
realizing it. They were just trying to make their classroom work
the best it could for everyone.
Click below to watch a video about “The power of inclusive
education”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIPsPRaZP6M
Source: The power of inclusive education - Youtube

UNIT 3
Characteristics and Principles

Define the concept of Differentiated
Instruction
Differentiating instruction may mean teaching the same material to all students using a
variety of instructional strategies, or it may require the VET teacher to deliver lessons at
varying levels of difficulty based on the ability of each VET student.
VET teachers who practice differentiation in the classroom may:
• Design lessons based on VET students’ learning styles.
• Group VET students by shared interest, topic, or ability for assignments.
• Assess VET students’ learning using formative assessment.
• Manage the classroom to create a safe and supportive environment.
• Continually assess and adjust lesson content to meet VET students’ needs.

Characteristics and Principles of
• Differentiation is PROACTIVE:
VET teacher assumes that different learners have differing
needs. Therefore, the VET teacher proactively plans a variety of
ways to "get at" and express learning.
• Differentiated Instruction is more QUALITATIVE than
quantitative:
Differentiated Instruction is not simply more or less work. Simply
adjusting the quantity of an assignment will generally be less
effective than adjusting the nature of the assignment to match
student needs as well.

• Differentiated Instruction is ROOTED IN ASSESSMENT:
A VET teacher who understand the need for teaching and
learning to be a good match for students looks for every
opportunity to know his/her students better. Throughout the
school year, in a multitude of ways, VET teachers assess VET
student's developing readiness levels, interests, and modes of
learning. "Final" assessments take many forms, with the goal of
finding a way for each student to most successfully share what
he or she has learned in the course of the learning.

• Differentiated Instruction provides MULTIPLE
APPROACHES to content, process, and product:
o Content: What VET students learn
o Process: How VET students go about making sense of ideas and information
o Product: How VET students demonstrate what they have learned
By differentiating these three elements, VET teachers offer different
approaches to what students learn, how they learn it, and how
they demonstrate what they've learned, which will encourage growth in all
students.
The multiple approaches are analyzed as learning principles in the next
slides.

• Differentiated instruction is STUDENT CENTERED:
Learning experiences are most effective when they are engaging,
relevant, and interesting. Learners are active in making and
evaluating decisions. Teaching students to share responsibility
enables a VET teacher to work with varied groups or individuals for
parts of the day. It is about preparing VET students for real life.

• Differentiated instruction is a BLEND of whole-class,
group, and individual instruction:
A pattern of instruction in a differentiated classroom could be VET
students coming together as a whole group, moving out into
small groups or individual, back together to share and moving out
again, and repeat!

• Differentiated Instruction is "Organic“:
VET students and VET teachers are learning together. Ongoing
collaboration with students is necessary to refine the learning
opportunities so they are effective for each student.
Every day in the classroom can reveal one more way to make the
classroom a better match for its learners.

Learning principles for the promotion
of Differentiated Instruction
According to Tomlinson, VET teachers can differentiate
instruction through the following four ways:
1) content,
2) process,
3) product,
4) learning environment.

What do we mean by content?
As it is commonly known, fundamental lesson content should cover the standards
of learning set by the school district or state educational standards. But some VET
students in the class may be completely unfamiliar with the concepts in a lesson,
some students may have partial mastery, and some students may already be
familiar with the content before the lesson begins.
What a VET teacher could do is to differentiate the content by designing activities
for groups of students that cover various levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (a
classification of levels of intellectual behavior going from lower-order thinking skills
to higher-order thinking skills).
The six levels are:
• Remembering
• Understanding
• Applying
• Analyzing
• Evaluating
• Creating

What do we mean by content?
VET students who are unfamiliar with a lesson could be
required to complete tasks on the lower levels: remembering
and understanding.
VET students with some mastery could be asked to apply and
analyze the content, and students who have high levels of
mastery could be asked to complete tasks in the areas of
evaluating and creating.

Examples of differentiating activities:
• Match vocabulary words to definitions.
• Read a passage of text and answer related questions.
• Think of a situation that happened to a character in the story
and a different outcome.
• Differentiate fact from opinion in the story.
• Identify an author’s position and provide evidence to support
this viewpoint.
• Create a PowerPoint presentation summarizing the lesson.

Process
Each VET student has a preferred learning style, and successful
differentiation includes delivering the material to each style:
visual, auditory and kinesthetic, and through words.
This process-related method also addresses the fact that not all
VET students require the same amount of support from the VET
teacher, and students could choose to work in pairs, small
groups, or individually. And while some VET students may benefit
from one-on-one interaction with you or the classroom aide,
others may be able to progress by themselves.
VET teachers can enhance student learning by offering support
based on individual needs.

Examples of differentiating the
process:
• Provide textbooks for visual and word learners.
• Allow auditory learners to listen to audio books.
• Give kinesthetic learners the opportunity to complete an
interactive assignment online.

Product
The product is what the VET student creates at the end of the
lesson to demonstrate the mastery of the content. This can be in
the form of tests, projects, reports, or other activities.
A VET teacher could assign students to complete activities that
show mastery of an educational concept in a way the student
prefers, based on learning style.

Examples of differentiating the end
product:
• Read and write learners write a book report.
• Visual learners create a graphic organizer of the story.
• Auditory learners give an oral report.
• Kinesthetic learners build a diorama illustrating the story.

Learning environment
The conditions for optimal learning include both physical and
psychological elements. A flexible classroom layout is key,
incorporating various types of furniture and arrangements to
support both individual and group work.
Psychologically speaking, VET teachers should use classroom
management techniques that support a safe and supportive
learning environment.

Examples of differentiating the
environment:
• Break some students into reading groups to discuss the
assignment.
• Allow students to read individually if preferred.
• Create quiet spaces where there are no distractions.

Practical applications, tools, strategies for
There are a set of methods that can be tailored and used across the different subjects.
Those strategies are tiered assignments, choice boards, compacting, interest centers/groups,
flexible grouping, and learning contracts.
• Tiered assignments are designed to teach the same skill but have the VET students create a
different product to display their knowledge based on their comprehension skills.
• Choice boards allow VET students to choose what activity they would like to work on for a skill that
the VET teacher chooses. On the board are usually options for the different learning styles;
kinesthetic, visual, auditory, and tactile.
• Compacting allows the VET teacher to help students reach the next level in their learning when
they have already mastered what is being taught to the class. To compact the VET teacher
assesses the student’s level of knowledge, creates a plan for what they need to learn, excuses
them from studying what they already know, and creates free time for them to practice an
accelerated skill.
• Interest centers or groups are a way to provide autonomy in student learning. Flexible grouping
allows the groups to be more fluid based on the activity or topic.
• Learning contracts are made between a VET student and VET teacher, laying out the VET
teacher’s expectations for the necessary skills to be demonstrated and the assignments required
components with the student putting down the methods they would like to use to complete the
assignment. These contracts can allow students to use their preferred learning style, work at an
ideal pace and encourages independence and planning skills.

Pros and cons of differentiated
instruction
The benefits of differentiation in the classroom are often accompanied
by the drawback of an ever-increasing workload. Here are a few
factors to keep in mind:
Pros
• Research shows differentiated instruction is effective for high-ability
students as well as students with mild to severe disabilities.
• When students are given more options on how they can learn
material, they take on more responsibility for their own learning.
• Students appear to be more engaged in learning, and there are
reportedly fewer discipline problems in classrooms where teachers
provide differentiated lessons.

Pros and cons of differentiated
instruction
Cons
• Differentiated instruction requires more work during lesson
planning, and many teachers struggle to find the extra time in
their schedule.
• The learning curve can be steep and some schools lack
professional development resources.
• Critics argue there is not enough research to support the
benefits of differentiated instruction outweighing the added prep
time.

Time for Self-Reflection
Click below and find out examples of Differentiated Strategies used in Teaching:
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLH9yaHIIoQ
Source: Examples of Differentiated Strategies used in Teaching - YouTube
Can you apply these strategies in
your classroom? If yes, which
strategies are the most applicable for
your VET students?

UNIT 4
Differentiation is …. Differentiation is not…

When VET teachers differentiate, they do so in response to a
student’s readiness, interest, and learning profile. Because of
their unique and diverse literacy needs, the VET students need
from the VET teachers to differentiate the product, process,
and/or content of learning.
Differentiated instruction comes in many forms, ideas, and
implementations.
Common myths of what differentiation is or isn’t are presented in
the next slides.
Introduction

Differentiation is not …
• Asking every student to read the same text with the same
purpose and using the same strategy
• Giving the same instruction and assignments to the whole class
• Giving extra assignments to students who finish early
• Individualized instruction for each student
• Doing something completely different for each student in your
classroom
• Creating permanent, labeled groups that never change

Differentiation is…
• More complex than just providing different students with different
learning experiences
• Based on the students’ needs
• Considering students’ readiness levels, interests, and learning styles
• A flexible approach to instruction and grouping
• Providing more than one option to the students as they read their
texts
• Using different reading strategies to match the material to meet the
literacy needs of our students
• Changing the way we teach so that everyone can learn and achieve

Time for Self-Reflection
What is differentiated instruction?
Which approach are you currently using
while teaching?
Tell us your personal story!
Click below to watch a video about How to Plan Your Lessons:
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rumHfC1XQtc
Source: Differentiating Instruction: How to Plan Your Lessons - YouTube

i
UNIT 5
What are the differences between Traditional
and Differentiated Classrooms?

Traditional Classroom Differentiated Classroom
VET student differences masked or acted upon when problematic Student differences are studied as a basis for planning
Assessment is most common at the end of learning to see “who got it” Assessment is ongoing and diagnostic to understand how to make instruction
more responsive to learner need
A relatively narrow sense of intelligence prevails Focus on multiple forms of intelligence is evident
A single definition of excellence prevails Excellence is defined in large measure by individual growth from a starting point
Student interests infrequently tapped Students are frequently guided in making interest-based learning choices
Relatively few learning profile options are taken into account Many learning profile options are honored
Whole class instruction dominates Many instructional arrangements are used
Coverage of texts and curriculum guides drives instruction Student readiness, interest, and learning profile shape instruction
Mastery of facts and skills out of context are the focus of learning Use of essential skills to make sense of and understand key concepts and
principles is the focus of learning
Single option assignments are the norm Multi-option assignment are frequently used
Time is relatively inflexible Time is used flexibly in accordance with student need
A single text prevails Multiple materials are provided
Single interpretation of ideas and events may be sought Multiple perspectives on ideas and events are routinely sought
The teacher solves problems Students help other students and the teacher solve problems
The teacher provides whole-class standards for grading Students work with the teacher to establish both whole-class and individual goals
A single form of assessment is often used Students are assessed in multiple ways

Synopsis
Now that you have completed this unit, you should be able
to:
 Understand the Differentiated Instruction
 Apply these techniques to your job
 Handle more effectively the day-to-day issues of your teaching and
the unique needs of your students

List of references and further reading
• Sec- B Readings (n.d). Differentiated Instruction. Retrieved from: https://www.dr-hatfield.com/educ342/Differentiated_Instruction.pdf
• Watts-Taffe, S., Laster, B., Broach, L., Marinak, B., Conner, C., & Walker-Dalhouse, D. (2012, December/2013, January).
Differentiated Instruction: Making Informed Teacher Decisions. Retrieved from:
https://ila.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/TRTR.01126
• New York University - Metropolitan Center for Urban Education (2008). Culturally Responsive Differentiated Instructional Strategies.
Retrieved from:
https://impactofspecialneeds.weebly.com/uploads/3/4/1/9/3419723/culturally_responsive_differientiated_instruction.pdf
• Marie (n.d.). (2019). Helpful Examples of Differentiated Instruction, Complete Literature. Retrieved from:
https://completeliterature.com/helpful-examples-of-differentiated-instruction/
• Kathy Perez (2019). Differentiated Reading Instruction: Multiple Pathways to Literacy Success. Solution Tree Blog. Retrieved from:
https://www.solutiontree.com/blog/differentiated-reading-instruction/
• Cynthia Uche. (2016). Differentiated Instruction, Educational Theory and Practice. Retrieved from:
http://edtheory.blogspot.com/2016/04/differentiated-instruction.html
• Cathy Weselby. (2021). What is Differentiated Instruction? Examples of How to Differentiate Instruction in the Classroom. Resilient
Educator. Retrieved from: https://resilienteducator.com/classroom-resources/examples-of-differentiated-instruction/
• Carol Ann Tomlinson. (2001). Differentiated Instruction in the Regular Classroom: What Does It Mean? How Does It Look?. Retrieved
from:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234737746_Differentiated_Instruction_in_the_Regular_Classroom_What_Does_It_Mean_H
ow_Does_It_Look
• Maayan Yavne (2019). The 6 Myths of Differentiated Instruction. Retrieved from: https://medium.com/tailor-ed/the-6-myths-of-
differentiated-instruction-bcde6e202c73

The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does
not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of
the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which
may be made of the information contained therein.
Thank you for your attention

Module 1 Introduction in Differentiated Instruction.pptx

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Module 1 Introduction in Differentiated Instruction.pptx