Differentiated Instruction

Differentiated Instruction

​Erhan Gülşen, PhD Candidate, Bahçeşehir University

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Multiple Select

Which statements do you think are true about DI ?

• It appreciates the way each individual learns

• It acknowledges that each individual has got a respective learning map

• It considers "one size fits all curriculum" as adequate

• It has long been around as an approach

• It takes readiness levels and students preferences into consideration.

​​Appreciating the way each individual learns along with their interest and socio-cultural background, differentiated instruction (DI) is an instructional philosophy which is grounded upon the tenet that each learner has got a respective learning map and dismisses the traditional instruction – which is constructed around “one size fits all” curriculum – as inadequate (Loeser, 2015).

​​With personal learning capacity, motivation and individual learner preferences having been recognized since the late 1980s, it has been a common issue of awareness among educators and teachers alike to differentiate the instruction. (Hart, 1996; Tomlinson, 1999; Loeser, 2015; Gülşen & Mede, 2016).

The Benefits of DI

Open Ended

What benefits do you think DI can present you as a teacher? (Write short words)

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​​A teacher must be proactive so that s/he is able to anticipate the unexpected classroom situations and adapt the learning environment accordingly. Besides, full understanding of the teaching content along with its concepts and facts is required so that the learners can understand it clearly (Heacox, 2002). And, learners are to combine their background knowledge with their skills through respectful tasks so that they can gain self-respect and boost their self-confidence. Plus, while performing these tasks, the collaborative activities should be higher in number because this helps learners to form a sense of community thanks to the interactions they make with their above or below level peers (Kearsley, 2005). The learners vary in needs and proficiency level in time, so a teacher is to create means to adapt the materials and learning setting with the sole aim of flexing the process of learning for each individual (Chick & Hong, 2012)

The Principles of DI

Multiple Choice

Which one of the principles do you think is associated with Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) ?

(ZPD refers to the level a learner performs a task with the guidance of an above-level peer (Vygotsky, 1978, as cited in Verenikina, 2008)

• proactiveness

• community

• respectful tasks

• adaptability & flexibility

• being clear about the content

​​According to Vygotsky (1978), individuals learn through interaction with others. In collaboration with stronger peers, these individuals reach ZPD, which refers to the space between a learner’s capability of achieving a task under the guidance of a more adept peer and his or her capability of achieving the same task alone following that peer support (Lawrence-Brown, 2004). Thus, a learner is most likely to achieve ZPD through DI because it applies and suits an environment where peers with varying and higher levels exist – with the teacher being the expert or mediator for peer-to-peer interactions (Tomlinson, 1995, 2001).

Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory and differentiated instruction

Open Ended

So, what can we differentiate as (EFL/ESL) teachers?

​​The components to be differentiated have been identified by Tomlinson (1999) as;

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• content,

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• process,

  ​

• and product.

The Components of Differentiated Instruction

​A discussion question:

What do you think each component includes?

The Components of Differentiated Instruction - Categorize

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The Components of Differentiated Instruction

​​The components to be differentiated have been identified by Tomlinson (1999) as;

​

• content (materials, teaching principles, skills),

  ​

• process (teaching style, group tasks, unfixed groups, group discussions),

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• and product (tasks with varying levels and different evaluation methods).

​Now, work in groups of three (in Breakout Rooms).

• Study the paragraph your group is assigned to.

• Choose the correct answer

• You have 3 minutes :)​

​

​The file link:

​What to Differentiate

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The Student Traits

​​For a differentiated classroom, content, process and product are varied through different techniques for the mere reason and anticipation of responding to differences in readiness, interests and learning profiles or, rather, of engaging every single learner thoroughly (Hall, et al., 2003).

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• Readiness

• Interests

• Learning profiles​

Identifying Student Traits for Differentiated Instruction

Readiness. According to Tomlinson (1999), readiness refers to the entry point of a learner in relation to an understanding or a skill and it can be determined through pre-assessment. And according to the results of the assessments, the lessons are planned according to the levels following an achievement spectrum.

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Interests. A differentiated lesson plan structured around students’ interests give them the chance to decide how to learn by linking content with ideas and concepts and it is crucial for enhancing motivation (Tomlinson, et al., 2015). With their interests being considered, the students can be grouped in accordance with their learning styles, choices or they can work independently.​

​

Identifying Student Traits for Differentiated Instruction

Learning profile. For considering the learning profiles in a classroom, students’ innate strengths or Multiple Intelligences (MI) (Gardner, 1998 as cited in Thiesen, 2002) must be taken into account along with their cultural background, learning styles and external factors such as access to learning sources. Pinpointing the learning profiles and learning styles of the students can allow a language teacher to know how each student learns in their respective and most effective way.

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• Linguistic • Logical-mathematical • Musical • Bodily-kinesthetic • Spatial • Interpersonal • Intrapersonal​

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Identifying Student Traits for Differentiated Instruction

​How to pre-assess, then?

​How to pre-assess, then?

(interests, learner profiles, readiness)​

• ​online portfolios (padlet, etc.),

• self-reflections,

• reflections on background,

• questionnaires,

• concept maps,

• ​developing rapport,

• ​receiving feedback on tasks.

• Pre-assessment (before teaching and learning start)

• Formative assessment (as teaching and learning continue)

• Summative assessment​ (after teaching and learning end)

​

Identifying Assessment Types for Differentiated Instruction

Multiple Choice

It is a formal way of recording what student have learned at the end of a course or at the ends of different phases of a learning process as well as how efficiently they have completed the learning objectives. It is conducted a number of times during a course through various means.

• pre-assessment

• formative assessment

• summative assessment

Multiple Choice

It is a formal way of recording what student have learned at the end of a course or at the ends of different phases of a learning process as well as how efficiently they have completed the learning objectives. It is conducted a number of times during a course through various means.

• pre-assessment

• formative assessment

• summative assessment

Multiple Choice

It tracks the learning process of the students throughout the instruction. It provides the teacher with clues on how to instruct or produce new methods. It is important to conduct these assessments regularly in a language classroom.

• pre-assessment

• formative assessment

• summative assessment

Multiple Choice

Another way to think:

It is like a doctor’s ‘check-up’ to provide data to revise instruction.

• pre-assessment

• formative assessment

• summative assessment

Multiple Choice

Another way to think:

It’s like talking to someone about a movie after the movie is over..

• pre-assessment

• formative assessment

• summative assessment

Multiple Choice

Another way to think:

It’s like a baseline to work from

• pre-assessment

• formative assessment

• summative assessment

• Pre-assessment: A teacher can perform this type of assessment both through written materials and through observations and whole-class discussions. The goal of the teacher is to get information to choose the best materials and techniques for each student. It is a kind of formative assessment administered before teaching starts.

• Formative assessment: It tracks the learning process of the students throughout the instruction. It provides the teacher with clues on how to instruct or produce new methods. It is important to conduct these assessments regularly in a language classroom.

• Summative assessment​: It is a formal way of recording what student have learned at the end of a course or at the ends of different phases of a learning process as well as how efficiently they have completed the learning objectives. It is conducted a number of times during a course through various means.

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Identifying Assessment Types for Differentiated Instruction

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