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Schools are increasingly moving in the direction of abolishing tracking systems that sort students by ability level. While such changes promote equity, they also mean that teachers must deal with the complexities of a heterogeneous classroom. One way to meet the needs of all students in such a classroom is by differentiating instruction.
Depending in who you ask, differentiated instruction can mean everything from working with "gifted" and "special needs" students to drawing from Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development defines the term and its uses this way: "Differentiated instruction is a teaching philosophy based on the premise that teachers should adapt instruction to student differences. Rather than marching students through the curriculum in lockstep, teachers should modify their instruction to meet students' varying readiness levels, learning preferences, and interests."1 This definition goes beyond adding extension problems for "gifted" students or basic drill exercises for students who are struggling: "A class is not differentiated when assignments are the same for all learners and the adjustments consists of varying the level of difficulty of questions for certain students, grading some students harder than others, or letting students who finish early play games for enrichment."2 It asks educators to refigure the way they structure their classrooms and their teaching methods so that students have an opportunity to learn in a variety of ways. In The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners, Carol Ann Tomlinson outlines three areas of the curriculum where differentiation can occur: content, process, and products. With regards to content, all students should be given access to the same core content, with the complexity level adjusted to meet different learners' needs. Differentiating the teaching process involves using a variety of activities and tools with students. This might include employing manipulatives, scaffolding techniques, visual aids, or links with literature (in a mathematics lesson). A differentiation of products allows for students to demonstrate mastery in various ways - not all students are expected to create the same end products. While there are many ways to differentiate instruction, Tomlinson argues that using flexible grouping is essential. At times students might be grouped homogeneously (for example, grouping students of a similar readiness level together); for other activities they would be grouped heterogeneously (e.g. mixing native English and English as a Second Language speakers). Students can also be grouped by interest level, strategy use in solving a problem, and at different work centers/stations. While this list of ways to group students is far from complete, it illustrates the guiding principle - with differentiated instruction student groups should constantly be adjusted and reworked. Frequently changing grouping patterns encourages students to work with all their classmates, and opens up multiple paths for learning. Students are also active explorers, with the teacher serving as a guide while students engage in a variety of activities. Tomlinson talks about three ways of implementing differentiated instruction. With "interest-based adjustments," students decide how to apply the key principles being studied to fit with their own areas of interest. A student can explore a topic through math-oriented, literature-based, science-oriented, hobby-related, or history-associated avenues. Using "adjustments based on learning profile," a teacher encourages students to understand their own learning style preferences and employ those in the study of classroom topics. Each students' preferences - such as talking with others, processing through writing, or creating visual representations - are encouraged and valued. "Readiness-based adjustments" center around teachers providing a range of learning tasks around a particular topic. The tasks fall along a continua, such as "simple to complex," "concrete to abstract," or "less independence to greater independence", for which the teacher guides the student along.
Differentiated instruction will not necessarily work in all classrooms or with every learner. It does offer a basis for effective teaching in heterogeneous classrooms, and can help teachers find a way to provide a rigorous curriculum tailored to individual students' needs.
2"Differentiating Instruction for Advanced Learners in the Mixed-Ability Middle School Classroom." ERIC Digest E536. Available at: http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed389141.html
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