Designing 21st Century Universal Classrooms

What is Differentiated Instruction?

Differentiated Instruction (DI) is a strategy for providing appropriate learning opportunities to all students. Rooted in the philosophy that students learn differently and therefore need different teaching, DI involves adjusting the instructional content, process, and/or product in response to student readiness, interest, and/or learning profile.

As pioneered by educator Carol Ann Tomlinson, DI works within the standards-driven, Comprehensive and Guaranteed, Viable Curricula to ensure that all students have appropriate learning opportunities that allow them to meet or exceed those standards. Variation in the content, process, or product of learning can be based on what students already know, understand, and can do; what students are interested in or want to do; and/or the students’ learning styles.

Three aspects of the curriculum can be differentiated: the content, the process, and/or the product. In other words, students may be learning about different topics; they may be take differing pathways to learning; and/or they may be assessed in different ways. But regardless of what they are learning, how they are doing it, and how they are being assessed, the standards and essential goals remain the same and all students must have the opportunity to be proficient or above in key criteria.

How does Differentiated Instruction benefit students?

Differentiated instruction is the appropriate response to the range of student learning needs. Differentiation in response to student readiness, student interest, and/or student learning profile ensures greater equity in learning outcomes for all students. Because students’ readiness for certain content, processes, or the creation of certain learning products, along with their interests and learning styles, can range so widely, differentiation offers varied learning opportunities so students can make continuous progress in meeting and exceeding standards.

Last updated: Aug 23, 2010 at 12:07 pm