Differentiated instructional strategies for diverse K-12 learners

Instructional Strategies for Differentiating Instruction

Grade Levels

Detailed Description

Providing a Multitude of Examples

K-12

Lessons with a number of potential explanations for the end result are important. Lessons should always provide examples in different genre categories that encompass a broader number of interests or genres.

Sufficient Exploration of Crucial Features

The primary elements of the lesson plan are clear and concise. No students can move to more complicated understanding without first mastering the basics. Lesson plans need to highlight these features to show their importance and relevance to other core concepts.

Lessons Tailored to Learning Goals

4-12

The method of delivery can be adjusted in order to meet specific learning goals in the class. Introduction activities can help teachers understand individual skills and abilities. Understanding from an individual level can then help teachers to use specific strategies to target these groupings.

Use of Multi-Media Components

K-12

Lessons must incorporate multi-media designs. Working with creative technology helps students express themselves and their own individuality through the learning process. It is also more engaging, leading to greater levels of participation within the learning process.

Proper Practice Provisions

3-12

Students must be given time and support to practice their learning material. Guided support followed by independent practice can help provide students time to practice, and then receive appropriate feedback based on their results.

Flexible Demonstrations

K-12

Lessons need to be able to be flexible to adapt to the learning environment as the learning process is taking place. When certain questions are raised or topics discussed, the teacher needs to stick with that theme and work from different perspectives as they arrive.

Providing or Choice

Instructional Strategies for Differentiating Instruction

Differentiating instruction is meant to help widen the capability of lessons. It is a strategy commonly used in order to facilitate different types of learning in a widely diverse classroom. The concept is "based one the premise that instructional approaches should vary and be adapted in relation to individual and diverse students in classrooms;" and as such, it "requires a teacher to be flexible in their approach to teaching and adjust the curriculum and presentation of information to learners rather than expecting students to modify themselves for the curriculum" (Hall, Strangman, & Meyer 2011).

One way this can be done is through designing multi-faceted lessons that have a multitude of different learning activities designed to reach out to the different types of intelligences each of the students have within the larger context of the classroom. These lessons will require a wider breadth of materials and elements in order to provide the necessary access to individual comprehension. Keeping the lesson plan and organization flexible is a crucial element of differentiation lesson plan design. This helps the teacher be able to adapt to the differing demands of each student within the context of the class. Grouping and other organization of lesson plans should also be able to be fluid, adapting to new situations as they arise and without interruption of the learning process (Peszler 2006). Access to both materials and participation is crucial to the learning process from within the perspective of differentiation learning. Thus, grouping should allow for the best level of student engagement.

Speaking of engagement, another really promising strategy within the modern teaching context is the use of multi-media methods in increasing the engagement and enjoyment of the learning process. Students today are glued to their very sophisticated media devices. Social media and technology have provided a vast and seemingly endless world. This power can be harnessed according to (Hall, Strangman, & Meyer 2011). The use of multi-media components in lesson structures help make learning fun and thus increases the mental engagement of the student who is participating.

There are another wide number of strategies that are effective. Lessons tailored to specific learning goals are also another strategy tat will help evolve the design of lessons. Thus, "an objectives-driven menu makes it easier to find the next instructional step for learners entering at varying levels" (Hall, Strangman, & Meyer 2011). Additionally, such lessons utilize broad contexts in order to allow individual learners to make their own unique connections to the concepts being presented with the materials. By keeping the foundation broad, lessons can better reach out to individual students. This allows these students to internalize and express their understanding of the concept being taught to them in a much greater variety of ways (Mulligan 2005). Once again, the crucial element here is keeping the lessons flexible enough for each student to experience the lesson in the way that facilitates the most efficient learning. Working with providing examples that encompass different genres helps reach out to students with different interests. No students like the exact same things, and as such examples used to provide explanations for phenomenon should take a number of perspectives. Examples that are also broader help recreate the personal experience that is important to the learning process and can prompt students to better internalize the concepts they are learning through these activities.