Differentiated Instruction: Strategies, Leadership & Classroom Use

Introduction to Differentiated Instruction

Over the last several years, a wide variety of strategies have been introduced that are designed to improve the total amounts of learning comprehension inside the classroom. For the most part, these ideas have failed because they did not focus on specific areas that will improve individual learning comprehension. To address these challenges, many educators have been turning to differentiated instruction. This is when they focus on using a variety of tools in order to reach out to a larger demographic of students. To fully understand how these concepts can be implemented in conjunction with Library and Media personnel requires examining a number of areas, including: the use, framework, experiences, changes, questions, leadership, morale, current changes, and the need for differentiated instruction. Once these areas are examined, we can show how these ideas will improve the total amounts of learning comprehension inside the classroom. (Gregory, 2007, pp. 1–8)

What was learned about differentiated instruction is that it can be utilized in a variety of educational settings. This is because it is focused on applying flexibility to individual learning styles when presenting a host of concepts. During the process of teaching students, the various strategies and techniques will reach out to the individual in a format that is most appropriate for them. Moreover, the repeated exposure and hands-on training will help everyone to see how they will need to apply these ideas in the future. (Roberts, 2007, pp. 147–151)

In the case of professional development, these concepts can be used to improve motivation and the team atmosphere inside a school. This occurs by having educators work together to increase quality by using these techniques in conjunction with one another. For example, an educator teaching select aspects of Biology could work with the Library and Media staff to use technology to improve learning comprehension. This will help all staff members to work with each other in utilizing this strategy on a consistent basis. Once this occurs, there will be a positive transformation inside the educational environment. (Roberts, 2007, pp. 147–151)

These ideas can be used to create new standards inside the school. This will take place through working with staff members and students to provide them with the tools they need. For example, understanding differentiated instruction will help personnel in the Library and Media center to anticipate these needs. At that point, they can discuss using a host of technology solutions to address these challenges. Over the course of time, this will improve communication and collaboration in lesson planning. (Roberts, 2007, pp. 147–151)

Lesson Frameworks and Core Strategies

A successful framework is composed of ideas that are designed to reach out to each person's individual learning style. This is accomplished through creating a lesson plan that focuses on the specific attributes most dominant in the class. The educator must then create a strategy focused on reaching out to other learning styles. This approach establishes a basic foundation for creating an atmosphere that is conducive to learning. (Gregory, 2003, pp. 79–100)

The way that a framework will vary between different content areas is through how these techniques are applied. In more complicated topics, this approach will be augmented with the use of technology and other teaching methods. The basic idea is to assist in reaching out to students by addressing their various strengths. At the same time, repeated exposure to these ideas will give students a background on the subject, enabling them to retain and apply these ideas in the future. (Gregory, 2003, pp. 79–100)

The cultural practices of the student will identify their educational experience, traditions, and areas that will influence how they see the world around them. For educators, these factors affect the way a student is able to learn a host of concepts. A possible strategy for understanding these issues is to focus on several different variables during the planning stage. The most notable include: drawing easy comparisons, using specific tools that can overcome select difficulties, and improving discussion among various students.

The way that this will have an impact on the individual is to give them a background in the concepts being presented. The educator then begins using tools that the student can relate to based on their cultural and educational experiences. This is achieved through using different techniques in conjunction with new technology. Once this occurs, there should be some kind of change in the total amounts of learning comprehension, at which point grade point averages and achievement scores will rise. (Gregory, 2003, pp. 79–100)

Three strategies that are a part of differentiated instruction include: cooperative group learning, jigsaw, and role playing. Cooperative group learning is when everyone works together as a group to learn about various ideas, providing a more intellectual discussion by having everybody talk about the concepts being presented. Jigsaw learning is when students work in groups of four to understand a host of ideas; this differs from cooperative learning by having a smaller group focused on more intense topics. Role playing is where students learn about new ideas by reenacting particular parts of the project, differing from the other strategies by having the individual act out specific areas to improve learning comprehension. (Gregory, 2003, pp. 79–100)

All of these strategies could be combined with each other. The way this would impact student achievement is to improve total amounts of learning comprehension, because each approach builds off of the ideas established previously. Once this takes place, the individual will have another format for examining the various concepts, increasing learning comprehension by providing different avenues that reach out to the student. (Gregory, 2003, pp. 79–100)