About Differentiated Instruction

 
      Differentiated Instruction is a philosophy of education that provides appropriate opportunities for growth and success.  Educational research supports the notion that "one size does not fit all" when it comes to presenting lessons to our students and even when assessing our students.  In West Bloomfield Schools, we have mobilized efforts to ensure that all of our children are given opportunities for academic growth.  While the goal for achieving our district standards and benchmarks is constant, the route to that goal may vary according to student need.  According to Carol Ann Tomlinson, professor at the University of Virginia and nation-wide proponent of Differentiated Instruction, "Fair is when everyone doesn't necessarily get the same. Fair is when everyone gets what he or she needs!"

 
Differentiated Instruction IS:

1.  Having a vision of success for our students
2.  Providing a variety of assignments within units of instruction, realizing that students do not all learn in the same way.
3.  Recognizing the variance in learning styles of our students.
4.  Allowing students to choose, with teacher direction, the route to their learning.
5.  Providing opportunities for students to demonstrate proficiency in an area they already know and allowing them to move forward 
6.  Offering tiered lessons, of varying degrees of difficulty, dealing with similar content.
7. Qualitative

Differentiated Instruction is NOT:

1.  Individualization. It is not a different lesson for each student each day.
2.  Giving all students the same work or even identical assessments all of the time.
3.   Assuming that all students learn by listening.
4.  Merely having centers in the classroom.
5.  Assigning more work to students who have demonstrated mastery in an area.
6.  Only for students who demonstrate a need for acceleration.
7.  Quantitative


 
Learn more about Differentiated Instruction by clicking on a title below:

"Mapping a Route Toward Differentiated Instruction" (Carol Ann Tomlinson)

"What is Differentiated Instruction?"

"Differentiated Instruction"

"Strategies for DIfferentiating "


 
Be enlightened!

 
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