Differentiated Instruction
Education news, analysis, and opinion about techniques and adaptations to instruct students with diverse learning needs in the same classroom
Differentiated Instruction: A Primer
Definitions vary for differentiated instruction, a popular approach for teaching children with a range of academic strengths and interests.
Teaching
Opinion
Differentiated Instruction Doesn't Need to Be a Heavy Lift
Sometimes adapting instruction is just about making decisions in the moment to reach all students, regardless of their gifts or challenges.
Teaching
Opinion
Q&A Collections: Differentiating Instruction
Posts and videos from the past 10 years offering practical suggestions on differentiating instruction.
Teaching
Opinion
Four Favorite Physical Education Instructional Strategies—Recommended by Teachers!
Differentiated instruction is among the favorite strategies three educators employ in teaching physical education.
Education
Opinion
Q&A Collections: Differentiating Instruction
All Classroom Q&A posts on Differentiating Instruction (from the past nine years!) are described and linked to in this compilation post.
Teaching
Opinion
Five Ways to Differentiate Instruction in an Online Environment
Examples from two educators include giving students the time to take physical breaks as well as pausing academic presentations to give students time to think.
Teaching
Opinion
What Differentiated Instruction Is Not: A Teacher's Perspective
Taking differentiation to mean "everything all the time" isn’t a sustainable model, warns English teacher Chad Towarnicki.
Education
Opinion
Q&A Collections: Differentiating Instruction
All Classroom Q&A posts offering advice on Differentiating Instruction (from the past eight years!) are described and linked to in this compilation post.
Classroom Technology
How These 4 Educators Are Using Ed Tech to Transform Their Teaching
Learn how four teachers used new ed-tech tools to improve student engagement, differentiate learning, deploy better assessments, and communicate more effectively with parents.
Teaching
Opinion
Everything You Wanted to Know About Differentiation, But Were Afraid to Ask
New videos, along with many other resources, on differentiated instruction!
English-Language Learners
Differentiated Instruction for English-Learners: A Visual Guide
In a nearly three-minute video, a pair of veteran ELL teachers outline advice on how educators can identify students' individual strengths, needs, and interests and develop lesson plans that are accessible to all English-learners.
Curriculum
How to Differentiate Instruction (Without Losing Your Mind)
Differentiation doesn't have to mean spending hours creating separate lessons for every student. In these two videos, veteran educators Larry Ferlazzo and Katie Hull Sypnieski describe techniques they use to meet students where they are in a multi-ability classroom.
Teaching
Series
Differentiated Instruction
In this series of videos, veteran teachers Larry Ferlazzo and Katie Hull Sypnieski explain what it means to differentiate instruction, provide tips for doing so with English-language learners, and detail the questions they ask themselves when planning a lesson for students of all levels.
Teaching
Video
Differentiating Instruction: How to Plan Your Lessons
Some students finish tasks quickly, others slowly. Some understand the concept on the first try, and others need more practice. How can a teacher plan ahead for all these scenarios? In this video, veteran teachers Larry Ferlazzo and Katie Hull Synieski discuss the various strategies they keep in their back pockets for accommodating all types of learners during a single lesson.
English-Language Learners
Video
Differentiating Instruction: A Guide for Teaching English-Language Learners
Veteran teachers Larry Ferlazzo and Katie Hull Synieski offer tips on differentiating instruction for English-language learners. By using techniques such as pairing up students and enhancing background knowledge, teachers can make a lesson accessible to every student in the class, regardless of language proficiency. “Not everybody will get the same exact text or use the same strategy,” Hull Sypnieski explains, “but it’s fair because you’re meeting every student where they are.”