Opinion Blog

Classroom Q&A

With Larry Ferlazzo

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to lferlazzo@epe.org. Read more from this blog.

Teaching Opinion

Q&A Collections: Differentiating Instruction

By Larry Ferlazzo — August 03, 2021 4 min read
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During the summer, I am sharing thematic posts bringing together responses on similar topics from the past 10 years. You can see all those collections from the first nine years here.

Here are the ones I’ve published so far:

The 11 Most Popular Classroom Q&A Posts of the Year

Race & Racism in Schools

School Closures & the Coronavirus Crisis

Classroom-Management Advice

Best Ways to Begin the School Year

Best Ways to End the School Year

Student Motivation & Social-Emotional Learning

Implementing the Common Core

Challenging Normative Gender Culture in Education

Teaching Social Studies

Cooperative & Collaborative Learning

Using Tech With Students

Student Voices

Parent Engagement in Schools

Teaching English-Language Learners

Reading Instruction

Writing Instruction

Education Policy Issues

Assessment

Today’s theme is on differentiating instruction. You can see the list of posts following this excerpt from one of them:

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* 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.

* Seven Ways to Support ELLs in Online Content Classes

I offer seven suggestions on how to help English-learners when doing remote teaching, including by providing graphic organizers and models.

* ‘Fair Means Providing What They Need’

This four-part series on “fair” versus “equal” is being “wrapped up” today with answers from Rick Wormeli, Pedro A. Noguera, Ph.D., Elizabeth Stringer Keefe, Ph.D., and Sheila Wilson.

* ‘Equitable Practices Elevate Everyone’

Debbie Silver, Gloria Brown Brooks, Tasha Moyer, Barbara Blackburn, and LaChawn Smith discuss if “fair” means “equal” in the realm of education.

* Student Differences Are Not Deficits

Today’s commentaries on the difference between treating students “equally” and “fairly” come from Kelly Capatosto, Gina Laura Gullo, Cheryl Staats, PJ Caposey, Ashley McCall, Orion Nolan, Jen Schwanke, Marisa Nathan, Carol Bruzzano, Keisha Rembert, and Tatiana Esteban.

* ‘Fair Is Not Equal’

Julia Stearns Cloat, Rocio del Castillo, Holly Spinelli, Sabrina Hope King, Joe Feldman, and Felicia Darling discuss the difference between treating students “fairly” and “equally.”

* Everything You Wanted to Know About Differentiation But Were Afraid to Ask

New videos, along with many other resources, on differentiated instruction!

* ‘The Best Place to Start’ When Teaching ELLs ‘Is by Getting to Know Your Students’

Judie Haynes, Debbie Zacarian, Eugenia Mora-Flores, Melissa Jackson, Joyce Nutta, and Carine Strebel contribute their ideas on differentiated instruction for English-language learners.

* Differentiate for ELLs by ‘Establishing a Welcoming and Safe Classroom’

Sandra C. Figueroa, Becky Corr, Sydney Snyder, Adria Klein, Michael D. Toth, and Barbara Gottschalk share their suggestions on differentiating instruction for ELLs.

*Ways to Differentiate Instruction for ELLs

Valentina Gonzalez, Jenny Vo, Tonya Ward Singer, Carol Ann Tomlinson, and Nélida Rubio discuss ways to differentiate instruction for English-language learners.

* ‘Embracing Technology’ as a Tool for Differentiation

Elizabeth Stringer Keefe, Becky Shiring, Katie Robinson, Sonny Magana, and Monica Burns contribute their suggestions on using tech to differentiate instruction.

* Ways to Use Tech to Differentiate Instruction

Anne Jenks, Ge-Anne Bolhuis, Nancy Sulla, Sarah Shartzer, Daniel L. Schwartz, Jessia M. Tsang, and Kristen P. Blair share their suggestions on using technology to differentiate instruction.

* Differentiating Algebra Instruction

Wendy Jennings, Yvelyne Germain-McCarthy, Billy Bender, Derek Cabrera, and Ed Thomas contribute their thoughts on differentiated algebra instruction.

* Differentiation Lets Us Reach Our Students ‘Where They Are’

These contributions come from Katherine S. McKnight, Jessica Hockett, Christie Amburn, Elise Yerkey, and Barbara Blackburn.

* Differentiation Is Important ‘Because We Teach Students Not Standards’

Three well-known educators/authors provide guest responses in this post: Regie Routman, Carol Ann Tomlinson, and Laura Robb.

* ‘Differentiation Is More Than a Set of Strategies’

This post features a response from Kimberly Kappler Hewitt and a number of suggestions from readers.

* Differentiating Lessons by ‘Content, Process, or Product’

Carol Tomlinson, Donalyn Miller, and Jeff Charbonneau contribute responses.

* Using—Not Misusing—Ability Groups in the Classroom

This is a special guest post from author/educator Rick Wormeli.

* Ability Grouping in Schools—Part Two

In this post, Carol Burris, New York’s 2013 High School Principal of the Year, and Tammy Heflebower, vice president of the Marzano Research Laboratory, contribute their thoughts, along with comments from readers.

* Several Ways to Differentiate Instruction

I was lucky enough to get both Carol Tomlinson and Rick Wormeli to contribute their ideas here!

* More Ways to Differentiate Instruction—Part Two

This post features contributions from Megan Allen, Florida’s 2010 State Teacher of the Year, and Kimberly Kappler Hewitt & Daniel K. Weckstein, co-authors of Differentiation is an Expectation: A School Leader’s Guide to Building a Culture of Differentiation.

And here are several videos we did with Ed Week on this topic:

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

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