Differentiation of Content and Assignments

Differentiating looks different for each student and in each classroom. And I am not just talking about the assignments, although I will talk about those as well in this post. Teachers also need to differentiate the way that they present the content to their students. The differentiating of content by the teacher will look different for the type of students the teacher is differentiating for. Below I will explore different approaches to content and assignments for different type of learners in the classroom. There will be some approaches that can overlap for two or all three different types of learners and those will be discussed as well.

Advanced or Gifted Learners

Curriculum Compacting: To use this approach you will need the student(s) to have shown mastery of the lesson at hand. The teacher should give a pre-assessment to see what students have shown mastery and of what concepts they have mastered. Once this has been determined students will work independently until the teacher reaches content that they have not mastered, at this point the student(s) will join the rest of the class for direct instruction. This approach would work very well in my math classes as some students need more instruction than others in different areas. Depending on what content we were covering the assignment would be changed to meet those standards. For example, while introducing Word Problems I would have the students who have shown mastery create their own Word Problems that meet different standards.

Independent Study: Gifted students can also receive content through independent study. In my history class if a student has shown mastery of a topic, I can allow them to pick a particular point of that topic to study in depth. The student then uses their computer to research new resources on their topic. This approach can be accompanied by any type of assignments. I like to have students create a multimedia presentation that presents their discoveries in a creative and informative way.

Journal & Historical Documents: In my history class it can be beneficial for my advanced students to go farther than the textbook and embark on reading journals or other historical documents. While other students are having instruction from me or working on their own independent work, advanced students can read from one of these documents. If the student is reading a journal from a specific person I like to then have them create their own journal. The student writes as though they were living in the time of a specific event described, using the dialogue of the time, referencing specific people and events, etc. This assignment helps bring this time period to life for the students.

English Language Learners

Get To The Point: When working with ELL students is important to remember that they are still learning English and if we are too long winded as teachers and go too far down the rabbit hole in details, we are bound to lose our ELL students. By getting directly to the important information we allow them to get the information that is necessary without frustrating them. To go along with this sort of instruction it is helpful to have the students jot down the important words and points of the instruction. I would then give them a graphic organizer where they can illustrate and write down what they have learned. The organizer asks pointed questions that will allow them put the information into context. During the first few times doing this, it is important for the teacher to be alongside them to make sure that they have an understanding of how to complete the graphic organizer.

Bring It To Life: In history class we are constantly looking at different people and cultures, a great way to begin the year and/or different topics is to talk about culture and the students different cultures. By beginning the conversation here the teacher is bringing the topic and ideas of different cultures into context for the students. They can think about their own culture and how it affects their lives and apply that thinking to the people we are going to study. To begin with the discovery of cultures I like to have students create a storybook describing their own culture to share with the class. Students may use only pictures in their books or they may add a few words to many words. This allows for the different level of ELL students within a classroom.

Special Needs Students

Pacing: Teachers can pace their lessons to meet the needs of their students. By slowing down the pace of a lesson a teacher can better reach students in their class with learning disabilities. While the pace can be sped up for advanced students and is done so, it is especially helpful for special needs students. This gives them the time to learn the material at a slower pace that can be better understood by them. A learning activity that I can use in my history class is to have the students create a timeline based on the information presented. The students would order the events on the timeline and either illustrate or write a description based on their chose.

Leveled Reading Materials: By leveling the reading materials for students with special needs in your classroom you are meeting them where they are and making sure they are getting the content that is needed for the unit you are teaching from. Having questions that are on the same level as the reading material assigned allows for students to show their understanding at a level that they are comfortable at.

Highlighting Material: When working with primary sources in my history class I find that highlighting the pertinent information for special needs learners is the best way to help them understand what they are reading. I also have questions that go along with the reading, but instead of having these students write out the answers I have them number the highlighted portion that answers the corresponding question. They then discuss with their partner how they decided that was the correct answer. Their partner may be at their level or a mixed partner who will have answered the questions in their own words and from this share of information the student may learn from their fellow student.

Peer Tutoring: After the initial instruction given by the teacher I like to have students team up and I will specifically assign a student to work with a student with special needs. Through this match up the student with special needs gains instruction and help from someone their own age who may present the information in a different way that may help with their understanding. And the peer tutor is gaining information on different types of learning and how to work alongside others who are different from them. With this approach I have the two work together to create a study guide for the unit we are in. Creating questions for a study guide help both students better understand the information and approach it from a different angle, that of the quizzer, not the quiz taker.

Mixed Learners

Adjusting Level of Questions: During instruction the teacher will ask specific students questions depending on their level. This can be used for all level of students because the questions can be geared to all levels of students. Lower level questions can be applied to both ELL and Special Needs Students, while more open-ended and challenging questions can be asked to the gifted learners. The teacher can appear to randomly ask questions so as not to make it obvious the questions that are being asked are being geared to specific students. Following this instruction I like to have my students answer questions in their graphic organizer. These questions, while similar to the ones asked in class, expand on the ideas and content presented during the lesson. The questions and organizers can also be differentiated for each level of students.

Learning Centers: Learning Centers can be used for all level of learners with a wide variety of assignments. They are best used for ELL and Special Needs students because they get more one-on-one instructional time, as well as a more hands on approach to their learning. They can also be helpful for gifted students as well, by giving an advanced student a task card with specific instructions or having a list of different assignments that they can choose from to complete their tasks. A task card can be as simple as instructing the student to read a primary source and then to answer specific questions regarding the reading. One assignment that works well is a student struggling with place value in math class can receive extra instruction from their teacher and then work with a place value chart to complete math problems given by the teacher.

Vocabulary Introduction: With both ELL and Special Needs students it is important that as the teacher  that we introduce them to the vocabulary in a clear way. We should take the time to explain the words and use media to show the words to these students. In both cases the activity I like to have the students do is to write the definition in their own words, we do this immediately after we have discussed the word, and then when the instruction is finished I have the students illustrate the word. By writing the definition in their own words they are processing it in a way that makes the most sense to them and by drawing it they are creating a visual to go along with the word. Another activity I use, while very old school, is flashcard making. Students create flashcards for the words and study them that way, either with a partner or by themselves.