differentiating in content

8/3/2019 Differentiating in Content

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Teachers can differentiate at least four classroom elementsbased on student readiness, interest, or learning profile: Process,content, products, learning environment:

When we Differentiate Instruction, we have to look at CONTENT as referring a broader definition than we’re used to:

We know concepts as principles, tasks, and skills that we want studentsto learn, D.I. strategies address the same content with all students butadjust the path some students have to take in order to learn that content,

D. I. also refers to Content as…. The vehicles used to give students access to skills and knowledge, -

such as texts, lectures, demonstrations, hands-on manipulatives, internet,field trips, etc.

• We can vary these vehicles as well.- For example, we might direct a higher functioning student to

challenging texts, Web Sites, and interviewing experts, while providing alower functioning student with reading buddies, videos, demonstrations, and"organizers” that break down the same information to make it moreaccessible

Therefore,

• Content is what we teach, what we want the students to learn, as

well as the materials we select to give students access to what we want

them to learn.

-The first step in differentiating content is to be very clear aboutwhat a student should know and be able to do as a result of a lesson.

• Using the goals for students, the teacher determines lessoncontent.

• If the teacher has a clear picture of each lesson's goals, it can becommunicated to students and differentiated as appropriate.

Some Ways to Differentiate by Content:

• Allow students to work on curriculum from multiple entry pointse.g. the Multiple Intelligences (musical & visual).

• Use task analysis to teach in smaller concrete steps.

• Assess and build on background experiences.

• Use graphic organizers – lots and lots!.

• Provide materials at various reading levels – (pre-test to determinelevels).

• Highlight key portions of a text.

• Pre-teach key vocabulary.



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• Re-teach in small, flexible groups while others are working onassignments.

• Provide taped materials and earphones.

• Present in visual, tactile, and auditory modes.

•

Model the task; provide examples of what “best work” looks likeContent - what the student needs to learn or how the student will get accessto the information/ what the teacher intends to teach;

Content

• Several elements and materials are used to support instructionalcontent. These include acts, concepts, generalizations or principles,attitudes, and skills. The variation seen in a differentiated classroom is mostfrequently in the manner in which students gain access to importantlearning. Access to the content is seen as key.

• Align tasks and objectives to learning goals. Designers of differentiated instruction view the alignment of tasks with instructional goalsand objectives as essential. Goals are most frequently assessed by manystate-level, high-stakes tests and frequently administered standardizedmeasures. Objectives are frequently written in incremental steps resulting ina continuum of skills-building tasks. An objectives-driven menu makes iteasier to find the next instructional step for learners entering at varyinglevels.

• Instruction is concept-focused and principle-driven. Theinstructional concepts should be broad-based, not focused on minute detailsor unlimited facts. Teachers must focus on the concepts, principles and skills

that students should learn. The content of instruction should address thesame concepts with all students, but the degree of complexity should beadjusted to suit diverse learners.

Content modification: The aim is to remove the ceiling on what islearned, and use the student's abilities to build a richer, more diverse andefficiently organised knowledge base. This building can be facilitated byencouraging:

abstractness - with content shifting from facts, definitions and

descriptions to concepts, relationships to key concepts, and generalisations, complexity - with content shifting to inter-relationships rather

than considering factors separately, variety - with content expanding beyond material presented in

the normal program, study of people - including the study of individuals or peoples,

and how they have reacted to various opportunities and problems, and study of methods of inquiry - including procedures used by

experts working in their fields.



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• Content: The instructional concepts should be broad based, andall students should be given access to the same core content. However, thecontent’s complexity should be adapted to students’ learner profiles. Teachers can vary the presentation of content,( i.e., texts, lecture,demonstrations, taped texts) to best meet students’ needs.

Examples of differentiating content at the elementary level include thefollowing:

Using reading materials at varying readability levels;

Putting text materials on tape;

Using spelling or vocabulary lists at readiness levels of students;

Presenting ideas through both auditory and visual means;

Using reading buddies; and

Meeting with small groups to re-teach an idea or skill for

struggling learners, or to extend the thinking or skills of advanced learners

differentiating in content

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