Differentiation and Literacy
Our students are all unique and, in our classroom, we value our differences in cultural backgrounds, personalities, athletic abilities, religious beliefs, attention, temperament, interests, etc. The students know that our diversity makes us special and the world would be boring if everyone were the same.
Likewise, we have students who learn at different pace or in a different way. For example, while some students may be reading at or above grade level, there are some who struggle. We have students who are English Language Learners (ELL), who have a different primary language. We have students who receive special education services, which include speech and language services, occupational therapy, support for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and many more services. This is not unusual in diverse classrooms and we embrace these differences, too. Differentiated instruction allows me to reach all students, including those who struggle with learning, as well as those who excel and the rest in the middle. What is differentiated instruction?Differentiated instruction is an approach to teaching that provides students various options for learning. It is based on three key principles: (1) Adjustment of the content (curriculum), process (the way student will learn) and the product (what the student produces to demonstrate understanding), based on a student's readiness, interests and learning profile; (2) Goals are maximum growth and continued success; and (3) It must be flexible. In simplest terms, it is adapting instruction in order to meet students where they are, in order to help them succeed.
How do I differentiate instruction in our classroom?I start out by getting to know the students and their needs, including information derived from previous teachers, scores from past and present assessments and from the students themselves. I also familiarize myself with a student's needs as listed on his/her Individualized Education Plan (IEP), an official document for students who qualify for special education services. Once I have a basic understanding of a student's readiness, interests and learning profile, I can differentiate my instruction to meet those needs.
There are two types of adaptations in differentiated instruction: (1) accommodations, which applies to all students; and (2) modifications, which applies to students with moderate to severe disabilities. For example, if a student needs extra time to complete a task, such as creating a poster, then that extra time is an accommodation. Other types of accommodations are: adjusting quantity of work, level of support, input (way instruction is delivered), participation, difficulty and output. Everyone can receive accommodations, with or without an IEP. On the other hand, modifications must be explicitly stated in a student's IEP. An example of a modification is to substitute curriculum, such as working on an eye-hand coordination activity. Another modification could be to adapt goals or outcome expectations.
The following are examples of differentiated instruction with respect to literacy:
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