D i f f e r e n t i a t i n g i n s t r u c t i o n : M a k i n g i t H a p p e n i n c l a s s r o o M s D i f f e r e n t i a t i n g i n s t r u c t i o n : M a k i n g i t H a p p e n i n c l a s s r o o M s

Differentiating Instruction:Making It Happen in Classrooms

By

Dr. Vicki GibsonGibson Hasbrouck & Associates

Wellesley, MA

D i f f e r e n t i a t i n g i n s t r u c t i o n : M a k i n g i t H a p p e n i n c l a s s r o o M s

Differentiating Instruction: Making it Happen in Classrooms

Identifyingwhatliteratureandresearchreportaboutdifferen-tiatinginstructioniscriticaltounderstandinghowtomakeithappeninclassrooms(Gibson&Hasbrouck,2008;Marzano,Marzano,&Pickering,2003).Numerouspublicationsareavail-ablethatdescribethecharacter-isticsofdifferentiatinginstructionorsuggestcurriculaandactivitiesthatcanbemodifiedtoaddressstudentvariance(Evertson&Harris,1999;Marzano,Marzano,&Pickering,2003;Rothstein-Fisch&Trumbull,2008;Tomlinson&Eidson,2003).Thoseresourcesareimportantsupportsforteachersandadmin-istratorswhodesiretounderstandtheconceptofdifferentiatinginstruction,andtoidentifyresourcesforformingaplanofaction.However,research-based methodsareneededtocarryouttheplan,successfullyimplementchange,monitorprogress,andassesseffectsonteacherandstudentoutcomes(Evertson,Emmer,&Wor-sham,2003;Gibson,et.Al,2008;McLeod,Fisher,&Hoover,2003);Tomlinson&McTighe,2006).

Atitssimplest,differentiatinginstructionmeansteachingdifferentlytoaddressthediversityofstu-dents’needs.Itiscontrastedtotraditionalprac-ticesusingwhole-grouplectureformatwherestu-dentlearningandparticipationaremorepassiveandunresponsivetoindividualneeds.Increasing

studentvariance,oftendescribedasdisparityinskillsandknowl-edge,presentshugechallengesforteachersandadministratorsassignedthejobofdifferentiatinginstruction.Manyeducatorsarewonderinghowtomakedifferen-tiatinginstructionhappensuccess-fullyinclassrooms?

Teachingdifferentlytoaddressstudentvarianceispossible,butitrequireschangesinpractice,

whichinvolveschangingthebehaviorofteach-ing.Inordertoknowwheretobegintheprocessofimplementingchangesininstructionaldelivery,teachersandadministratorsneedtoevaluatethefollowing:

• Howinstructioniscurrentlydeliveredinclass-rooms:usingwhole-classlectureoracombinationofwhole-classandsmall-grouplessons

• Whatistaughtandwhetherpacingandcur-riculaareappropriatetoaddressstudentneeds(i.e.,instructionalandprogrameffectiveness—thequalityoftheteachingandcurricula)

• Whatprofessionaldevelopmenttraininghasbeenprovidedtoprepareteachersfordifferentiat-inginstruction,includinghowtoobservepatternsoferrorandusedatatoinformpractice,groupingforinstruction,andaligningcurriculatoneeds

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• Whatprofessionaldevelopmentwillbere-quiredtoimproveinstructionaleffectivenessandsustainchange

Often,administrativeexpectationsforteachers’performanceexceedpriortrainingandexpertise,andonlyminimal,ifany,on-the-jobsupportisprovided.Teachersareaskedto:1)assessstu-dentstrengthsanddiagnoseneeds,2)usedatatogroupstudentsforinstruction,3)usedatatoselectcurriculaandactivitiesthatwillbeacademi-callyprofitable,4)deliverhighquality,differentiat-edinstructionfordiverseneeds,5)monitorprog-ressandadjustinstruction,reteachingasneeded,and5)manageclassroomsofactivestudents.Justthedescriptionoftheseexpectationssoundsover-whelming,especiallyifnomethodologyhasbeenprovidedforhowtomakethishappen.

Theproblemteachersfaceishowaretheysupposedtogeteverythingdoneanddifferentiateinstructiontoincreasestudentachievement?Whereistheirguideforscalingthatmoun-tain?Scientificresearchhasnotprovidedproceduralmodelsfordifferentiatinginstructionpar-tiallybecauseoftheambiguitysurroundingwhatitisandthelimitedresearchonhowtoimple-mentitsuccessfullyinclassrooms.Inordertoclarifyexpectations,theFloridaCenterforReadingResearch(FCRR,2006)presentedthisdefinitionofdifferentiatedinstruction:“matchinginstructiontomeetthedifferentneedsoflearnersinagivenclassroomthatincludessmall-groupsandincreasedpracticeopportunitiesintheformofreadingcenters.”Whilethedefinitiondescribescomponents—matchinginstructiontoneeds,small-groups,andmorepractice—itdoesnotprovidethemethod-ologyformakingdifferentiationoccur.Withnotraining,teachersareforcedtorelyonpersonaleducationalexperiencesandbeliefsystemsastheirmodelforgoodinstruction.Teachersteachthewaytheylearned.Traditionalwhole-classlectureprevailsbecauseitisafamiliarhabitand

environmentdespiteevidencethatwhole-classlectureformatsrestrictopportunitiesforindividu-alizinginstructionandfailtoaddressthediverseneedsofalllearners(Vaughnetal.,1998).Incon-trast,student-responsive,multi-tieredsmall-groupinstructionhasbeenproventoimprovereadingachievement,butdeliveringthattypeofinstruc-tionwillrequireteachertraining(Hall,2002;Tilly,2003;Vaughn,2003).

Simplygroupingstudentsforinstructionisnotnecessarilydifferentiatinginstructioneither.Groupingitselfisonlyaproceduralchange.Inordertodifferentiateteaching,changesmustoccurinlessoncontentandselectionofcurriculaandactivitiestoensureinstructionandpracticearealignedtostudentskillsandneeds.Teachersmustselectmaterialsthatareacademicallyprofit-able,notjustbusyworkortimefillers.Teachingin

small-groupsisnotdifferentiatedwhenallstudentsreceivethesameinstructionorusethesamecontent,materials,andactivities.

Changingpracticewillrequiremoreprofessionaldevelopmentthathelpsteachersdevelopnewdeliveryanddecision-makingtoolssotheycanincorporatenewteachingandlearningbehaviorsintheclassroom.Specifically,teachersneedhelptodifferentiateinstruction.Theyneedtoknowhowto:

• Changeinstructionaldelivery,managingwhole-classandsmall-groupinstruction;

• Collectandusedatatoaligncontent,orwhatistaught,tostudentneeds,and

• Improveinstructionaleffectiveness,enhancingthequalityoftheinstruction.

Changingdeliveryinvolvesgroupingforinstruc-tionsothatopportunitiesforexplicit,skills-focusedteachinginsmall-groupsincrease.Researchfindingsrevealthatstudentsreceivinginstructioninsmall-groupslearnedsignificantlymorethanstudentswhowerenotinstructedin

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“ In order to differentiate teaching, changes must occur in lesson content

and selection of curricula and activities to ensure instruction and practice are aligned to student

skills and needs.”

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small-groups(Louetal.,1996;Mathes&Fuchs,1994;Moodyetal.,1997).Thisoccurredwheninstructionandmaterialsusedinthesmall-grouplessonswereadjustedforspecificstudentneeds.Ideally,teachersshouldalternatetimeperiodsforwhole-classlessons(usedtointroducecontent,modelexpectations,orreviewpreviouslytaughtcontent)andsmall-group,teacher-ledlessons(providingopportunitiesformorestudenten-gagementinexplicit,skills-focusedinstructionwithconstructivefeedback).

Inadditiontoidentifyingnecessaryenvironmentalandinstructionalchanges,twoimportantteacherconcernsmustbeaddressedwheninitiatingim-plementationofdifferentiatedinstruction.Teach-ersoftenask,“WhataretherestofthestudentsdoingwhileIamteachingasmall-group?”and“HowdoIgeteverythingdone?”Theanswertothesequestionsisfoundinaninstructionman-agementsystemthatincludesfoursteps:

1. Preparingtheclassroomenvironmentforcol-laborationandsmall-groupinstruction

2. Assessingstudents’strengthsandneedstoaligncurriculumwithneeds

3. Creatingteachingtoolsformanagingresourc-essuchastime,pacing,andwork

4. Developingarotationchartthatidentifiesgroupmembershipsandclarifiesperformanceexpectations,(i.e.whereandwhenstudentspar-ticipateinvariousactivities)

StepOneinvolvespreparingthephysicalenvi-ronmentbyarrangingfurnituretocreatelearn-ingcentersorworkstationswherestudentscancompleteassignmentsorprojectseitherworkinginsmall-groups,withapartner,orindependently.Desksmaybepushedtogetherortablesmaybeusedforsmall-groupactivities,formingaTeach-ingTableforteacher-ledlessons,workstationsforcollaborativepractice,andaworktableusedforhomeworkpractice.Collaborationinsmall-groupsandpeertutoringareencouragedtoenhancelearningwithoutinterruptingtheteacher,whomaybeworkingwithanothergroup.

StepTwoinvolvesdividingstudentsintosmallergroupsusingeitherhomogeneous(bysimilarskill)orheterogeneous(mixedskill)groupings.Membershipschangeflexiblyaccordingtostudentprogressandachievement,typeofactivity,orresources(time,equipment,personnel).Assign-ingsmall-groupmembershipsensurescompat-ibilityforbehaviorsandguidedpractice.Teachersusuallycreatethreetofoursmall-groupswithapproximately4–8studentspergroup.Smallergroupsarepreferredtoallowmoreopportunitiesforparticipation,questions,andcorrectivefeed-back(Vaughn&Linan-Thompson,2003;Vaughnet.al.,2001).Explicitinstructionmaybemoreefficientandeffectiveconductedwithsimilarskillgroupings,whereasmixed-skillgroupsworkbetterforpracticeactivitiessostudentscanassisteachother.

StepThreeinvolvesmanagingresourcessuchasinstructionaltime,pacing,andstudentwork.Teachersadjusttheirdailyschedulestoalternatetimeperiodsforwhole-classandsmall-groupinstruction.Mostdailyschedulesbeginwitha10-to15-minuteoverviewusedbyteacherstointroduceorreviewvocabularywords,ormodel,teach,andclarifyexpectationsforperformance.Aftertheoverview,a20-minutetimeperiodforsmall-groupworkbegins.Assignedcurriculaandactivitiesarebasedonneedsidentifiedbyassess-ments.StudentsparticipateinpracticeactivitiesusingWorkContractstohelporganizetheirwork,monitortheirprogress,andcompleteassign-ments.Onesmall-groupworkswiththeteacherwhoprovidesskills-focusedinstructionspecifictoneed,i.e.,differentiatedinstruction.Otherstu-dentsattendworkstationsparticipatingasstudygroupsandcompletingguidedpracticeactivities,oraworktableusedtobeginhomeworkassign-mentswithsupport,orcompletetasksindepen-dentlyatdesks.

StepFourinvolvescreatingarotationchartthatidentifiessmall-groupmembershipsandcom-municateshowthegroupswillparticipateattheworkstations,worktable,orteachingtable.Teach-ersconstructtherotationcharttoreflecthowmanysmall-groupswillbeformedandwhatac-tivitiesareavailable.Mostrotationchartsincludeanareaforsmall-groupskillsinstructionwiththe

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teacher,workstationsforsmall-grouppracticeactivitiesorhomework,andaworktableforpartnerorindependentpractice.Computers,languageandliteracycenters,andwritingandspellingworkstationsarecommonlyusedforsmall-grouppracticeactivities.

Aftereachsmallgrouphasattendedases-sionwiththeteacher,awhole-groupactivitymaybeusedforquicklessonorreviewortosummarizetheday,connectexperiences,reviewvocabularyandkeyconcepts,andanswerquestions.Dependingontimesched-ules,small-grouptimeperiodsmaybeusedconsecutively,onesmall-groupactivityfollow-inganother.Often,teachersgroupwithinalargegroupbyassigningorusingpartnerstorepeatinformation,restateforclarification,oraskaquestiontomonitorcomprehension.Basedonobservationsinwhole-andsmall-groups,teachersdeterminewhatadditionalinstructionisneeded.Membershipsforsmall-groupsmayneedmodificationtoaccommo-datechangingneedsforcompatibilityorskilldevelopment.

Insummary,differentiatinginstructionin-cludes:

• Changingthebehaviorsofteachingandinstructionaldeliverytoaddressstudentvariance.

• Implementingdata-informedwhole-classandsmall-groupinstruction.

• Usingleveledcurriculathatenhancesstudentlearningandachievement.

• Usingflexiblegroupingpatternsthataresensitivetostudentprogress.

Differentiatinginstructionrequiresachar-teredcourseforsuccessfulimplementationanditmustbeaddressedfirstasatrain-ingandmanagementissue.Administratorsmustprovideteachertrainingandsupportthatidentifieshowtomanagegroupingfordifferentiatinginstructionandhowtoimple-mentitsuccessfullyovertime,notatonce.Areviewofcurrentteachingpracticeswillbe

necessarytodetermineneeds.Differentiat-ingassessmentmayneedreflectiontode-termineifpacingschedulesorperformanceexpectationsarereasonableandattainable.Evaluatingprogrameffectivenessisneededtodetermineifcurriculumsusedinclassroomsareevidence-based,effective,andcapableofprovidingmultipletoolsandmaterialsforusewithvaryingstudentperformancelevels.Iden-tifyingchangesthatmaybeneededinclass-roomstructureandenvironmentsisnecessarysosmall-group,differentiatedinstructioncanoccur.

Instructionbecomesdifferentiatedwhenteachingisindividualized,sensitive,andresponsivetoneeds,bothteachersandstudents.Practiceactivitiesthatincorporatestudentcollaboration,studygroups,anddis-cussionswillenhancecomprehensioniftheyareusedtoincreasestudentengagement,interests,andmotivationtocompletetasks.Differentiatinginstructionmeansteachingdifferently,usinganinstructionmanagementsystemthatcreatesclassroomsandteachingbehaviorsthatsupportwholeclassandsmall-grouplessons,collaborativelearning,andindependentpracticeAFTERstudentsreceivesufficientinstructionandhaveparticipatedinguidedpracticesBEFOREtheyareexpectedtoworkindependently.

Biography

VickiGibson,Ph.D.hasbeenteachingstu-dents,trainingteachers,writingcurriculum,anddirectinginstructionsince1975.SheistheCurriculumDirectorforLongmireLearn-ingCenter,Inc.(LLC),aprivateeducationalfacilityservingfamilieswithchildrenages2–8years.SheistheChairmanandCEOofGib-sonHasbrouck&Associates,aneducationalconsultingfirmthatprovidesintenseprofes-sionaldevelopment.Priortobecomingacon-sultantandauthor,Dr.Gibsonownedthreeprivateschools,servingchildrenages2-12years.ShetaughtandlecturedfortenyearsatTexasA&MUniversity,andspenttenyearsteachinginpublicschoolsasaKindergartenteacher,specialeducationresourceteacher,

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adaptivebehaviorspecialist,andlearningdis-abilityspecialist.Dr.GibsonreceivedherB.S.,M.S.,andPh.D.atTexasA&MUniversity.

Dr.Gibsonisawell-respected,nationallyrec-ognizedauthorandspeakerondifferentiatinginstruction,earlychildhoodcurriculumdesignandmethodology,classroommanagement,andusingeffectiveinstructionalstrategiesforemergingandlow-performingstudents.Sheprovidesconsultationandconductsworkshopsforteachers,administrators,andparents.SheauthoredWe Can!,acompre-hensiveearlychildhoodcurriculum,asupple-mentalLanguageArtsprogramtitledLetter Sounds & Strokes,andapre-writingprogram,I Can Draw,allpublishedbySoprisWest.Dr.Gibsonco-authoredRoad to Reading,aReadingandCollaborationTrainingProgramforTeachersofAt-RiskReadersinGrades3–8.Sheco-authoredabookwithJanHasbrouck,PH.D.,titledDifferentiated Instruction: Group-ing for Success,publishedbyMcGraw-HillHigherEducation.Dr.GibsonisanauthorforTreasures,theK-6readingprogrampublishedbyMacmillan/McGraw-Hill.

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