Differentiated Instruction: The Pathway to Student Success

My experience with Differentiated Instruction (DI) in a classroom setting is limited, however I do have experience with it in a one-on-one setting. During my years at university, I have tutored children with learning disabilities where the program requires that you tailor the 8 week program to the child’s needs, wants, interest and learning style. Activities are created by the tutor to engage the child in fun games while learning at the same time. One of the children I tutored was very active, so I created games that included motor functions so that they were not sitting in their chair the whole time. The improvements that I have seen with the children I tutor are tremendous, going from knowing 4 sight words to 60 in 8 weeks, all through literacy related games. The success of these tutoring sessions made me wonder how I could implement this in my future classroom.

Drake, Reid and Kolohon (2014) defines DI as “an approach that modifies instruction or assessment to suit the learning needs of individual or small groups of students” (pg. 172). DI is outlined in the Ontario Curriculum however based on my observations of classrooms, I question if it is being implemented or not. Given that multiple studies have found that it is effective in the classroom (Little, McCoach & Reis, 2014; Valiandes, 2015), every teacher should be implementing it. Valiandes (2015) found that those who were exposed to DI had statistically significant higher achievement levels than students who were not exposed to DI. Furthermore, DI was effective for students of all socioeconomic levels, readiness level or gender. Another study also found that students achieved similar and higher fluency and comprehension scores when teachers replaced whole and small group instruction with differentiated individual conferences as well as increased independent reading time (Little et al., 2014). In addition, some do’s and don’ts of DI can be found here. 

ASCD (2015)

My first blog explored the growth mindset, and in my opinion, DI can also help students foster a growth mindset. A main concept of DI is individualization of material, meaning that students will be able to learn topics that are interesting to them. If a student is invested in a topic or project, they will be more likely to persist through any failure, and embrace challenges; two factors of the growth mindset. Technology, my second blog topic, also makes DI implementation easier. For example, if each student has an iPad or laptop (BYOD or the school’s), then each child could be working on learning (whether through a game, research or creating on the device) independently and at their own pace. 

The following video explains that implementation of DI is not difficult, it is just difficult for teachers to change existing teaching habits. Regardless, it is still very overwhelming, especially for new teachers, when there are many other responsibilities such as ensuring the curriculum is taught, managing classroom behaviours and ensuring that students are safe. This Professional Learning Guide can help teachers reflect on their lessons so that they can change their practices to implement DI. In addition, these Lesson Plan Templates will aid teachers in designing a lesson that will be effective in achieving DI, as well as creating a tiered lesson. 

Hawker Brownlow Education (2013)

It is essential to remember that DI is pointless without differentiated assessment. Tailoring learning to the student does not accomplish anything if you then use a type of assessment that is not tailored towards the students needs as well. In order to fully benefit your students, both differentiated instruction as well as assessment need to be implemented properly into your classroom. 

Bower (2012)

Another factor we must consider is, is differentiation enough? Drake and colleagues (2014) explain the new emerging story that involves broadening differentiation to create personalization. This embraces a student-oriented technique rather than teacher driven. Students learning is guided by their own interests, passions and learning styles, and the class shares a common goal. The teachers role is a facilitator of this student-guided strategy. Looking at the benefits of differentiation, I can only imagine how much better personalization would be in the classroom. However, we must consider; how much more difficult would this be to implement? And, would changes to the curriculum need to happen for this to be implemented?

As future teachers, we will be acting out this new story. It is therefore critical for us to understand the types of instructional strategies that can be used in our classroom and how they impact and benefit students.

Fon (2014)

References 

ASCD [infographic]. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/research-a-topic/differentiated-instruction-resources.aspx

Bower [online comic]. (2012). Retrieved from URL http://www.joebower.org/2012/05/folly-multiple-choice.html

Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21st century learner. Toronto, ON: Oxford University Press. 

Fon [online image]. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.tedxvienna.at/blog/a-king-in-one-country-a-servant-in-another/

Hawker Brownlow Education .(2013, July 30).Differentiation and the brain: A discussion with Carol-Ann Tomilson. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLzCqoPFxRw

Little, C. A., McCoach, D. B., & Reis, S, M. (2014). Effects of differentiated reading instruction on student achievement in middle school. Journal of Advanced Academics 25(4), 384-402.

Valiandes, S. (2015). Evaluating the impact of differentiated instruction on literacy and reading in mixed ability     classrooms: Quality and equity dimensions of education effectiveness. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 45, 17-26.

From Typewriters to iPads: The Integration of Technology in the Classroom

The integration of technology in present and future classrooms is inevitable. Since I was in elementary school, technology has changed a dramatic amount, and will continue to change as I begin to teach in the next few years. In my elementary school, all we had was a computer lab that we went to a few times a week to play math or typing games. Our information for school work came from the library. Present day students do not have this experience, and many of them have never been to a library because all the information they could ever need is at their finger tips; on their phones, tablets or laptops. Although this does sound dangerous, it is important as future teachers that we embrace the technological change and integrate it into our pedagogies to provide the most modern and applicable education to our students.

Technology is part of the twenty-first-century classroom, meaning that schools are not using technology as “bells and whistles but as tools to engage students and enhance learning” (Drake, Reid, Kolohan, 2014, pg. 24). This is a very important distinction because with the wrong use, I think that technology can have a negative impact on students and their learning. The introduction of technology has also changed the role of students and teachers. Instead of teachers being the expert and students learning from them, technology has created an equal field in the sense that teachers and students can now explore and learn together (Drake et al., 2014). Students can learn from technology however teachers are still an important asset because they need to educate students on responsible and ethical use of technology (Drake et al., 2014). The picture below demonstrates the capacity in which technologies play a role in the current twenty-first century classroom.

The Future of Digital Learning (2015)

Of my experiences in schools thus far, I have seen technology used efficiently in a grade three classroom for multiple subjects. The grade three’s were using iPads or iPods to for social studies to create a Wendat Village through the Minecraft App. The level of engagement and excitement of the students was very high. They had specific components that they needed to create, once they created them they took a screenshot, and uploaded it to an App where the teacher can see the student and the pictures they uploaded so she could mark them. The grade three’s also used Minecraft for math where they were practicing perimeter and area by digging up the land. Students had the option to Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) or use one of the school’s iPads or Tablets. The availability of iPads and Tablets for students who do not have them at home ensures that the learning environment is fair and equal for every student. This is an important concept to be aware of when using technology in the classroom; some students may not have the technology at home. As teachers, we have to be aware of this and ensure that we do not assign unfinished class work as homework because some students may not be able to do that.

The term ‘digital natives’ refers to the generations of young children who are growing up immersed in a society of technology, and that view technology as integral parts of their lives (Prensky, 2001). It has also been found in the literature that digital natives are creating and adopting new learning styles such as multiple media fluencies (Margaryan & Littlejohn & Vojt, 2011). This emphasizes the importance that teachers need to grow and adapt to the new forms of learning and teaching that technology is constructing. I think that this technological exposure is seen as negative by older generations however something positive can happen when children are immersed in technology. This Ted Talk of a 12 year old App Developer really demonstrates how amazing technology is and how well children connect with it. 

Glogster (2011)

Overall, technology is a large part of the society that we live in now which will create drastic changes in the type of education we see in the next 10 years. As future teachers entering this changing field, it is essential that we embrace it and know of the benefits of proper technological implementation into the classroom. This knowledge will help us understand how this can positively impact education, and ultimately, society.

References

Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L. & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21st century learner. Toronto, ON: Oxford University Press.

Glogster [online comic]. (2011). Retrieved from URL http://techteacher7.edu.glogster.com/vipt1-glog/

Margaryan, A., Littlejohn, A. & Vojt, G. (2011). Are digital natives a myth or reality? University students' use of digital technologies. Computers and Education, 56(2), 429-440.

The Future of Digital Learning [online infographic]. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/26524f73-498a-4607-ae61-66d6a8903e1f/the-future-of-digital-learning/

Presnsky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6.