Differentiated Instruction

Differentiated instruction is a philosophy and an approach to teaching in which teachers and school communities actively work to support the learning of all students through strategic assessment, thoughtful planning and targeted, flexible instruction.

Differentiating instruction has been described as ‘shaking up’ what goes on in the classroom so students have multiple opportunities for taking in information, making sense of ideas and expressing what they learn.

Most teachers naturally incorporate elements of differentiated instruction to some degree in their classrooms every day. Every time you use a pre-test to help you plan a learning activity, present information in multiple ways or offer choice in the format for a final project, you are reflecting the key belief of differentiated instruction—that all students can learn, in their own ways and in their own time.

In other words, making a commitment to a more differentiated classroom does not mean starting over, but rather building on current best instructional practices in an explicit, intentional, focused and systematic manner.

Read more:

Making a Difference: Meeting diverse learning needs with differentiated instruction Teacher Resource