What does differentiation look like?
There are four ways that you can differentiate. These include: learning environment, content, process, and product. Each of the ways to differentiate is described below.
Learning Environment: The most important part of any learning experience are the teacher-student interactions. These teacher interactions are essentially what makes up the learning environment. Learning environment moves beyond the physical layout of the classroom to the psychological "feel" of the classroom. However, the physical layout of the classroom should be conducive to a variety of seating arrangements, as differentiating the learning environment includes working as a whole class, in flexible groups, or independently. You can find more on information on how the learning environment can support differentiation here.
Content: This is what you expect your students to learn. More specifically, it is what your students will learn and how well they understand the course content. Depending on the level of your students, the content can vary in depth and breadth of topics. It can also mean that students have a voice in the section of topic to study. For example, if a history class is studying "Revolutions", then students could choose to focus on any Revolution. Teachers can differentiate content in a variety of ways including using leveled spelling lists or texts, learning contracts, and compacting the curriculum. You can find more information on how to differentiate content here.
Process: Process refers to how students learn the content. In other words, what activities will students do to help them understand and learn concepts and skills. Differentiating process could mean varying the level of teacher support for a task, offering a variety of ways to interact with the the learning materials (film, texts, digital texts, pod casts, etc.), and allowing students to work collaboratively in peer groups to learn the materials. You can find more information on how to differentiate by process here.
Product: The product is the end result of the students' learning. How students demonstrate what they have learned can vary by product. This is one of the best places to incorporate aspects of student choice into the learning process. After learning the expected materials or concepts, students can demonstrate their learning by creating a documentary, writing a song, creating an ABC book, or any number of other ideas. Teachers can vary options depending on readiness, interests, and learning style. Carol Tomlinson created a list of product possibilities. The list can be found on the Dare to Differentiate wiki site and here.
Learning Environment: The most important part of any learning experience are the teacher-student interactions. These teacher interactions are essentially what makes up the learning environment. Learning environment moves beyond the physical layout of the classroom to the psychological "feel" of the classroom. However, the physical layout of the classroom should be conducive to a variety of seating arrangements, as differentiating the learning environment includes working as a whole class, in flexible groups, or independently. You can find more on information on how the learning environment can support differentiation here.
Content: This is what you expect your students to learn. More specifically, it is what your students will learn and how well they understand the course content. Depending on the level of your students, the content can vary in depth and breadth of topics. It can also mean that students have a voice in the section of topic to study. For example, if a history class is studying "Revolutions", then students could choose to focus on any Revolution. Teachers can differentiate content in a variety of ways including using leveled spelling lists or texts, learning contracts, and compacting the curriculum. You can find more information on how to differentiate content here.
Process: Process refers to how students learn the content. In other words, what activities will students do to help them understand and learn concepts and skills. Differentiating process could mean varying the level of teacher support for a task, offering a variety of ways to interact with the the learning materials (film, texts, digital texts, pod casts, etc.), and allowing students to work collaboratively in peer groups to learn the materials. You can find more information on how to differentiate by process here.
Product: The product is the end result of the students' learning. How students demonstrate what they have learned can vary by product. This is one of the best places to incorporate aspects of student choice into the learning process. After learning the expected materials or concepts, students can demonstrate their learning by creating a documentary, writing a song, creating an ABC book, or any number of other ideas. Teachers can vary options depending on readiness, interests, and learning style. Carol Tomlinson created a list of product possibilities. The list can be found on the Dare to Differentiate wiki site and here.
Included in this section are differentiation templates and a complete differentiated unit. The sample templates were all downloaded from the Dare to Differentiate wiki site. At this time, there is only one complete unit on this website. Hopefully, more will be added in the future.