Differentiated Instruction: Definition, Examples, and Strategies

Differentiated instruction is an approach that can help educators meet every student’s individual learning needs.

No two students have the same learning style. Each brings their own level of knowledge, experience, and interest to the classroom. Differentiating instruction can support students wherever they are, in any situation, and in whatever way they learn best.

What is differentiated instruction?

Differentiated instruction is a way of teaching that tailors instruction to meet all students’ learning needs. Instead of teaching the entire class at one level of difficulty or using a single instructional strategy, educators can practice differentiation to give students options for taking in the information, understanding the concept, and demonstrating what they learn.

It’s all about getting the information to [students] at a pace and a time that allows them to learn.
DR. CINDY ORR DIRECTOR
EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Differentiated Instruction Strategies

Creating different lessons and activities to meet each student’s individual needs can seem daunting, but differentiated instruction strategies empower educators with efficient ways to address the needs of all students. According to Carol Ann Tomlinson, an educator who has done extensive and innovative research in differentiated instruction, the four main elements of teaching that can be differentiated are:

Content
Process
Product
Learning Environment¹

By adjusting these four elements, students have more options for learning the material, which can help educators be more impactful in engaging and challenging students of all abilities.

Differentiated Instruction Examples

Educators can differentiate the content that students need to achieve the standards of learning set by the district or state. Some students may be unfamiliar with the concepts in a lesson, and others may already understand the idea before the class begins. Depending on where they are starting from, students will need different activities to learn the content effectively.

Grouping students by ability level and designing lessons that cover various levels of understanding can help all students move forward and achieve mastery of the material. An example of differentiating content this way is by creating reading groups. For instance, students could all read content about the Civil War, but each group could be reading a text at an appropriate reading level, according to their needs.

Another way educators can differentiate instruction is by making changes to how students engage with the content based on their preferred learning style, whether visual, auditory, or kinesthetic. Differentiating the learning process for students by learning style could be providing written material for visual learners, audiobooks for auditory learners, and interactive assignments for kinesthetic learners.

Educators can also differentiate how students apply their understanding in projects and assignments by offering an option to complete a test, report, or other activity. For example, some students may struggle to identify a noun while others are ready to write sentences with different types of nouns. By offering various activities, all students can engage with the material they are ready for and demonstrate mastery of the content. Options are always a great way to keep students engaged and inspire creativity.

Lastly, educators can differentiate where the learning takes place to provide the optimal conditions for each student. Modifying the learning environment can be as simple as allowing students to work in a different arrangement or quiet space. While this seems like a minor adjustment, it can significantly impact the student’s ability to complete the task efficiently and accurately.

When you extend the learning environment, you give [students] more opportunity
JASON NOONE INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGIST
Springfield Platteview Community School

Differentiated Assessment Examples

Differentiating assessments can be just as effective as differentiating instruction in empowering students to demonstrate their understanding based on their individual learning needs, interests, and abilities. Differentiated assessment involves offering choices on how students show their knowledge and collecting data throughout the learning. By favoring formative assessments over summative assessments, educators create small, low-stakes checkpoints throughout the unit to see how well students are learning the material.

An example of differentiated assessment could be a take-home test, which gives students more time to complete the task than in the classroom. Educators can also consider self-assessment, learning journals, and digital tools as an alternate assessment strategy. By designing various assessment opportunities, educators can evaluate, identify and meet all students’ individual needs. Differentiated assessments also allow students and educators to celebrate achievement in the classroom for all ability levels.

Differentiated Instruction in the Classroom

While differentiated instruction has many benefits, it can require more work for educators during lesson planning. Using a learning management system (LMS) can support educators by significantly reducing the time it takes to plan, develop, and implement differentiated instruction. And with the right assessment management and analytics tools, educators can quickly get actionable insight across all aspects of student performance to differentiate instruction and meet the needs of every student.