In this blog post, we’re diving into differentiated instruction. Recently, we had a short video go viral, and for me, viral is around 200,000 views. Since there were a lot of questions and comments on that video, I thought I'd dive deeper and share more strategies on this topic.
What is Differentiated Instruction?
Differentiated instruction is a teaching approach that tailors instruction to meet the diverse needs of students. It’s about recognizing that students learn in different ways, have varying levels of understanding, and need different levels of support to achieve success. Today, I’m going to share three practical ways you can differentiate instruction in your classroom. Plus, I’ll show you how you can use ChatGPT to develop tiered activities to help streamline this process.
1. Small Group Instruction
Small group instruction is one of the best ways to differentiate your teaching. Here’s how I did it in my classroom:
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Step 1: Develop a Robust Anchor Activity The rest of the class needs to stay engaged while you work with a small group. I’ve found that individualized anchor activities work best. Make it creative and engaging—something like creating a brochure, a digital project, or an art piece that ties into the upcoming unit. Avoid activities that are too simple or repetitive, as students can lose focus.
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Step 2: Explicit Instructions Before starting, ensure students know exactly what to do by providing a clear step-by-step guide on the board. If students know what’s expected of them, they’re less likely to interrupt your small group time.
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Step 3: Pull Your Small Group Quietly call over five or fewer students to work on reinforcing a concept they struggled with. For example, if several students missed the same questions on a quiz, pull them aside and reteach that concept. Use diagrams, examples, and questions to clarify their misunderstandings.
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Step 4: Rotate Groups To ensure that no one feels singled out, rotate groups throughout the class period. After working with the struggling students, pull a group of students who performed at the proficient level and ask them how you can challenge them further. Finally, work with your highly proficient students to see how you can extend their learning.
This method ensures that every student gets individualized attention, and your classroom runs smoothly while you’re working with small groups.
2. Differentiating Through Questioning
Another simple way to differentiate instruction is through your questioning strategies during whole-group instruction. Here’s how you can do it:
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Start with Lower-Level Questions Begin with basic recall questions to ensure that all students have a foundational understanding. For example, in a science lesson, you might ask, “What are the four nitrogen bases of the DNA molecule?” This is a simple identification question.
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Move to Open-Ended Questions Once students have answered basic questions, move to more open-ended ones. For example, “How do the nitrogen bases pair up?” This requires students to explain the process.
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Use the “Say More About That” Technique After a student responds, encourage them to elaborate by saying, “Say more about that.” This pushes students to think critically and articulate their thoughts more clearly. Give students time to think before they answer—don’t rush to fill the silence.
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Ask Higher-Order Questions Finally, challenge your higher-level students with questions that require analysis or evaluation. For example, “Why do you think this pairing process is essential for DNA replication?” This encourages deeper thinking and problem-solving.
Differentiating your questioning strategies keeps all students engaged and ensures that everyone is learning at their level.
3. Tiered Activities
Tiered activities are a staple in differentiated instruction, especially on teacher certification exams. Here’s how you can create them:
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Tier 1: Struggling Students These students might need more scaffolding and guidance. Provide them with activities that focus on identifying key concepts and making connections. For example, in a social studies lesson on the Industrial Revolution, they could create a poster highlighting the challenges faced by factory workers.
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Tier 2: On-Level Students Provide these students with activities that require more analysis. For example, they could create a digital exhibit on the technological advancements of the Industrial Revolution, including short paragraphs and images to explain their impact.
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Tier 3: Highly Proficient Students Challenge your top-performing students with activities that require synthesis and evaluation. For example, they could design an interactive museum exhibit comparing the Industrial Revolution to modern-day technological advancements, complete with a quiz for their peers.
Pro Tip: Use ChatGPT to generate tiered activities quickly. Here’s an example prompt:
Please provide a tiered activity for a social studies unit on the
Industrial Revolution. I have students who struggle, students who are
on level, and students who are above level. I do not want the tiers to
be obvious. Use only the textbook, primary source documents, and the
internet as resources.ChatGPT can give you detailed tiered activities with clear objectives, guiding questions, and rubrics. Just tweak them to fit your classroom needs.
Differentiated instruction is essential for meeting the diverse needs of your students. By using small group instruction, differentiated questioning, and tiered activities, you can ensure that all your students are engaged, challenged, and supported.
Remember, tools like ChatGPT can help streamline your planning process and provide you with fresh ideas. The key is to meet your students where they are and push them to achieve their best.
