Strategies for
Managing
Differentiation
Peg Curtis
Hall Memorial School
Willington, CT
Differentiation
because…
Thinking about who we
teach and where we teach
Tomlinson ‘01
What is differentiated
instruction?
Differentiated instruction
means…
 Changing
the pace
 Level
 Kind
of instruction
To
Meet the individual needs, styles
and interests of learners.
Essential question for
differentiated instruction…
How do I create a place that dignifies the
possibilities of each student who shares
it?
 A place where it’s good to be who you are
 A place where it’s possible to see who
you can become
 A place that casts each student as a
worker, winner and contributor,
 A place where there is always a journey
and always support for the journey.
Start small, start
someplace, but don’t
start over
Heacox 2007
K U D o ‘S
What do you want your students
to …
Know
Understand
Be able to DO
Heacox 2007
What can be differentiated?
 Content
 Process
 Product
What you need to
consider…
 Student
readiness
 Student interest
 Student learning styles
Content
Start with: Pre-testing, KWL, selfassessment, brainstorming
Continue by : Compacting, providing
mini lessons to re-teach or extend
Use: student interest to hook and build
enthusiasm.
Content example
Science night – Long term project
whose purpose was to show
understanding of scientific method
Brainstormed, researched ideas
Mini lessons to teach/extend scientific
method ideas
Students chose individual project
Process
Start with: What you want students to
know and understand
Continue with: Tiered activities/labs,
independent studies, jigsaw, problembased learning
Use: Continual assessment to monitor
progress
Process example…
Tiered Density Labs
Students solve same problem BUT
One lab requires students to identify
exactly how they will solve the
problem
Another version of the same lab asks
questions to prompt students to solve
the problem
Product
Start with: Instruction that helps
students know and understand
Continue with: a menu of ways
students can show understanding by
doing
Use: a common rubric to access the
understanding
Product examples:
What are atoms? Objective: show structure of an atom
and how the subatomic particles interact
Project choices:
 Create the atoms family album
 “Who Am I” flip up book/poster
 Atomic poetry
 Fiction (write a story – model on “What is Smaller than
a Pygmy Shrew)
 Make a game – board or card game
 Create word puzzles including vocabulary
 Write and perform a skit
 Make a quiz board
Easy, Lo-prep ideas for
differentiation…
Choices of books
Homework options
Reading buddies
Varied journal prompts
Student-teacher goal setting
Flexible seating
Varied supplemental materials
Design-a-day (students create goals, timeline and
assess their own progress)
more…
More getting started
activities…
Negotiated criteria (Teachers set criteria, students
add activities based upon interest)
Options for varied modes of expression
Think-pair-share by readiness, interest, learning
profile
Open-ended activities
Mini workshops to re-teach or extend learning
Jigsaw
Explorations by interest
Multiple levels of questions
Tomlinson 2001
Hi-prep ideas…
Tiered activities/labs
Tiered products
Independent studies
Multiple texts
Alternative assignments
Learning Contracts
Multiple intelligence options
Compacting
Webquests
Entry points
more…
More high prep ideas
Community mentorships
Interest groups
Tiered centers
Interest centers
Personal agendas
Literature circles
Stations
Tape recorded materials
Teams, games, and tournaments
Choice boards
Tomlinson 2001
Burning Questions
Resources



Heacox, , Diane. Differentiating Instruction
int the Regular Classroom. Minneapolis:
Free Spirit Publishing Inc., 2002.
Tomlinson, Carol Ann . How to Differentiate
Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms.
Alexandria: Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development, 2002.
Tomlinson, Carol Ann, dir. Best Practices
Institute.
<http://www.hhh.k12.ny.us/uploaded/PDFs/
DI_Pdfs/Day_1/tomlinson.pdf>.