Running head: DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION 1

Differentiated Instruction

Martha Martin

Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 495 Field Experience ePortfolio, Spring 2018

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Introduction

Students are as unique as their fingerprints: each one is beautifully complex in their own

way. In order to effectively meet students where they are at, teachers should discover and

analyze children’s learning styles, preferences, strengths, and weaknesses. Understanding student

abilities and challenges, a teacher should differentiate their instruction, alter their materials, and

provide appropriate scaffolding in order to assure students comprehend and retain content.

Differentiation manifests itself in the classroom in several ways: content (what level of mastery

must students show), process (visual, auditory, or kinetic methods or activities), product (how

will students be assessed), and learning environment (groups or individual work) (Weselby,

2017). For this competency, two artifacts will reveal comprehension of differentiated instruction:

an online article resource page utilized for small group instruction which changes the Lexile

level based upon student ability and a whole group lesson with alternative strategies for an

inclusion class.

Rationale for Selection of Artifacts

Having the privilege to student teach in a switch classroom with a special education

inclusion class and a general education afternoon class, I have ample opportunity to implement

varied instruction based upon student ability and interest. My first artifact demonstrates

differentiation of content and learning environment in the form of a nonfiction text where

students read in small groups. There are four groups divided based upon ascending ability: Pink,

Blue, Green, and Orange. Newsela.com, an online reading resource website, provides nonfiction

informative articles that cover the same topics and address the same content, but varies reading

levels. As a result, my struggling readers, students with disabilities (IEP, 504, etc.) and my gifted

students all receive information on a topic (for this lesson, landslides and mudslides), but have
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differing articles based upon Lexile score. The two articles I chose had Lexile scores of 620 and

860 and were implemented in my Pink and Blue groups (respectively).

My second artifact demonstrates whole group reading lesson differentiation from my

A.M. special education inclusion class to my P.M. general education class. I wanted to design a

lesson that would still hold my students accountable for understanding and analyzing the main

idea and detail of portions of a nonfiction ecology book called Living Together. My main

struggle had been providing challenging activities for my gifted students while supporting and

growing my special education kids as well. While instructing and modeling the first main idea

was identical for both classes, for my inclusion class, I provided more guided practice; for some

of the sections, I gave students the main idea and asked them to find supporting details in the

text. Other times, I included the main idea and details, but asked students to decide which was

which. With my general education class, as they demonstrated increased mastery in the process, I

had students pair up and complete the main idea and detail chart on their own.

Reflection on Theory and Practice

My experience at Regent University has stretched and developed my comfort zone when

it comes to providing layers to my lesson plans to fit the needs of my students. My professors

have reinforced that differentiation can present itself in simple and straightforward ways (as

simple as whether students prefer working in groups or whether students enjoy visual elements to

a lesson) or in complex, rigorous ways. While in only a few weeks of student teaching I believe I

have grown in leaps and bounds when facilitating student learning, assessment, or procedures on

different levels, I recognize my need for asking myself further questions while designing lessons.

One invaluable resource I intend on utilizing is Paula Rutherford’s “Top Ten Questions” and

“Differentiation Non-Negotiables” for changing up instruction in her book Instruction for All
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Students (Rutherford, 2015, p. 196 & 199). Both give teachers clear parameters on necessary and

suggested procedures—what actions teachers should take and which they might try in the

classroom. Rutherford states that, instead of trying to determine who will learn, teachers must

orient “how [they] will teach so that all students have … support and guidance” (2015, p. 199).

Strengthening our children’s skills and knowledge should be our primary goal; each lesson, we

have the opportunity to tailor instruction to their needs.

One of the key elements referenced in several of my Regent classes which I try and

incorporate in each lesson plan is Bloom’s Taxonomy model. Especially in small groups where

instruction and content are based upon ability, working through the cognitive processes helps me

organize my objectives, create realistic goals, and “design valid assessment tasks” for each

section of students (Armstrong, n.d., para. 17). For example, for my Pink and Blue small groups,

I might make “remembering” information my students’ goals; for my Green and Orange groups,

I prioritize analyzing and creatively expressing what they have learned.

Each new class we welcome into our homerooms will look and learn differently than the

last; each will impact the world in their own unique way. God has designed a path for every one

of them, and it is our responsibility as their educators to provide the support, encouragement, and

challenges that they need to grow. David poetically describes our loving Father’s understanding

of us in the Psalms when he writes: “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know

when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar” (Psalm 139:1-2, 2011, NIV). He

has designed our students with remarkable gifts and talents; as educators we are expected to find,

speak into, and guide students to understand better their abilities. One way to do that is to pour

our efforts into ensuring the individual needs of our students are met.
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References

Armstrong, P. (n.d.). Bloom's Taxonomy. Retrieved February 18, 2018, from

https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/

Holy Bible NIV: New International Version. (2011). Belfast: Biblica.

Rutherford, P. (2015). Instruction for All Students (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Just ASK

Publications.

Weselby, C. (2017, November 20). What is Differentiated Instruction? Retrieved February 17,

2018, from https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/classroom-resources/examples-of-

differentiated-instruction/