As students with diverse learning styles fill the classroom, many teachers don’t always have
the time to plan lessons that use differentiated instruction (DI) to suit their distinct
aptitudes.
This can involve adjusting:
Content — The media and methods teachers use to impart and instruct skills, ideas and
information
Processes — The exercises and practices students perform to better understand content
Products — The materials, such as tests and projects, students complete to demonstrate
understanding
1. Create Learning Stations
Provide different types of content by setting up learning
stations — divided sections of your classroom through
which groups of students rotate.
Each station should use a unique method of teaching a
skill or concept related to your lesson.
For example, students can rotate between stations
that involve:
Watching a video
Creating artwork
Reading an article
Completing puzzles
Listening to you teach
To help students process the content after they’ve been
through the stations, you can hold a class discussion or
assign questions to answer.
2. Use Task Cards
Like learning stations, task cards allow you to give
students a range of content. Answering task cards can
also be a small-group activity, adding variety to
classes that normally focus on solo or large-group
learning.
First, make or identify tasks and questions that you’d
typically find on worksheets or in textbooks.
Second, print and laminate cards that each contain a
single task or question. Or, use Teachers Pay
Teachers to buy pre-made cards.
Finally, set up stations around your classroom and pair
students together to rotate through them.
You can individualize instruction by monitoring the
pairs, addressing knowledge gaps when needed.
3. Interview Students
Asking questions about learning and studying styles can
help you pinpoint the kinds of content that will meet your
class’s needs.
While running learning stations or a large-group activity,
pull each student aside for a few minutes. Ask about:
Their favourite types of lessons
Their favourite in-class activities
Which projects they’re most proud of
Which kinds of exercises help them remember key
lesson points
Track your results to identify themes and students with
uncommon preferences, helping you determine which
methods of instruction suit their abilities.
4. Target Different Senses Within
Lessons
A lesson should resonate with more students if it targets
visual, tactile, auditory and kinesthetic senses, instead of
only one.
When applicable, appeal to a range of learning styles
by:
Playing videos
Using infographics
Providing audiobooks
Getting students to act out a scene
Incorporating charts and illustrations within texts
Giving both spoken and written directions to tasks
Using relevant physical objects, such as money
when teaching math skills
Allotting time for students to create artistic
reflections and interpretations of lessons
Not only will these tactics help more students grasp the
core concepts of lessons, but make class more
engaging.
5. Share Your Own Strengths and
Weaknesses
To familiarize students with the idea of differentiated
learning, you may find it beneficial to explain that not
everyone builds skills and processes information the
same way.
Talking about your own strengths and weaknesses is
one way of doing this.
Explain — on a personal level — how you study and
review lessons. Share tactics that do and don’t work for
you, encouraging students to try them.
Not only should this help them understand that
people naturally learn differently, but give them
insight into improving how they process
information.
6. Use the Think-Pair-Share Strategy
The think-pair-share strategy exposes students to
three lesson-processing experiences within one
activity. It’s also easy to monitor and support students
as they complete each step.
As the strategy’s name implies, start by asking students
to individually think about a given topic or answer a
specific question.
Next, pair students together to discuss their results and
findings.
Finally, have each pair share their ideas with the rest of
the class, and open the floor for further discussion.
Because the differentiated instruction strategy allows
students to process your lesson content individually, in a
small group and in a large group, it caters to your
classroom’s range of learning and personality types.
I have had the opportunity to reflect on my strengths and weakness as a teacher and a
learner. I think that I need to learn how to incorporate a multitude of learning styles and
interests into a lesson. This had been another challenge that I was faced with during my
teaching time. As a teacher, I found myself wanting to work with everyone and help them -
especially when those tears started to roll down. The most interesting thing is that I also
shed tears during this experience. This has made me think that it is okay to see your
students and yourself struggle through a lesson or activity, that this is a natural part of
learning. At the same time, as a teacher, I need to offer support and guidance for my
students so that they may strive for success and not begin to foster negative feelings
towards a particular subject. Ayers (1993) speaks about creating an environment for
learning in which both the students and the teacher may be honored and seen as whole
people. In chapter three of his book, To Teach, Ayers (1993) includes a passage from an
exemplary teacher, who states that, "Teaching, if it is to be done well, must be built on
vision and commitment; learning, if it is to be meaningful, depends on imagination, risk-
taking, intention, and invention. Stripped of these elements, teaching is mechanical and
sterile and learning is the stuff of pigeons pecking for food or mice running a maze" (Ayers,
1993, p. 65). During the past couple of weeks, I have been fortunate enough to experience
this from both the teacher and learner perspective. As a teacher, I needed to have a goal
and a vision in mind for my unit and the students. As a learner, I had to be willing to take
risks and put my fears and identity on the line. Without imagination, I fear that my math
lesson would have consisted of numbers and rote work.
On a personal level, I have been able to reflect on my experiences and learn so much more
about who I am becoming as a teacher, and how much I have grown as an individual.
Having the opportunity to initiate a unit of study and follow it up to the end has provided
me with a sense of ownership over my learning - an important element for anyone to have.
Through my teaching experience I have formed special bonds with the students and fellow
peers. I have also been able to develop my professional identity within a classroom setting -
which is very closely linked to my personal identity. I believe Palmer (1998) is right:
"Teaching, like any truly human activity, emerges from one's inwardness, for better or
worse teaching holds a mirror to the soul" (p. 2)
Through the process of planning and teaching I have gained a deeper understanding and
awareness of my role in the teaching profession. There is a challenge to be found in every
day I teach, a talent to be discovered, and a moment to cherish that which touches my soul
and reinforces my devotion. Reflection seems to be the key to personal and professional
growth: reflect on your lessons, your students, and yourself and your experience will guide
you the rest of the way. All of this has been a treasured learning experience that will be
looked upon years to come. It is now a part of me.
