DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION: A DEFINITION
Differentiated instruction is effective instruction that is responsive to students’ readiness, interests and learning
preferences.
All three characteristics of the learner—readiness, interests and preferences—allow educators and students
to build new learning through connections to existing knowledge and preferred ways of working.
The process of differentiating instruction for students depends on the ongoing use of assessment to gather
information about where students are in their learning and about their readiness, interests and learning preferences.
Teachers use this information to vary the learning environment, instruction, and assessment and evaluation.
Readiness refers to the student’s starting point for learning, relative to the concept being studied.
Attention to students’ interests enhances the relevancy of learning by linking new information to students’
experience and enthusiasm.
Learning preferences are the many different ways in which learners prefer to acquire, process and work with
information. Learning preferences are influenced by gender, culture, the classroom environment, learning styles
and multiple intelligences.
By attending, at various times, to a learner’s readiness, interests and learning preferences, we increase the
likelihood that students will be able to build new learning through connection to existing knowledge and
preferred ways of working and that they will be engaged in the learning. Essentials
Taken from:
http://www.edugains.ca/resourcesDI/Brochures/DIBrochureOct08.pdf
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Differentiated Instruction, otherwise known as DI, is nothing new in the world of teaching. In its purest form it’s just good teaching practice, but true to form we have given it a formal name and its very own acronym. DI is also referred to as Differentiated Learning or just simply Differentiation.
Since I love food I would relate DI to a buffet. Teaching styles, practices and resources make up the buffet and the child is the diner. Many times the teacher chooses the appropriate resources or way to present information, but there are other times when the child is empowered to choose their own approach to learning or assessing their knowledge. Perhaps the most important key is for teachers to know the types of learners they are dealing with, including their likes and dislikes in order to accommodate them through differentiated teaching and assessment methods.
OLD DOG, NO TRICKS,
JUST DI
DI IN THE MOVIES
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