Running head: DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION LITERATURE REVIEW

Differentiated Instruction Literature Review

Johnny Hughes

Capella University

Dr. Salha Jeizan

ED5542 – Masters Capstone in K-12 Studies in Education

November 17, 2018

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Differentiated Instruction in the Classroom

Every student is capable of success, and the schools and teachers must create classroom

environments that enable the students to achieve their highest potentials. To do so, teachers must

consider each student’s abilities and learning preferences and create a classroom that provides

those opportunities. The following essay will entail the reasons for and methods to creating a

mathematics classroom that caters to differentiated instruction.

Reasons for Differentiated Instruction

Differentiation in mathematics classrooms is a relatively new concept in the United

States. Teachers are trained to give different levels of material in other subjects but tend to follow

a mathematics textbook to keep the students in the same topic on the same general level. All

students are on different levels with different learning preferences and abilities, and the they

should be given tiered material rather than being taught to the middle (Willis & Mann, 2018).

“Equity does not mean that every student should receive identical instruction; instead, it demands

that reasonable and appropriate accommodations be made as needed to promote access and

attainment for all students” (NCTM, 2000, p. 12).

Multiple factors must be considered as one is creating differentiated instruction for the

classroom. One of many factors is disadvantaged students are often given the same low-level

work each year, which leads to a greater gap in ability level compared to their on-grade level

peers. These students are often poor, nonnative speakers of English, disabled, or members of

racial or ethnic minority groups. These students have a long history of trouble overcoming their

situations. Tiered and leveled instruction in the classroom can be a step which leads to academic

success for these students (NCTM, 2018).

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Methods

Correct and proper creation of differentiated instruction is crucial to the success of the

students. To create an appropriately tiered curriculum, a teacher must follow several steps. The

teacher must:

 Identify the grade level, subject, and corresponding mathematics lesson to be taught.

 Identify the key concept and desired end result to be achieved.

 Ensure the students have the appropriate previous knowledge to be able to learn the new

material.

 Determine which part of the lesson should be tiered and what type of differentiation

should be done.

 Finally, develop the lesson based on the above information (Adams, C. & Pierce, R.,

2004).

Once appropriate curriculum has been created, the teacher can further enrich the material

by using open questions and parallel tasks. Open questions allow the students to approach the

mathematical problems in ways that make sense to them on a personal level. The students can

frame the questions in ways and methods that appeal to them personally, thus making the lesson

more individual and personable. This makes the students feel part of the lesson rather than

someone who is simply answering questions given to them.

Parallel tasks are a second way of presenting tiered material. This is when two or three

different methods are presented to the students that achieve the same goal or end desire. The

students are allowed to choose which way they prefer. This method leads to classroom discussion

and chances for the teacher to relate mathematics to real-world situations and examples. This

method is also a next step for students who are more comfortable with the material. The
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instructor could start the class with open questions then move to parallel tasks as they progress

(Small & Lin, 2013).

Potential Problems

While those methods have proven advantages, there are issues that must be named and

addressed. The first is lack of training for educators. Ongoing education for teachers benefit the

teachers and ultimately, the students. Professional development (PD) gives the teachers new sets

of skills and teaches them new ways to teach and educate their students (Social Solutions,

(2018). Schools and school districts must provide PD to teachers for them to be trained on how

to create and implement properly tiered lessons in the classroom.

Another major problem with differentiated lessons is the increase in teacher workload.

Educators are already stretched to the limit, which is one of many reasons teachers are quitting

the profession in record numbers (Guardian News and Media Limited, 2018). If a teacher were to

properly use tiered lessons in his or her classroom, that teacher would have to create

individualized lessons for every student in the room. Classrooms can have 30 or more students,

and that is a huge amount of work for one person to properly do. This could be addressed by the

use of grade-level teaching teams and curriculum teams, however. Each team or group could

band together to create multiple types of differentiated instruction that could be tailored to each

student each year (Asia-Pacific Economics Blog, 2018).

Potential Outcomes

Multiple studies show growth in student outcomes when differentiated instruction is

properly applied in the classroom. Gifted students benefit as much as lower level students. Gifted

students are often ignored with most effort being put into pulling lower students up, and this

would further enrich their academic experience. Also, fewer disciplinary problems are reported
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in such classrooms (Weselby, 2014). Safer classrooms with less disruptions help all students

involved.

Conclusion

Every student deserves a proper education, and for them to receive that, the material must

be presented in an individualized manner. Teachers and educators must assess each student’s

needs and create or choose a method that best enables him or her to learn what is needed.

Mathematics teachers must stay abreast of new methodologies and use them correctly and

efficiently to help each student achieve his or her personal best. While often daunting, teachers

must persevere for the sake of the students.

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References

Adams, C. & Pierce, R. (2004). Tiered lessons: one way to differentiate mathematics
instruction. gifted child today. Vol. 27, Issue 2, pp. 50-65

Asia-Pacific Economics Blog, (2018). Pros and cons of differentiated instruction. Retrieved from
https://apecsec.org/pros-and-cons-of-differentiated-instruction/

Guardian News and Media Limited, (2018). Burned out: why are so many teachers quitting or
off sick with stress? Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/
may/13/teacher-burnout-shortages-recruitment-problems-budget-cuts

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). (2000). Principles and standards for
school mathematics. Reston, VA: Author.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). (2018) Closing the opportunity gap in
mathematics education. https://www.nctm.org/Standards-and-Positions/Position-
Statements/Closing-the-Opportunity-Gap-in-Mathematics-Education/

Small, M. & Lin, A. (2013). More good questions: great ways to differentiate secondary
mathematics instruction. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?
id=aW6uDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA7&lpg=PA7&dq=#v=onepage&q&f=false

Social Solutions (2018). How professional development for teachers benefits students. Retrieved
from http://www.socialjusticesolutions.org/2015/04/22/how-professional-development-
for-teachers-benefits-students/

Weselby, C. (2014). What is differentiated instruction? Examples of how to differentiate

instruction in the classroom. Retrieved from https://education.cu-portland.edu/
blog/classroom-resources/examples-of-differentiated-instruction/

Willis, S. & Mann, L., 2018. Finding manageable ways to meet individual needs. Retrieved from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/curriculum-update/winter2000/Differentiating-
Instruction.aspx