Applying Differentiation Strategies
Applying Differentiation Strategies
Introduction
Differentiated instruction refers to the systematic approach of developing a program that addresses diverse learning needs within a group. The application of differentiated instruction is extensively evident in the education profession. Within the classroom setup, different students have different capabilities. This is because people have different talents and skills. Despite these differences, students are expected to understand similar concepts and sit for similar tests. This creates a potential avenue for disparities in the performance of students who have different academic potentials.
Through differentiated instruction, teaching professionals can significantly address these kinds of learning disparities. This encompasses the incorporation of adjustments order to accommodate for the needs of all students. There are four main areas of differentiated instructions including process, learning environment, product and content (Anderson, 2006). Each of these components plays a significant part towards streamlining the outcomes of differentiated instructions. However, this paper mainly focuses upon the need for professional development on content at a school site.
Content has far reaching implications upon the quality of outcomes for differentiated instruction. In order to implement a professional development plan for this area, different stakeholders are part of the process. These stakeholders mainly include the professionals in schools such as teachers, educational leaders and students. Ensuring the successful implementation of this plan would be extremely complex if there lacks sufficient leadership skills. Leadership is an integral component of differentiated instructions in that it helps in establishing cooperation among the different stakeholders. All these considerations are fundamental aspects of the research paper.
Differentiated Instruction
The process of knowledge acquisition is a paramount component of intellectual and cognitive development in human beings. An individual’s intellectual capacity has an inherent effect on the manner in which he relates with other people. On the other hand, academic development serves as a critical foundation of an individual’s professional life. This is because academics provide the relevant platform for the attainment of technical skills that are vital in the professional world.
However, it is fundamentally essential to note that individuals have diverse learning capabilities. This might be due to environmental factors or genetic variations (Tomlinson, 2005). Professionals in the education sector must appreciate these diversities in order to develop effective programs that maximize on the academic potential of students. Through differentiated instructions, teachers address the individual needs of different students. There are various outstanding components of differentiated instructions. For instance, the learning environment has tremendous implications upon the nature of learning outcomes within the classroom setup.
The learning environment should enable different students to maximize on their academic potential. Apart from the learning environment, the process is another outstanding component of differentiated instruction (Smutny, 2009). The process might encompass the different activities used by the educational facilitator to maximize on the potential of different students in line with their capabilities. Flexibility is another essential attribute that helps in streamlining the learning process component of differentiated instruction. For instance, the assessment framework used by the teacher should cater for the diverse intellectual capacities of the students (Wormeli, 2006). The numerous aspects of differentiated instruction have extensive implications upon the quality of learning outcomes. This following analysis focuses on the content component of differentiated instruction.
Differentiated Instruction Based on Content
In differentiated instruction, content focuses on maximizing on the most suitable learning styles for different students. There is a variety of learning styles depending on the capabilities of different students. It is fundamentally essential for education professionals to identify the most appropriate learning styles for each student. For instance, some students can only understand new concepts after continuous instructions. Apart from learning styles, another pertinent attribute of consideration for content based differentiated instruction (Roberts, 2007).
The assessment framework is another pertinent attribute for consideration in content based differentiated instruction. The assessment approach used by instructors should be highly effective to accommodate for the needs of different students. For instance, the test should not necessarily focus on one area. This is because the intellectual capacity of different students is diverse. Professional development in the area of content is among the most pertinent perspectives for differentiated instruction (Anderson, 2006).
At the school site, it is fundamentally essential for the different stakeholders to appreciate the role of content under differentiated instruction. It is extremely complex to attain this goal without having an effective framework for professional development. The following section justifies the choice of content as the main focus area for professional development at the school site.
Choice of Differentiated Instruction for Improvement
In basic terms, content encompasses what is taught to students in the classroom setup. Some students might encounter challenges while trying to understand some concepts. This can significantly undermine the learning process. In contrast, the same concepts might appear too simple for some learners. These perspectives form the basis of making adjustments to the content of differentiated instruction. These adjustments facilitate for the learning needs of different students (Chapman, 2009).
At the school site, most teachers struggle to develop an effective framework for adjusting the content of lessons in line with the needs of different students. Additionally, some stakeholders such as parents are unfamiliar with the significant role of content in differentiated instruction. Although other components of differentiated instruction are equally significant, the nature of content plays a massive role towards influencing the quality of outcomes. These perspectives justify the choice of content as a critical area of professional development with regard to differentiated instruction.
The Significance of professional development plan for Content Differentiation
As with the other components of differentiated instruction, content has extensive significance. Firstly, the differentiation of content is an essential attribute for streamlining the efficiency of lessons. Most teachers struggle to establish a learning framework that enhances the efficiency of lessons. This stems from the diverse learning needs of different students within the classroom setup (Parker, 2007).
Additionally, the attainment of efficiency in lessons is significantly complex due to the numerous limitations of the curriculum. However, content enhances the efficiency of lesson plans through the identification of the most suitable styles for different students. In essence, the differentiation of content does not necessarily imply that the teacher should go against the different stipulations of education curriculum. Differentiation of content merely facilitates for the adjustment of content. This forms an excellent framework for enhancing the efficiency of lessons (Conklin, 2009).
Another outstanding beneficial implication of content differentiation pertains to the choice of learning materials. Some students encounter challenges when the teacher uses some learning materials. In contrast, other students might be comfortable if the teacher uses the same learning materials. Through content differentiation, teachers can easily establish the most effective learning materials for different students. The choice of learning materials has an inherent effect on the quality of lessons in school. Differentiation of content also helps in identifying the most appropriate activities for enhancing knowledge acquisition in the classroom.
Activities are extremely essential in ensuring that students can relate educational concepts with actual situations in real life (Parker, 2007). However, some activities can derail the ability of students to enhance their intellectual capacity. Dealing with this kind of challenge requires a systematic approach for identifying the most appropriate activities for incorporation into the learning process. This justifies the significant role of content differentiation.
Strategies for Implementation
The implementation of the professional development plan should be based on an assessment of implications. Different implementation frameworks have different implications. Firstly, it is essential for the school to establish a committee that focuses on the professional development plan. The committee would have numerous responsibilities such as the evaluation of resource needs as well as staffing changes. In essence, the committee should work closely with the school leader in order to enhance the quality of outcomes. In addition to the establishment of a committee, it is also essential to examine the implementation framework of similar plans in other schools (Thousand, 2007). Such a framework would provide an excellent platform for dealing with the different challenges of implementing the plan.
Leadership Principles
For the successful implementation of the professional development program for content differentiation, it is fundamentally essential to use effective leadership strategies. There are various leadership principles that apply to professional development for content differentiation at the school site. Instructional leadership is one of the most outstanding principles for professional development. Instructional leadership encompasses the enhancement of learning through effective instructional programs.
The principle of instructional leadership also emphasizes on the significance of professional development in education. These perspectives are indicators of the pertinent role of instructional leadership in professional development for content differentiation (Tomlinson, 2004). The second outstanding principle with regard to the content differentiation framework is visionary leadership. It is fundamentally essential for educational leaders to use a visionary approach in enhancing the implementation of professional development plan for content differentiation. Under the principle of visionary leadership, the educational leader should strive towards enhancing the performance standards of students.
The third notable principle with regard to the professional development plan is community leadership. Through the principle of community leadership, the educational leader focuses on the integration of members of the society into the decision making process. This enhances the quality of decision making process (Chapman, 2009). Additionally, the involvement of different stakeholders helps in averting potential conflicts. All the three leadership principles are essential components of the implementation process for the professional development plan.
The absence of an effective leadership framework can significantly undermine the overall impact of the professional development plan. Apart from the three leadership principles, school leaders should establish adequate mechanisms that facilitate for the availability of resources (Tomlinson, 2004). The availability of adequate resources is essential towards enabling the teachers to establish an effective framework for content differentiation. The school leader must have adequate skills of enhancing the performance of all students in line with their capabilities.
Key Stakeholders
The implementation of a professional development plan for content differentiation at the school involves numerous stakeholders. Each of these stakeholders has an essential role to play towards the attaining success in the plan. The collaboration among the different stakeholders is crucial is also an essential aspect that influences the outcome of the plan. Through collaboration, the different goals of the professional development plan for content differentiation are easily attainable. The school leader is the first notable role player the professional development plan for content differentiation.
In addition to providing adequate resources for implementing the program, the education leader should also ensure that he develops an effective policy for promoting the program’s success. For instance, the school leader must create an enabling environment for teachers to implement the various components of content differentiation. The school leader must also play an active role in enlightening the staff members about the benefits and essence of content differentiation.
The active involvement of educational leaders is likely to encourage other role players to appreciate the critical role of the professional development plan. Apart from the school leader, teachers are also essential stakeholders in the plan for content differentiation (Parker, 2007). Without their input, the professional development plan for content differentiation would be an absolute failure. This is because teachers are responsible for drafting the necessary lesson plans in line with the diverse needs of different students. It is also essential to highlight that teachers are in the best position to understand the weaknesses and strong-points of different students. Consequently, they can determine the most appropriate content for all students.
Parents are also significant stakeholders in the implementation of professional development plan for content differentiation. The exclusion of parents from the implementation process might lead to unnecessary stumbling blocks. For instance, some parents might have concerns about the infringement of privacy for their children. In order to avert such ethical concerns, it is fundamentally essential to develop a comprehensive framework for incorporating parents into the decision making process (Conklin, 2009).
Parents might also have useful input into the implementation framework because of their ability to understand the potential of their children. Students are also integral role players in the implementation process. The entire professional development plan for content differentiation revolves around the enhancement of student performance (Chapman, 2009). All perspectives and components of the plan have direct implications upon the students. This justifies the inclusion of students as pertinent stakeholders in the professional development plan.
Conclusion
The paper presents a comprehensive professional development plan for content differentiation at a school site. There are four main areas of differentiated instructions including process, learning environment, product and content. Each of these components plays a significant part towards streamlining the outcomes of differentiated instructions. Through differentiated instructions, teachers address the individual needs of different students. There are various outstanding components of differentiated instructions. For instance, the learning environment has tremendous implications upon the nature of learning outcomes within the classroom setup.
Apart from learning styles, another pertinent attribute of consideration for content based differentiated instruction. The assessment framework is another pertinent attribute for consideration in content based differentiated instruction. The assessment approach used by instructors should be highly effective to accommodate the needs of different students. There are various leadership principles that apply to professional development for content differentiation at the school site.
Instructional leadership is one of the most outstanding principles for professional development. Instructional leadership encompasses the enhancement of learning through effective instructional programs. Apart from the three leadership principles, school leaders should establish adequate mechanisms that facilitate for the availability of resources. The availability of adequate resources is essential towards enabling the teachers to establish an effective framework for content differentiation.
References
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