Nine Ways to Maximize Differentiation in Classrooms 

From the Marshall Memo #453

In this article in Principal, Bill Brown (Capella University), Patrick Tucker (Cincinnati assistant principal), and Thomas Williams (Sacramento principal) list ways that differentiation can be maximized:

• Universal design of lessons – Ensuring that all students are engaged by a variety of instructional strategies, with a mix of direct instruction, reading relevant material, audiovisual aids, demonstration, discussion, hands-on experience, checking for understanding, and peer reteaching.

• Cooperative learning – Getting students working in groups of 2-5 on structured activities that require students to experience different roles, become positively interdependent, get formative feedback from the teacher, and be accountable for results.

• Questioning – Asking questions at different Bloom’s levels and involving all students in answering.

• Individual attention – Working with students one-on-one as well as working with the whole class and small groups.

• Classroom libraries – Having a variety of reading and interest levels in the room’s book and magazine collection.

• Classroom environment – Arranging desks and other furniture to allow students to work in groups and give the teacher easy access to students (versus the rigid desks-in-rows format).

• Technology – Making good use of computers, smartphones, tablets, and software to give all students a chance to succeed.

• Special-education plans – Being aware of students’ unique needs and planning curriculum and instruction to maximize student success.

• Additional staff – Making full use of co-teachers, aides, parent volunteers, and others to increase individual attention, and giving teacher teams the time to plan together. 

“9 Practices of Second-Order Schools” by Bill Brown, Patrick Tucker, and Thomas Williams in Principal, September/October 2012 (Vol. 92, #1, p. 32-35), www.naesp.org