Differentiated Instruction: Strategies to Reach All of Your Students

 

   I am very excited for this week's blog because it’s different from the rest—I have a guest! This week, I will be discussing differentiated instruction with Allie Philhower. Allie is currently a fourth-grade teacher in the Kewanee School District. She is in her ninth year of teaching and has won her area's Teacher of the Year award. I had the opportunity to talk with Allie over a series of questions, and I hope you can learn just as much as I did from this blog

What are your top strategies for differentiating instruction to meet various learning styles? 

    Allie works in a diverse school district, and her top strategy is grouping students based on ability. She organizes groups using benchmark testing data collected every quarter. Allie reinforces learning through three outlets: whole-class instruction, small group work, and individual-level tasks. For individual support, Allie tailors her approach based on student needs. Struggling students and ELL learners receive direct support through one-on-ones and teaching aides. For gifted students, she provides more independent work and group projects focused on complex problems. I find that this strategy also works well for me at the high school level!

How do you ensure that struggling learners stay engaged wile challenging advanced students?

    Allie elaborated on this strategy in her previous response but emphasized flexible learning groups. By doing this, she can assign more challenging tasks to gifted students while providing additional support to those who need it. Another interesting approach she uses is flexible seating, pairing gifted learners with struggling learners. She believes that these mixed groups promote improvement for struggling students. I also enjoy using this approach in my classroom—mixing student abilities often leads to unique and thoughtful responses to questions and assignments.

Do you have any specific examples of activities or lesson modifications that have worked well for your students?

    For math, Allie introduces new topics in small groups for advanced learners before teaching them to the entire class. Her advanced learners then work independently since they quickly grasp new concepts. For struggling learners and ELL students, she introduces the lesson to the whole class first, then reviews it in small groups, tailoring her instruction based on each group’s strengths.

    Her school also uses a curriculum-aligned computer program that reintroduces lessons, providing students with extra support. Additionally, Allie uses exit tickets at the end of each lesson to gauge understanding. I use a similar strategy in my history classes, allowing students to submit anonymous exit tickets. This approach helps me identify areas of confusion without pressuring students and allows me to address "gray areas" the next day as a bellringer. Clearly, these strategies are effective for both fourth graders and high schoolers!

What role does technology play in your approach to differentiated instruction? 

    Technology plays a significant role in Allie’s classroom, primarily through computer-based benchmark testing. These assessments help her determine students' proficiency levels and guide instructional grouping. She also uses curriculum-aligned apps that support students at their own pace, offering features like visual aids, text-to-speech, and language conversion for ELL learners. These tools ensure that every student receives information in the way that suits them best.

How do you assess whether your differentiated instruction strategies are effective?

    Observation is Allie’s most effective assessment tool. She closely watches how students engage with content during both independent and group work to determine the level of support each student needs. Additionally, she incorporates informal check-ins such as exit tickets, "stop and jots," and "stand up, hand up, pair up" activities. One unique technique she uses involves having students rate their understanding by raising a certain number of fingers (one for "don’t understand" and four for "completely understand"). This quick feedback helps her adjust the pace and content of her lessons accordingly.

Final Thought: Differentiated Instruction 

    It was fantastic learning about Allie’s methods for success in her classroom. I particularly loved her use of technology and the creative ways she checks in with her students. While her main strategy revolves around group work, she ensures her students have multiple outlets to achieve success. I will certainly begin incorporating these strategies into my own classroom, and I hope you found them just as useful!

What's Next?

    Next week's blog will cover Effective Technology: Tools to Engage Students in the Classroom. This post will feature five technology tools designed to engage students and make learning exciting. I believe Allie provided some great ideas about using technology in the classroom, and I plan to expand on them next week. Stay tuned!