Differentiated Instruction Research Paper

As a leader in the field of differentiated instruction, Carol Tomlinson (1999) noted: "For all its promise . . . effective differentiation is complex to use and thus difficult to promote in schools. Moving toward differentiation is a long-term change process" (p. 6). Several years into this change, everyone has heard of differentiated instruction. As the current “best practice” in education, differentiated instruction is the partner of the “individualized approach,” that many schools mention in their mission statements. Parents know the definition of differentiated instruction, and understand that all children have different learning needs and abilities. Furthermore, parents understand instruction should meet those individual needs. Everyone agrees with the ideology, and the terminology, but not everyone is certain of what differentiated instruction looks like when used in a classroom. St. Timothy School teachers assess their students and design instruction to meet student needs. Assessment is ongoing and teaching strategies change, as student needs change. Pedagogically, teachers are proficient, and throughout the course of the year, …show more content…
In one room, the teacher has brought the whole class together for a warm up activity and then XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. In another classroom, students are working in small groups. Some students are working on laptop computers doing math fact speed drills. Other students are working with the instructional assistant, completing worksheets that provide practice and review of their mini-lesson. The classroom teacher has a group of students working on extra practice and a group of students is working on enrichment activities. On another day, in this same classroom, the teacher determined the whole group would benefit from a particular lesson, and guided practice. Early finishers will work with the instructional assistant on challenge