The 6 Components of Differentiated Instruction

Student Assessment. To differentiate by readiness, you are taking into account the different abilities and levels of knowledge that students bring into a class. Assessing for this gives students and educators a point of reference for where students can begin their instruction. All students should be given appropriate challenge according to their abilities, and assessing their readiness levels allows teachers to offer students the right amount of challenge while including the right amount of support.  Doing this makes learning more engaging for students and gives teachers indications for the amount of scaffolds and support they will need. This information gives educators perspective on how to modify content, process, and product to meet their abilities and prior knowledge. Remember, every student likes a challenge, and nobody likes to be frustrated. Differentiating by readiness keeps frustration and boredom at bay, if done right.

Student Assessment. One of the keys to success in the classroom is student engagement. According to Tomlinson, the two biggest factors in engagement are student interest and student choice. (How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed Ability Classrooms, p.52) While it is impossible to include students interests in EVERY aspect of your class, it is possible to allow for student choice in their studies. To include student interests in the class, you can do this two ways: a) drawing on their existing interests outside of the school , and b) expanding their interests within the class.  To do this, allow students to see the connections between what they like and what they are studying. Tomlinson suggest Sidebar Studies, Interest Centers & Groups, Real-life Projects as ways to incorporate interest, but there are many ways to do this. The more you include students in planning their studies, the more they will become engaged and interested in their learning.

Student Assessments. Each person learns best in different ways. Taking this into account is considered differentiating by student profile. Student profiles include any information about preferences and learning styles that can be assessed.  Students and teachers can benefit from knowing about learning styles; students will become more aware what helps them learn material best and teachers can mold learning experiences to take those into account. There are several areas for assessing student profile information. You could inquire and observe if students work better in groups or individually, in quiet or noisy environments, or if they prefer teacher or student assistance. You could also learn about students' Cognitive or learning styles or gauge their abilities according to Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences. These are just a few of the many individual preferences students can exhibit, there are many other areas educators could assess. What is important to keep in mind is that these styles and preferences are always in flux and could change often. So, as Tomlinson says, "be a student of your students."

Instructional Modification This component focuses on how to modify what is being taught in a class. While all students should be taught the core concepts, main ideas, and skills of a class, there is one idea that should be remembered. To modify the content, you should not increase or decrease the amount of work or content a student learns, but instead adjust the depth of the work the student does. This means, while some students who have more prior knowledge focus on more complex studies, other students that have less prior knowledge can focus their studies on learning the basic concepts and ideas. (This is modifying by readiness). Tomlinson also adds that you can adjust how students "access" the material. This means presenting the content through various modalities that allow students of all learning styles and preferences to have equal access to the material that is appropriate to their needs. This could be offering books at different reading levels, videos of the content, audio books, and weblinks on the content. (This is modifying by profile).  Lastly, you can modify the content by possibly working with students on including side studies for the unit, that would allow them to link any interests they have either class-related or from outside of school.  

Instructional Modification. Differentiating by Process involves modifying how students learn the material. This focuses on the activities and processes of learning that enable students to make sense of the content. To modify the process involves matching students needs (readiness, interests, or profile) to the objectives and standards for a unit or lesson. In this way, there are any number of avenues for students to learn about content. It really comes down to your knowledge of what works best for your students to learn and what ways you can organize activities sensibly to get every student from Point A to Point B, with all their needs in mind. This is where the art of the teacher comes into play. Using flexible groupings, presenting information to students through multiple means, and optimizing class through different activities will allow you to reach students of all types within your class and still learn the main concepts.

Instructional Modification. Differentiating by Product means you are modifying the ways students can show what they've learned, usually through products. While Tomlinson doesn't say that tests are bad, she does discuss how products are better at illuminating student learning and are more engaging for students in that they can take ownership over the final result. It is important to understand that good products are not just for fun at the end of a unit, they should be challenging and  tied to the objectives of the lesson or focused on the central concepts of the class. Designing products with student input can improve the student's motivation, but it is not necessary.  As a general rule, students should be given plenty of information about what makes a "quality" product and given plenty of challenge and support to finish it and do it well. Again, you can focus on any of the areas of student needs to adapt the product (readiness, interest, or learning profile).  (picture from Blog.Curriki.org)