Educators have differing views on the definition of "Differentiated Instruction." In order to provide inclusive academic equity for students with disabilities, educators must be aligned in a collective understanding of how to provide instructional strategies that meet the diverse needs of students.
In order to become effective teachers in serving the academic and behavioral needs of students with disabilities, teachers must have an understanding of “What is differentiated instruction?" The secondary question then becomes, “How can differentiated instruction be used to transform instruction and curriculum for students with disabilities?" Educators must have a deeper comprehension of how to meet the educational needs of students with disabilities who enter mainstream classrooms with a variance of learning plans and learning styles. In understanding "What is Differentiated Instruction?" educators can provide explicit academic content and learning experiences for students with disabilities that are student-centered and academically focused.
There are many ideas to explore in developing professional development workshops that help educators to not only understand what differentiated instruction is, but how to apply it in constructing effective learning communities for students with disabilities. The following are a list of questions for reflection that will begin the process of articulating both personally and professionally an understanding of differentiated instruction for students with disabilities.
Questions for Reflection What is your definition of “differentiated instruction?” How have you incorporated your understanding of “differentiated instruction” in your classroom and curriculum design? How have you developed subject content to meet the needs of students with disabilities in your classroom? What lesson plans do you have to show how you have differentiated your instruction in meeting the needs of students with IEPs? Students are different in how they learn and how they access subject content areas. Students with disabilities bring specifically defined learning behaviors, skills, marginalized deficiencies, academic achievement gaps and advanced learning skills to every classroom. In order to provide differentiated instruction for students with disabilities, teachers must be responsive to their differences. Differentiated instruction can be defined as differing educational instruction strategies that can help teachers create curriculum and implementation that will help students with disabilities become successful and more academically proficient and challenged in the classroom.