As future educators, we are beginning to realize just how complex and rewarding teaching can be. During our time as preservice teachers, we’ve often heard that every student is unique but experiencing that firsthand through our methods courses made it more real. Successful teaching hinges on recognizing these differences (Tomlinson and Moon 2013). At first, the idea of differentiation felt overwhelming, almost like something reserved for veteran teachers. But we’ve learned that when we take the time to understand our students, differentiation becomes less about elaborate plans and more about intentional choices that respond to our students’ needs (Sousa and Tomlinson 2018). This article shares our evolving perspective of how, with guidance and a plan in mind, small and purposeful adjustments can lead to more inclusive and effective learning environments for all students.
Aligning Intentions and Outcomes in Differentiation
While your ideas and lesson plan must have a purpose, what does that look like when considering differentiation? When you plan or think about adding differentiation into a lesson, it is also important to consider your learning goals. What do you want your students to achieve, and what do you want to learn about your students? Differentiation can be used as a formative assessment to gain knowledge of your students' understanding, but you also must consider if the task you are giving them matches the outcome you are looking for (Tomlinson and Moon 2013).
Formative assessment data can include exit tickets, quick responses on whiteboards, observation notes, or short conferences with students. For example, after a warm-up math problem, a teacher may notice that several students are confusing regrouping with borrowing. This quick information can guide the teacher to pull a small group for reteaching or to offer manipulatives to support understanding.
Intentionality can look like many things when it comes to differentiation. When you consider differentiation as a tool for assessment, you should be questioning not only what the students need to learn but also what they understand and think about the materials. Additionally, what prior knowledge does each student have? Intentional planning is essential to align what you hope to learn about your students with what you want them to learn from the lesson (Sousa and Tomlinson 2018). We’ve learned as preservice teachers that when using a differentiated task, it’s important to consider the outcome we’re aiming for. If we want students to explain the process of addition, we have to do more than just hand them a worksheet of problems. While that might show what they can do, it doesn’t show how they understand it.
Mathematics Classroom Scenario
During a place-value lesson, a teacher notices through an exit ticket that most students can identify tens and ones, but a small group is still confusing the two. The next day, she intentionally plans a hands-on small-group activity using base-ten blocks while the rest of the class completes a choice activity at their level. Some additional examples of how you can plan for differentiation in your classroom are:
Effective Differentiation Starts with Knowing Students
Knowing your students in the classroom is so important. Each group of students is valuable in individual and specific ways that add to the environment of the classroom. Without knowing your class, you can’t properly teach and meet their needs. Differentiation can vary from behaviors to academic skills, and teachers must be committed to helping their students with whatever individualized support they need (Sousa and Tomlinson 2018). This might look like pictures or visual aids next to calendars for daily routines or even breaking students up into smaller groups. Taking the time to thoughtfully plan to meet the needs of your students is important, yet it doesn’t have to be huge changes. This is a big realization for new teachers to have when it comes to differentiation. Sometimes all it takes is the smallest things to change the trajectory of learning for students (Tomlinson and Moon 2013).
Literacy Classroom Scenario
During a read-aloud, a teacher notices that one student is losing focus and fidgeting. Because she knows this student benefits from having something to follow along with, she quietly offers a printed copy of the text so the student can track the words independently. The student quickly becomes more engaged and follows the story with the group. Other examples of knowing your students individually could look like:
Differentiation Made Simple
Differentiation is a crucial step in giving every student the opportunity to succeed, however it doesn’t have to be complicated. While it may seem intimidating at first, it becomes more manageable when you focus on knowing your students and setting clear expectations (Sousa and Tomlinson 2018). With this foundation in mind for new teachers, differentiation feels less like an extra task and more like a natural way to support every student’s growth.
Differentiation is different from personalization. Differentiation adjusts the level, support, or access a student needs for the same learning goal. Personalization gives students choice based on interests like for example choosing topics, formats, or tools. While differentiation can involve more elaborate time and planning when first designing lessons, it does not always have to be this way. It can look like giving extra time on tasks on the spot, creating anchor charts for tough concepts, providing choice, offering technology to complete a task, or giving corrective feedback (Tomlinson and Moon 2013). Planned differentiation and on-the-spot differentiation work together. Planned differentiation might include preparing tiered assignments or materials ahead of time, while on-the-spot adjustments are quick supports based on what you notice students need in the moment.
Science Classroom Scenario
During a science investigation, a teacher provides two versions of a recording sheet ahead of time: one with sentence starters and one open-ended. Halfway through the lesson, she notices a student struggling to organize ideas and hands over a graphic organizer to support thinking. This shows how planned and on-the-spot differentiation can work together. Examples of additional simple differentiation strategies could be:
The Core of Effective Differentiation
Differentiation doesn’t need to be daunting, even for those of us just starting out! As preservice teachers, we’re learning that by knowing your students, planning with intention, and aligning goals with outcomes, we can begin to create classrooms where every student can succeed (Sousa and Tomlinson 2018). Small, thoughtful changes can have a big impact. With practice and support, differentiation can become a natural, manageable part of our everyday teaching routines.
Actionable Takeaways for New Teachers