Five ways to differentiate a lesson plan

“Since students don’t learn the same way, we need to teach them the way they learn”, it means that teaching involves teachers to use and apply different strategies to make each of the students learn, even when all of them are different, and obviously they learn in different ways. Differentiated instruction provides teachers with the appropriate tools to structure lessons to satisfice their students learning needs.

We can differentiate our lesson plans in this way:

Learning by Pace

This involves the time on task that best accommodates learners. While some learners need a good deal of time to complete an assignment, others may require less time, or a small extension of time, in order to address the material presented. Teachers must be creative and apply different techniques with all of the students for them to do a good job and to enjoy the class.

Learning by Ability Level

This is about the general or promethium expectation of students’ performance, competency and skills according to their age or grade. Achievement level may vary from one discipline to another, so that grade or age level is acceptable, but content adeptness within a subject area may differ. Determining differences in ability levels is often facilitated through scores on standardized tests. These serve as the determining factor for what is considered “on level” and what is above or below it.

Learners’ Interests

Students are interested and concerned about many things, and finding out what those things are is a good tool for teachers who want to use different and interesting strategies for teaching. Students’ interest refers to the areas where they are focused due to intentness, concern, curiosity, importance, consequence, and variations of thinking or feeling regarding learning fields. Interest are emotionally or cognitive based, they may involve previous experiences and knowledge about certain areas.

Learners’ Needs

The needs of a learner represent the gap between what the learner wants to get out of the learning experience and his or her current state of knowledge, skill, and enthusiasm. Student needs vary as much as individuals themselves at any given time. Emotional components, assessment tools, achievement in one area and not in another, students’ sense of security, and stress factors are all considered when determining learners’ needs.

Learning Styles

This is attention to the way individuals process and retain information. It means the way in which students learn.  Learning styles group common ways that people learn. Everyone has a mix of learning styles. Some people may find that they have a dominant style of learning, with far less use of the other styles. Others may find that they use different styles in different circumstances.

Tier Lessons

These are lessons in which the assignment begins at a basic level and builds in complexity. The instruction is designed to add layers for greater cognitive skill application and comprehension. Tier lessons and/or scaffolding are implemented like the rungs of a ladder, moving from lower to higher levels of understanding.