In this class, participants will learn a 5 Step process to match their instructional strategies to the needs of each student in their classroom. This process includes an assessment of student needs, identification of the most appropriate strategy to meet those needs, implementation of that strategy, evaluation of the effectiveness of the strategy and finally refinement of that strategy if needed.

In the first phase of this course, participants will learn how to assess their students’ learning needs related to a variety of factors. This will include, but not be limited to, knowledge and skill levels, academic abilities, interests, and learning preferences. This will be done through observation, communication and examination of student work.

In the second step, they will be taught a variety of differentiated instructional strategies and how to determine which ones best meet the individual needs of their students. They will look at differentiation related to the material they are presenting, the method in which they present it and the products they are asking their student to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of that material.

The third step is for the participant to implement these strategies with their students. They will incorporate these strategies into their classrooms and lessons related to the specific needs of individual students.

In the next step, we will ask the participants to evaluate the effectiveness of each strategy. This evaluation will be based upon specific criteria that the participant has identified related to the student and the strategy.

The final step is to determine if this action should be continued as is, refined in some way or discarded. This determination will be based upon the impact the strategy had on the student’s performance.

This 5 Step process of differentiation adds depth and complexity to each lesson and will challenge the learning potential of each student.