Tip # 9
Curriculum and Differentiation
What Is Curriculum?
Tomlinson (2013), suggests that one way to envision curriculum is to think of it as what you plan to teach and what you want students to learn. The more difficult question to ask is "What is quality curriculum?" What should we teach, and what should we ask students to learn? We must prepare our students for success in a rapidly changing world. Differentiating curriculum is one of the ways that we can ensure that we are providing high quality instruction for all of our learners.
Key Elements of Effective Differentiated Instruction
Differentiating With Learning Menus
Questions for Reflection:
- Why is student choice an important part of differentiation?
- How does the structure of an assignment (graphic organizer, website, brochure) help students summarize content?
- How does Ms. Vagenas assess student learning after each phase of the project?
Differentiate to Maximize Student Potential
Questions for Reflection:
- Why is assessment a key part of differentiation? What kinds of assessments could/should these be?
- What aspects of your lesson can be tiered to meet students at their level?
- What are simple ways you can start differentiating tomorrow? More difficult ways you can work at over the year?