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Using Differentiated Instruction to Create StudentCentered Environments in Multilevel Classrooms
Jeannette Della Vedova
Glen Forest Elementary School
Fairfax County (VA) Public Schools
Submitted June 2002
Introduction
In an ideal world of teaching, all students in a particular grade would be on
the same level. Classrooms would consist of students with similar intellectual
and emotional capabilities and cultural similarities. But in the real world this type
of classroom does not exist. Instead, teachers must deal with students who are
all in the same grade, but who are at various levels of intellectual and emotional
development and who also vary in regards to cultural differences and language.
A typical third-grade class is really made up of children who are on the first,
second, third and forth-grade level, who also come from different places. It is the
job of the teacher to balance all these various levels of learning.
This paper addresses the challenges of teaching in a multilevel classroom
and offers some suggestions to help manage and teach children on different
intellectual, emotional and cultural levels. Teachers should manage their
classrooms in a way that enables all students to learn in their own manner and
ability. The students in this study come from various educational levels,
backgrounds, and nationalities. All of the twenty students in the study were firstgeneration Americans and eight of them received regular instruction from an
ESOL teacher. Early assessments of the class showed that the students varied
greatly in ability, knowledge level, discipline and interests. They also remained
restless when it came to whole group instruction. To address these challenges,
the researcher decided to use differentiated instruction and small work centers to
help students learn more effectively.
Question
The purpose of this study was to see if using differentiated instruction
would have a positive effect on student learning and development. The
researcher wanted to see if transferring the weight of instruction from the teacher
to the learner would encourage students to become more independent and
dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge.
Review of the Literature
Teaching in a multilevel classroom is challenging. Multilevel classrooms
are ones which include “cultural differences (among students and among
teachers and students), class differences, gender differences, student motivation,
differences in first languages and differences in learning styles” (Balliro, 1997).
In order to make learning more meaningful and exciting for all students, research
suggests that teachers must “seek out practical solutions in the form of
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techniques and classroom management in order to successfully engage all the
learners in their classes” (Balliro, 1997).
Teachers can no longer stand in front of the classroom and tell the
students what to learn. They must teach students how to learn and how to teach
themselves. Teachers must then adopt ways that make learning a part of a
child’s everyday life. “New approaches maintain that students learn by actively
building on what they already know” (Duran, 1993). Students are then able to
attach themselves to the topic being taught and then use this new base as a
springboard into other areas. They take hold of their own education and
personalize it and empower themselves to learn. In order to meet the needs of
all students and encourage empowerment and growth within each of them,
teachers should consider using differentiation, small group settings and centers
to help children meet their goals.
Differentiated instruction is defined as a way of “providing different
avenues to acquiring content, to processing or making sense of ideas and to
developing products” (Tomlinson, 1995). Differentiated instruction helps
teachers focus on individual students needs and increases the chances “that the
learning experiences will provide an appropriate fit for many learners”
(Tomlinson, 1995).
When using differentiated instruction it may appear at first that the
students are the ones running the classroom. In fact, the teacher’s role in a
differentiated classroom is one of mentor and facilitator. After assessing the
students, the teacher creates various lessons, activities and products according
to the different levels of ability in the classroom. These lessons should “both
capture students’ attention and lead to understanding,” (Tomlinson, 1995). Then
within the differentiated instruction it is up to the child to decide what they will do
and then do the work. This helps build a sense of accomplishment and
confidence within the students who in a regular classroom may have been lost.
Differentiated instruction allows teachers to create student-centered
environments which encourage students to become more independent and
empowered. By using centers when differentiated, students are given choices
that are interesting, relevant and engaging. Centers require students to
accomplish a set amount of tasks or activities, but they are allowed to work at
their own pace. “Because each child is working at an individual level, ESL
children and children with special needs are accommodated within the structure
of the classroom” (Staab, 1991). This makes learning more enjoyable and
meaningful to the student.
It is also important to note that “whenever possible, the children’s ideas
and interests should provide the basis for the content of the center” (Staab,
1991). The more input students have in their learning the greater their interest
tend to be. Teachers have certain objectives to the students should meet and
learn within the centers, but the students are the ones who do the work and drive
the products. Long-term projects are good to have at centers as well. “Long
term projects allow students to assume responsibility for leadership roles and
other tasks, depending on strengths and interests,” (Balliro, 1997).
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Differentiated instruction and learning centers can also help teachers with
student assessments. Instead of focusing on one group of twenty students,
teachers could focus on four groups of five students each. A smaller group
allows for more individual attention. “As the teacher provides many FYIs during
whole group instruction, it then becomes important for her/him to observe
individual children during work time at the centers” (Staab, 1991). Through the
constant monitoring and assessing of student needs in learning centers “teachers
monitor the match between learner and learning and make adjustments as
warranted” (Tomlinson, 1995). This constant assessment process helps the
teacher ensure that all students are progressing and learning.
Methods
In order for differentiation to be effective, teachers must consider three
things: classroom management, instruction and student assessment. Proper
classroom management lays the foundation for differentiated instruction. In order
to make learning accessible for all students, the classroom needs to be arranged
in a way that is inviting for all. Setting up a reliable behavioral management plan
is also essential for using differentiated instruction. Because students will be
doing more work on their own, the class must have a good discipline system in
place, which encourages students to be responsible and maintain order.
Likewise, instruction and assessment must be geared toward the needs of
the students. Proper teaching instruction is fundamental to student learning and
understanding. When using differentiated instruction teachers must ensure that
all students are working and learning the classroom material. When teachers
instruct students, different modes of assessment must be put into place in order
to meet the needs of the students. After assessing the students, it is important
for the teacher to provide activities or ideas for activities that are of interest and
challenge the students to seek information on their own.
Classroom Management
For differentiation to work, teachers must put the needs of their students
first. The classroom and everything within it must be geared toward a studentcentered environment. Getting the classroom set up was the first step in the
researcher’s process. From the beginning, it was obvious that the classroom
needed to be rearranged to create designated areas for different subjects and a
reading center for all the students to enjoy. The desks were arranged in a Ushape that allowed everyone to see the front chalkboard at all times. The big
space in the center was a good area for conducting whole group lessons. To
aide with the absence of storage space for the students, wooden mailboxes were
purchased so that all students would have a place to keep their center folders,
clipboards and personal wipe boards.
In regards to behavior management, the researcher used a colormanagement system. Students earned points by following classroom rules and
staying in the green and lost points when they disobeyed rules and they were to
moved the yellow and red colors. Any points students earned could then be
used to “buy” objects in the class store. Another management tool was for
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students to create a classroom shirt. Each time students completed all their work
for the week they would get an opportunity to decorate their shirts with paint.
While the main goal was to foster classroom unity by all having similar shirts, it
was also seen as a means of encouragement for staying focused and working
during independent times.
Instruction
The researcher used a building block approach to introduce differentiated
instruction into the classroom. The researcher felt that the students were more
focused when they were in a small group as opposed to large group settings and
began the year by focusing differentiation only in during the Language Arts
teaching block.
The researcher would begin a particular unit by giving a brief written quiz.
After assessing the quiz, the students would be broken up into the appropriate
groups. Four days of small group lessons would be geared specifically towards
that topic, while the last day of the week would be focused on review time. The
selected students would meet with the researcher for a set period of time while
the other students worked at centers around the room. The teacher would
present a lesson that was geared towards the needs of the students at the table.
Then to test understanding, the students would complete assignments of their
choosing. The teacher used this same process for instructing students in math
as well.
In the beginning of the year, students followed a set rotation for centers
(Appendix A). Each child would meet with the teacher at least twice a week and
then go to several other activities the rest of the time. The students would follow
a learning contract, which was their guide for weekly activities. All center
activities were to be completed by the end of the week. Until students became
more familiar with the format, the students had dictated activities for the week.
This allowed the teacher time to meet with students and assess their needs while
the rest of the class was learning to complete work on their own within a given
time frame.
As time progressed, the teacher felt that students were becoming more
comfortable with the center routine and decided to allow the students to choose
when they wanted to go to other centers instead of following a rotation. Weekly
work sheets (Appendixes B, C and D), as they came to be called, became more
differentiated to students’ individual needs. Some received “ready made” weekly
work sheets while others copied their assignments for the week from the master
board. This allowed those students who needed more time on instruction to
focus their attentions there and not on copying their work.
It was interesting for the researcher to see how the students empowered
themselves through their processing of information. Even though the centers at
the beginning of the year were more teacher-oriented, by the end of the year, the
students were running the centers and empowering themselves. They would
come up with ways of completing required center activities that also met their
needs and interested them. For example, while studying the writing process
students would write their own paragraphs and then have a fellow student edit
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the writing. The students themselves would become little teachers as they
helped their classmates improve their writing. During math centers, students
were also encouraged to create their own word problems. Students would write
the problem and then have a friend try to solve it. In order to help them solve the
problem they were working on, the students would get out the various
manipulatives found throughout the classroom. Some of the students would use
play money and open up a store, incorporating their word problem solving as
they went along. The students would find things for other students to buy, hand
out the fake money and open the store. The math center really helped the
students internalize their learning and improve their math skills.
Another method to help students in their quest for knowledge was the use
of an after school program. A letter and permission slip was sent home
explaining the program to the parents. In order to participate, the students had to
return the slip signed to the teacher. Eleven of the 20 students signed up to
participate. The group was to meet every Wednesday and Thursday from 3:30 to
4:30 p.m. Initially, the goal was to help the students involved improve homework
and study skills. As the weeks progressed, it also became a way for the teacher
to work one-on-one with the students who needed extra help on a particular
concept. At SOL time, the group also participated in SOL review practice. All
students involved benefited greatly from the group.
Assessing the students
The teacher researcher chose various ways to assess the students and
allowed them to pick the various products to show understanding when
appropriate. For instance, each month the students were required to complete a
sheet entitled, “What I have Learned” (Attachment E). On this sheet, the student
was to pick four different things they had learned that month, write about them
and then draw about them. This allowed the student to show the teacher that
he/she understood the topic in a way that was comfortable for them.
The teacher also used observations, anecdotal records and formal tests
as assessment tools. Throughout the entire process, the teacher kept a record
sheet (Appendix F) of when she met with each student and what was discussed.
The teacher was then able to focus instruction on a particular student and that
student’s needs instead of having to go with only one product or mode of
instruction. Different groups would be taught information in different ways in
order to meet the needs of all learners. The “Weekly Quiz” was also a way for
the teacher to differentiate even further. Each week, students would take what
came to be known as the “Weekly Quiz.” The quiz was formatted in the same
fashion as the Standards of Learning Tests (multiple choice) that the students
would take at the end of the year. Although they were graded, they were used
more for anecdotal purposes to see which students needed help before final
testing occurred. The teacher would then use small group time the next week
to meet with those students who needed more help.
It was also deemed important that the students themselves assess their
own understanding of topics and figure out where they may need more help. As
a way for students to take more responsibility for their learning, they made up
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report cards on themselves (Appendix G). At the end of each nine weeks, the
students completed a personal report card that went home with their report
cards. They were also shown at parent conferences to help the parent see what
their child felt his/her own weaknesses and strengths were.
Findings
During this study, evidence was found that the use of differentiated
instruction in a multilevel classroom can be effective in creating a studentcentered environment. The movement from center rotations to free choice
centers showed that the students were more responsible and able to make
proper educational choices on their own. The movement from structured to
open-ended activities within the centers, allowed the students to practice what
they learned and become better at the skills at their own pace and push
themselves to reach new heights and abilities. Requiring students to assess
themselves also helped the students to make goals and achieve them.
Centers and small group instruction had a great impact on the students as
well. They began to ask for center time and would become upset when we did
not have it. When asked why they liked centers, they said it was because they
liked feeling independent and enjoyed spending time working with their friends.
The teacher enjoyed listening to the students interact with each other and help
each other out when they needed it, whether they were helping each other write
word problems or correct spelling and capitalization errors in their writing.
Behavior also changed within the students. They were more focused and turned
work in when it was due, not days after. On the final report card, the teacher
noticed that most of the “Ns” in behavior, work study habits had changed to “Ss”
and even a few “G’s.” They had begun to take responsibility for their own actions
and had become more pro-active in their own education.
The teacher researcher feels that it was the fact that she made learning
more exciting for the children and allowed them to work at their own pace. They
began to feel more comfortable with themselves and confident in their abilities to
achieve. Differentiated instruction and having students work in small groups and
centers really helped the students to become more empowered learners.
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References
Balliro, Lenore (Summer, 1997). “The Multilevel Questions.” Connections: A
Journal of Adult Literacy (Volume VII), 5-7.
Balliro, Lenore (Summer, 1997). “Multilevel Classes: Some Practical
Suggestions.” Connections: A Journal of Adult Literacy (Volume VII), 1415.
Duran, Richard P. (October, 1993). “Construction of Learning and Interaction of
Language Minority Children in Cooperative Learning.” Baltimore,
Maryland: The Center for Research on Effective Schooling for
Disadvantaged Students, (report #45), Johns Hopkins University.
Early, Margaret (October, 1990). “Enabling First and Second Language Learners
in the Classroom.” Language Arts, vol. 67, 567-574.
Staab, Claire (February, 1991). “Enabling First and Second Language Learners
in the Classroom.” Language Arts, vol. 68, 108-113.
Tomlinson, Carol Ann (1995). How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability
Classrooms. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development
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Appendix A
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Appendix B
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Appendix C
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Appendix D
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Appendix E
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Appendix F
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Appendix G
Name_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
My Personal Report Card
Rate yourself on the scale for each topic. Then write down some things you can do to do better in school.
Needs improvement
Needs little or no
improvement
Completes work on Time
Follows classroom rules
What I would like to work on:
Stays focused on a given task
Remembers to do homework
Math
Science
Social Studies
Writing
Spelling
Name_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
My Personal Report Card
Rate yourself on the scale for each topic. Then write down some things you can do to do better in school.
Needs improvement
Needs little or no
improvement
Completes work on Time
Follows classroom rules
Stays focused on a given task
Remembers to do homework
Math
Science
Social Studies
Writing
Spelling
What I would like to work on: