How to Use Worksheets for Differentiation

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by Vanessa Cross, Demand Media

Curriculum differentiation accommodates gifted and special needs students.

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Curriculum differentiation is an instructional management tool based on the differences in students' aptitudes. It might be used by teachers to develop lesson plans or professional tutors with private tutoring companies. When teaching a group of students, it acknowledges their differences and aims to avoid leaving some students behind and others unchallenged. Differentiation can exist in the content, environment, product or process. Content differentiation relates to the knowledge and skills the material seeks to relay to the student while process differentiation involves the methods used to stimulate learning. Worksheets incorporate both process and content differentiation to address students' needs.

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Step1

Evaluate the readiness of the students before developing differentiated worksheets. Aptitude variances are generally measured using tests in subject matters that provide data that can later be used to assess each student's academic ability. Content differentiated worksheets are developed to accommodate differences in a student's cognitive process, which might be affected by factors such as a background in another language.

Step2

Use software applications that create differentiated worksheets customized to criteria you input. This can be useful in developing basic math worksheets and activities. For example, Schoolhouse Technologies' Math Resource Studio Lite is a free software application that generates differentiated table drills, quick facts and match-ups.

Related Reading:Description of the Risks of a Differentiation Strategy

Step3

Give students a choice in deciding among worksheet assignments that test the same skills. By giving students alternatives, instructors acknowledge each student's interest and provide them a sense of ownership over the material that motivates them to learn.

Step4

Keep abreast of best practices in using differentiation as a teaching and tutoring tool. Industry publications such as the Journal of Staff Development, published by the National Staff Development Council, published articles about differentiated instructions that provides benchmark practices. Also, seek comments from colleagues on how they use differentiated instructional tools. Recruit an instructor experienced in using differentiation instruction to review your worksheets and provide comments.

Step5

Be prepared to address the fairness question. One of the concerns that might arise with the differentiated curriculum model is that it appears to demand higher performing students to do more for the same grade. It might be difficult to shift parents and students away from a competitive and comparative educational framework, but sharing quantitative and qualitative data related to the benefits of differentiated instruction might be helpful.