Making a Difference

Consider your own comfort level with various strategies and tools. 
• 
For example, when introducting a new assessment strategy, you may want 
to use it with the whole class, rather than attempting to deal with more 
than one strategy at once.
Address both strengths and challenges. 
• 
Sometimes helping a student 
to become well-rounded is in the student’s best interest. As a result, you 
may ask students to work in a way that is not their preferred way in order 
to stretch themselves. At other times, you may decide that students should 
demonstrate their learning in the way that is most comfortable for them. 
For example, a student who would not choose to work independently 
might bene
fi
t from completing independent tasks on occasion. At another 
time, you may decide that it is important to collect the best evidence 
you can to support the highest claim you can reasonably make about 
a student’s achievement and, therefore, you allow the student to use a 
graphic organizer rather than a formal essay to present an overview of a 
topic.

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5
Part 1—Making a Difference
|
Meeting diverse learning needs with differentiated instruction
63
Differentiated Learning 
Experiences
Contents of this chapter
Meaningful activities
Implementing meaningful activities
Best practices related to meaningful activities
Flexible grouping
Implementing 
fl
exible grouping
Structure groups for success
 
 
Respond to student needs
Create 
structure
Best practices for 
fl
exible grouping
Individual learning experiences
Paired 
learning 
experiences
 
 
Small group learning experiences
 
 
Whole class learning experience
Scaffolded instruction
Elements of scaffolded instruction
Implementing scaffolded instruction
Best practices in scaffolded instruction
Variety
Sample strategies for creating variety
Choice
Implementing 
choice
Choice 
board
Best practices to provide choice
63

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Chapter 5–Differentiated Learning Experiences
64
64
64
“In a diverse classroom, no single method can reach all learners. Multiple 
pathways to achieving goals are needed.”
– From “Providing New Access to the General Curriculum: Universal Design for Learning” 
by Chuck Hitchcock et al., 
Teaching Exceptional Children
, 35, 2002, p. 12. Copyright 
2002 by The Council for Exceptional Children. Reprinted with permission.
C
reating differentiated learning experiences involves proactively ensuring that 
students are engaged in a variety of meaningful activities and contexts. In an 
environment of 
fl
exibility and choice, classroom roles are altered. The teacher’s 
role focuses on creating and selecting learning opportunities for students, guiding 
them and working with them to assess their progress. The student’s role becomes 
one of an independent, self-motivated and con
fi
dent learner. 
Key elements of differentiated learning experiences include meaningful activities, 
fl
exible grouping, scaffolded instruction and choice.