Lessons in Differentiation

I really enjoyed this website about eight different lessons learned on differentiating instruction. Below I have outlined a few main points from each lesson that I thought were the most insightful and important.

Lesson 1
Differentiation does NOT take place over night. It is a work in progress. You can master one aspect of differentiation at a time. Once you feel comfortable with one part of differentiation, you can move on to another.

Lesson 2
Differentiation can be accomplished in many ways.
-Content: what the students learn
-Process: activities used to assist the learning
-Products: demonstration of learning

The methods you use should be based on the student's needs:
-Readiness: student's academic standing
-Learning profile: how the students learn
-Student's interest

Lesson 3
Learn EVERYTHING possible about your students. This will help immensely when trying to differentiate in the classroom.

Lesson 4
Pre-assess students knowledge to find out what the students know and don't know about the content and what they don't know. This will help to make and modify groups during instruction.

Lesson 5
BEGIN SMALL. Create activities where individual needs can be met with small activities. Allow students to choose

Lesson 6
Gradually add more difficult things to your differentiation instruction.

Lesson 7
Set expectations for yourself and for your students.

Lesson 8
READ up on differentiated instruction to keep updated and informed on how to differentiate effectively in the classroom.

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/8-lessons-learned-differentiating-instruction