Differentiated Instructions: An assessment tool in enhancing teaching and learning process

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Differentiation is rooted and supported in literature and research about the brain. Evidence suggests that, by instructing through multiple learning pathways, more "dendritic pathways of access" are formed or created. A lot of Information is acquired through the five senses: (sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound) or by creating cross-curricular connections. Further, some theory of Multiple Intelligences identified eight distinct intelligences: linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, interpersonal, intrapersonal and naturalist. This is important when looking at how students possess different kinds of minds and therefore learn, remember, perform, and understand in different ways.

METHODS

A multiple methods design was used. An important part of differentiated instruction and assessment is determining what students already know so as not to cover material students have mastered, or use methods that would be ineffective for students. Teachers must assess regularly to inform instructional strategies, learn about each student's readiness, interests, and learning preferences and to improve student learning.

RESULTS

The product is essentially what the student produces at the end of the lesson to demonstrate the mastery of the content: tests, evaluations, projects, reports, or other activities. Based on students' skill levels and educational standards, teachers may assign students to complete activities that demonstrate mastery of an educational concept (writing a report), or in a method the student prefers (composing an original song about the content, or building a 3-dimensional object that explains mastery of concepts in the lesson or unit).

DISCUSSIONS

The goal of differentiated instruction is to make certain that everyone grows in all key skills and knowledge areas, encouraging students to move on from their starting points and to become more independent learners. When parents come to school and talk about their children, they share their perspectives with the teacher. The teacher views the student more broadly, specifically in relation to students of the same age and in light of developmental benchmarks. The parent, on the other hand, has a deeper sense of the student's interests, feelings, and changes over time.