Differentiating Instruction: It’s Not as Hard as You Think

Resource type: Ideas and inspiration - Video

This 4 minute video from Education Week challenges the idea that differentiation means writing multiple lesson plans. Instead, it proposes a range of differentiation ideas that rely on teacher-student relationships, rather than extra planning time. In particular, the presenter Larry Ferlazzo suggests differentiation is about keeping our eyes on the prize. By this he means teachers should be aware of the learning goals of the lesson, sequence, or unit, rather than the specific requirements of a task. For example, if the aim is to teach argumentative essay writing, the topic can vary from student to student.