Addressing the needs of diverse learners through differentiated instruction

Differentiated instruction is a way of thinking about teaching and learning that leads to modifying what students learn (content), how they learn (process), and how they show what they've learned (product), based on students' individual needs. In a review of the current literature, students' and parents' perspectives on differentiation were not fully represented. This qualitative research project assessed the perspectives of a group of students and parents in a 6th-8th-grade charter school classroom where differentiated instructional practices were utilized. Data collection methods used during this study included anecdotal records, student and family interviews at the end of the year, and student and family inventories of multiple intelligences and learning interests. Participants in this study chose alternative schools for four primary reasons: personal connection to the teacher, dissatisfaction with current school, occurrence of a negative event, and medium ground between home school and public school. Differences between this alternative school and previous schools included size/setting, opportunities/community, the personality/focus of the teacher, and the school's attention to differences through differentiation. The impacts of these differences included greater ability to concentrate and focus on learning, increased student interest in learning, greater satisfaction with school by parents and students, and increased social/emotional growth. In conclusion, differentiated instructional practices implemented at this small charter school had a positive impact on student growth, as determined by student, parent, and teacher input. Further research is needed to examine the issues of class size/setting and teacher personality as other variables that impact student growth.