Share This Story
Written By
We're here to help.
We jump into our lesson because we have a lot to cover, right? So let me ask you this: True or false: When the bell rings and class begins, students are equally ready to learn. If you answered true, then I have a flying pig I’d like you to meet! One of the beauties of differentiated instruction (DI) is the ability to meet the needs of all learners — through varying the process, product or content.
However, before we can even think about meeting their needs through DI, we must recognize the students’ individualities. According to Carol Ann Tomlinson, DI is guided by the teacher’s understanding of student needs: readiness, interests and learning profile.1 Interests and learning profiles are fun to uncover as we reveal interests, passions, culture traditions and more. The readiness piece is where it may get fuzzy.
We must first define what it means to be ready. The dictionary defines readiness as the state of being fully prepared for something and/or the willingness to do something. We can also add what Tomlinson shares about a readiness to learn which involves a learner’s attitude, their experiences with a topic and/or their knowledge and skills on a topic.1 The learner may have preconceived notions or assumptions about the topic as well (“I am not good at math!”).
When we take the readiness piece into account, it may get overwhelming to begin to teach. One could argue that getting the student in a place where they are willing to learn is probably a great place to start. Ahead, we’ll discuss five strategies that will get your students much closer to being “ready,” and you’ll have a launching pad to meet each student’s learning needs.
A willingness to learn must be first, therefore mining this must precede all activities. In fact, students must know that you believe in them and that you think they are capable of learning.
This means:
We all are different in how we learn; it may behoove you and them to share that we all have different learning styles — VARK: visual, auditory, reading/writing, kinesthetic. You’ll be celebrating the fact that each student may have a unique way to learn; therefore, they can understand that I may have different approaches for each student to learn the concepts.
As noted, readiness is not one and done, so keep it alive by providing short bursts of sensory breaks. Here are the benefits of brain breaks:
Once you have pre-assessed, the learning does not stay linear. It’s vital that you continue to monitor student progress which means more evaluation called formative assessing. Here is what that looks like:
Checking readiness is not a one and done event as previously mentioned with the importance of formative assessing. Behaviorally, it could show up as well. For example, a student placed in a group may be growing daily in his understanding. Yet one day he completely checks out. We may misunderstand this as a behavior issue when it could be a readiness issue. A little intervention in the form of assessment and one-on-one time could quickly lead to a needed course correction.
Finally, don’t be afraid to get those students moving. Movement is one way to successfully enrich cognitive functions. It also increases the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the brain. The brain needs a boost as well as those dendrites which can become still. Movement allows for the hard work to happen, and this will serendipitously improve morale and excitement in the class. Try this: Stop every 20 minutes or so and get your students to do a stand up, hand up, pair up with either a content question or just for fun. It does wonders to keep the readiness to learn pumped and primed.
Ready, get set, GO! Now you are ready to teach, and they are ready to learn.
Setting them up for maximized learning will then lead to the next phase of readiness — pre-assessment. Here are a few key benefits of implementing the pre-assessment strategy:
05/29/2025
9 min read
03/27/2025
8 min read
01/17/2025
6 min read
At Grand Canyon University, we encourage the importance of differentiated instruction strategies in the classroom. Learn more about the various teaching degree programs available through the College of Education. Read more Teaching Tuesday posts from our expert education faculty.
1Tomlinson, Carol Ann. How to Differentiate Instruction in Academically Diverse Classrooms. 3rd Edition. February 2017.
Approved by the senior adjunct professor for the College of Education on March 29, 2023.
