Differentiated Instruction

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION IN AN ENGLISH CLASSROOM

Teaching students with different English levels in the same classroom in Ecuador

Silvia Cárdenas

EDCI 786: Differentiated instruction for diverse learners

June 27, 2014

2 DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION IN AN ENGLISH CLASSROOM

Introduction

The teaching process requires accountability and commitment from teachers. Each

teacher must be prepared to work with students with different backgrounds that can be personal

and academic. Moreover, teachers must motivate and engage students in the learning process by

using all the possible resources. Considering each student as an individual can be the first step to

success in education. According to Miller and Desberg (2009), “teachers get better results when

their students see them as people” (p. 26). When teachers are planning their classes, they must

consider many facts based on students previous information. Each task that students develop

inside or outside classrooms should be relevant and encourage them to learn more. Students have

to learn many things when they are in school. Teachers have to look for strategies to teach

students and help them to reach the educational goals of each setting. Additionally, in many

countries, inclusive education is becoming more important and schools are adapting everything

in order to help each student.

There are several theories and techniques to use in a classroom to provide an excellent

education. However, differentiated instruction could be the most useful when working with

diverse learners. This method can be applied when teaching any school subjects. For example,

one of these subjects is English. Teaching English as a second language in a setting where most

of the students speak Spanish or other native languages requires especial awareness. For

instance, Ecuadorian English teachers have to work in classrooms where each student has

different cultural backgrounds, English levels, interests, and learning styles. Ecuadorian

education is inclusive where all students deserve the same opportunity. Knowing students’

backgrounds, teachers have to look for many strategies and techniques to help each student to

reach the curriculum goals.


In Morona Santiago province, people have immigrated to foreign countries. One of those

countries is the United States of America. They have come with their children and they have

been learning English since they arrived in this country. Though, they are going back to Ecuador

and their children are attending Ecuadorian schools. They have already mastered many basic

skills of the English language however, they have to take the same class, with the same

materials, and the same instructions. Additionally, other students also have a good level of

English even though they have not been in a foreign country. On the other hand, there are some

students that struggle with the English language. Most Ecuadorian teachers are not prepared to

deal with these vast differences in their students’ language skills. Differentiated instruction

would help guide students and meet them where they are at. Some research conducted in this

field has shown that it is possible to differentiate instruction in a class.

Many times teachers have complained about teaching students with high and low level of

English in the same class. They have decided to only work with those students with low level of

English to reach the curriculum objectives. On the other hand, students with high English level

get bored because teachers do not challenge them with activities according to their level.

Moreover, other teachers just work with the same activity regardless students’ needs or academic

requirements. Applying differentiated instruction in an Ecuadorian schools could be possible

since this approach does not require extra work. On the contrary, teachers will work on the same

topics but using activities according to students’ preferences. There are many strategies to use to

differentiate instruction in the learning process. Teachers can differentiate in content, process,

and product. Moreover, there are activities that can be modified according to the school settings.

It is also important as a teacher to be proactive when developing a plan based on differentiated

instruction. There are many factors to consider in order to be successful and help students to


achieve their goals. But the most important is to be convinced that this approach could be applied

regardless the school setting.

Literature Review

Differentiated Instruction

Helping students to achieve their goals is one of the teachers’ objectives. According to

Levy (2008), “educators are mandated to see that all students meet the standards of our district

and state” (p.161). Each teacher must know the curriculum standards and keep them in mind

when they are planning a lesson. In Ecuador, there are standards for each subject area, and

Ecuadorian in-service English teacher standards are designed according to the Teachers of

English to Speak of Other Language (TESOL). The fifth domain states that teachers must be

ready to help students, conduct investigation, and know instructional techniques, studies, and

advances in teaching English. As teachers are expected to have these characteristics, it is

supposed that their teaching practices improve each day and students excel in the classroom

(Ecuador, Ministerio de Educacion del, 2012).

Planning is one tool that helps teachers to improve their teaching practices. Developing a

lesson requires special attention because it is going to guide the class. One fact that teachers have

to keep in mind when planning is that each student is different and teachers have to look for

strategies to teach each student. One alternative could be differentiated instruction in which

teachers prepare the activities based on students’ characteristics. However, according to Dixon,

Yssel, McConnell, and Hardin (2014) “teachers often struggle to provide all students access to

specific learning activities that work best for them” (p. 111). They conducted a study in which

they focused on differentiation of instruction, professional development, and teacher efficacy.

There were 45 teachers involved in the study from elementary, middle, and high school. The


results showed that teachers who had professional development in differentiation were more

efficient in their instruction and felt secure of implementing this trend. This study concludes that

teachers differentiate instruction when they are convinced that differentiating is important in the

classroom. Teachers’ skills in planning a lesson keeping in mind students’ differences reflect the

efficacy and professional development of the teachers (Dixon, Yssel, McConnell, & Hardin,

2014). According to Tomlinson (2005), contemporary schools give great importance to

differentiated instruction since students come to schools with diverse needs, interests, learning

styles, and readiness. Teachers have to accommodate their lessons based on these issues.

Breaux and Boutte (2010) stated that when teachers take into account students’ previous

knowledge, learning styles, needs and abilities, they are differentiating instruction. Meaningful

learning is produced when teachers understand that each student is different. Furthermore,

Buteau and True (2009) argued that “differentiating instruction in a classroom has become even

more critical with the increasing population of students with diverse cultural and linguistic

background” (p. 23). They also emphasize about the necessity of differentiate instruction to

know the students’ needs when they are culturally and linguistically diverse. For instance, in a

school where students come from different places and have their own culture, behavior, and

academic backgrounds deserve the same opportunities. Each student should be respected and

receive the same instruction keeping in mind their needs.

Tomlinson and Moon (2013) emphasized that differentiated instruction will be effective

when some elements are considered. Teachers must consider the learning environment in which

students must feel respected, comfortable to express their opinions, and have the opportunity to

grow as a person. After developing these facts, students will rely on teachers, and teachers will

be able to understand their students to plan differentiated instruction. Another issue to consider is


curriculum design. It should be according to students’ needs, with clear objectives, and

meaningful content. Assessment must help teachers to know their students’ improvement during

the learning process. It is important to know each student’s needs and keep track of their

performance. Instruction refers to the teaching- learning process. Teachers have to keep in mind

readiness, interest, learning profile, and grouping students. Finally, classroom management is

when teachers support students to understand the importance of participation following

classroom rules.

Differentiation requires a well-organized class. Teachers have to plan each class to

differentiate instruction. If there is no organization, differentiation will be unsuccessful. When

teachers are organized, the learning environment is more comfortable for teachers and students

(Breaux & Boutte, 2010, pp. 40-42). On the other hand, Levy (2008) claimed that teachers have

to be more conscious and flexible with the activities developed in classes. They should plan their

classroom activities carefully to allow students to reach their goals.

Baecher, Artigliere, Patteson, and Spatzer (2012) established some principles that could

help teachers to accommodate their lessons while applying differentiation. Diagnostic

assessment is important to know students’ strengths and weaknesses. Setting the content and

language objectives are essential to plan a lesson. Differentiation does not mean different

individual activities. Rather, it means to establish changes based on a single activity. Materials

adaptation help to develop a meaningful lesson when the available materials are not according to

students’ needs. The same learning goal can be used in a based activity. Higher-level students

should not work with lower-level students because the lower-level students could not develop

their skills effectively. Higher-level students attempt to work according to their proficiency.

Group members should vary to avoid students feeling segregated or unmotivated. Students can


choose their activity according to their level of challenge. It is important to know the cognitive

complexity of each student in order to use planning tools like Bloom’s Taxonomy. Finally, the

activities must be done in the same amount of time by each student or group. This principle

could help teachers with class management.

It is important to review Bloom’s Taxonomy when planning differentiated instruction

because it is a tool that can help teachers to modify their lessons. Thousand, Villa, and Nevin

(2007) stated that “a taxonomy is a classification scheme for developing objectives that involves

categories that are arranged in hierarchical order” (p. 67). According to Roberts and Inman

(2009), planning can help students to make progress, and teachers have to know strategies to use

in classroom. These authors suggest some strategies to supply students’ needs. However,

Bloom’s Taxonomy seems to be the most appropriate strategy for differentiation. Using this

strategy, teachers allow each student to have the same learning experience but use different

process. The bloom chart can help teachers to select the correct options for instruct ion based on

the differences of each student. Additionally, not all students will be able to complete the

learning experience stated in the Bloom chart. Teachers should keep in mind that students have

to develop activities with at least from the two beginner levels: recall and understand. However,

each time teachers have to encourage students to try pass to the next level. It is better if the

students work with one from the higher and one from the lower level. Students have to face

challenges in each learning experience.

Considerations for planning differentiated instruction in an English class

In an English class where there are students with different English levels, differentiated

instruction should be applied. Ecuadorian education is inclusive and for this reason English

teachers have to be ready to work with students with different English levels. DelliCarpini


(2013) suggested that “by understanding the words ELLs inhabit and the experiences they bring

into the classroom-often different, wonderful, and unexpected-teachers can help students make

connections with material that at first might seem totally foreign to their lives” (p. 100).

Group work could be one way to differentiated instruction in an English class. There are

some studies that suggest group work to teach English and studies that have been conducted in

other areas but can be applied in an English class. Levy (2008) argued that, “grouping should be

based on different criteria regarding the needs of the students and the short-term goals of the

teacher in an effort to meet the desired standard” (p.5). According to Frey, Fisher, and Everlove

(2009), teachers can group students according their ability levels, learning styles or interests.

Levy (2008) states that grouping by ability means that teacher can divide the class according

students’ needs. Some students may need more instruction, while students who already know the

topic could work in activities more challenging for them. When teachers decide to work with this

type of group work, they have to rely on formative assessment and keep in mind that students

cannot work in the same group each class. They need to change group members according their

necessities. Levy (2008) stated that students can be grouped according their learning styles.

Teacher can form group with one student of each learning style in a group or students with the

same learning style in a group. Teacher can group students according their interests. Not all the

students have the same interests, so teachers should investigate before students’ interest to apply

in this kind of group work. Heterogeneous grouping can also be possible. In this type of group

work, teach and process are worked with the whole class but when students need to present the

product, teacher can divide in groups according their needs or learning styles (Levy, 2008).

Kim (2012) carried out a qualitative study in Korean middle schools with 55 English

teachers and 754 students about teachers and students’ perceptions, benefits and problems found


in ability groups. The students were divided in high, middle and low levels. The results showed

that high level learners did not perceive much difference, while mid and low group students felt

that ability grouping caused unequal leaning opportunities, labeling effect and an impact on

learners’ self-esteem. Teachers also perceived that they had behavior and motivational problems

with low level students. The researcher concludes that there should be teacher training, materials

development, and assessment based on ability grouping. Also, according to the results of this

study, English teachers in Korea have problems looking for additional materials to different level

learners. The author suggests that grouping students in smaller classes would be better to get

more attention from teachers, reward students’ ongoing process, and give more attention to

ability groups as necessary to help students to reach their goals (Kim, 2012). On the other hand,

in another study conducted in Iran with undergraduate students, the results showed that grouping

students by their abilities improved their achievement, but this study was conducted in a different

way. The students with low level had 4 hours in a week. Middle level students had 3 hours and

high level students received 2 hours of English classes. The mean of the whole group final test

was better than the mean of the diagnostic assessment. This study suggests to use an appropriate

teaching plan, improve methodology when working in cooperative learning and the use of

appropriate textbooks for English classes (Khazaeenezhad, Barati, & Jafarzade, 2012) .

Classroom management

According to Tomlinson and Imbeau (2010), classroom management is more than

arranging students’ materials, planning strategies for grouping students, or finding strategies to

control noise. Teachers must guide the class. Moreover, teachers must develop an inclusive

classroom. In addition, Carr (2009) argued that students will be able to work in a differentiated

classroom when teachers prepare them to do it.


Tomlinson and Imbeau (2010) established some strategies to manage a classroom.

Calling on students is on way of involve everyone in the class. Teachers have to look for

strategies to allow each student to speak and participate in discussions. These strategies can be

using name sticks. Teachers write students’ name in cards then they formulate a question and

give time to think in the answer. After that, the teachers choose a card and asks to the chosen

student to answer the question. During group work, teachers have to consider some rules and

group activities that will help to have an effective group work. It depends in the activity to vary

out. When students are grouped and any student do not want to follow rules, teachers have to ask

him/her to work alone. Then the student could reflect and continue working alone or with the

group. This helps to develop group skills on students.

Making noise is allowed in a classroom whent it is a productive noise. A differentiated

lesson is carried out when there is noise, However, teachers have to establish some stragegies to

control noise. Instructions must be clear. Silent work is necessary in each classroom. Teachers

have to teach their students the importance of silence by planning activites that requiere silence.

Teachers can incorporate periods of silent work gently. Teachers and students must agree which

level of noise will be tolerable in the class (Tomlinson & Imbeau, 2010) (Tomlinson & Imbeau,

2010).

While developing a class, students will ask for help and the teacher is the person who

they are going to request first. Teachers do not have enough time to assist each student. Teachers

could stop doing their activities that requiere their attention and waste time in tasks that someone

else can do. It is necessary to have some strategies to manage students’ assistance. Clear

directions help to understand the activities and they must be comprehensible for everyone.

Developing listening skills will help to save time in repeating instructions. Students must know


when to ask teachers or partners’ help. The amount of time used in each activity must be

controlled. Teachers know that students do not carry out activities and finish at the same time.

So, teachers must look for some strategies to manage time. Anchor activities can be developed to

keep students engaged all the time. These kind of activities can be designed with students help

(Tomlinson & Imbeau, 2010).

Ecuadorian school characteristics

Ecuadorian educational system is passing through many changes that requires a lot of

understanding and commitment from teachers, parents, students, and authorities. Before, our

education was divided in Bilingual and Hispanic education. This meant that people who speak a

native language should study in the bilingual system while students whose first language is

Spanish should attend to Hispanic schools. This has changed since the government is trying to

promote an inclusive education. According to the Ministry of Education, Ecuadorian inclusive

education brings benefits because students are able to accept, tolerate, and respect each other.

Today, these both systems are joined and it is called Intercultural Ecuadorian Law of Education

(LOEI). As a result, everybody who wants to learn has the opportunity to attend to any kind of

school because the curriculum is the same in all the schools. Furthermore, the schools are

divided in private, public, and semi-private. Semi-private institutions are those where students

pay a tuition but the government pays the salary for the teachers. These schools are called

“fiscomisional”.

Some private schools have closed because people are considering public school the best

option to educate their children. There are more students in public schools now. However, the

increasing number of students in public schools has encouraged to authorities, teachers, and

community to do many changes in classrooms and instruction. For instance, teachers can find


students with a high economic status and others who needs economic help in order to continue

with their education. Moreover, teachers can find in their classrooms some students who speak a

native language and struggle with Spanish or have a high level in both languages. There are

classes with fifty or sixty students in the same classroom and other features that reflect on

teachers the necessity of change their instructional approaches.

Ecuadorian educational curriculum is divided in many subjects and one is English. Schools

have to assign five hours each week to teach English. It is mandatory and each school has to

include English in their curriculum. As Ecuadorian education is inclusive, students come to

classes with different English levels and teachers have to deal with this problem.

Morona Santiago is an Amazon province. Migration to other countries like the United States

of America is one of the features of this province. Based on government statistics, in Morona

Santiago sixty-two people of each hundred over four years old are attending to schools In middle

school there are 11.8% of this population. According to the statistics of the Ministry of

Education, in Morona Santiago there are 43.823 students in public schools, while 14.166 attend

fiscomisional schools. In private schools there are 719 students. These data are updated until

2013. However, people are going back to Ecuador from the foreign countries and children have

to attend the region schools. Those students have demonstrated to have some problems in

subjects like math, Science, or History, but they have already mastered some skills of English

language. For this reason, teachers can find in a classroom people who speak only their native

language, only Spanish, a native language and Spanish, and other people who speak English and

Spanish. In all the region schools for example, there are at least 10% of native people who speak

Spanish and a native language. While other schools have 90% of native people and 10% of other

races. The native language is “shuar”. Teachers can also find in some classrooms students who


speak English and Spanish. This issue must be the strongest reason to differentiate English

instruction in a classroom. Students have different English language backgrounds and everybody

needs to reach the English standards. According to one of Ecuadorian In-Service English teacher

standards (2012), teachers have to meet students’ needs in order to reach the standards.

Differentiating instruction in institutions where there is a remarkable difference in language

level could be the best instructional practice. Teaching English in schools like this requires

teachers to keep in mind that even though some students have been in a foreign English country

they do not have developed or improve some language skills. This means that differentiating

instruction in this school requires a deep understanding of each student. Some students that have

not been in another country have already reached a high English level. Furthermore, students

whose first language is “shuar” and their second language is Spanish, are also improving and

some of them have already mastered most skills of the English language. These backgrounds

show that teachers have to be careful when differentiating instruction according English levels to

avoid students become unmotivated. There are not enough data to know how many students

speak a native language, Spanish and a foreign language. However, according to the census

carried out in 2010, Morona Santiago has 48.4 % indigenous or native people, 46.6% of mestizo

and 3.1% are white. It shows that there are more native people than other races and schools in

most of the province have native people, too.

In conclusion, teaching English in a setting described above requires that teachers consider

using differentiated instruction in their classrooms to attend students’ needs. It is not common to

have this setting in other school in Ecuador but in this region due to immigration, there are

especial features in which differentiated instruction could be a good technique to apply.


Standard

Ecuadorian English curriculum is based on the Common European Framework of

References for Languages Standards. Students have to reach those standards at the end of each

level. When students have finished third bachillerato, they must have a level B1. Additionally,

students have to develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing. One of those reading

standards is “students understand and identify longer, more complex informational,

transactional, and expository texts as well as simple procedural and narrative texts (e.g.

recipes, short personal stories, traveling forms). The texts should all contain the highest

frequency vocabulary, including a proportion of shared international vocabulary items”

(Ecuador, Ministerio de Educacion del, 2012, p. 9). Students have to reach this standard to get a

proficiency level A2 at the end of first year of bachillerato. However, the books and materials

provided by the ministry of education for free do not let teachers to develop the necessary

language skills to meet the standards. For instance, there are several investigations that provide

language teachers the path to develop communicative skills by using differentiated instruction

According to Tomlinson (1999), teachers can modify their instruction in content, process,

and products. Content refers to what students are going to learn and what resources they are

going to need. Process are all the strategies that teachers use to help students develop the tasks

using their skills. Finally, product refers to the students’ performance where scholars can

demonstrate what they have learned using different presentations.

Before planning differentiated instruction to develop reading skills, it will be necessary to

know students’ readiness, interest, and learning profiles. Tomlinson (1999) suggested that

teachers can differentiate content, process, and product based on students’ readiness, interest and

learning profile. Teachers can use many strategies to differentiate instruction like multiple


intelligence tests, tiered lessons, group work, and so on. Moreover, Chapman and King (2003)

presented a clear explanation about differentiating reading instruction. According to these

authors differentiated instruction must consider pre-assessment of learner’s knowledge, skills,

and abilities.

Content

Thousand, Villa, and Nevin (2007) stated that “content includes what is to be taught;

what level of understanding, knowledge, and proficiency students are to demonstrate; and what

context, materials, and differentiations are necessary to allow all students a point of entry to

learning” (p. 66). Content is defined by the standards and because of the curricular reforms,

students can reach those standards using different ways. Teachers must help students to reach the

curriculum goals by using the theory of multiple intelligences, taxonomies, graphic organizers,

students’ interest, and so on. Based on this theoretical framework, Ecuadorian English teachers

could reach the reading standard by looking for extra material related to informational,

transactional, and expository texts.

Before selecting texts, teachers could apply different strategies to know students

readiness, learning profiles, and interests. These strategies could help teachers to manage

resources and group students. According to Tomlinson and Santangelo (2012), “readiness is not

synonymous with intellectual ability but rather a construct that encompasses prior learning and

life experiences, attitudes about school, as well as cognitive and metacognitive proficiency” (p.

312). Based on this information, teachers can select the texts according to students’ readiness,

interests, and learning profile. However, the readings that the books contain are about topics in

which students can be interested but are not aligned with the general reading standard. The

standard states that students must understand and identify complex and simple procedural and


narrative texts. It means that teachers have to look for more demanding texts since the books

already contain procedural and narrative texts. Tomlinson and Imbeau (2012) gave some

examples of differentiation based on students’ needs. Some of these examples could be used to

differentiate reading. Teachers can use materials at varied readability levels. Additionally,

teachers can use video or audio notes, varied teaching modes, highlighted texts, or front-loading

vocabulary.

Some strategies to differentiate content can be taken from the questionnaire based on

Tomlinson’s model. Tomlinson and Santangelo (2012) suggested that teachers can differentiate

content by allowing students to select from multiple text options. Teachers can also select

reading in a variety format and at varying levels of complexity. The texts and extra materials

should be according to students’ interest and experiences. Additionally, teachers have to use

strategies like guided reading questions or summaries to support content. Finally, teachers have

to provide an extra feedback for those student with reading difficult and provide advanced

activities for those students who have already exceled the content. After reviewing these

suggestions, the chosen standard can be reached by allowing students to select the reading

according to their preferences and use different texts with the same content and challenge.

Process

Thousand, Villa, and Nevin (2007) presented strategies to differentiate process

Instructional strategies can be used in differentiating reading process. The authors emphasized in

the use of different taxonomies. In fact, Bloom’s taxonomy can be the best way to differentiate

reading. For instance, students can develop the Bloom’s Taxonomy process according to their

reading level. Moreover, Heacox (2012) suggested some verbs that teachers can use according to

Bloom’s Taxonomy. This is going to help students to develop more challenging activities and


thinking process. There are six levels and the author suggests some verbs for each level. For

instance, for the recall level, teachers can use verbs like tell, list, find, or fill in. For the

understand level, teachers can suggest verbs such as paraphrase, discuss, rewrite, explain, or

summarize. Teachers can use: organize, research, construct, interpret, or illustrate for the apply

level. For the analyze level, there are verbs like solve, deduce, categorize, infer, or critique. In

the evaluate level, students can demonstrate the product by using some verbs such as predict,

determine, decide, value, or verify. Finally, in the create level, there are verbs like compose,

design, develop, or create that can be used in reading product.

Tomlinson and Imbeau (2012) suggested tiered activities, expert groups, tasks designed

around intelligence preferences, jigsaw, or independent reading to develop reading proficiency.

Furthermore, Chapman and King (2003) claimed plan assignments as a strategy to differentiate

process. This strategy will allow students to feel engaged. Additionally, teachers can promote

activities that require students to face challenges and choices. In sum, it is necessary to vary

instructional strategies in the reading process.

Learning profiles can be taken into account during the reading process. As an illustration,

teachers can group students based on their learning profiles. According to Tomlinson and

Santangelo (2012), learning profiles mean how “students learn most naturally and efficiently” (p.

313). These learning profiles can be grouping preferences, cognitive styles, and environmental

factors. Moreover, Chapman and King (2003) suggested some models of reading that teachers

can choose those models according to the students’ needs. Guided reading model could be one of

the choices for an English class. This means that students will become independent readers.

Teachers could plan this model by activating prior knowledge, developing vocabulary,


monitoring and teaching students how to be aware of their progress, and modeling specific

reasoning processes.

Product

According to Heacox (2012), Bloom’s Taxonomy and Garner’s multiple intelligences

theory can help teachers and students to differentiate the product. Product is the representation of

what students have learned. Students could be able to demonstrate their ideas or new concepts

with creativity and challenge themselves to improve in each performance. Also, Tomlinson and

Imbeau (2012) gave other activities to differentiate reading products. Students can present final

concepts or ideas by using technology or other formats.

Chapman and King (2003) pointed out that “after the reader completes a reading

experience, he needs various ways to make personal links and connections to the information”

(p. 163). Some of these ways can be summarize big ideas, create an advertisement, banners,

slogans, combine ideas and illustrate them, or create semantic maps. Furthermore, response

journals could be the best way to process information. Also, enjoying genres and formats could

increase students’ reading interests. Teachers can choose genres and formats like advertisements,

book reviews, jokes, legends, rhymes, riddles, comic books, persuasive essays, and some others.

Breaux and Megge (2010) stated that product can be related to assessment because

students are going to demonstrate if they have reached the level in the skills. Based on this,

students can present charts, diagrams, commercials, cartoons, or news article to reach the reading

standards. Moreover, Tomlinson and Santangelo (2012) suggested activities like write a paper,

create a visual, design a web page, or give a presentation.

In my setting, students can develop all the activities that different authors present, but it

depends on the teacher organization. However, there are many resources that have not been


explored yet, that is the case of technology. This can be the first resource to use in order to

present the product of reading. Additionally, Chapman and King (2003) described some

activities to develop at the end of the reading process. Teachers could use them in order to assess

students. One of these activities can be “boxing solution” in which students have to think about

the problem, predict, establish a procedure to solve the problem, and give the solution. Another

activity can be puppets in which students will create a story and present it like a role play.

Learning environment

According to Tomlinson and Imbeau (2012), students “learn best when they feel safe,

respected, involved, and supported” (p. 20). Teachers can apply surveys as a strategy to know

how students feel about different topics of the classroom development. For instance,

communicational journals will allow students to tell teachers in a conversational way things they

would like to change, improve, or problems they have found during the reading process. Flexible

grouping is also necessary to let those students with a basic reading level share with others that

have the same interests. Additionally, teachers have to provide resources and challenging work

to make them feel safe physically and affectively.

Kise (2007) suggested that students should choose their reading materials and the place

where they want to read. It is necessary to have the classroom with a lot of reading materials.

However, in an Ecuadorian classroom will be possible to do this just in the elementary school

since middle school classrooms are organized in a different way and keeping books in each

classroom could be impossible. Additionally, one way of differentiating instruction could be

having an English classroom for the whole school in order to keep all the materials and students

to attend classes there.


Chapman and King (2003) suggested teachers to provide a relaxing reading environment

and promote the process as an exciting happening. Moreover, they suggest teachers to maintain

respect for learners’ differences and motivate students to read. Celebrate reading achievements

can be another way to differentiate the learning environment. Teachers can do this by using some

techniques. For example, read-a-book celebration is a technique in which students can set a spot

on a leopard, place a sticker in a class book, or place a marble in a larger glass jar for each book

or text that students have read. Another technique can be project displays. It means to exhibit

students work in different places like hallways, classrooms, and any place where others can

observe them. Teachers should allow students to take reading risks by finding a safe environment

in which they will feel secure and look for extra help. It is also important to create teams to

develop cooperative learning. These teams can promote reading by using phrases or helping each

other. Furthermore, motivating students to read requires teachers’ effort. They can motivate

readers by presenting readings interesting and memorable. Teachers also have to be dynamic,

consistent, and persistent. They have to modify tasks based on students’ strengths, backgrounds,

and individual needs (Chapman & King, 2003).

Conclusion

Differentiating instruction in a classroom setting as described at the beginning could be

one option to attend students’ needs. There is enough information about this approach that can

help not only English teachers but all teachers interested in changing their instructional

strategies. In my experience, it is common to hear some teachers complain about their classroom

problems and talking about different strategies has not been successful. Based on the theoretical

framework about differentiated instruction, many authors suggest teachers need to keep in mind

the strategies and considerations while using differentiated instruction. Moreover, there are


explanations about how to differentiate process, product, and content. Each step in the lesson can

be planned according to students’ needs and capacities. Also, while developing a lesson plan,

teachers can develop the language skills, too. Everything is related and teachers should consider

that students deserve better opportunities and authentic learning to success in their lives.

However, not all the schools can afford the resources and are limited. Overall, teachers do not

have access to enough information about differentiated instruction. But the most important issue

could be that traditional teaching still remains in the classrooms. Many teachers rely on the same

educational practices that were applied many years ago. They also consider that nothing has to

change and students are just people who need to receive information. Additionally, those kind of

teachers have not improved their knowledge about the new tendencies in education and in some

places in Ecuador, teachers do not know how to work with technology yet. Based on this,

differentiated instruction presents a set of strategies that consider each step in the learning

process and all the available resources. After presenting all of these backgrounds, there are still

many questions to answer. Could teachers apply this regardless their vision of what education is?

How can teachers rely on this technique if there is not any study in Ecuador? In my opinion,

there are a lot to do, but if teachers do not attempt to improve instruction, all the suggestions will

just remind in papers.


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Differentiated Instruction

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