by Deborah Scigliano and

Shellie Hipsky

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Focus on practical ways to spotlight The three rings, or factors, for presenting content,
process, and product in your differentiated classroom
one area at a time so you can include your students’ learning profile, ability, and inter-
ests (see figure 1). Let’s shine the spotlight on each ring
differentiate for students’ interests, separately.

learning profiles, or abilities. Figure 1. Three Rings of Differentiated

Instruction
Circus music blares in the background as the flamboyant
ringleader announces the astounding sights soon to be
seen and heard. The action will take place in three rings.
Everywhere your eyes land will be a new spectacle to be-
hold. The lion’s roar fills the tent with energy and unpre-
dictability. The clowns act out silly scenes that cause the
audience to laugh with glee. The trapeze artists—very sure
of their abilities—swing gracefully back and forth. To the
crowd’s amazement, the tightrope walker dares to balance
overhead, above all the rings.
As your classroom’s ringleader, trying to fulfill the
needs of all of your learners, at times, can seem like a
three-ring circus. Under the big top, amazing sights,
sounds, and activities are everywhere you look. Every Ring One: Learning Profile (Strong Man)
place your eyes land is a new spectacle to behold. There is Appearing in our first ring is the strong man of the circus.
so much to absorb that it can be overwhelming. This is the ring where your students’ individual strengths,
Just as enjoyment comes from the frenetic activity of preferences, and learning styles are highlighted. Assess-
the circus, benefits can stem from differentiating instruc- ing each student’s learning profile will give him or her an
tion for your learners. These benefits include a sense of opportunity to shine. One of the ways to determine your
self-efficacy, increased content understanding, learner students’ strengths is by using Gardner’s (1999) multiple
empowerment, increased academic achievement, and intelligences. These include verbal/linguistic, logical/
inclusion of each child in the learning process (Chapman mathematical, spatial, bodily/kinesthetic, musical, inter-
and King 2005; Lewis and Batts 2005; Tomlinson and Mc- personal, intrapersonal, naturalist, and existential.
Tighe 2006; Anderson and Algozzine 2007; Richards and You can assess your students’ multiple intelligences
Omdal 2007). Of course, you want the best outcomes for using several means. Observation, student interviews, and
your learners. Yet, just as it is difficult to watch three rings multiple intelligence surveys lend themselves well to de-
of a circus all at once, it also can be daunting to differenti- termining learning. One self-assessment survey is located
ate instruction. at www.ldrc.ca/projects/miinventory/mitest.html; and the
If you focus on one ring at a time, though, your Multiple Intelligences Development Assessment Scales
enjoyment and appreciation of your circus experience is (MIDAS™), which is endorsed by Howard Gardner because
enhanced. Similarly, you can develop effective differenti- of its research validity, can be accessed at www.miresearch.
ated instruction experiences by focusing on one ring at a org (Thousand, Villa, and Nevin 2007).
time. Start with what you are comfortable doing, and then
add on from there. After all, you are the ringmaster, and Deborah Scigliano is a visiting Assistant Professor at
you set the stage for your learners. Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. She has 30 years of experi-
ence as an elementary educator and educational consultant,
Three Rings: Differentiated Instruction and has been implementing differentiated instruction in her
You can differentiate the way you present the content, practice throughout her entire career.
process, and product. Content is the subject matter as Shellie Hipsky is an Educational Consultant for the Tri-State
specified by the curriculum. It is the heart of the lesson. Study Council at the University of Pittsburgh and an Assistant
Process is how the student learns or takes in the informa- Professor at Robert Morris University. Her book, titled Differen-
tion. Product is the end result of the lesson, such as a tiated Language Arts and Literacy Strategies, will be released
culminating paper or activity. by Pearson Education in 2010.

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 A learning contract provides activities that are individ- include both the preferred strengths of each of your stu-
ualized based on the students’ learning profile. Learning dents as well as learning opportunities that will strengthen
contracts offer a way to let your students’ strengths, as the student’s other intelligences.
assessed through their learning profiles, take center stage.
You can use multiple intelligences to design contracts that Ring Two: Ability (High-Wire Act)
highlight their preferred intelligences as well as the intel- Your focus is now on ring two, where your students will
ligences they do not use as often (Brualdi 1998). perform—each to his or her ability—learning feats that
Figure 2 is a sample multiple intelligence learning will amaze and astound. You, as the ringmaster, deter-
contract for a literature unit. This contract is designed for mine the height of the wire—that is, the levels of expec-
a student who is strong in verbal-linguistic and interper- tation. When you are differentiating, tiered instruction
sonal intelligences. Specific ways of demonstrating con- gives each student the opportunity to learn at his or her
tent understanding also might be added to the contract ability level. Tomlinson and McTighe (2006, 107) defined
for this student. tiering as “a readiness based instructional approach in
which all students work with the same essential knowl-
Figure 2. Sample edge, understanding, and skill, but at different levels of
Learning Contract difficulty based on their current proficiency with the ideas
and skills.”
One approach to getting the wire to the right height
for your students’ abilities is to follow the taxonomy of
critical thinking skills (Bloom 1956; Anderson and Krath-
wohl 2001). These thinking skills—knowledge, com-
prehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evalu-
My Learning Contract
ation—range from lower level to higher level. All levels
1. Write a poem about the main character
are important to include for each learner (Tomlinson and
in the story. (verbal-linguistic)
McTighe 2006; Thousand et al. 2007). Though you will
2. Keep a journal about your reactions to
focus on providing the most appropriate levels according
the story as you read it.
to your students’ content knowledge needs, it is impor-
(verbal-linguistic)
tant to remember to incorporate some higher levels for
3. Interview three other students to
your learners who are struggling and some lower levels for
find out their reactions to the story.
your learners who need enrichment.
(interpersonal)
For any lesson you want to tier, assessment of each
4. Create a literature circle with other
student’s prior knowledge of the content is an important
students and discuss the story.
first step (Richards and Omdal 2007). One way to do this
(interpersonal)
is to administer a pretest, formally or informally. You can
5. Enact a scene from the story.
pose questions orally to ascertain the content familiarity,
(bodily-kinesthetic)
or you can choose to prepare written items concerning
6. Design a diorama of your favorite part
your specific content that access the level of knowledge
of the story. (visual-spatial)
your students already possess.
Once you have discovered your learners’ prior
knowledge, you can start to set the height of the wires for
This learning contract example provides four activities each group. The students’ level of ability when acquiring
that are geared to the student’s strengths and gives the knowledge of the content determines the height. You
student two opportunities to engage in learning outside can form two, three, or even four groups of students ac-
of his or her preferences. The contract should spell out cording to their familiarity with the content (DelliCarpini
what accommodations the student needs to complete the 2006). You determine how many wires (groups) to have
learning contract—for instance, access to the computer your students use in this ring.
during independent work time—and what is expected Remember to provide a net for your learners as they
to demonstrate mastery of the concept. Once there is walk their high wires. This safety net is the scaffolding that
agreement on it, the contract can be signed by both the you will provide as they practice their new learning. Some
teacher and the student. When using multiple intelli- ways you can scaffold your learners include: (a) modeling
gences as a basis for a learning contract, it is important to the correct task performance; (b) helping your students

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develop a plan to accomplish a task; (c) dividing complex Let’s look at the students who, according to your pre-
tasks into several simpler activities; and (d) giving fre- assessment tool, have a good grasp of the content in your
quent feedback (Ormrod 2007). science lesson on insects. Their menu might look like the
For your students who demonstrate a need for a one in figure 3. The beverages and sandwiches address
more basic understanding of content, give more learning the higher-level thinking skills of analysis, synthesis, and
choices that include the levels of knowledge, comprehen- evaluation. The snacks address the lower-level skills of
sion, and application. Those students who already have knowledge, comprehension, and application.
a good understanding of the content should complete
activities that use higher levels of analysis, synthesis, and Figure 3. Thinking
evaluation. These activities will provide the differentiation Skills Menu
that is most appropriate for their successful learning.
Action verbs correspond with each level of the tax-
onomy classification (Tomei 2001). These verbs (see the
samples in table 1) can be beneficial when charting the
path your high-wire walkers take.
Directions: Please select one beverage, two
Critical Action Verbs
sandwiches, and one snack.
Thinking
Buggy Beverages
Skills
• Compare insects and spiders.
Knowledge arrange, define, list, memorize, • Create a super insect that has never been
relate seen before.
Comprehension classify, explain, locate, report, Crawly Sandwiches
discuss • Defend the benefits of mosquitoes.
Application demonstrate, solve, illustrate, • Distinguish the features of a beetle and a
dramatize, choose butterfly.
Analysis appraise, categorize, examine, • Make an insect collection and identify
distinguish, compare each specimen.
Synthesis collect, develop, create, Creepy Snacks
organize, design • List all of the insects you know.
• Illustrate an insect alphabet book.
Evaluation appraise, defend, select,
support, argue

Table 1. Action Verbs Based on Bloom’s

Including all of the thinking skills for each of your
Taxonomy
students will help their performance in this ring. They will
You can use these verbs to construct meaningful ac- be walking their high wires with grace and ease thanks to
tivities so that your learners may fully engage in learning your carefully selected, well-balanced diet of learning.
the content. Keep in mind that each of these levels should
be available to all of your learners. When using the tax- Ring Three: Interest
onomy to differentiate your learning according to ability, (Parade of Performers)
remember that learners who struggle also need to engage Ring three presents a wide variety of circus performers for
in higher-level thinking skills, and learners who engage in your enjoyment. Your attention may be on the juggler,
enrichment opportunities also need to know and under- the clown, or the horses as they circle the ring. Where
stand the basic content. you focus your attention depends on your interest at that
One way to incorporate the thinking skills into your moment.
tiered lessons is to offer a menu of choices for your learn- This focus of attention applies to your students as
ers. After all, at a circus, food is an important part of the well. This is the ring where they get to decide, depending
experience! Instead of cotton candy and fried food on a on what captures their interests at the time, what they
stick, load the menu with enriched thinking skills that cor- want to do. Providing opportunities to engage in learning
respond with the student’s prior knowledge and include a that interests your students will motivate them to learn
side order of a new proficiency. (Tomlinson and McTighe 2006).

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 One of the first steps is to give your students an WebQuests are inquiry-based learning activities that
interest inventory. You can design one yourself or provide organization for students who are exploring
search for a prepared inventory. A prepared interest the Internet. They provide an interesting research task,
inventory can be found below the reference section at structured environment, specific steps, and directions for
www.isec2005.org.uk/isec/abstracts/papers_r/ritter_s. completing the task, along with a list of appropriate Web
shtml (Ritter and Morris 2005). Once you know your sites and instructions for compiling data for the research
students’ interests, you can provide them with a vari- project (Skylar, Higgins, and Boone 2007). When creating
ety of learning choices. a lesson that requires students to research on the Internet,
Tic-tac-toe boards with various choices inside this technique can guide them toward appropriate Web
each box are one way to give your students learning sites in their interest areas.
activities that interest them (Tomlinson and McTighe Tapping into your students’ interests will allow them
2006). Figure 4 shows a board that might be used in a range of motivational learning. One day, the choice may
a social studies unit on colonial life. be to play lion-tamer; the next day, it might be the sword-
swallower. Each day brings new and engaging learning in
Figure 4. Colonial Times Tic-Tac-Toe Board this ring.

Make a Report on Write a news Let the Circus Begin!

diorama. colonial broadcast on Shine your spotlight on one ring at a time. By choosing to
apparel. life in the start with one ring, the circus won’t seem so overwhelm-
colonies. ing to you. You will feel confident in your ability to differ-
entiate instruction for your learners. Your learners also will
Create a Free-Choice Learn a dance gain confidence as they learn according to their learning
“Come to the Activity from this time profiles, abilities, and interests.
Colonies” period. Before you know it, your three-ring circus of differen-
vacation tiated instruction will be featuring acts in all three rings
brochure. at the same time. You will enthusiastically cry, “Ladies
and gentleman, step right up to the greatest learning on
Dress in Cook a dish Sketch a earth—our differentiated classroom!”
colonial that was colonial home.
costume and popular dur- References
Anderson, K. M., and B. Algozzine, eds. 2007. Tips for teaching: Differentiating
talk about ing colonial instruction to include all students. Preventing School Failure 51(3): 49–54.
Anderson, L. W., and D. R. Krathwohl, eds. 2001. A taxonomy for learning, teaching,
your life. times. and assessing: A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. New York:
Longman.
Bloom, B. S. 1956. Taxonomy of educational objectives, Handbook 1: Cognitive domain.
New York: Longman.
Brualdi, A. 1998. Gardner’s theory. Teacher Librarian 26(2): 26–28.
Providing a choice of activities also allows you to dif- Chapman, C., and R. King. 2005. 11 practical ways to guide teachers toward differen-
tiation (and an evaluation tool). Journal of Staff Development 26(4): 20–25.
ferentiate instruction for your gifted learners. One useful DelliCarpini, M. 2006. Scaffolding and differentiating instruction in mixed ability ESL
classes using a round robin activity. The Internet TESL Journal XII(3). Available at:
technique advocated for advanced students is curriculum http://iteslj.org/Techniques/DelliCarpini-RoundRobin.html.
Gardner, H. 1999. Intelligence reframed: Multiple intelligences for the 21st century. New
compacting (Reis 2007). You identify and eliminate con- York: Basic Books.
Gatewood, K. 2008. Podcasting: Just the basics. Kappa Delta Pi Record 44(2): 90–93.
tent already mastered by gifted students and then pro- Lewis, S. G., and K. Batts. 2005. How to implement differentiated instruction? Adjust,
vide learning experiences that challenge and enrich them. adjust, adjust. Journal of Staff Development 26(4): 26–31.
Ormrod, J. E. 2007. Human learning, 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Offering a choice of enriching opportunities promotes the Patten, K. B., and D. V. Craig. 2007. iPods and English-language learners: A great
combination. Teacher Librarian 34(5): 40–44.
interest and engagement of your gifted learners. Reis, S. M. 2007. No child left bored. School Administrator 64(2): 22.
Richards, M. R. E., and S. N. Omdal. 2007. Effects of tiered instruction on academic
Podcasting is another way to capture your students’ performance in a secondary science course. Journal of Advanced Academics 18(3):
424–53.
interests. Teachers are now creating their own podcasts Ritter, S. A., and S. Morris. 2005. Meeting the needs of diverse learners in the general
education class. Paper presented at the Inclusive and Supportive Education
for their students to use (Patten and Craig 2007). This is a Congress International Special Education Conference, August 1–4, Glasgow,
Scotland. Available at: www.isec2005.org.uk/isec/abstracts/papers_r/ritter_s.shtml.
great way to tailor learning to your students’ interests and Skylar, A. A., K. Higgins, and R. Boone. 2007. Strategies for adapting WebQuests for
incorporate technology into the learning. Podcasts also students with learning disabilities. Intervention in School Clinic 43(1): 20–28.
Thousand, J. S., R. A. Villa, and A. I. Nevin. 2007. Differentiating instruction: Collabora-
have been found to be an empowering method for engag- tive planning and teaching for universally designed learning. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Corwin.
ing English Language Learners (Patten and Craig). You can Tomei, L. 2001. Teaching digitally: A guide for integrating technology into the classroom
curriculum. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon Publishers.
have your students create their own podcasts, giving them Tomlinson, C. A., and J. McTighe. 2006. Integrating differentiated instruction and
understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and
another means to express themselves (Gatewood 2008). Curriculum.

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