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Just as everyone has a unique fingerprint, every student has an individual learning style. Chances are, not all of your students grasp a subject in the same way or share the same level of ability. So how can you better deliver your lessons to reach everyone in class? Consider differentiated instruction—a method you may have heard about but haven’t explored, which is why you’re here. In this article, learn exactly what it means, how it works, and the pros and cons.

Definition of differentiated instruction

Carol Ann Tomlinson is a leader in the area of differentiated learning and professor of educational leadership, foundations, and policy at the University of Virginia. Tomlinson describes differentiated instruction as factoring students’ individual learning styles and levels of readiness first before designing a lesson plan. Research on the effectiveness of differentiation shows this method benefits a wide range of students, from those with learning disabilities to those who are considered high ability.

Differentiating instruction may mean teaching the same material to all students using a variety of instructional strategies, or it may require the teacher to deliver lessons at varying levels of difficulty based on the ability of each student.

Teachers who practice differentiation in the classroom may:

• Design lessons based on students’ learning styles.
• Group students by shared interest, topic, or ability for assignments.
• Assess students’ learning using formative assessment.
• Manage the classroom to create a safe and supportive environment.
• Continually assess and adjust lesson content to meet students’ needs.

History of differentiated instruction

The roots of differentiated instruction go all the way back to the days of the one-room schoolhouse, where one teacher had students of all ages in one classroom. As the educational system transitioned to grading schools, it was assumed that children of the same age learned similarly. However in 1912, achievement tests were introduced, and the scores revealed the gaps in student’s abilities within grade levels.

In 1975, Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), ensuring that children with disabilities had equal access to public education. To reach this student population, many educators used differentiated instruction strategies. Then came the passage of No Child Left Behind in 2000, which further encouraged differentiated and skill-based instruction—and that’s because it works. Research by educator Leslie Owen Wilson supports differentiating instruction within the classroom, finding that lecture is the least effective instructional strategy, with only 5 to 10 percent retention after 24 hours. Engaging in a discussion, practicing after exposure to content, and teaching others are much more effective ways to ensure learning retention.

Four ways to differentiate instruction

According to Tomlinson, teachers can differentiate instruction through four ways: 1) content, 2) process, 3) product, and 4) learning environment.

As you already know, fundamental lesson content should cover the standards of learning set by the school district or state educational standards. But some students in your class may be completely unfamiliar with the concepts in a lesson, some students may have partial mastery, and some students may already be familiar with the content before the lesson begins.

What you could do is differentiate the content by designing activities for groups of students that cover various levels of  Bloom’s Taxonomy (a classification of levels of intellectual behavior going from lower-order thinking skills to higher-order thinking skills). The six levels are: remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating.

Students who are unfamiliar with a lesson could be required to complete tasks on the lower levels: remembering and understanding. Students with some mastery could be asked to apply and analyze the content, and students who have high levels of mastery could be asked to complete tasks in the areas of evaluating and creating.

Examples of differentiating activities:

• Match vocabulary words to definitions.
• Read a passage of text and answer related questions.
• Think of a situation that happened to a character in the story and a different outcome.
• Differentiate fact from opinion in the story.
• Identify an author’s position and provide evidence to support this viewpoint.
• Create a PowerPoint presentation summarizing the lesson.

Each student has a preferred learning style, and successful differentiation includes delivering the material to each style: visual, auditory and kinesthetic, and through words. This process-related method also addresses the fact that not all students require the same amount of support from the teacher, and students could choose to work in pairs, small groups, or individually. And while some students may benefit from one-on-one interaction with you or the classroom aide, others may be able to progress by themselves. Teachers can enhance student learning by offering support based on individual needs.

Examples of differentiating the process:

• Provide textbooks for visual and word learners.
• Allow auditory learners to listen to audio books.
• Give kinesthetic learners the opportunity to complete an interactive assignment online.

The product is what the student creates at the end of the lesson to demonstrate the mastery of the content. This can be in the form of tests, projects, reports, or other activities. You could assign students to complete activities that show mastery of an educational concept in a way the student prefers, based on learning style.

Examples of differentiating the end product:

• Read and write learners write a book report.
• Visual learners create a graphic organizer of the story.
• Auditory learners give an oral report.
• Kinesthetic learners build a diorama illustrating the story.

4. Learning environment

The conditions for optimal learning include both physical and psychological elements. A flexible classroom layout is key, incorporating various types of furniture and arrangements to support both individual and group work. Psychologically speaking, teachers should use classroom management techniques that support a safe and supportive learning environment.

Examples of differentiating the environment:

• Break some students into reading groups to discuss the assignment.
• Allow students to read individually if preferred.
• Create quiet spaces where there are no distractions.

Pros and cons of differentiated instruction

The benefits of differentiation in the classroom are often accompanied by the drawback of an ever-increasing workload. Here are a few factors to keep in mind:

• Research shows differentiated instruction is effective for high-ability students as well as students with mild to severe disabilities.
• When students are given more options on how they can learn material, they take on more responsibility for their own learning.
• Students appear to be more engaged in learning, and there are reportedly fewer discipline problems in classrooms where teachers provide differentiated lessons.
• Differentiated instruction requires more work during lesson planning, and many teachers struggle to find the extra time in their schedule.
• The learning curve can be steep and some schools lack professional development resources.
• Critics argue there isn’t enough research to support the benefits of differentiated instruction outweighing the added prep time.

Differentiated instruction strategies

What differentiated instructional strategies can you use in your classroom? There are a set of methods that can be tailored and used across the different subjects. According to Kathy Perez (2019) and the Access Center those strategies are tiered assignments, choice boards, compacting, interest centers/groups, flexible grouping, and learning contracts. Tiered assignments are designed to teach the same skill but have the students create a different product to display their knowledge based on their comprehension skills. Choice boards allow students to choose what activity they would like to work on for a skill that the teacher chooses. On the board are usually options for the different learning styles; kinesthetic, visual, auditory, and tactile. Compacting allows the teacher to help students reach the next level in their learning when they have already mastered what is being taught to the class. To compact the teacher assesses the student’s level of knowledge, creates a plan for what they need to learn, excuses them from studying what they already know, and creates free time for them to practice an accelerated skill.

Interest centers or groups are a way to provide autonomy in student learning. Flexible grouping allows the groups to be more fluid based on the activity or topic.  Finally, learning contracts are made between a student and teacher, laying out the teacher’s expectations for the necessary skills to be demonstrated and the assignments required components with the student putting down the methods they would like to use to complete the assignment. These contracts can allow students to use their preferred learning style, work at an ideal pace and encourages independence and planning skills. The following are strategies for some of the core subject based on these methods.

Differentiated instruction strategies for math

• Provide students with a choice board. They could have the options to learn about probability by playing a game with a peer, watching a video, reading the textbook, or working out problems on a worksheet.
• Teach mini lessons to individuals or groups of students who didn’t grasp the concept you were teaching during the large group lesson. This also lends time for compacting activities for those who have mastered the subject.
• Use manipulatives, especially with students that have more difficulty grasping a concept.
• Have students that have already mastered the subject matter create notes for students that are still learning.
• For students that have mastered the lesson being taught, require them to give in-depth, step-by-step explanation of their solution process, while not being rigid about the process with students who are still learning the basics of a concept if they arrive at the correct answer.

Differentiated instruction strategies for science

• Emma McCrea (2019) suggests setting up “Help Stations,” where peers assist each other. Those that have more knowledge of the subject will be able to teach those that are struggling as an extension activity and those that are struggling will receive.
• Set up a “question and answer” session during which learners can ask the teacher or their peers questions, in order to fill in knowledge gaps before attempting the experiment.
• Create a visual word wall. Use pictures and corresponding labels to help students remember terms.
• Set up interest centers. When learning about dinosaurs you might have an “excavation” center, a reading center, a dinosaur art project that focuses on their anatomy, and a video center.
• Provide content learning in various formats such as showing a video about dinosaurs, handing out a worksheet with pictures of dinosaurs and labels, and providing a fill-in-the-blank work sheet with interesting dinosaur facts.

Differentiated instruction strategies for ELL

• ASCD (2012) writes that all teachers need to become language teachers so that the content they are teaching the classroom can be conveyed to the students whose first language is not English.
• Start by providing the information in the language that the student speaks then pairing it with a limited amount of the corresponding vocabulary in English.
•  Although ELL need a limited amount of new vocabulary to memorize, they need to be exposed to as much of the English language as possible. This means that when teaching, the teacher needs to focus on verbs and adjectives related to the topic as well.
• Group work is important. This way they are exposed to more of the language. They should, however, be grouped with other ELL if possible as well as given tasks within the group that are within their reach such as drawing or researching.

Differentiated instruction strategies for reading

• Tiered assignments can be used in reading to allow the students to show what they have learned at a level that suites them. One student might create a visual story board while another student might write a book report. 
• Reading groups can pick a book based on interest or be assigned based on reading level
• Erin Lynch (2020) suggest that teachers scaffold instruction by giving clear explicit explanations with visuals. Verbally and visually explain the topic. Use anchor charts, drawings, diagrams, and reference guides to foster a clearer understanding. If applicable, provide a video clip for students to watch.
• Utilize flexible grouping. Students might be in one group for phonics based on their assessed level but choose to be in another group for reading because they are more interested in that book.

Differentiated instruction strategies for writing

• Hold writing conferences with your students either individually or in small groups. Talk with them throughout the writing process starting with their topic and moving through grammar, composition, and editing.
• Allow students to choose their writing topics. When the topic is of interest, they will likely put more effort into the assignment and therefore learn more.
• Keep track of and assess student’s writing progress continually throughout the year. You can do this using a journal or a checklist. This will allow you to give individualized instruction.
• Hand out graphic organizers to help students outline their writing. Try fill-in-the-blank notes that guide the students through each step of the writing process for those who need additional assistance.
• For primary grades give out lined paper instead of a journal. You can also give out differing amounts of lines based on ability level. For those who are excelling at writing give them more lines or pages to encourage them to write more. For those that are still in the beginning stages of writing, give them less lines so that they do not feel overwhelmed.

Differentiated instruction strategies for special education

• Use a multi-sensory approach. Get all five senses involved in your lessons, including taste and smell!
• Use flexible grouping to create partnerships and teach students how to work collaboratively on tasks. Create partnerships where the students are of equal ability, partnerships where once the student will be challenged by their partner and another time they will be pushing and challenging their partner.
• Assistive technology is often an important component of differential instruction in special education. Provide the students that need them with screen readers, personal tablets for communication, and voice recognition software.
• The article Differentiation & LR Information for SAS Teachers suggests teachers be flexible when giving assessments “Posters, models, performances, and drawings can show what they have learned in a way that reflects their personal strengths”. You can test for knowledge using rubrics instead of multiple-choice questions, or even build a portfolio of student work. You could also have them answer questions orally.
• Utilize explicit modeling. Whether its notetaking, problem solving in math, or making a sandwich in home living, special needs students often require a step-by-step guide to make connections.

References and resources

• https://www.thoughtco.com/differentiation-instruction-in-special-education-3111026
• https://sites.google.com/site/lrtsas/differentiation/differentiation-techniques-for-special-education
• https://www.solutiontree.com/blog/differentiated-reading-instruction/
• https://www.readingrockets.org/article/differentiated-instruction-reading
• https://www.sadlier.com/school/ela-blog/13-ideas-for-differentiated-reading-instruction-in-the-elementary-classroom
• https://inservice.ascd.org/seven-strategies-for-differentiating-instruction-for-english-learners/
• https://www.cambridge.org/us/education/blog/2019/11/13/three-approaches-differentiation-primary-science/
• https://www.brevardschools.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=6174&dataid=8255&FileName=Differentiated_Instruction_in_Secondary_Mathematics.pdf

Books & Videos about differentiated instruction by Carol Ann Tomlinson and others

• The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners, 2nd Edition
• Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom – Carol Ann Tomlinson and Marcia B. Imbeau
• The Differentiated School: Making Revolutionary Changes in Teaching and Learning – Carol Ann Tomlinson, Kay Brimijoin, and Lane Narvaez
• Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design: Connecting Content and Kids – Carol Ann Tomlinson and Jay McTighe
• Differentiation in Practice Grades K-5: A Resource Guide for Differentiating Curriculum – Carol Ann Tomlinson and Caroline Cunningham Eidson
• Differentiation in Practice Grades 5–9: A Resource Guide for Differentiating Curriculum – Carol Ann Tomlinson and Caroline Cunningham Eidson
• Differentiation in Practice Grades 9–12: A Resource Guide for Differentiating Curriculum – Carol Ann Tomlinson and Cindy A. Strickland
• Fulfilling the Promise of the Differentiated Classroom: Strategies and Tools for Responsive Teaching – Carol Ann Tomlinson
• Leadership for Differentiating Schools and Classrooms – Carol Ann Tomlinson and Susan Demirsky Allan
• How to Differentiate Instruction in Academically Diverse Classrooms, 3rd Edition by Carol Ann Tomlinson
• Assessment and Student Success in a Differentiated Classroom by Carol Ann Tomlinson and Tonya R. Moon
• How To Differentiate Instruction In Mixed Ability Classrooms 2nd Edition – Carol Ann Tomlinson
• How to Differentiate Instruction in Academically Diverse Classrooms 3rd Edition by Carol Ann Tomlinson 
• Assessment and Student Success in a Differentiated Classroom Paperback – Carol Ann Tomlinson, Tonya R. Moon
• Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom (Professional Development) 1st Edition – Carol Ann Tomlinson, Marcia B. Imbeau
• The Differentiated School: Making Revolutionary Changes in Teaching and Learning 1st Edition by Carol Ann Tomlinson, Kay Brimijoin, Lane Narvaez
• Differentiation and the Brain: How Neuroscience Supports the Learner-Friendly Classroom  – David A. Sousa, Carol Ann Tomlinson
• Leading for Differentiation: Growing Teachers Who Grow Kids – Carol Ann Tomlinson, Michael Murphy
• An Educator’s Guide to Differentiating Instruction. 10th Edition – Carol Ann Tomlinson, James M. Cooper
• A Differentiated Approach to the Common Core: How do I help a broad range of learners succeed with a challenging curriculum? – Carol Ann Tomlinson, Marcia B. Imbeau
• Managing a Differentiated Classroom: A Practical Guide – Carol Tomlinson, Marcia Imbeau
• Differentiating Instruction for Mixed-Ability Classrooms: An ASCD Professional Inquiry Kit Pck Edition – Carol Ann Tomlinson
• Using Differentiated Classroom Assessment to Enhance Student Learning (Student Assessment for Educators) 1st Edition – Tonya R. Moon, Catherine M. Brighton, Carol A. Tomlinson
• The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners 1st Edition – Carol Ann Tomlinson

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• Five Skills Online Teachers Need for Classroom Instruction
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Categorized as: Tips for Teachers and Classroom Resources

Tagged as: Curriculum and Instruction ,  Diversity ,  Engaging Activities ,  New Teacher ,  Pros and Cons

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Differentiated Instruction

Differentiated instruction involves teaching in a way that meets the different needs and interests of students using varied course content, activities, and assessments.

Teaching differently to different students

Differentiated Instruction (DI) is fundamentally the attempt to teach differently to different students, rather than maintain a one-size-fits-all approach to instruction. Other frameworks, such as Universal Design for Learning , enjoin instructors to give students broad choice and agency to meet their diverse needs and interests. DI distinctively emphasizes instructional methods to promote learning for students entering a course with different readiness for, interest in, and ways of engaging with course learning based on their prior learning experiences ( Dosch and Zidon 2014). 

Successful implementation of DI requires ongoing training, assessment, and monitoring (van Geel et al. 2019) and has been shown to be effective in meeting students’ different needs, readiness levels, and interests (Turner et al. 2017). Below, you can find six categories of DI instructional practices that span course design and live teaching.

While some of the strategies are best used together, not all of them are meant to be used at once, as the flexibility inherent to these approaches means that some of them are diverging when used in combination (e.g., constructing homogenous student groups necessitates giving different types of activities and assessments; constructing heterogeneous student groups may pair well with peer tutoring) (Pozas et al. 2020). The learning environment the instructor creates with students has also been shown to be an important part of successful DI implementation (Shareefa et al. 2019). 

Differentiated Assessment

Differentiated assessment is an aspect of Differentiated Instruction that focuses on tailoring the ways in which students can demonstrate their progress to their varied strengths and ways of learning. Instead of testing recall of low-level information, instructors should focus on the use of knowledge and complex reasoning. Differentiation should inform not only the design of instructors’ assessments, but also how they interpret the results and use them to inform their DI practices. 

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Steps to consider

There are generally considered to be six categories of useful differentiated instruction and assessment practices (Pozas & Schneider 2019):

• Making assignments that have tasks and materials that are qualitatively and/or quantitatively varied (according to “challenge level, complexity, outcome, process, product, and/or resources”) (IP Module 2: Integrating Peer-to-Peer Learning) It’s helpful to assess student readiness and interest by collecting data at the beginning of the course, as well as to conduct periodic check-ins throughout the course (Moallemi 2023 & Pham 2011)
• Making student working groups that are intentionally chosen (that are either homogeneous or heterogeneous based on “performance, readiness, interests, etc.”) (IP Module 2: Integrating Peer-to-Peer Learning) Examples of how to make different student groups provided by Stanford CTL  (Google Doc)
• Making tutoring systems within the working group where students teach each other (IP Module 2: Integrating Peer-to-Peer Learning) For examples of how to support peer instruction, and the benefits of doing so, see for example Tullis & Goldstone 2020 and Peer Instruction for Active Learning (LSA Technology Services, University of Michigan)
• Making non-verbal learning aids that are staggered to provide support to students in helping them get to the next step in the learning process (only the minimal amount of information that is needed to help them get there is provided, and this step is repeated each time it’s needed) (IP Module 4: Making Success Accessible) Non-verbal cue cards support students’ self-regulation, as they can monitor and control their progress as they work (Pozas & Schneider 2019)
• Making instructional practices that ensure all students meet at least the minimum standards and that more advanced students meet higher standards , which involves monitoring students’ learning process carefully (IP Module 4: Making Success Accessible; IP Module 5: Giving Inclusive Assessments) This type of approach to student assessment can be related to specifications grading, where students determine the grade they want and complete the modules that correspond to that grade, offering additional motivation to and reduced stress for students and additional flexibility and time-saving practices to instructors (Hall 2018)
• Making options that support student autonomy in being responsible for their learning process and choosing material to work on (e.g., students can choose tasks, project-based learning, portfolios, and/or station work, etc.) (IP Module 4: Making Success Accessible) This option, as well as the others, fits within a general Universal Design Learning framework , which is designed to improve learning for everyone using scientific insights about human learning

Hall, M (2018). “ What is Specifications Grading and Why Should You Consider Using It? ” The Innovator Instructor blog, John Hopkins University Center for Teaching Excellence and Innovation.

Moallemi, R. (2023). “ The Relationship between Differentiated Instruction and Learner Levels of Engagement at University .” Journal of Research in Integrated Teaching and Learning (ahead of print).

Pham, H. (2011). “ Differentiated Instruction and the Need to Integrate Teaching and Practice .” Journal of College Teaching and Learning , 9(1), 13-20.

Pozas, M. & Schneider, C. (2019). " Shedding light into the convoluted terrain of differentiated instruction (DI): Proposal of a taxonomy of differentiated instruction in the heterogeneous classroom ." Open Education Studies , 1, 73–90.

Pozas, M., Letzel, V. and Schneider, C. (2020). " Teachers and differentiated instruction: exploring differentiation practices to address student diversity ." Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs , 20: 217-230.

Shareefa, M. et al. (2019). “ Differentiated Instruction: Definition and Challenging Factors Perceived by Teachers .” Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Special Education (ICSE 2019). 

Tullis, J.G. & Goldstone, R.L. (2020). “ Why does peer instruction benefit student learning? ”, Cognitive Research 5 .

Turner, W.D., Solis, O.J., and Kincade, D.H. (2017). “ Differentiating Instruction for Large Classes in Higher Education ”, International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education , 29(3), 490-500.

van Geel, M., Keuning, T., Frèrejean, J., Dolmans, D., van Merriënboer, J., & Visscher A.J. (2019). “Capturing the complexity of differentiated instruction”, School Effectiveness and School Improvement , 30:1, 51-67, DOI: 10.1080/09243453.2018.1539013

How Differentiated Instruction Can Help You Reach Every Student in Class

• July 24, 2020

It may seem like common sense that students perform better in class when they receive support that meets their needs. Research around differentiated instruction confirms this is true. If you can adapt your instruction to reflect your students’ needs and learning preferences, you can make class time more effective and help students become more engaged.

What is Differentiated Instruction?

The idea behind differentiated learning theory is to make sure your curriculum reflects the diverse needs of your students.[9] Each student enters the classroom with unique experiences, preferences, and conditions that affect how they learn. Differentiated instruction provides students with different resources or options for understanding and mastering a concept, depending on their unique needs.[4] This can help move your classroom from heterogenous instruction toward individualized learning. [4,6]

Differentiated instruction doesn’t necessarily involve giving every student separate assignments—though you may adapt or modify assignments as specific needs arise. It’s more about providing students, individually or in a group, with different learning options or providing accommodations to help them learn more effectively.[11]

Sounds familiar? Differentiated instruction is often compared to the learning styles theory , which posits that all students respond best to one of four learning methods. While research into learning styles is mixed, there are clear and measurable benefits to adapting your teaching methods to your students’ needs.

Benefits of Differentiated Learning for Students

In a survey from the International Journal of Education, 97% of teachers reported never or seldom using a flexible curriculum for their students.[2] So why should you consider bringing differentiated learning into your classroom? The research is clear: students, especially those with diverse learning needs, learn more effectively when teachers respond to their needs.

A study published by Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences found that students’ learning outcomes significantly improve when teachers use differentiated content that responds to a student’s learning preferences.[5] Students are also more likely to focus and be engaged in the learning process when teachers differentiate their instructional strategies.[1,6] As you provide opportunities for students to explore content based on their strengths, they’re more likely to flourish in your class.

Differentiated instruction strategies are especially important for students with physical or learning disabilities.[4] These students often have strengths and weaknesses that are different from other students who don’t have the same disability. By differentiating your instruction, you can adapt lessons or assignments for these students to better accommodate their needs.[4]

How to Differentiate Instruction in Your Classroom

Now that we’ve gone over why differentiated learning matters in the classroom, let’s go over instructional strategies. Some teachers may feel discouraged because differentiated instruction can sound like an increased workload.[2] But differentiated instruction can make your teaching strategies more effective over time, which can help you make the most of both your students’ time and your own.

According to educational researcher and differentiated instruction expert Carol Ann Tomlinson, there are four key ways to differentiate classroom instruction:[8]

• Content : How the student will access the information
• Process : The method of the activities students use to understand the information
• Product : Projects or homework that ask the student to practice or apply the information
• Learning environment : The space where the student is learning the information

If a student might work more efficiently in a quieter learning environment, for example, you could allow them to complete a project in the school library. Or if you think a student would respond to a more visual approach with vocabulary words, you could adjust the content to include images with each word or adjust the product by assigning them to draw a picture that represents the words.

Additionally, don’t get overwhelmed by feeling that you have to make all of your assignments unique for each student. Some students may have specific needs that require you to adjust your assignments or teaching strategy. But in many cases, you can practice differentiated learning by either breaking students with similar needs into groups or offering all students several options for completing an assignment.[10]

Overall, the best way to practice differentiated instruction is by getting to know your students. As you work with them over the school year, you’ll be able to better understand their needs and what types of assignments they respond to.[9] And just as important, you’ll be able to help them recognize their own strengths and learning preferences—which can help them seek out the right learning strategies through their academic career.

Waterford’s Adaptive Curriculum Offers Differentiated Instruction

Waterford ensures that students learn to read through thousands of games, songs, and activities. Our programs assign these lessons based on a student’s placement assessment and their demonstrated mastery. That way, the focus is always on the skills where they need the most practice.

And for older students, you can adjust our book-based study guides to offer personalized lessons on books you’re reading as a class. Students can also select independent reading books from our online library. When students choose what to read based on their personal interests, it encourages focus and engagement.

To learn more , get in touch! We’d love to discuss how our PreK–6 reading programs can revolutionize the way you support your students as they move from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.”

• Morgan, H. Maximizing Student Success with Differentiated Learning. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues, and Ideas, 2014, 87(1), pp. 34-38.
• Jager, T. Guidelines to assist the implementation of differentiated learning activities in South African secondary schools. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 2013, 17(1), pp. 80-94.
• Mentis, M. Different Technologies for Differentiated Education: Social Networks, Identity and Diversity in e-Learning. International Journal of Diversity in Organizations: Annual Review, November 2007, 7(3), pp. 85-93.
• Landrum, T.J., and McDuffie, K.A. Learning Styles in the Age of Differentiated Instruction. Exceptionality: A Special Education Journal, 2010, 18(1), pp. 6-17.
• Tulbure, C. Do different learning styles require differentiated teaching strategies? Retrieved from sciencedirect.com: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042811000541
• Subban, P. Differentiated Instruction: A Research Basis. International Education Journal, 2006, 7(7), pp. 935-947.
• Tomlinson, C.A. Mapping a Route Toward Differentiated Instruction. Educational Leadership, September 1999, 57(1), pp. 12-16.
• Weselby, C. What is Differentiated Instruction? Examples of How to Differentiate Instruction in the Classroom. Retrieved from resilienteducator.com: https://resilienteducator.com/classroom-resources/examples-of-differentiated-instruction/.
• NYUSteinhardt Staff. Culturally Responsive Differentiated Instructional Strategies. Retrieved from nyu.edu: https://research.steinhardt.nyu.edu/scmsAdmin/uploads/005/120/Culturally%20Responsive%20Differientiated%20Instruction.pdf.
• Tomlinson, C.A. Differentiation of Instruction in the Elementary Grades. Retrieved from ericdigests.org: https://www.ericdigests.org/2001-2/elementary.html.
• Tucker, G.C. Differentiated Instruction: What You Need to Know. Retrieved from understood.org: https://www.understood.org/en/learning-thinking-differences/treatments-approaches/educational-strategies/differentiated-instruction-what-you-need-to-know.

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50 Differentiated Instruction Strategies and Examples for K-12 Classrooms

Personalize the content, process, product, or learning environment.

As a teacher, you already know that every student in your classroom is different. They have their own personalities, their own likes and dislikes, and their own ways of learning best. That’s why differentiated instruction strategies are so important. They give every kid a chance to succeed by adapting the learning to fit their needs. Add these examples of differentiated instruction strategies to your teacher toolkit so you can pull them out and use them as needed.

What is differentiated instruction?

Differentiated instruction (DI) means tailoring your teaching so all students, regardless of their ability, can learn the classroom material. During the 1990s,  Carol Ann Tomlinson  introduced the concept of differentiation, and it quickly gained traction. She identified four elements (content, process, product, and learning environment) that teachers could customize in their classrooms. Her work opened the door to a wide array of differentiation approaches and techniques.

So, what does this mean for teachers? Are you expected to create an individualized lesson plan for every student in your classroom? Fortunately, that’s not necessary. What you do need to do is ensure your lesson plans include a variety of activities, and provide options when students need them. Tomlinson recommends teachers consider how they can customize their teaching in four different areas: content, process, product, and learning environment. The differentiated instruction strategies and examples below all fit into one or more of these categories.

Learn much more about the details of this concept here: What Is Differentiated Instruction?

General Differentiated Instruction Strategies

You can use these DI strategies in almost any classroom or learning environment. For each, we’ve indicated which differentiated instruction areas apply (content, process, product, or learning environment).

Stoplight system

An important part of using differentiated instruction strategies is knowing when they’re needed in the first place. Try an easy way to check for understanding by giving students a nonverbal way to show where they are. Green means they’re good to go, yellow means they’re struggling, and red means they’re stuck entirely. Try this with sticky notes, folded desk tents, colored cups, and more. (DI Area: Process)

Learn more: Stoplight System at the Ardent Teacher

Pre-teaching

Getting ready to tackle a really tough topic? Try pre-teaching a smaller group of students first. This gives you a chance to try out your lesson plan, plus it creates a built-in group of “experts” to help you out when the whole class is learning. Use this strategy regularly, but switch up the student experts. Teaching others helps kids learn too. (DI Area: Process)

Learn more: Pre-Teaching at 3-Star Learning Experiences

Cooperative learning structures

Cooperative learning describes a strategy where students work together in small groups under supervision to accomplish a goal. These groups are carefully constructed based on student needs, abilities, and learning styles. It means knowing your students well, but once you do, you can put these groups together quickly depending on your current activity. (DI Area: Process)

Learn more: Top 10 Cooperative Learning Structures at Continually Learning

Projects with choices

When you offer choices, students feel more comfortable with the assignment. Plus, they often get a sense of ownership—being allowed to pick and choose encourages kids to take responsibility for their choices. To make this work, determine what goals all students need to achieve. Then, let them come up with ways to demonstrate those goals, or give them a few options that appeal to different types of learners. (DI Area: Product)

Learn more: How I Use Choice Boards To Increase Student Engagement at We Are Teachers

Self-paced learning

One of the best things technology has given us is a better ability to use self-paced learning in and out of the classroom. When you use computer programs and games, kids can advance at the pace that makes sense to them. Of course, you’ll need to ensure students stay on task when they’re working independently. Also, remember that a computer program may only have the ability to explain things one way, so be ready to step in and give kids information in other ways when needed. (DI Area: Product)

Learn more: How To Create a Self-Paced Classroom at Cult of Pedagogy

Color coding

One of the best differentiated instruction strategies is color coding. It can work in all sorts of classroom applications, including organization and routines. But you can apply it to learning strategies too. Color helps kids see things more clearly, especially when the subject is complex. (DI Area: Process)

Learn more: Color-Coding in the Classroom

Small groups

Elementary teachers have been using small reading groups as a differentiated instruction strategy for years. Really, they work in any subject, offering teachers a chance to get more face time with their students. You can group students by skill level, but that’s not necessarily the best way to help learners. Consider grouping by learning styles instead, so you can tailor a lesson’s delivery specifically for those styles. (DI Area: Learning Environment)

Learn more: Small Group Instruction Strategies and Tips for Success

Student-led lessons

Assign students a topic or let them pick their own, then ask them each to become an expert and plan a lesson to share with the class. This goes beyond just giving a presentation. Encourage them to think of creative ways to share the information, planning interactive activities they themselves would like to do in the classroom. You’re bound to get a lot of new teaching strategies yourself! (DI Area: Process)

Learn more: Student-Led Lessons Rather Than Student Presentations at Faculty Focus

Question wait time

This one is all about teacher patience. When you ask your class a question, don’t immediately call on the first person to raise their hand. Instead, wait a few more seconds, and call on someone whose hand came up a little later. This allows slower, more thorough thinkers a chance to get their ideas heard too. (DI Area: Process)

Learn more: Wait Time: Making Space for Authentic Learning at Kent State University

Classroom environment

When you’re reading a book, what’s your favorite position? Curled up on the couch with a pillow under your head? Stretched out on your stomach on your bed? Sitting upright at a table with a cup of tea? Can you handle background noise like music, or do you prefer it to be completely silent? Your students’ choices would be just as varied as your own. Whenever you can, allow them to sit, stand, or even stretch out. Help them control distractions with noise-cancelling headphones, or let them listen to music with earbuds if it helps them concentrate. (DI Area: Learning Environment)

Learn more: 8 Types of Learning Spaces to Include in Your Classroom

Anchor charts

Good news! Those anchor charts hanging all over your walls are a popular differentiation strategy. They help visual learners succeed, giving them strong images to relate to key skills and topics. You don’t need to be an artist to make great charts, but the more color, the better. (DI Area: Process)

Learn more: Anchor Charts 101

Co-teaching

Just as students have different learning styles, teachers have different instructional styles as well. Use this to your advantage! You don’t necessarily need to co-teach full-time. Work as a team with your fellow teachers to learn what their styles are like, and consider switching things up from time to time by trading duties for certain lessons or subjects. (DI Area: Process)

Learn more: 8 Things Successful Co-Teachers Do

Peer buddy program

Pairing students of varying levels as buddies benefits all kids. Some schools pair those with disabilities with a buddy to help them as needed. Others pair older students with younger ones. Whatever you choose, plan your program carefully and monitor pairings to ensure they’re working out. (DI Areas: Process, Learning Environment)

Learn more: A Win/Win for All Students: Expert Q&A on Peer Buddy Programs at Brookes Blog

Must-dos and may-dos

Not all students need extra time; in fact, some finish everything up too quickly! That’s where the ability to provide enrichment activities comes in handy. For any lesson, be prepared with “must-do” and “may-do” activities. This helps kids prioritize the most important items and gives fast finishers meaningful work to do too. (DI Areas: Content, Process)

Learn more: The Case for Must-Dos and May-Dos

Multiple intelligences

You don’t necessarily need to create multiple activities to cater to your students’ multiple intelligences. For example, if you’re reviewing a timeline of the American Civil War for an upcoming test, give each student an index card with a major event (e.g., Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, etc.), and while playing Civil War–era music, ask students to line up in front of the class to put the events in order. This single activity activates brain stimulation for six different learning styles:

• Visual-spatial learners use a mental image of the lineup as a mnemonic device.
• Kinesthetic learners get to move around and create a life-size timeline.
• Interpersonal learners communicate with one another to decide where to stand in line.
• Musical-rhythm learners benefit from the background music.
• Logical-mathematical learners thrive on creating a chronological line.
• Verbal-linguistic learners review notes and their textbooks during the activity.

Learn more: Understanding Multiple Intelligences for the Classroom at ASCD

Reading is a key skill, no doubt about it. But when a student struggles with it, it can often affect their learning in other areas too. Unless reading itself is key to the topic you’re presenting, consider letting students listen to an audiobook instead. This lets them focus on the content, rather than just the words and sentences. (DI Area: Process)

Learn more: 10 Places Kids Can Listen to Free Audiobooks

Pre-assessments

Before you present a new topic, take a few minutes to find out what kids already know. Their responses might change how you decide to teach, especially if you find they’re lacking in prerequisite knowledge or already understand the new subject pretty well. Tip: Save time by checking out Kahoot! for pre-made quizzes on your topic. (DI Areas: Process, Product)

Learn more: 6 Benefits of Pre-Assessment at Minds in Bloom

Alternative assessments

Written tests aren’t the only way to check for learning, as teachers well know. Alternative assessments provide ways to differentiate in your classroom by giving students multiple ways to show what they know. For students who struggle with writing, consider a discussion instead (unless you’re specifically working on writing skills). Instead of a traditional book report, have students turn the story into their own graphic novel. Find ways to help students shine! (DI Areas: Process, Content)

Learn more: 25 Alternative Assessment Ideas

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

UDL offers educators a way to reduce the need for differentiation strategies and scaffolding, by building curriculum and lessons that include multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression. Look for learning materials that use UDL to use in your classroom, or take the time to design your own lessons using the UDL principles. (DI Area: Multiple)

Learn more: What Is UDL and How Do Teachers Make It Work in the Classroom?

Accommodations

An outside-of-the-box way to find more differentiated instruction strategies is to explore lists of the classroom accommodations used to created IEPs and 504 plans. These include terrific ways to differentiate, even when students don’t have specific written plans. You don’t need to be diagnosed with dyscalculia to benefit from using graph paper to line up your math problems. Typing is easier than handwriting for lots of people. Reviewing an example list can spark ideas for all of your students. (DI Area: Multiple)

Learn more: 80+ IEP Accommodations Every Teacher Should Bookmark

English Language Arts Differentiated Instruction Examples

• Leveled Reading Materials: Leveled books have been around for a long time, but today teachers can also use leveled reading sites like Newsela . (DI Area: Content)
• High-Low Books: High-interest, low-readability level books keep readers engrossed page after page, without leaving them feeling frustrated or bored. Find a list of our favorites here. (DI Area: Content)
• Literacy Centers: Center work allows kids to go at their own pace and work privately, without feeling the need to keep up with others. Explore our big list of literacy center ideas here. (DI Areas: Process, Learning Environment)
• Varied Spelling/Vocabulary Lists: Offer shorter or longer lists depending on aptitude, using more-advanced words to challenge kids who excel in this area. (DI Area: Content)
• Book Report Options: Give students a variety of ways to report back on the book they’ve read, including written papers, presentations, posters, skits, and more. Find 40+ book report ideas here. (DI Area: Process)
• Writing Tools: If handwriting is a challenge, explore options like special pencil grips or try one of these easy hacks . When handwriting isn’t the learning goal, offer kids options like oral responses or typing instead. (DI Areas: Process, Product)
• Reading Spaces: Provide spaces in your classroom where students can get comfortable while they read. Vary the lighting, seating, and noise levels to create areas for different styles. See some of our favorite reading nooks here. (DI Area: Learning Environment)
• Diverse Materials: Ensure your reading choices include diverse and multicultural characters, settings, and authors . (DI Area: Content)
• Flexible Groups: Instead of leaving students in the same-leveled reading groups at all times, mix up your groupings by interest, readiness, or learning styles. (DI Area: Learning Environment)
• Writing Conferences: Meet with students individually to identify strengths and challenges. Or try peer writing groups that partner stronger writers with those who need more help. (DI Areas: Process, Learning Environment)

Math Differentiated Instruction Examples

• Manipulatives: These aren’t just for little kids! Make math manipulatives available to older students too, to help those who benefit from kinesthetic learning. (DI Area: Process)
• Evens or Odds: When giving homework assignments or practice worksheets, give students who need extra time the option to complete only the even or odd questions. This gives them effective practice but keeps them motivated. (DI Areas: Content, Process)
• Math Centers: Just like literacy centers, math centers let kids choose their pace and learning process. Try these 10 activities for secondary math centers. (DI Areas: Learning Environment, Process)
• Small Groups: After teaching a concept, put kids in small groups to tackle practice problems together. Many times, students will show each other new ways of learning that teachers might not think of. (DI Areas: Learning Environment, Process)
• Open-Ended Questions: Students think of math as having one cut-and-dried answer, but you can encourage more creative thinking with broader questions. Learn more from My Teaching Cupboard. (DI Areas: Process, Product)
• Math Books: We’re not talking about textbooks. Use storybooks with a math theme to engage reluctant learners. (DI Area: Process)
• Assessment Options: Give students different ways to demonstrate their knowledge, whether it’s answering flash cards out loud, writing an explanation of their solution methods, or drawing pictures to explain their thinking. (DI Areas: Product, Process)
• Real-Life Math: Whenever possible, use real examples to show kids why math matters. Money activities can be especially effective in engaging students. (DI Area: Process)
• Active Math Games: Many students learn best when their bodies are involved. Use active math games to engage students on a variety of levels. (DI Area: Process)
• Pre-Teach Vocabulary: This may be especially important for ESL speakers. Ensure they know specialized terms (e.g., shape names) before tackling math concepts. (DI Area: Process)

Science and Social Studies Differentiated Instruction Examples

• Graphic Organizers: This note-taking method encourages students to organize information visually. Kids might draw pictures or diagrams instead of writing words—whatever works for them. Learn about graphic organizers here. (DI Area: Process)
• Audiobooks and Videos: Reading is an important skill, but it can hold students back in other subjects. Give kids the option to use audiobooks or videos that cover the same content. This is also helpful for different learning styles. (DI Area: Process)
• Project Choices: Let students choose from different options to demonstrate their knowledge on a subject. They might write a paper, perform a skit, create a picture book, draw a poster, give a presentation, or more. (DI Area: Product, Process)
• Diverse Materials: Use videos with diverse presenters, read books or articles by diverse authors, and explore stories of many cultures. (DI Areas: Learning Environment, Content)
• Pre-Teach Vocabulary and Concepts: Just as in math, it’s important to ensure all students are on the same basic page before you begin instruction. Pre-assessments can help you learn which vocabulary terms or foundational concepts some (or all) students need reinforced. (DI Area: Process)

Examples of Special Education Differentiated Instruction Strategies

Note: Special education students usually have Individualized Education Plans (IEP) , with a variety of required accommodations and modifications. Always be sure to follow a student’s IEP requirements and recommendations. Learn more about special education here.

• Time or Workload Modifications: Reduce the amount of work expected from a student, or increase the amount of time they have to complete it. The use of “evens and odds” for math worksheets is a good example of differentiated instruction for special ed students. (DI Areas: Product, Assessment)
• Scaffolding: Provide support for students by breaking down learning into manageable chunks. Find multiple ways to scaffold instruction here. (DI Area: Process)
• Tailored Learning Spaces: Some students need complete silence while they learn; others prefer background noise. Headphones can be a solution for both. Explore small environmental changes you can make to differentiate learning for all students. (DI Area: Learning Environment)
• Routines: Special education students often benefit from established routines. Keep their learning schedule the same each day, and use proven instruction methods that they know and are comfortable with. (DI Area: Process)
• Peer or Teacher Assistance: When possible, extra attention from a teacher, teacher’s aide, or peer can provide the support special ed students need. They might read questions aloud for students to respond to, explain things in a new way, or help them stay on task as they work. (DI Area: Process)

Resources for Differentiated Instruction Strategies

• Carol Anne Tomlinson: What Is Differentiated Instruction? (Video)
• Differentiating Instruction: It’s Not As Hard As You Think (Video)
• Differentiated for Student Learning (Video Series)
• How To Differentiate Instruction in Academically Diverse Classrooms (Tomlinson, 2017)
• Differentiation and the Brain: How Neuroscience Supports the Learner-Friendly Classroom (Sousa/Tomlinson, 2018)
• How To Plan Differentiated Reading Instruction: Resources for Grades K-3 (Walpole/McKenna, 2017)
• Differentiation in the Elementary Grades (Doubet/Hocket, 2017)
• Differentiation in Middle and High School (Doubet/Hocket, 2015)

What are your go-to differentiated instruction strategies? Come share your ideas and ask for advice in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, read what is scaffolding in education.

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Differentiated Instruction: Strategies and Examples for the Classroom

In today’s increasingly diverse classrooms, differentiated instruction has become a crucial component for ensuring all students receive the support and opportunities they need to succeed.

This article will provide K-12 educators, school administrators, and educational organizations with a comprehensive understanding of differentiated instruction strategies, their importance, and practical examples that can be easily applied in various classroom settings.

As we delve into the key principles, strategies, and real-life applications of differentiated instruction, you will gain valuable insights and tools to create a more inclusive and effective learning environment for every student.

Understanding Differentiated Instruction

Differentiated instruction is an educational approach that focuses on adapting teaching methods and materials to accommodate the diverse learning needs of students in a classroom.

The primary goal of differentiated instruction is to ensure that every student has an equal opportunity to learn, engage, and succeed, regardless of their abilities, background, or learning style.

This teaching philosophy recognizes that students come from various backgrounds and have unique strengths, weaknesses, and preferences, making it essential for educators to cater to their individual needs.

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Key Principles of Differentiated Instruction

This approach encourages active engagement and ownership of learning, helping students build on their existing knowledge and skills.

Flexible grouping is another fundamental principle of differentiated instruction. By organizing students into various groups based on skill level, learning style, or interest, educators can provide targeted instruction and support.

This allows for a dynamic learning environment where students can collaborate and learn from one another, fostering a sense of community and shared responsibility in the classroom.

Differentiated Instruction Strategies

Differentiated instruction strategies can be categorized into three main areas: content, process, and product. These strategies help educators create a more inclusive and effective learning environment for all students.

Content differentiation focuses on the material being taught and how it is presented to students. Tiered assignments, for example, allow teachers to provide different levels of complexity within the same assignment, ensuring that each student is challenged according to their ability.

Learning centers are another content differentiation strategy, where educators create stations with activities tailored to various learning styles and abilities, enabling students to work at their own pace.

Process differentiation addresses how students engage with and make sense of the content. Flexible grouping is a key strategy in process differentiation, where educators form groups based on students’ readiness, interests, and learning profiles. This allows for more targeted instruction and collaboration among students with similar needs.

Differentiated questioning techniques are another process differentiation strategy, where teachers pose questions at varied levels of complexity to assess and challenge each student appropriately.

Product differentiation involves giving students choices in how they demonstrate their understanding of the content. Product options can range from alternative assignments and activities to different assessment types.

For example, students may be asked to write an essay or create a podcast as part of their final project.

Rubrics and assessment tools can also be used to differentiate products, providing clear expectations and criteria for success while accommodating diverse learning needs and abilities.

Real-Life Examples of Differentiated Instruction in Action

In an elementary school setting, differentiated instruction can be effectively implemented through reading workshops and math centers.

Reading workshops allow students to engage with texts at their individual reading levels while participating in guided reading sessions, independent reading, and comprehension activities. This approach not only fosters a love for reading but also addresses the varying abilities of students in the class.

Math centers provide opportunities for students to practice and apply mathematical concepts through hands-on activities, games, and problem-solving tasks, tailored to their individual skill levels.

At the middle school level, differentiated instruction strategies can be applied in a science lab setting or during a social studies project.

In the science lab , students can be grouped based on their prior knowledge and skills, allowing them to conduct experiments and analyze results at a pace and complexity suited to their abilities. This ensures that all students are challenged and engaged while also providing opportunities for peer learning and collaboration.

In social studies projects, students can be given a choice of topics or formats, allowing them to explore an area of interest and demonstrate their learning in a way that best suits their strengths and preferences.

Integrating Technology in Differentiated Instruction

As technology continues to advance, educators can leverage various tools and resources to support differentiated instruction in their classrooms.

Online resources and digital tools play a significant role in facilitating differentiation by providing students with personalized learning experiences and helping teachers manage diverse learning needs effectively.

There is an abundance of online resources designed to help teachers differentiate instruction. Websites and platforms like Khan Academy, Edmodo, and Google Classroom offer customizable learning materials, including videos, texts, quizzes, and interactive activities, which can be tailored to individual student’s needs and interests.

These resources enable teachers to provide targeted support and enrichment opportunities, ensuring every student receives an appropriate level of challenge and support.

In addition to online resources, classroom technologies can be utilized to promote differentiation. Interactive whiteboards, tablets, and document cameras enable teachers to present information in various formats, accommodating students’ diverse learning styles.

For example, visual learners may benefit from watching videos or interactive presentations, while auditory learners may prefer listening to podcasts or recorded lectures.

Moreover, adaptive learning platforms can be employed to track student progress and provide real-time feedback, allowing teachers to make data-driven decisions when adjusting instruction for different learners.

These platforms help identify areas of strength and areas that require extra support, ensuring all students are on the right path to achieving their academic goals.

Tips for Implementing Differentiated Instruction in the Classroom

Teachers can use surveys, interviews, and observations to gather information about their student’s learning preferences, strengths, and challenges. This information can also help in establishing a positive learning environment where every student feels valued and supported.

Planning and organizing for differentiation is another essential step in creating an inclusive and effective learning environment. Educators can start by reviewing their curriculum and identifying areas where differentiated strategies can be applied.

This may involve modifying lesson plans, creating tiered assignments, or incorporating learning centers.

Educators should plan for ongoing assessment and feedback to evaluate student understanding. This can be done through formative assessments such as observation notes or quick checks.

Strobel Education’s Role in Supporting Differentiated Instruction

Strobel Education is dedicated to empowering educators with the tools and strategies necessary to implement differentiated instruction effectively in their classrooms.

These programs provide educators with an in-depth understanding of differentiated instruction principles and practical applications, such as how to adjust lesson plans for learners at various readiness levels or incorporate technology into the classroom.

In addition to our professional development programs, Strobel Education also provides numerous resources and tools that educators can use to enhance their differentiated instruction strategies.

Differentiated instruction is an invaluable approach to teaching that ensures equitable access and opportunities for all students. At Strobel Education, we understand the importance of differentiated instruction and are committed to supporting educators in their journey to create more inclusive classrooms.

At Strobel Education , we understand the power and importance of differentiated instruction. It is essential for achieving success in our professional and personal lives. We offer the Engaging the 21st Century Learner professional development training in two formats.

• Our Engaging the 21st Century Learner through Differentiated Instruction On-site PD is great for learning how to provide differentiated instruction and gain strategies for engaging today’s learners.
• The Engaging the 21st Century Learner Online Course delivers the same information but in a self-paced course, which offers teachers more flexibility. Teachers also get access to the course for nine months should they wish to implement it in small doses.

We get high-quality professional development into teachers’ hands so they have everything they need for immediate implementation and support. Our professional development workshops, courses, keynotes, and coaching services provide practical tools, resources, and mindset shifts that will help you enhance your classroom instruction strategies. Join our community of passionate educators today and let us help you transform your teaching practice to better serve your students. Together, we can make a lasting impact on student success.

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Differentiated Instruction: Strategies and Examples for the Classroom Individual Pay via PO

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• How Differentiated Instruction Strategies Impact…

How Differentiated Instruction Strategies Impact Classroom Learning

Classroom teaching traditionally has used one method of learning for all students in a classroom. While this way of teaching is efficient and can be effective, it does not benefit those students who may have a different learning style. Differentiated instruction enables teachers to accommodate the various learning needs of a group and provide individualized instruction.

About Differentiated Instruction

In differentiated instruction, teachers understand the different needs of students, such as by evaluating rate of learning, language proficiency, literacy and more. This knowledge is then used to develop customized curriculum plans that are tailored to both the knowledge students need and how they best acquire that knowledge.

Differentiated Instruction Strategies in the Classroom

While differentiated instruction can help students succeed, teachers must discern how to differentiate curriculum and learning activities without widening the achievement gap between students. Here are some differentiated instruction strategies that can help teachers effectively implement this model of learning.

On-the-spot-support

Teachers can provide one-on-one assistance to students during lessons so that they are able to complete the same learning activities and keep up with their peers, says Peter Westwood, author of What Teachers Need to Know About Differentiated Instruction .

Offer options

Another helpful strategy, shared by Edutopia , is to create folders with graphic organizers, visual aids and sentence starters so that teachers can easily tailor the learning experience to students. This is also a good diagnostic tactic, as teachers will be able to see whether the student completes a modified assignment with ease or continues to struggle.

Learning centers

According to TeachHub , learning centers provide students with ways to learn or practice skills on their own. They are stations that contain mini lessons or activities designed to be flexible and address the needs of diverse learners. Teachers can create learning centers at various skill levels and complexity, presenting the same information in a variety of different ways. Students engage with the material in a way that aligns with their proficiency.

Independent study

This strategy is ideal for students who have mastered content and are ready for more challenging work. Teachers can help them choose topics they are interested in and complete assignments designed just for them. Independent study is beneficial because it allows the student to learn at a faster pace and build self-confidence.

Tiered assignments

Teachers can also utilize tiered assignments, which are tasks that relate to each other but vary in difficulty. Depending on the skill level and readiness of students, they learn the same material as the rest of the class in a more accessible way. This could involve shorter texts, more group discussion or incorporating drawing versus writing. Tiered assignments can be designed for individuals or small groups.

Adjusted questions

This is a simple, straightforward way for teachers to differentiate. When asking questions during class discussion, teachers can adjust based on the students’ ability level. TeachHub recommends using Bloom’s Taxonomy to develop questions from more basic queries to advanced.

Differentiated rubrics

Teachers can also differentiate the rubrics used to evaluate student performance. Because modern classrooms include students with diverse learning needs and skill levels, different benchmarks are required. According to TeachingChannel , teachers can identify which rubric elements certain students should focus on, then divide them into groups to work on those areas together.

While the strategies above can help successfully implement differentiated instruction, there are other considerations, according to Scholastic .

• Ongoing, formative assessment: Teachers can evaluate students’ strengths and areas for improvement throughout the school year to help them progress.
• Recognition of diverse learners: When educators can identify students with diverse learning styles and expertise in reading, writing, problem-solving and other key competencies, they can better meet student needs.
• Group work: Assigning collaborative learning projects allows students to observe and learn from one another.
• Problem-solving: Focusing on concepts and “big ideas” as the central part of lessons enables students to explore topics in their own way, rather than focusing on memorization or learning by rote, which may be more difficult for some.
• Choice: Teachers in differentiated classrooms can give students a choice of what to read or write about. This helps to motivate students and appeal to their interests.

Teacher Education at King University

As inclusive education grows, so too does the need for effective differentiated instruction strategies in the classroom. Differentiated instruction, while an important tactic for student success, requires some education and expertise to do well. King University’s online Master of Education in Teacher Leaders degree program features coursework that focuses on inclusion and diversity in the classroom, as well as curriculum theory and instructional design. Graduates are better prepared to implement contemporary approaches to education, such as differentiation, and can help share this knowledge with others in their schools. Designed for teachers who are ready to become leaders and mentors, this program offers the advanced education required to become subject matter experts in the classroom and beyond. You can learn more about King University’s online teacher education program here .

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Differentiated Instruction Strategies: Tiered Assignments

Janelle cox.

• September 23, 2014

Many teachers use differentiated instruction strategies  as a way to reach all learners and accommodate each student’s learning style. One very helpful tactic to employ differentiated instruction is called tiered assignments—a technique often used within flexible groups.

Much like flexible grouping—or differentiated instruction as a whole, really—tiered assignments do not lock students into ability boxes. Instead, particular student clusters are assigned specific tasks within each group according to their readiness and comprehension without making them feel completely compartmentalized away from peers at different achievement levels.

There are six main ways to structure tiered assignments: challenge level, complexity, outcome, process, product, or resources. It is your job, based upon the specific learning tasks you’re focused on, to determine the best approach. Here we will take a brief look at these techniques.

Ways to Structure Tiered Assignments

Challenge level.

Tiering can be based on challenge level where student groups will tackle different assignments. Teachers can use Bloom’s Taxonomy as a guide to help them develop tasks of structure or questions at various levels. For example:

• Group 1:  Students who need content reinforcement or practice will complete one activity that helps  build  understanding.
• Group 2:  Students who have a firm understanding will complete another activity that  extends  what they already know.

When you tier assignments by complexity, you are addressing the needs of students who are at different levels using the same assignment. The trick here is to vary the focus of the assignment based upon whether each group is ready for more advanced work or simply trying to wrap their head around the concept for the first time. You can direct your students to create a poster on a specific issue—recycling and environmental care, for instance—but one group will focus on a singular perspective, while the other will consider several points of view and present an argument for or against each angle.

Tiering assignments by differentiated outcome is vaguely similar to complexity—all of your students will use the same materials, but depending on their readiness levels will actually have a different outcome. It may sound strange at first, but this strategy is quite beneficial to help advanced students work on more progressive applications of their student learning.

This differentiated instruction strategy is exactly what it sounds like—student groups will use different processes to achieve similar outcomes based upon readiness.

Tiered assignments can also be differentiated based on product. Teachers can use the Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences to form groups that will hone particular skills for particular learning styles . For example, one group would be bodily/kinesthetic, and their task is to create and act out a skit. Another group would be visual/spatial, and their task would be to illustrate.

Tiering resources means that you are matching project materials to student groups based on readiness or instructional need. One flexible group may use a magazine while another may use a traditional textbook. As a tip, you should assign resources based on knowledge and readiness, but also consider the group’s reading level and comprehension.

How to Make Tiering Invisible to Students

From time to time, students may question why they are working on different assignments, using varied materials, or coming to dissimilar outcomes altogether. This could be a blow to your classroom morale if you’re not tactful in making your tiers invisible.

Make it a point to tell students that each group is using different materials or completing different activities so they can share what they learned with the class. Be neutral when grouping students, use numbers or colors for group names, and be equally enthusiastic while explaining assignments to each cluster.

Also, it’s important to make each tiered assignment equally interesting, engaging, and fair in terms of student expectations. The more flexible groups and materials you use, the more students will accept that this is the norm.

Tiering assignments is a fair way to differentiate learning. It allows teachers to meet the needs of all students while using varying levels of tasks. It’s a concept that can be infused into homework assignments, small groups, or even learning centers. If done properly, it can be a very effective method to differentiate learning because it challenges all students.

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{{item.title}}, my essentials, ask for help, contact edconnect, directory a to z, how to guides, teacher standards and accreditation, strategies for differentiation.

There are critical considerations to reflect on before implementing differentiation strategies - to aspects of content, process and product - in direct response to a student’s readiness, interests and learning profile.

Bringing it all together

Critical considerations.

Before introducing strategies for differentiation, it is important to note 3 interrelated considerations for teachers who wish to differentiate instruction.

1. Differentiation that is founded in ineffective classroom practice cannot succeed.

Trivial and fluffy curriculum remains trivial and fluffy, even after differentiation. Varied versions of an ill-focussed product are no more helpful. A pernicious classroom environment cannot invite learners to be comfortable with themselves and one another. A teacher who does not see assessment as a continual window into the needs of his/her students has little sound footing from which to differentiate instruction. A teacher who cannot learn to trust and share responsibility with his/her students, would, at best have students seated in rows and completing varied worksheets silently and alone.

2. Differentiation is more than a strategy or series of strategies – it's a way of thinking about teaching and learning.

…..teacher growth in differentiation is not so much about introducing tiered lessons, independent study alternative forms of assessment – or even moving to multi-text adoption. Practising quality differentiation is much more about knowing what matters to teach, realising that learning happens in us rather than to us, continually reflecting on the ‘particularness’ of each of our students, and pondering how to develop both the commonalities students share as humans and the singularities students bring to us as individuals. If we as teachers understand the nature of our art more fully and deeply, more differentiation would likely evolve from that understanding. Learning some new ‘tricks’ with little sense of why they matter is less helpful.

3. Movement towards differentiation in teaching is movement towards expertise.

Regarding differentiation, teachers can say, “I already do that”. Most teachers at some times and in some ways obviously adapt or adjust for students’ learning needs. The truly expert teacher understands, however, that even after a dozen careers in the classroom he/she could still learn more about his/her subject and his/her learners and how to link each learner and subject with power and joy. … expert teachers teach students the most important things in the most effective ways.

(Tomlinson & Allan 2000)

What and how to differentiate

Effective differentiation takes place when teachers adjust aspects of content, process and product in direct response to a student’s readiness, interests and learning profile. Teachers may also modify the learning environment in direct response to a student’s learning profile.

‘What’ and ‘how’ teachers differentiate depends on the needs of the students in the class at any one time.

The following diagram illustrates the connections between classroom elements and student characteristics and the multiple opportunities teachers have for differentiation. It shows that teachers can adjust classroom elements - content, process and product - in direct response to a student’s readiness, interests and learning profile. Teachers can also modify the learning environment in direct response to a student’s learning profile.

Tiered instruction

Tiered instruction is when teachers make slight adjustments within the same lesson to meet the needs of students.

All students learn the same fundamental skills and concepts but through varying modes and activities.

The tiers need to challenge students appropriately at their ability levels. The teacher’s challenge is to make sure all tasks, regardless of tier level, are interesting, engaging, and challenging.

Activities and assignments can be adjusted by:

• level of complexity
• amount of structure
• materials provided
• time allowed
• pacing of the assignment
• number of steps required for completion
• form of expression, for example letter, essay, report, research paper, short story, speech
• level of independence required.

The 6 ways to tier a lesson

• tier by challenge level - Bloom’s Taxonomy
• tier by complexity - when you tier by complexity, you address the needs of students at introductory levels as well as the needs of students who are ready for more advanced work
• tier by resources - when you choose materials at various reading levels and complexity of content, you are tiering assignments by resources
• tier by outcomes - students use the same materials but the end products vary
• tier by process - the end products are the same but the ways students arrive at those outcomes may vary
• tier by product - group by multiple intelligences or learning styles followed by assignments that fit those preference.

1. Tiering by challenge level

Use Bloom’s taxonomy as a useful guide to develop tasks at various challenge levels.

An example is activities for book talk presentations:

• list story elements (knowledge)
• book summary (comprehension)
• support a conclusion about a character with evidence from the book (application).
• discuss the theme or author’s purpose for writing the book (analysis)
• create a new ending for the story (synthesis)
• critique the author’s writing and support your opinion (evaluation).

2. Tiering by complexity

When you tier by complexity, you provide varied tasks that address a student’s level of readiness, from introductory levels to more abstract, less concrete, advanced work.

Be careful to provide advanced work to the higher level student, rather than just more work. An example is after whole group class reading of a current events issue in a magazine such as global warming, students complete a related activity differentiated by complexity.

• Tier one: Students are asked to write a public service announcement using jingles, slogans or art to convey why global warming is a problem and what people can do to prevent it.
• Tier two: Students conduct a survey of peer awareness and understanding of global warming. They design a limited number of questions and decide how to report their results such as with charts or in a newscast.
• Tier three: Students debate the issue about the seriousness of global warming with each side expressing a different viewpoint. They must provide credible evidence to support their opinions and arguments.

3. Tiering by resources

Use materials at various reading levels and complexity to tier by resources. Students using tiered resources may be engaged in the same activity or they may be working on a different, but related activity.

4. Tiering by outcome

Students all use the same materials but what they do with the materials is different. An example is pattern block maths:

• Tier one: Identify all the ways you can group your pattern blocks.
• Tier two: Identify all the different patterns you can make with your pattern blocks.
• Tier three: Create a bar graph to show all the different kinds of pattern blocks in your bag.

5. Tiering by process

Students work on the same outcomes but use a different process to get there. An example is: What are the characteristics of a hero?

• Tier one: Make a chart of specific heroes and what they did to make them become a hero.
• Tier two: Choose two or three heroes and compare them in a Venn diagram.
• Tier three: List personal characteristics exhibited by heroes and rank them from most to least important.

6. Tiering by product

Groups are formed based on learning preference using Gardner’s multiple intelligences. For example: For a unit on the solar system - the study of rotation and revolution of the earth.

• Tier one: Create a flipbook, diagram, or model showing the rotation of the earth around the sun (visual-spatial).
• Tier two: Position and move three people to demonstrate the concept of the revolution and rotation of the earth with respect to the moon and sun (bodily-kinaesthetic).
• Tier three: Make a timeline of a year detailing the position of Queensland with respect to the sun (logical-mathematical).

How to create a 3-level tier

• Identify key concepts, skills and essential understandings that you want all students to achieve. These elements become the basis for your ‘on-level’ tasks.
• Identify how you will cluster groups/activities. Although you can create multiple levels of tiers (2-6), keep the number of levels consistent with your group of students. For example, don’t make 3 tiers if there are only 2 groups of students exist in your classroom (those working at the appropriate level and those students who require extra support).
• Select elements to tier (see ‘Six ways to tier a lesson’ above).
• Create your ‘on-level’ tier (tier one).
• Design a similar task for learners who require extra support. The task should make adjustments based on student readiness (tier two).
• If needed, develop a third, more advanced activity for learners who have already mastered the basic standard or competency being addressed. Make sure the task actually requires higher-level thinking than the ‘on-level’ tasks. The advanced tier shouldn’t just be more of the same thing (tier three).

As you construct the tiers make sure that in order for students to accomplish a higher level, they must also have an understanding of the lower levels.

Compacting is the process of eliminating teaching or student practice if students have already mastered a concept or skill. For example, a year 3 class is learning to identify the parts of fractions, and diagnostics indicate that 2 students already know the parts of fractions. These students are excused from completing the identifying activities and are taught to add and subtract fractions.

Steps for compacting

• identifying the learning objectives or standards that all students must learn
• offering a pre-test opportunity or planning an alternate path through the content for those students who can learn the required material in less time than their age peers
• planning and offering meaningful curriculum extensions for students who qualify
• eliminating all drill, practice, review or preparation for students who have already mastered such things
• keeping accurate records of students’ compacting activities.

A layered curriculum

The layered curriculum approach features a 3 layer model (like a pyramid) where students start with basic learning and skills (layer C) and move to use higher-level thinking skills (layer B and then layer A) as they work through the layers. Developed by educator and author Kathie Nunley (2006) the approach came as a response to her classroom experiences with high school students.

Layer C - the foundational level

The base level of competency, layer C, is basic learning and skills. This layer reflects what every student must be able to know, understand, and do. At this level, students gather information and add it to their bank of knowledge.

Layer C reflects what all students must do and the activities ask students to collect factual information.

Layer B - the middle level

The middle level of competency, layer B, is application. This is where students apply and manipulate the information.

Layer B provides students with the opportunity to apply, manipulate and play with the information they gathered while completing C layer activities. Typically, this layer requires students to apply, manipulate, discover, hypothesise and prove, demonstrate or problem solve.

Layer A - the top level

The top-level of competency, layer A is critical thinking. This is where students evaluate and think critically about an issue. Nunley says the purpose of layer A is to teach students critical thinking skills and to apply their classroom learning into their daily lives. Layer A consists of questions that ask students to analyse a topic. Frequently, no right or wrong answer exists.

Nunley emphasizes that all layers should provide students with some control over their learning. She suggests a menu-like approach to the tasks in each layer. The approach allows students to pick and choose from the available options provided by the teacher.

A menu offers students a way to make decisions about what they will do in order to meet class requirements. A menu could be for a single lesson, a week-long lesson or even a month-long period of study. Once the teacher has decided on what the essential understandings and/or skills are, they can begin to create a menu.

Steps for creating menus

• Identify the most important elements of a lesson or unit.
• Create an imperative or required assignment or project that reflects the minimum understanding you expect all students to achieve.
• Create negotiables which expand upon the ‘main dish’ or imperative assignment or project. These negotiables often require students to go beyond the basic levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. For example, they often include activities that require synthesis, analysis or evaluation.
• Create a final optional section that offers students the opportunity for enrichment. The optional section often reflects activities that students can use for extra credit.

Wormeli (2006) suggests placing the menu options in a restaurant menu style (see below) that could include an ‘appetisers’, a ‘main dish’, ‘side dishes’, and even ‘desserts’. He suggests the following format.

• a list of assignments or projects
• students select one item to complete.
• an assignment or project that everyone must complete.
• students select two items to complete.
• optional but irresistible assignments or projects
• options should be high interest and challenging
• students choose one of these enrichment options
• level of complexity.

Cubing requires students to look at a topic from 6 different angles. Teachers often create a visual cube that serves as a starting point when they want students to analyse or consider various aspects of a topic. Cubes can be used as an after-reading strategy that requires students to think critically about a topic. When students work with cubes they apply information in new ways. Cubes can be differentiated by interest and readiness.

Introducing the strategy to students

One of the best ways to introduce cubing is to apply the activity to a common or familiar object. Select an object appropriate to the age and interests of the students, distribute the object to students and then assign groups to look (or study) the object from several angles.

Students work in assigned pairs or groups. If desired, the groups can be created by readiness levels since the cubing perspectives below begin at the least complex level and become increasingly complex. Using the object as the topic, ask students to:

• describe it – what does it look like?
• compare it – compare the object with something else/ what is it similar to or different from?
• associate it – what do you associate the object with/ what does it make you think about?
• analyse it – describe the object’s parts/ how is it made?
• apply it – what can you do with the object/ how can you use the object?
• argue for or against it – what is an argument for or against the object?

Give students about 10 minutes to build a mini-presentation, then one student in each group presents to the class.

Steps for cubing

Select a topic, for example, World War 1 (WW1). Decide in advance how much time you want to devote to the cubing process. Informal cubing activities can easily be accomplished within a class period. However, activities can be extended if research is required.

Create groups based on readiness or interest.

Assign each group a perspective from which to explore the topic:

• describe WW1
• compare the WW1 to another war
• associate the WW1 with other issues, topics, or concerns
• analyse the WW1 by discussing the events and decisions that led to the war
• apply the lessons you’ve learned from studying WW1. How does learning about WW1 help you understand events, issues, topics, and decisions that still exist today?
• argue for or against WW1. Should the war ever have been fought? Take a stand and list your reasons.

After the designated amount of time, ask representatives from each group to present their perspectives.

Adaptations

Cubing, looking at a topic from 6 different angles, can be adapted. Adaptations can include:

• Design cubes based on interest or learning profiles.
• Use the cubes for independent work. Require students to complete each element on the cube but allow them to pick and choose the order in which they complete the activities.
• Use the cubes as dice which students roll.
• In maths, create problems for students to solve. One problem is printed on each side of the cube.
• Knowledge - students recall and cite content
• Comprehension - students demonstrate their understanding of the content
• Application - students use their knowledge and skills in a different way or situation
• Analysis - students break down topics into pieces and analyse them
• Synthesis - students consider aspects that seem to contradict each other and form something new
• Evaluation - students use their previous learning to judge the value or success of something guided by specific criteria.

Tic-Tac-Toe choice boards

Tic-Tac-Toe choice boards give students the opportunity to participate in multiple tasks that allow them to practice skills they’ve learned in class or to demonstrate and extend their understanding of concepts. From the board students either choose or are assigned 3 adjacent or diagonal tasks to complete.

Choice boards address student readiness, interest or learning preferences - and are easily adapted to a subject area.

Steps for tic-tac-toe

• Identify the outcomes and instructional focus of a unit of study.
• Use assessment data and student profiles to determine student readiness, learning styles, or interests.
• Design nine different tasks.
• Arrange the tasks on a choice board.
• Select one required task for all students and place it in the centre of the board.
• Students complete three tasks, one of which must be the task in the middle square.

The 3 tasks should complete a Tic-Tac-Toe row.

Tic-Tac-Toe choice boards can be adapted. Adaptations include:

• Allow students to complete any three tasks - even if the completed tasks don’t make a Tic-Tac-Toe.
• Assign students tasks based on readiness.
• Create different choice boards based on readiness (struggling students work with the options on one choice board while more advanced students have different options).
• Create choice board options based on learning styles or learning preferences. for example, a choice board could include 3 kinaesthetic tasks, 3 auditory tasks and 3 visual tasks.

Sternberg’s intelligence preference

You can assess students according to Sternberg's intelligences:

• Analytical - linear – schoolhouse smart - sequential
• Practical - street-smart – contextual – focus on use
• Creative - innovator – outside the box – what if

An idea to assess students in this way is possible through the following scenario:

'Imagine you are driving with your parents and they are listening to the radio. An interesting discussion starts about something you do not know. As you listen, you get more and more interested - and what do you most want to know?

• Do you want to know all the little details that go into it?
• Do you want to know how it is being used?
• Do you want to know only enough information to think of other things to do?'

Students who choose the first question fall into the analytic intelligence, the second corresponds to the practical and those who choose the final question are the creative learners.

Example 1: matter

• Know: there are 3 states of matter - solid, liquid, and gas
• Understand: all matter has both mass and volume
• Do: distinguish each state of matter from the others and show how each changes to the others.

Analytical:

• Choose 3 items from our classroom that are all in different states of matter. Show how each item is in a different state of matter in comparison to the other two items. Use terms like mass and volume to explain your answer.
• Use the idea of water, ice and vapour to create a chart to show how these 3 things change from one state to another. Include condensation, evaporation, melting point, freezing point, expanding and contracting in your chart.
• Create 3 imaginative items to demonstrate different states of matter. Make an illustration of each item and explain why each one fits into the state it is in. Use mass and volume in your explanation.
• Make a visually appealing poster to teach primary students how each state changes into the other states. Be sure the way you teach is original. Show condensation, evaporation, melting point, freezing point, expanding and contracting in your poster.
• There are 3 mysterious objects in a box on a museum shelf. Their states of matter are not yet identified. Your task is to figure out the state of matter for each one. Design a museum exhibit for these. Use the terms mass and volume in your exhibit signs.
• There is a close friend of yours who does not understand how one state of matter changes into another. You want to help your friend out. Write out how you would explain to your friend using all these terms: condensation, evaporation, melting point, freezing point, expanding and contracting. Make your explanation as clear as you can.

Example 2: geographical terms

• Know: geographical terms such as isthmus, delta, peninsula, river and island
• Understand: landforms and bodies of water affect human movement and influence the development of cities
• Do: locate and label specific landforms.

Analyse how landforms produce economic advantages that establish settlements. After students have read and taken notes on the chapter, the teacher reviews, with the whole class, the basic information on landforms. Then, students are given a choice of 3 assignments to be done individually or in groups of 2 or 3.

Create clues or a set of directions to help us identify and locate at least 8 landforms on the map (given in the textbook or on a map provided by the teacher). Clues/directions should also be based on population and economic growth and changes.

Develop a map of a new world that has at least 8 different types of landforms and/or bodies of water. For example, using labels determine how these sites would grow due to the economic possibilities of these geographical features and predict population growth over a period of time.

Using these 8 given cities (or you may choose other cities after approval by the teacher) demonstrate how landforms and bodies of water contributed to the development and movement of people to this site over a period of time. You may use overlay transparencies or models to show the areas and growth.

• Heacox D. (2002) Differentiation Instruction in the Regular Classroom: How to Reach and Teach All Learners, Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit.
• Heacox, D. (2005). Promoting Student Independence and Responsibility in Academically Diverse Classrooms. 2005 ASCD Annual Conference. Orlando, FL.
• Nunley, K. E. (2006). Differentiating the High School Classroom: Solution Strategies for 18 Common Obstacles. Thousand Oaks: CA: Corwin.
• Tomlinson, C. A., & Allan, S. D. (2000). Leadership for Differentiating Schools and Classrooms.
• Wormeli, R. (2006). Fair Isn't Always Equal: Assessing & Grading in the Differentiated Classroom. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

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Teaching in the Fast Lane

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April 9, 2018

6 Reliably Easy Ways to Differentiate Any Assignment

Differentiate is likely a word you have heard about a million and one times if you are a teacher. We hear we need to differentiate assignments for our students, but no one really takes the time to explain what that looks like in the classroom.

Ideally, student learning is unique to each student, but when you have a room with 25 plus kids in it, that’s a lot of differentiation. Even differentiating an assignment for just a few students can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be!

Differentiate by Using Cooperative Learning

Differentiate by providing challenge questions.

It is easy to forget when we talk about differentiation that it doesn’t go in just one direction. By providing students with challenge questions we are able to up the ante for our high achievers and quick finishers.

A challenge question can be as easy as asking a student to write their own question about a topic or be more in-depth to include research or possibly a STEM challenge.

Challenge questions can also be given to every level of learner in your class because each student will meet the challenge where they are.

Alternatively, you can have students create their own challenge questions.

Differentiate with a Highlighter

Differentiate with Sticky Notes

Differentiate by changing the medium.

Pencil and paper just don’t work for some students. I get it. Personally, I HATE writing in pencil. Like, with a passion. When I do have to use a pencil it automatically puts me in a bad mood. I prefer pen, or marker, or just about anything else.

Instead of fighting a student on their writing utensil, let them work in another medium. Is it an assignment which can be completed on the computer? Can they use a whiteboard instead?

These easy for you things can make all the difference!

Differentiate with Student Created Assignments

Giving students the option to create their own assignments opens up a whole new branch of critical thinking.

Giving a student a standard and having them write their own question, do research, or create a project shows a much deeper level of understanding than simply answering a multiple choice question. It is an undeniable use of higher order thinking skills.

This differentiation strategy works to scaffold learning down to our lowest level learners as well as build up more challenge for students ready for it.

Wrapping Up

Differentiation isn’t just a buzzword. It is, what is best for our students. This doesn’t mean it is easy, but when we step back to the basics we can make it happen.

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7 Ways to Differentiate Lessons for Gifted Students

Written by Victoria Hegwood

Set engaging, differentiated and standards-aligned assignments with Prodigy Math for free!

• Teaching Strategies

What does “Gifted” mean?

• Why differentiate instruction for talented students?
• 8 Differentiation strategies for gifted students

1. Create tiered assignments

2. shorten the explanations.

• 3. Flexible apps
• 4. Offer open-ended and self directed assignments
• 5. Introduce project based learning
• 6. Compact curriculum

7. Pair gifted students up

8. always keep learning, gifted education pitfalls to avoid.

• Creating a learning environment for every student

All students are unique and special in their own way. Each learns in a different way and needs their education to be individualized. 

But differentiating lessons for gifted students can require even more thought and extra planning. 

Gifted learners tend to go through their learning activities rapidly and require modifications to their education for them to be fully engaged in the classroom. 

If you’re struggling to know exactly how to differentiate lessons for gifted students, this is just the article for you. We’ll highlight instructional strategies to use that will meet your student’s need for enrichment in the classroom, as well as pitfalls to avoid.

The National Association for Gifted Children defines gifted as “ students with gifts and talents performed or capable being performed at higher levels compared to others the same age, experience, and environment. ”

If your school has a gifted program, they likely also have their own definition and benchmarks that qualify a student as gifted. It is important to note that there is not a unified definition from all the states concerning what gifted means. 

Gifted students are seen across all racial, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. 

And there is no one behavior or skill set that defines a gifted learner. Some are gifted in athletics or leadership while others are gifted in the sciences or social skills.

Why is differentiated instruction needed for talented students?

Gifted students are often bored in a typical classroom. This can result in them just zoning out of the lesson or misbehaving. In situations where gifted students are left unchallenged for long periods of time, the students may never learn how to learn in a classroom. 

These students need unique opportunities to analyze, evaluate, create and reflect in challenging ways. Differentiating the lesson according to their strengths can help make this happen. 

Building differentiated lessons is about the philosophy and practice rather than a strict step-by-step process. You can tweak this practice to match your students’ readiness, interest, learning styles and academic needs.

In general, differentiating lessons is a helpful strategy for all student learning. Education scholar Carol Tomlinson emphasizes, “ Differentiation really means trying to make sure that teaching and learning work for the full range of students .”

However, this article will specifically focus on why it’s necessary for gifted students. When a student is contemplating skipping a grade but isn’t quite ready to make the leap or is only gifted in a particular subject, differentiated lessons are a great solution. 

8 Differentiation strategies for gifted learners

There are a lot of ways to use differentiation with a lesson. Different approaches will likely work better for a particular topic or student. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Tiered assignments allow learners to complete the same assignment at different levels of difficulty.

How you implement this strategy will vary based on your classroom. For example, you may design an assignment for the middle tier of students and then add additional challenges for gifted students. 

Another option is designing a more difficult assignment and then adding scaffolding, such as a graphic organizer or supplied reading material, to those at or below grade level. 

With this strategy, it is important to routinely assess your students to understand where they are at. This way you will always know who needs advanced content and who needs more help.

Did you know?

If you're teaching math to students in 1st-8th grade, you can use Prodigy's Assignment tool to easily set tiered exercises. With your free teacher account , simply select the skill you want to set as an Assignment and have your students play Prodigy Math .

And the best bit? You won't have to do any grading, it's all done automatically!

Gifted students typically understand a concept the first time it is explained, whereas their peers may need the content to be taught a few different ways.

Try giving a short pre-assessment or a pop quiz once you have taught the concept one time to see if the gifted students can move on to the next topic. 

Doing this will hopefully prevent boredom and, in turn, misbehavior from gifted students.

3. Use flexible apps

When bringing technology into your classroom and blending the learning experience , choose apps and games with flexibility. Look for options where gifted students can work on more complex concepts while other students work closer to grade level. 

There are plenty of apps, like Prodigy Math , that engage students and evaluate their skills to determine if they are learning math problems at the right level. Prodigy Math then uses adaptive algorithms to continue to challenge the student. 

Apps like this can also help strain teachers less when planning differentiating lessons since they don’t have to design the tiers themselves.

4. Offer open-ended and self-directed assignments

Open-ended tasks are great for differentiated lessons because they leave plenty of room for students’ skills and ideas to shine. They are especially good at stimulating higher-order thinking skills such as problem-solving. 

Self-directed assignments give gifted learners responsibility for their own development and let them decide how far they want to take their own learning. Assignments with open-ended questions encourage students to offer creative responses, work in small groups and build other ways to further explore. But make sure you deliver open-ended sessions with an end goal rather than leaving the students alone.

5. Introduce project-based learning

Project-based learning is effective since it mimics the real world. In a project-based assignment, learners conduct research, ask complex questions and improve management skills. Oftentimes, projects end with a presentation, which is great for practicing public speaking. 

Projects can be completed in small groups or by each student individually. This learning method is especially beneficial for gifted learners due to its depth, student choice, real-world learning and collaboration opportunities.

Project-based learning tends to go over the best when the assignments relate to a student’s interests.  For example, a high school student interested in social studies could be tasked with designing advocacy around an issue of their choice.

6. Try a compact curriculum

A compact curriculum is similar to shortening explanations, but it will actually throw out whole lessons that the gifted student already understands. Instead, the gifted student will be given lessons on content they’ve never been exposed to. 

Most often in this method, students will be given a pre-test that allows them to show mastery over various problems. Then, the curriculum is adjusted. 

It’s important to remember that curriculum development for gifted students is a dynamic process.

Another strategy is being more intentional in how you pair students up in collaborative projects. Putting gifted students together in cluster groups boosts their achievement since they are able to work at a faster pace. 

You may even find that in specific subjects, students that are gifted in that area can be paired up for their own differentiated lesson while you teach the rest of the class. These pairs can work on advanced content and learn from each other.

Teaching requires constant innovation and growth with a new classroom of kiddos each year. You will always be tweaking what you are doing based on new things that you learn. 

In the last two years, the pandemic has required flexibility and accelerated digital learning in ways we had never seen before. 

The challenges that came with this got teachers talking and opened up a dialogue about what learning strategies work. It created a community where more experienced teachers could impart their knowledge to others. 

Here's more strategies and ideas to help you differentiate learning

Looking to learn more about differentiation? Check out our list of 20 differentiated instruction strategies for more inspiration on how to level educational content in your classroom, with examples included!

As with any strategy, there are ways to do it well and ways to do it that are not so great. Try to avoid these three common mistakes when differentiating lessons for gifted students.

1. Using gifted students as teaching assistants

While gifted students may seem like a great help in the classroom, they should not be tasked with mentoring or tutoring other students. They need to be challenged in their own education and reteaching a concept that they already know doesn’t do that. 

A different way to go about this is having flexible grouping projects that let students work together for a short period of time. These projects allow gifted students to practice interacting with their peers and allow other students to learn from gifted students, but it’s temporary. 

This method allows gifted students to learn and avoids attaching a ‘teacher’ role to their interactions.

2. Working independently without oversight

A differentiated lesson for gifted learners should lead to more collaboration and content enrichment without the learner working constantly on their own. Assigning open-ended tasks without oversight or accountability can actually have the opposite effect of what you’re going for with gifted learners.

Ensure that lessons allow for student choice while still conforming to school district standards. And check in often with your gifted students.

3. Assuming mastery in all subject areas

Don’t assume that just because a learner is gifted in one area means that this means they are gifted in every area. For example, a student may be reading at a high school level but is not a strong writer. Or they may excel at math problems but struggle to understand graphs in science. 

Evaluate each subject area individually before assigning advanced lessons to gifted students.

Creating a learning environment for everyone

Differentiated lessons can be a great tool for gifted students in your classroom. But there are best practices to keep in mind when you’re constructing lessons. Differentiating lessons helps challenge gifted students and keep them engaged in your classroom.  

If starting the process of planning differentiated lessons feels overwhelming to you, using Prodigy can be a great first step.  

Whether you’re teaching in a math or English classroom, Prodigy is a fantastic free teaching resource that customizes each student’s experience with adaptive content.

Prodigy helps make it easier for you to differentiate instruction across your classroom, with no grading required! Teachers simply select what curriculum-aligned skills they'd like to test on their students or let Prodigy's adaptive algorithm assign content to help a student grow, including those in gifted or talented strands.

It's also free for teachers and schools! See how it works below:

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Using Differentiation to Challenge All Students

Whether students are ahead of their peers or behind, differentiation should ensure that all learners engage in critical thinking.

Imagine asking one of your students for advice about choosing a birthday present for a family member who’s their age and shares similar interests. When they recommend what to get, could they also explain what options to avoid and why their suggestion is the best choice? Is it likely that any of your students could give gift advice in this scenario whether their academic success was high or minimal? 

Their advice is critical thinking in action. They analyze the information about your family member’s interests and evaluate the quality of the options, including their suitability as the best fit. How do we give all learners opportunities to engage in challenging content that is differentiated based on academic needs?

A common misconception is that an effective differentiation system for readiness (i.e., skill levels) can be based on the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy or another framework, like Webb’s Depth of Knowledge. The idea is that advanced learners get activities where they analyze, evaluate, and create, while struggling learners need to build knowledge and understanding through basic applications. 

As a result, learners who struggle with a subject area are denied rich experiences that could help them see authentic uses of skills in the world outside of school. While they work on abstract school content, they see their peers engage in rich conversations, analyzing and evaluating concepts to create artifacts for a public audience. It’s like watching a three-star chef prepare a savory banquet as you prepare to eat a white bread sandwich containing iceberg lettuce.  

This oversimplified approach to differentiation denies struggling learners valuable experiences that are based on higher-order thinking, despite their capacity to analyze, evaluate, and create in their daily lives. But how do we give all learners opportunities to engage in challenging content that is differentiated based on academic needs?

Steps for Differentiating to Challenge All Learners

Start with the end in mind. Identify the core skills and concepts that make up the learning outcomes. Then collect information on your students’ preparedness, from prerequisites and minor gaps to existing mastery. Combined with students’ lived experiences, this data should inform you on how to revise and/or remix a planned complex activity.

Next, design the learning experience for all students to complete that includes a critical thinking challenge.

For students who can accomplish the skills with bridging supports , curate resources, guides, and tools that support learners’ needs while focusing on the instructional outcome. Here are some examples:

• Recorded readings. Oral understanding can aid reading material by improving access to the information.
• Word journals. Provide a words/terminology bank for key concepts in the subject area. Students should routinely update and review their journals.
• Collaboration teams. Use structured protocol strategies for learner groups to explore, process, and construct content.
• Peer support. Other learners can serve as resources as the need arises.

For students who lack prerequisite skills or conceptual understanding , plan activities that include custom supports for skills and critical thinking experiences. Here are some examples:

• Learning stations. Have students participate in different stations where they work on prerequisite skills based on their current skill level. The teacher is one station to personalize support for students grouped by similar needs.
• Independent work. Assign students work based on the prerequisite skills they need more practice with. The teacher meets with students for personalized support.
• Remix the critical thinking activity. Review the activity and make a version that focuses on either fewer choices or fewer moving parts. Simplify without compromising the critical thinking experience. Or, create a version that focuses on the prerequisite skills without compromising the opportunity for critical thinking.

For students who already meet learning expectations , introduce new knowledge, skills, and/or concepts that amplify their understanding. Add these elements into the prepared critical thinking experience for more seasoning and spice. This could be included in learning stations, independent work, and other activities.

Differentiation is about meeting needs for all learners through equitable critical thinking challenges.

If we routinely review and analyze student achievement data to monitor their progress, the information tells us the specific gaps or prerequisite skills each learner needs more practice with to learn. The steps shared above take that information and add adaptations or mirrored versions of the core assignment. A different series of learning activities do not need to be created—unless that is the direction you choose based on the learner achievement data. 

Not limiting critical thinking opportunities for learners who struggle with the content helps them feel that they can do challenging work. This is an important goal for growing their self-esteem.

Helping Advanced Students Overcome The Language Learning Plateau

When it comes to learning a language, the journey is as important as the destination. This is particularly true for advanced learners who often encounter a ‘language learning plateau’. At this stage, progress seems to slow down or even stall, leading to frustration and discouragement for learners (and, perhaps, teachers!).   

Unlike earlier stages, where learners accumulate new vocabulary and grammar, advanced learners face the challenge of expanding and refining their existing knowledge. Polishing and perfecting a language requires time, patience and a shift in focus.  

For us teachers guiding advanced learners past this language learning plateau, we need to remind our students that they are shifting to understanding the nuances of language in various contexts, rather than building foundational blocks as they did early on in their language learning journey.   

Here are some ways we can help our advanced students overcome the language learning plateau. 

1. Remind your students about what to focus on 

As mentioned, an advanced learner will be refining their language skills rather than building on them as much as they would at a lower level.   

To help students understand this, give them examples of a sentence which could be understood in different ways depending on context, stress or the way in which a sentence is said. For example:   

I didn’t say he ate the cake.   

• If you stress I, it may mean someone else said he ate the cake.   
• If you stress he, it may mean you said someone else ate the cake.   
• If you stress cake, it may mean you said he ate something else.   

You can do this for any word in the sentence. Why not think of other examples or have students come up with their own? 

2. Utilise the CEFR descriptors

The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) is a valuable tool for discussing learning objectives.   

• Go through the CEFR descriptors with your students and have them tick off the skills they feel confident with. This helps them recognise their competencies and understand more deeply, what their language level is.   
• Then, identify areas students wish to improve. Setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals can provide clear direction.   
• Encourage students to write ‘can-do’ statements, reflecting on their progress and acknowledging improvements they might not have noticed.

3. Make progress visible

Progress tests designed to encourage, rather than catch students out, can be highly beneficial in helping advanced learners overcome the language learning plateau.   

These tests, along with self and peer evaluations, can help learners see their advancement and development throughout each level of learning. Regularly referring back to their objectives allows students to visibly measure their progress, reinforcing their motivation.  

There are also proficiency tests such as the Oxford Test of English which you can introduce to your students if they’re looking to progress in their careers and work overseas, study abroad or take courses taught in English. You could explain that the Reading and Listening modules of the Oxford Test of English are adaptive, meaning that the questions are tailored to the test taker’s specific answers.    

4. Encourage peer teaching

Encourage students to identify areas they find challenging and develop activities so they can assist one another in improving. For example:   

• Have students identify three areas they think they are good at/strong in, and three areas they think they need to improve. For example, pronunciation, fluency, paraphrasing, using more complex sentences etc. Pair students up. Have one student who said they need to improve something work with a student that feels confident in that particular area.    
• You can encourage students to have a weekly check-in with each other, or pair them up when working on specific tasks that practice that particular skill.   

Peer teaching can be highly motivational as it involves learners in their own and their peers’ development, fostering a collaborative learning environment.  

5. Connect with authentic language

Incorporating authentic language materials can be helpful for advanced learners.   

• Show learners examples of how proficient English speakers make errors and correct them, helping them understand that language learning is an ongoing process. You can do this by watching authentic videos online.   
• This approach can also help students identify and rectify their own ‘fossilised’ errors – those long-standing mistakes that have become a habitual part of their language use.  

6. Creativity and imagination

When students feel like they’ve hit a language learning plateau, they can feel bored and discouraged in lessons. Try to introduce new activities or ways of learning to remedy this.   

For example:   

• Include interactive games, debates on current issues or explore unusual topics   
• Using authentic YouTube videos, memes or viral TikTok videos as discussion points or the basis of a lesson   
• Have students decide on the topic of the lesson  
• Have students bring in items or design activities related to the topic of the lesson, to personalise the class and encourage peer learning   

Creative learning strategies not only make the process more enjoyable but can also introduce new language contexts, helping to address persistent errors.  

Remember, overcoming the language learning plateau is not just about students moving forward but also about appreciating how far they’ve already come. As teachers, your role in guiding learners through this phase is crucial – offering not just knowledge but also inspiration and encouragement.  

Share ideas on how you can help students overcome the language learning plateau.

Find out more about Teaching Advanced Learners here . 

You may also like

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Earth Day is April 22 in the United States and the day the spring equinox occurs in some parts of the world. It’s a day to reflect on the work being done to raise awareness of climate change and the need to protect natural resources for future generations. Protecting the earth can feel like an enormous, distant undertaking to young people. To help them understand that they can play a role by focusing on their backyards or school yards, educators can scale those feelings of enormity to manageable activities that make a difference.

We collected simple ideas for teachers and students to educate, empower, and build a connection with nature so that they may be inspired to respect it and protect it. Classrooms can be the perfect greenhouse to grow future stewards of the environment.

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Student protesters denounce antisemitism amid criticism over pro-Palestinian encampments at college campuses

Student protesters condemned the use of violence and inflammatory language.

Student protesters critical of the Israeli government's military actions in Gaza have continued to face accusations of antisemitism, as politicians from across the ideological spectrum react to the widening demonstrations on college campuses.

But many of the student groups behind the protests – including Jewish activists voicing their support for a cease-fire in Gaza – said that individuals making inflammatory remarks do not represent their groups or their values concerning the war in Gaza.

"At universities across the nation, our movement is united in valuing every human life," read a statement from Columbia University Apartheid Divest, one of the groups involved in the protests. "As a diverse group united by love and justice, we demand our voices be heard against the mass slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza."

Some Jewish students have long warned against conflating antisemitism with views critical of Israel's government and blanket portrayals of all protesters as antisemitic.

"It is unacceptable for school administration and politicians ... to co-opt our shared identity to silence Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, and Jewish students," said MIT Jews for Ceasefire, Harvard Jews for Palestine, and University of Pennsylvania Chavurah in a December 2023 statement to Congress. "These actions only serve to obfuscate real cases of antisemitism and put Jewish students at even greater risk."

College students tackle the debate

Tensions have been high on college campuses since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel in an unprecedented surprise attack. The Israeli military then began its ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

Since Oct. 7, Israeli forces have killed at least 34,183 people and injured 77,143 others in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.

In Israel, at least 1,700 people have been killed and 8,700 others injured by Hamas or other Palestinian militants, according to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Students nationwide have been camping out on their college and university campuses, calling for their schools to divest funding from Israeli military operations amid the humanitarian crisis and rising death toll in Gaza.

The college protests have been largely peaceful, officials say, though hundreds of students and faculty have been arrested at campuses across the country, primarily for trespassing. School administrators across the country have also said that some instances of violence have largely been connected to unaffiliated non-students.

Incidents go viral

Several antisemitic incidents in or near protests have trended online – including a photo that appears to show an individual holding up a sign that states "Al-Qassam's Next Target," referring to a military wing of Hamas, pointing toward people holding Israeli flags on Columbia University's campus on April 20. It remains unclear who the person is and whether they are a student.

Another video trending on social media appears to show another person shouting "We are Hamas" as a man draped in an Israeli flag walks outside the Columbia University campus on April 17.

"We will not be a city of lawlessness, and those professional agitators seeking to seize the ongoing conflict in the Middle East to sow chaos and division in our city will not succeed," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said.

At Cal Poly Tech, administrators say that "hateful graffiti" has been painted on university property, but did not elaborate in their statement on what the graffiti entailed.

"The University condemns in the strongest terms all forms of hatred, bigotry, and violence," the school's April 24 statement read. "Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, hatred, and bigotry in all forms have no place at Cal Poly Humboldt. The University is actively offering support to all students and has been in touch with local Jewish community leaders.

President Joe Biden, House Speaker Mike Johnson and others have denounced alleged instances of hate amid ongoing debate around the Israel-Hamas war.

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"Even in recent days, we've seen harassment and calls for violence against Jews," Biden said earlier this week in a statement. "This blatant Antisemitism is reprehensible and dangerous – and it has absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in our country."

Students share concerns

In a March U.S. House committee hearing , other Jewish students and groups said that the intensifying debate regarding the Israel-Hamas war has created a "climate of hatred and fear," and highlighted alleged antisemitic harassment and intimidation since the start of the war.

One student told the committee that she has had slurs like "F--- you, Jew," shouted at her since the war began on Oct. 7.

"This is the reality as a Jewish student who wears the Star of David," Yasmeen Ohebsion, of Tulane University, said at the hearing.

Jewish students in support of pro-Palestinian efforts have said they've also experienced antisemitism from those who disagree with their position.

"Jewish supporters of Israel at MIT have called me an antisemite, Hamas, a self-hating Jew, and have told me that I am 'not a real Jew' and that 'God made a mistake by having you born a Jew'," read one testimonial submitted to Congress.

Higher education institutions have come under scrutiny for how they've handled the unrest from all sides -- with Jewish, Muslim and Arab students alike calling out their respective administrations for allegedly failing to protect students with identities tied to the conflict overseas.

"I also want to be clear that we will not tolerate intimidating, harassing, or discriminatory behavior," said Columbia President Minouch Shafik, who has been the center of criticism for some students and politicians alike, in an April 23 statement.

She said her administration is working to identify protesters who have violated policies against discrimination and harassment: "The right to protest is essential and protected at Columbia, but harassment and discrimination is antithetical to our values and an affront to our commitment to be a community of mutual respect and kindness."

MORE: Jewish student protesters celebrate Passover Seder in pro-Palestinian encampments

Authorities and civil rights groups across the country have noted a rise in incidents targeting Jewish, Arab, and Muslim communities.

"The situation on campus has become utterly and categorically untenable for an educational institution that has the responsibility of ensuring its students have a productive academic environment conducive to continued learning," said Students Supporting Israel's Columbia University chapter in an online statement about recent protests.

Amid the intensifying debate, some Jewish students say there should also be room for a conscious effort to reject and unlearn normalized antisemitism across the political spectrum.

"There have been both beautiful moments of solidarity for Palestinian liberation and moments of real distress for Jewish students," said Columbia Jews for Ceasefire in an online statement.

The student group said it is the "utmost importance" for the focus to be on the crisis in Gaza, but the group will "continue to call out and condemn antisemitism where we see it because all identity-based hatred is at odds with liberation."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week condemned protesters critical of Israeli policy. "What's happening in America's college campuses is horrific. Antisemitic mobs have taken over leading universities," Netanyahu said. "They call for the annihilation of Israel. They attack Jewish students. They attack Jewish faculty."

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who is Jewish, responded to Netanyahu in a statement Thursday night, saying, in part, "It is not antisemitic or pro-Hamas to point out that in a little over six months your extremist government has killed 34,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 77,000 – seventy percent of whom are women and children. It is not antisemitic to point out that your bombing has completely destroyed more than 221,000 housing units in Gaza, leaving more than a million people homeless – almost half the population."

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University of Michigan students set up tent encampment, demand divestment from Israel

About 8:30 p.m. Monday night, the Islamic call to prayer echoed through a speaker across the Diag, the center of campus at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The Arabic words recited by observant Muslims reverberated off the historic academic buildings as Palestinian flags tied to flagpoles fluttered in the wind.

"Allahu Akbar," God is the greatest, a leader said as Muslims lined up near him, facing the direction of Mecca. "La ilaha illallah," There is no god but God. A few rows of men soon filed behind him and a row of women stood behind them as they performed at sunset the Maghrib prayer. In front read banners that said: "No $ For Genocide" and "Fund Our Education, Not the Occupation."

The scene at the heart of Michigan's largest university was part of the first day of an encampment of students calling for the university to divest from Israel over its military actions that have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. About 25 tents were spotted by the Free Press on Monday night in the square in front of Hatcher Graduate Library. There were eight Palestinian flags flying from poles and a tree branch around the square with various banners and signs bearing messages in support of Palestinians. Two large banners read: "Encampment For Gaza! Divest Now!" and "Long Live The Intifada (uprising)." One banner strung up between branches on a tree read: "Liberated Zone."

A Michigan official warned the protesters they don't have the right to disrupt university activities.

The encampment copied a similar encampment last week on lawns at Columbia University in New York City that led to police arresting more than 100 students, according to media reports and the Columbia Daily Spectator , a student newspaper staffed by undergraduates. The Columbia clash led to similar protests erupting at Yale, MIT and now the University of Michigan.

The protest on Monday was organized by the Tahrir Coalition, reported student paper The Michigan Daily. The group has been organizing demonstrations on campus in support of Palestinians in recent months, including one last month that shut down an annual honors ceremony. A message sent to the Tahrir Coalition was not returned Monday. The group wants the university to divest, which may be difficult in Michigan since a law enacted in 2017 forbids state contracts with anyone who supports divestment from Israel. Jewish groups have been releasing statements criticizing some of the protests, including the one that started Monday.

During the protests Monday, University of Michigan police officers and some Michigan State Police troopers quietly observed from vehicles around the Diag at a distance. There did not appear to be significant encounters between police and demonstrators.

Some Jewish students who oppose Israel's military actions also took part Monday in the Diag protests and were scheduled to hold a Passover Seder, a religious dinner observant Jews hold during Passover, which started Monday night. Inside the encampment, a poster read: "Apartheid isn't Kosher, Jews Demand Divestment!!" Underneath, it said in chalk on the pavement: "UM (University of Michigan) Funds Genocide." There were also Muslim and Jewish prayers at the encampment at Columbia.

There was also a small group of counter-protesters waving Israeli flags who said some of the slogans of the pro-Palestinian protesters were antisemitic.

A spokesperson for the University of Michigan, Colleen Mastony, said in a statement to the Free Press that on Monday morning, "20 tents were placed on the main quadrangle, known as the Diag."

Mastony, the university's assistant vice president for public affairs, said "students are able to engage in peaceful protest in many places on campus," but added that "the university has a responsibility to maintain an environment that is conducive to learning and academic success."

"No one has the right to substantially disrupt university activities or to violate laws or university policies," the university spokeswoman added. "We are working to minimize disruptions to university operations – most especially with classes ending tomorrow and the study period beginning before finals. Safety is always a key priority and, as such, we have increased security on campus. We are carefully monitoring the situation and remain prepared to appropriately address any harassment or threats against any member of our community."

Regarding calls for divestment, Mastony said "the university has had a policy in place for nearly 20 years that shields the university's investments from political pressures. Much of the money invested through the university’s endowment, for example, is donor funding given to provide long-term financial support for designated purposes. The Board of Regents reaffirmed its position earlier this year."

Other pro-Palestinian protests continue to be held in metro Detroit. Last week, Detroit Police stopped a caravan and ticketed several protesters who were reportedly headed to the Ambassador Bridge and may have been attempting to shut it down, reported WXYZ-TV. Detroit Police said in a statement they ticketed 38 people who took part in the caravan, impounded five cars and arrested four people. On that same day, April 15, protesters shut down access to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and Chicago O'Hare Airport. Detroit Police said they had been monitoring the protesters when they started their caravan from Dearborn. Video footage shows a significant police presence stopping the vehicles, questioning passengers, and making at least one arrest.

At about 10 p.m., a group of Muslims gathered again in the Diag to perform nightly prayers known as Isha. They lined up on the opposite site of where they held sunset prayers. A movie played on on a screen on the steps of the Hatcher library as they prayed.

Contact Niraj Warikoo: [email protected] or X @nwarikoo .

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Middle East crisis — explained

The conflict between Israel and Palestinians — and other groups in the Middle East — goes back decades. These stories provide context for current developments and the history that led up to them.

Columbia to continue talks with student protesters after deadline to clear out passes

Rachel Treisman

Ayana Archie

Hundreds of people rallied on the University of Minnesota campus on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, to protest Israel's war with Hamas. Earlier in the day, nine antiwar protesters were arrested as police took down an encampment organizers said was set up to show solidarity with the people of Gaza. Mark Vancleave/AP hide caption

Hundreds of people rallied on the University of Minnesota campus on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, to protest Israel's war with Hamas. Earlier in the day, nine antiwar protesters were arrested as police took down an encampment organizers said was set up to show solidarity with the people of Gaza.

Columbia University officials said early Wednesday they will continue to negotiate with student pro-Palestinian protesters after setting a midnight deadline for them to disperse.

Columbia President Minouche Shafik said in setting the deadline that the university had been in talks with demonstrators but would have to "consider alternative options" for clearing the encampments protesters had set up.

But a Columbia spokesperson said in a statement to NPR later that the university was making progress with representatives of the student encampments and "In light of this constructive dialogue, the university will continue conversations for the next 48 hours.

The pro-Palestinian demonstrations that have rocked New York-area schools in recent days — and the ensuing arrests of participants — have spread from coast to coast.

Students have launched protests and encampments at more than a dozen schools across the country, from Massachusetts to Michigan to California. They are calling for an end both to the Israel-Hamas war and their universities' investment in companies that profit from it or, more broadly, do business with Israel.

It's the latest wave of protests to sweep college campuses since the Oct. 7 attack Hamas-led attack on Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and roughly 240 others taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities, who say more than 130 remain captive in Gaza. Israel's ensuing military response in Gaza has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, some two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

Columbia University shifts classes to remote-only after a wave of protests on campus

College-age Americans are more likely to sympathize with Palestinians than Israelis, according to recent polling by the Pew Research Center .

And the Israel-Hamas war has become a major flashpoint at institutions of higher education, many of which are now grappling with how to balance free speech protections with student safety at a moment of rising antisemitism and Islamophobia .

Police break up protests from New York to California

NYPD officers face pro-Palestinian protesters on Monday night after clearing an encampment on NYU's campus. Alex Kent/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

NYPD officers face pro-Palestinian protesters on Monday night after clearing an encampment on NYU's campus.

On Monday, police arrested nearly 50 protesters at Yale University while Columbia, which has seen rising tensions since more than 100 demonstrators were arrested last week, shifted classes online — a move it has since extended through the end of the semester. (Classes end on April 29 and finals end on May 10, according to the school's academic calendar .)

New York police on Monday cleared an encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters outside New York University's Gould Plaza, taking an unspecified number of them into custody after they refused to leave.

Concerns over antisemitism rise as Jews begin observing Passover

An NYU faculty group tweeted that the school had authorized police to "arrest its own students, faculty, staff and anyone who dares to stand in solidarity with Palestine."

NYU spokesperson John Beckman said in a statement that after some 50 demonstrators assembled that morning, the university closed the plaza to prevent additional people from joining.

He said more protesters — "many of whom we believe were not affiliated with NYU" — breached the barriers in the afternoon, changing the dynamic with their "disorderly, disruptive, and antagonizing behavior," and noted reports of "intimidating chants and several antisemitic incidents."

"Given the foregoing and the safety issues raised by the breach, we asked for assistance from the NYPD," he added. "The police urged those on the plaza to leave peacefully, but ultimately made a number of arrests."

Columbia cancels in-person classes after some students say they don't feel safe

Negotiations continue at columbia.

The Columbia spokesperson said the school had reached agreement with protest representatives that they would remove a "significant" number of the tents they had set up on the campus' West Lawn and that those in the encampment would comply with fire department safety requirements.

They agreed to ensure that those not affiliated with the university would leave the encampment and only Columbia students would participate in the protests and that they had agreed to prohibit harassing and discriminatory language, the spokesperson said.

Shafik said in her statement late Tuesday that "We are working to identify protestors who violated our policies against discrimination and harassment, and they will be put through appropriate disciplinary processes."

'A dangerous and volatile situation'

Across the country at California State Polytechnic University, a group of students waving Palestinian flags and signs occupied Siemens Hall, an academic and administrative building on the Humboldt campus.

They barricaded the front entrance with chairs, desks, trash cans and other pieces of furniture, according to reports from ABC affiliate KRCR and an image posted to social media by the organization National Students for Justice in Palestine.

Barricades at the Cal Poly Humboldt occupation, where riot police have recently arrived on the scene pic.twitter.com/FHT0WLnH72 — National Students for Justice in Palestine (@NationalSJP) April 23, 2024

Around 8:30 p.m. local time, school officials urged people to stay away from the building, calling it "a dangerous and volatile situation." They said they were concerned about the safety of the protesters barricaded inside and called on them to heed law enforcement's directive to leave peacefully.

Several hours later, they said campus will remain closed through Wednesday for the safety of the community.

"Buildings are locked down and key cards will not work," they said, adding that "In-person classes and activities are transitioning to remote where possible."

Solidarity encampments emerge at over a dozen schools

Pro-Palestinian students protest at a tent encampment in front of Sproul Hall on the UC Berkeley campus on Monday. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

Pro-Palestinian students protest at a tent encampment in front of Sproul Hall on the UC Berkeley campus on Monday.

Pro-Palestinian students at colleges in multiple states are now launching movements of their own, many as a direct response to the recent events at Columbia.

Students at Northwestern University, Ohio State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Temple University, Princeton University, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and others held walkouts and rallies in support of Columbia students last week after their arrest.

And others have followed suit this week.

A Pro-Palestinian student group at the University of Minnesota tweeted that they were joining with Columbia students by setting up an encampment on their own campus lawn at 4 a.m. on Tuesday, in solidarity "with the people of Palestine and with students standing up for Palestine across the country."

Students at the University of Pittsburgh also set up tents on Tuesday morning outside its central Cathedral of Learning, which they said in a news release was done in solidarity with students at a list of other schools.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators shut down airport highways and bridges in major cities

Some 300 students staged a "solidarity walkout" at Stanford University on Monday to show support for Palestinians in Gaza and their pro-Palestinian peers at other colleges, according to the Stanford Daily .

Students have also put up encampments at several Boston-area schools , including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Emerson College and Tufts University. Harvard University has closed Harvard Yard to the public through Friday, in apparent anticipation of potential protests.

At the University of Michigan, student groups erected some two dozen tents in the middle of campus on Monday. Michigan Public reports that some 100 people gathered for a rally that afternoon, chanting "Disclose! Divest! We will not stop, we will not rest!" as police looked on.

Students at the University of California, Berkeley also set up a " Gaza Solidarity Encampment " on Monday. Organizers told ABC7 that they want school leaders to end what they're calling their "silence" over the situation in Gaza and to provide better protection for Palestinian, Arab and Muslim students.

Questions loom about protections for students and speech

Protestors occupy an encampment on the grounds of Columbia University in New York City on Monday. David Dee Delgado/Getty Images hide caption

Protestors occupy an encampment on the grounds of Columbia University in New York City on Monday.

The recent turmoil has raised even more questions about the responsibility of universities when it comes to balancing student safety with freedom of expression.

Some pro-Palestinian activists have publicly said they are protesting Israel, not Jews, and noted that their ranks include many Jewish students. At Columbia and Yale, some came together for Passover seders mid-protest .

Debbie Becher, a sociology professor at Barnard College (which is part of Columbia), told Morning Edition Tuesday that campus feels relatively safe and peaceful, unlike the portrayals of it on social media. She described the pro-Palestinian encampment as a "place of sharing and community building."

"Students have watched movies there, they hold teach-ins, they study, they eat together," she said.

But the demonstrations have left other Jewish students feeling unsafe, particularly due to reports of antisemitic rhetoric and harassment on several campuses.

The Anti-Defamation League has tracked several instances of protesters expressing support for Hamas and the Oct. 7 attack. A protester at Columbia, for example, held up a sign reading "Al-Qasam's next targets" with an arrow pointing towards nearby pro-Israel counter-protesters (referring to Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas).

The war in Gaza is a big story on campus. These student reporters aren't shying away

It says students at various schools have also waved signs glorifying figures associated with U.S.-designated terror groups, used pro-Intifada slogans and called for destroying Zionism and either hounding or getting rid of Zionists altogether.

Tensions reached such a boiling point at Columbia that a university-affiliated rabbi urged Jewish students over the weekend to return home for their own safety.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams spoke out against antisemitic incidents and hate speech at Columbia in a statement that referenced specific incidents, including a woman yelling "We are Hamas" and student groups chanting "We don't want no Zionists here."

The White House also released a statement on Sunday condemning the "calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students," saying they have "have absolutely no place on any college campus, or anywhere in the United States of America."

NYPD officers detain a person as pro-Palestinian protesters gather outside of Columbia University on Thursday. Kena Bentacur/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

NYPD officers detain a person as pro-Palestinian protesters gather outside of Columbia University on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Shafik is facing criticism for her response to the protests at Columbia.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is leading New York Republicans' charge to get her to resign, a seeming repeat of the situation in December, when the presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania resigned after widely panned Congressional testimony.

Shafik testified before Congress about the school's response to antisemitism last Wednesday, the day students set up the encampment. In her testimony, Shafik told lawmakers that antisemitism "is not tolerated and it is not acceptable."

The next day, she called in the NYPD to break up the demonstration, which she said violated university policies and posed a "clear and present danger" to its functioning.

Lawmakers grill the presidents of Harvard, MIT and Penn over antisemitism on campus

Her decision has been widely criticized by groups including the university's own Knight First Amendment Institute and the American Association of University Professors . Its Columbia and Barnard chapter plans to submit a "resolution of censure" against her and other administration officials, the Columbia Spectator reported Tuesday.

"President Shafik's violation of the fundamental requirements of academic freedom and shared governance, and her unprecedented assault on students' rights, warrants unequivocal and emphatic condemnation," it reads.

In a Monday note to the Columbia community , Shafik said administrators, deans and faculty were working to resolve the situation, including by discussing with protesters what actions the community can take to "peacefully complete the term and return to respectful engagement with each other."

She added that she is aware of the debate around "whether or not we should use the police on campus" and happy to participate in those discussions.

"But I do know that better adherence to our rules and effective enforcement mechanisms would obviate the need for relying on anyone else to keep our community safe," she said. "We should be able to do this ourselves."

Becher, the Barnard professor, said "the actual crisis here is the university leadership's failure to stand up to right-wing actors."

"Our president has, over the past six months and at Congress last week, abandoned our institutions of academic freedom, freedom of expression and turned our campus into a police state," she added. "And now other campuses around the country are following suit."

In a Monday statement , the civil liberties group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) called on universities to protect peaceful protest but "ensure the swift arrest" of anyone engaging in violence on campus. But it acknowledged the extra challenges posed by this "extraordinarily difficult" moment.

"Tensions are high and nerves are raw," it said. "The charity and grace necessary for productive dialogue are in vanishingly short supply, and it can be difficult to separate protected expression from its opposite. Amidst this intense pressure, our nation's institutions of higher education must lead the way."

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Anti-war protesters dig in as some schools close encampments after reports of antisemitic activity

Police in riot gear cleared an encampment on the campus of Northeastern University in Boston as several dozen students shouted and booed at them from a distance.

Student protests over the Israel-Hamas war have popped up on an increasing number of college campuses across the U.S., including tent encampments at Northwestern University, University of California and University of Pennsylvania.

Pro-Palestinian protesters camp out in tents at Columbia University on Saturday, April 27, 2024 in New York.(AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

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Northeastern University police remove and arrest protesters one by one as they sit in zip tie handcuffs at the tent encampment on campus in Boston, Saturday, April 27, 2024. Dozens of NU students and other protesters who set up tents with them on the NU campus were arrested by state, Boston and NU police. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via AP)

FILE - A sign that reads, “Gaza Solidarity Encampment,” is seen during the pro-Palestinian protest at the Columbia University campus in New York, Monday April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah, File)

A Pro-Palestinian demonstration encampment is seen at the Columbia University, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - New York Police Department officers from the Strategic Response Group form a wall of protection around Deputy Commissioner of Legal Matters Michael Gerber and Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kay Daughtry, not shown, during a news conference regarding the ongoing pro-Palestinian protest encampment at Columbia University in New York, Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah, File)

A George Washington University student, who declined to give her name, works on a school assignment while joining other students in protesting the Israel-Hamas war at George Washington University in Washington, Saturday, April 27, 2024. Protests and encampments have sprung up on college and university campuses across the country to protest the war. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

FILE - A University of Southern California protester, right, confronts a University Public Safety officer at the campus’ Alumni Park during a pro-Palestinian occupation, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

FILE - University of Southern California protesters carry a tent around Alumni Park on the University of Southern California to keep security from removing it during a pro-Palestinian occupation, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

FILE - A University of Southern California protester is detained by USC Department of Public Safety officers during a pro-Palestinian occupation at the campus’ Alumni Park, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

A George Washington University police officer stands near the statue of George Washington in the University Yard as student protest the Israel-Hamas war, at George Washington University in Washington, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Protesters confront police at Northeastern University in Boston on Saturday, April 27, 2024. Officers arrested about 100 people on Saturday morning as demonstrators locked arms and chanted slogans. The encampment at Northeastern was one of several that demonstrators set up at universities in the Boston area this week. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via AP)

A chalk statement is seen on the road leading to the George Washington University Yard as students protest the Israel-Hamas war, in Washington, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Police clear an encampment on the Northeastern University campus in Boston, early Saturday, April 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)

The Palestinian flag is flown during a protest of the Israel-Hamas war at George Washington University in Washington, Saturday, April 27, 2024. Protests and encampments have sprung up on college and university campuses across the country to protest the war. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

George Washington University students protest the Israel-Hamas war at the university in Washington, Saturday, April 27, 2024. Protests and encampments have sprung up on college and university campuses across the country to protest the war. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Students protest the Israel-Hamas war at George Washington University in Washington, Saturday, April 27, 2024. Protests and encampments have sprung up on college and university campuses across the country to protest the war. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at George Washington University sit in a tent to avoid the rain in Washington, Saturday, April 27, 2024. Protests and encampments have sprung up on college and university campuses across the country to protest the war. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

George Washington University students, who declined to provide their names, hug during a protest of the Israel-Hamas war at George Washington University in Washington, Saturday, April 27, 2024. The student at left is inside the fence of the school’s University Yard, unable to leave because he would not be allowed back in. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

NEW YORK (AP) — As students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at college campuses across U.S. dug in Saturday and dozens of demonstrators were arrested, some universities moved to shut down encampments after reports of antisemitic activity.

With the death toll mounting in the war in Gaza , protesters nationwide are demanding that schools cut financial ties to Israel and divest from companies they say are enabling the conflict. Some Jewish students say the protests have veered into antisemitism and made them afraid to set foot on campus.

Pro-Israeli demonstrators gather near a Pro-Palestinian encampment on the UCLA campus Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Early Saturday, police in riot gear cleared an encampment on the campus of Northeastern University in Boston. Massachusetts State Police said about 102 protesters were arrested and will be charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct. Protesters said they were given about 15 minutes to disperse before being arrested.

As workers pulled down tents and bagged up the debris from the encampment, several dozen people across from the encampment chanted, “Let the Kids Go,” and slogans against the war in Gaza. They also booed as police cars passed and taunted the officers who stood guard over the encampment.

The school said in a statement that the demonstration, which began two days ago, had become “infiltrated by professional organizers” with no affiliation to the school and antisemitic slurs, including “kill the Jews,” had been used.

“We cannot tolerate this kind of hate on our campus,” the statement posted on the social media platform X said.

The Huskies for a Free Palestine student group disputed the university’s account, saying in a statement that counterprotesters were to blame for the slurs and no student protesters “repeated the disgusting hate speech.”

Students at the protest said a counterprotester attempted to instigate hate speech but insisted their event was peaceful and, like many across the country, was aimed at drawing attention to what they described as the “genocide” in Gaza and their university’s complicity in the war.

The president of nearby Massachusetts Institute of Technology put out a statement Saturday saying the encampment there had become a “potential magnet for disruptive outside protesters” and was taking hundreds of staff hours to keep safe.

“We have a responsibility to the entire MIT community — and it is not possible to safely sustain this level of effort,” MIT President Sally Kornbluth said. “We are open to further discussion about the means of ending the encampment. But this particular form of expression needs to end soon.”

Indiana University campus officers and state police arrested 23 people Saturday at an encampment on the school’s Bloomington campus. Tents and canopies had been erected Friday night at Dunn Meadow in violation of school policy, university police said in a release. Members of the group were detained after refusing to remove the structures, police said. Charges ranged from criminal trespass to resisting law enforcement.

At the University of Pennsylvania on Friday, interim President J. Larry Jameson called for an encampment of protesters on the west Philadelphia campus to be disbanded, saying it violates the university’s facilities policies, though about 40 tents remained in place Saturday morning.

The “harassing and intimidating comments and actions” by some protesters violate the school’s open expression guidelines as well as state and federal law, Jameson said, and vandalism of a statue with antisemitic graffiti was “especially reprehensible and will be investigated as a hate crime.”

A faculty group said Saturday that it was “deeply disturbed” by the university president’s email, saying it included “unsubstantiated allegations” that “have been disputed to us by faculty and students who have attended and observed the demonstration.”

The university’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors said Jameson’s statement “mischaracterizes the overall nature of an antiwar protest that necessarily involves strong emotions on both sides but has not, to our knowledge, involved any actual violence or threats of violence to individuals on our campus.”

Campus protests began after Hamas’ deadly attack on southern Israel, when militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. During the ensuing war, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry.

Israel and its supporters have branded the protests as antisemitic, while critics of Israel say it uses such allegations to silence opponents. Although some protesters have been caught on camera making antisemitic remarks or violent threats, organizers of the protests, some of whom are Jewish, say it is a peaceful movement aimed at defending Palestinian rights and protesting the war.

At Columbia University, where protesters have inspired pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the country, students representing the encampment said Friday that they reached an impasse with administrators and intended to continue their protest.

UCLA campus police cycle around the perimeter of a pro-Palestinian encampment on the UCLA campus Friday, April 26, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

A statue of George Washington draped in a Palestinian flag and a keffiyeh is seen at George Washington University as students demonstrate on campus during a pro-Palestinian protest over the Israel-Hamas war on Friday, April 26, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Though the university has repeatedly set and then pushed back deadlines for the removal of the encampment, the school sent an email to students Friday night saying that bringing back police “at this time” would be counterproductive.

Decisions to call in law enforcement, leading to hundreds of arrests nationwide, have prompted school faculty members at universities in California, Georgia and Texas to initiate or pass votes of no confidence in their leadership. They are largely symbolic rebukes, without the power to remove their presidents.

But the tensions pile pressure on school officials, who are already scrambling to resolve the protests as May graduation ceremonies near.

The University of Southern California drew criticism after refusing to allow the valedictorian, who has publicly supported Palestinians, to make a commencement speech. Administrators then scrapped the keynote speech by filmmaker Jon M. Chu. The school announced the cancellation of its main graduation event Thursday, a day after more than 90 protesters were arrested by police in riot gear.

USC President Carol Folt made her first public statement late Friday addressing the controversies as “incredibly difficult for all of us.”

Members of negotiation team speak during a press conference near pro-Palestinian demonstration encampment at the Columbia University, Friday, April 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

“No one wants to have people arrested on their campus. Ever. But, when long-standing safety policies are flagrantly violated, buildings vandalized, Department of Public Safety directives repeatedly ignored, threatening language shouted, people assaulted, and access to critical academic buildings blocked, we must act immediately to protect our community,” Folt said.

George Washington University students pray on the street after police close the students plaza during a pro-Palestinian protest over the Israel-Hamas war, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Arizona State University said 69 people were arrested early Saturday on suspicion of criminal trespassing for setting up an unauthorized encampment on a lawn on its Tempe campus. The protesters were given chances to leave, and those who refused were arrested.

“While the university will continue to be an environment that embraces freedom of speech, ASU’s first priority is to create a safe and secure environment that supports teaching and learning,” the university said in a statement.

Perry reported from Meredith, New Hampshire. Associated Press journalists in various locations contributed, including Jacques Billeaud, Aaron Morrison, Stefanie Dazio, Kathy McCormack, Jim Vertuno, Acacia Coronado, Sudhin Thanawala, Jeff Amy, Jeff Martin, Mike Stewart, Collin Binkley, Carolyn Thompson, Jake Offenhartz, Jesse Bedayn and Sophia Tareen.