An ongoing challenge for teachers is to foster an environment that meets the needs of all their learners. "Diverse learners" is an umbrella term used to describe students hailing from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. These may be related to race or ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or regional or local cultural differences. It also refers to students with learning differences, students with disabilities, English Language Learners, and those who are gifted or high-achieving.
Differentiated instruction is the process of tailoring lessons to meet each student’s individual interests, needs, and strengths. Teaching this way gives students choice and flexibility in how they learn, and helps teachers personalize learning. This method also requires instructional clarity and clearly defined goals for learning, better enabling students to meet those goals.
Differentiated instruction is beneficial because not all students will respond to a class lecture; a small-group project or an EdTech activity may work better with other students. Some students may learn better by reading and using a digital translator, rather than hearing the instructions aloud in English. Giving students a choice about how they learn allows them to meet learning goals in the best way for them. Differentiating instruction gives all students the opportunity to keep up and excel in the classroom.
Within art education, many students will find certain material engaging, while others won’t. To create instruction that resonates with each one of my students, differentiated instruction can motivates them to learn the material in a way conducive to their own interests, background, and unique learning styles.
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