Meeting the needs of all students through differentiated instruction: helping every child reach and exceed standards.

Levy, Holli M. "Meeting the needs of all students through differentiated instruction: helping every child reach and exceed standards." The Clearing House 81.4 (2008): 161+.

Summary: The main focus of this article is differentiation. The author provides a small definition or explanation of the various aspects of differentiation. She begins her article with a hypothetical description of an average classroom population. She goes on to discuss the importance of upholding standards for all students, and explains the function of differentiation in the classroom.

Levy briefly discusses the concept of “Content, Process, Product,” and iterates that differentiation can be on any of these three aspects.

She also incorporates the many various levels of grouping strategies that may be effective as you attempt to organize your classroom in a way that supports the needs of your unique learners. These groupings include: ability, learning styles, and interest.

Analysis: Although Levy succinctly highlights the different ways one can differentiate, I did not feel enlightened about how to use this in my classroom when she had concluded. Many phrases like, “Teachers can use tiered lessons,” leave you with the question, Oh, really? How? Nevertheless, if you are looking for a quick overview of the various aspects of differentiation, this would be a good resource. I could imagine this serving as a good article to begin a discussion on differentiation, as the author does define each term efficiently.