Differentiated instruction is not new in educational pedagogy. But seldom, it is being utilized in teaching and learning. According to Dr. Mary, it is hard to implement in a classroom with 20 or 30 learners. How much more in the 50 to 60 learners that we have in the public school setting. Aside from this, it is time-consuming, difficult in terms of managing and facilitating content as well as the different learner's behaviors. Differentiated instruction also called as differentiated learning is a framework or philosophy for effective teaching that involves providing all students within their classroom community of learners a range of different avenues for understanding new information. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differentiated_instruction#:~:text=Differentiated%20instruction%20and%20assessment%2C%20also,different%20avenues%20for%20understanding%20new).

Through differentiated instruction, various factors of learners is considered; the cultural background, demographic profiles, level of needs, level of knowledge, learning patterns, learning styles, interests, and strengths or weaknesses. Primarily, differentiated instruction aims to customize instruction to meet individual learning needs to improve learning, increase engagement, and provide a deeper understanding. There’s a big shift from teacher-centered to student-centered and we cannot ignore the fact that we are facing the diversity of learners in education. Weselby, Cathy (2020), listed in her article the pros and cons of delivering lessons using differentiated instruction. (https://resilienteducator.com/classroom-resources/examples-of-differentiated-instruction/)

Pros

• 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 the material, they take on more responsibility for their learning.
• Students appear to be more engaged in learning, and there are reportedly fewer discipline problems in classrooms where teachers provide differentiated lessons.

Cons

• 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.

The image below adapted Tomlinson & Maker's (1982) system, wherein they proposed 29 strategies or principles to guide differentiated curriculum into four elements: content, process, product, and learning environment. These principles are flexible in such a way that educators may modify activities that will be more appropriate to highly able learners. (http://possibilitiesforlearning.com/curriculum-differentiation/)

Adaptive Learning

Surprisingly, due to this course, I was able to come across the adaptive learning. Due to the materials available online, I was able to understand this concept. Adaptive learning is a part of the big umbrella of personalized learning. It was customized to address the need for diverse learners using technology. Romaniuk, Scott of the University of Trento discussed adaptive learning as a method through which specific devices or instruments employed to meet the specific learning needs of individuals. This concept emerged way back in the 1970s when computers through artificial intelligence would adapt per learner's need. (https://edtechnology.co.uk/comments/adaptive-learning-in-the-classroom-and-beyond/)

Limitation is the highly-cost of this method due to the educational software with the algorithm. Also, the conduct and constant maintenance to suit the needs of different learners. On the other hand, we cannot hide the fact the advantage brought by adaptive learning from the learner’s point of view. This method provides great potential for improving the way students learn and bringing forth positive learning outcomes. Students get the content and prompt in real-time based on their needs and abilities. (https://elearningindustry.com/adaptive-learning-for-schools-colleges) It can also be helpful in the pandemic situation for it directs the learner’s capability of self-regulation and self-paced learning. But again, the challenge is the implementation and the cost-effective of the system. Good for universities that can afford over those which cannot. For better understanding, kindly watch the video from youtube. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTsFTVFt-P8)

In conclusion, differentiated instruction effectively address diverse learners in different areas. To respond to its challenges, development of digital learning ecologies contributed to its affordance. By using adaptive learning as a teaching methodology provides learners to engage and learn independently. It is one way of encouraging students who are technologically-savvy in acquiring knowledge and information in digital world.

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