What Strategies Were Used to Differentiate Instruction - Case Study Example

Two case studies are being evaluated: Mark’s case and Katrina’s case. The tabular presentation highlights the comparative details of the respective case:

Points of Comparison

Mark

Katrina

Entry grade level

1st grade

3rd grade

Excelled in subjects

Math, reading, and spelling

Math

Weaknesses

Establishing friends

Reading and written expression

Interests

Reading, playing computer games

Differentiated Instructions

Channel high reading skills to focused/specified area of interest

Retention to Grade 3 with development of compacted curriculum in Math: 50% grade 3 level and 50% enriched studies

Suggested Application

Study of Dinosaurs project

Creating story problems, drawing pictures, use of  manipulatives for calculation problems; as well as activities in measuring, classifying, estimating, and graphing

Outcome

Gained “resident expert” status and gained friends

Easy transition to Grade 4 level

What additional information would you want to know about each child to develop your plan of action for each child?
To develop one’s plan of action for each child, aside from indicating their respective areas of interests, the additional information would enhance the development and design of differentiated instructions including preferences for using identified instructional materials (technological applications, games, or visually designed projects). Also, it would be helpful to determine from their respective parents the academic support accorded outside the classroom (use of computers, tutors, mentors, and other enriching activities). The information would help in the design of compacted and differentiated instruction; as well as in monitoring the performance of the child outside the traditional classroom setting.
What would you do differently?

The strategies and recommended differentiated instructions were effective in achieving the identified goals. For Mark, it was important to gain interpersonal skills; aside from exhibiting excellence in the subjects which were noted. For Katrina, it was crucial to mitigate any potential negative impact of having to retain her to the Grade 3 level. As such, it was correct to solicit the input of parents, as well as to refer the children for consultation and evaluation with the school psychologist, who could assess the condition of the children, their accurate competencies and skills, and the preferred intervention, as recommended.