Most teachers want to reach every student effectively, but the reality of limited

planning time and packed schedules can make this goal feel out of reach. The good
news is that with the right strategies and tools, you can create learning experiences
that engage your whole class while meeting individual student needs.
This article provides 20 practical, classroom-tested strategies you can start using
immediately to make differentiation manageable and effective. Whether you're
teaching math, reading, or any other subject, you'll find actionable techniques that
work for both whole-class and small-group instruction.
Each strategy includes clear examples and real-classroom applications, plus you'll
get a downloadable quick-reference guide to keep at your desk. Get ready to
transform your teaching with approaches that really work!

What Is Differentiated Instruction?

Differentiated instruction strategies adapt teaching to address students' unique
learning abilities, styles, and readiness levels. Instead of using a one-size-fits-all
approach, teaching and learning practices are modified to match the needs of the
students in today's diverse classroom. This approach to differentiated learning
transforms how teachers deliver content, engage students, and assess understanding.
Educator Carol Ann Tomlinson puts it beautifully in her book, "How To
Differentiate Instruction in Academically Diverse Classrooms":
"Kids of the same age aren't all alike when it comes to learning, any more than they
are alike in terms of size, hobbies, personality, or likes and dislikes. Kids do have
many things in common because they are human beings and because they are all
children, but they also have important differences.
What we share in common makes us human. How we differ makes us individuals. In
a classroom with little or no differentiated instruction, only student similarities seem
to take center stage. In a differentiated classroom, commonalities are acknowledged
and built upon, and student differences become important elements in teaching and
learning as well."
This can involve adjusting:

 Content (the media and methods teachers use to impart and instruct skills,
ideas, and information)
 Processes (the exercises and practices students perform to better understand
content)
 Products (the materials, such as tests and projects, students complete to
demonstrate understanding)
To help create lessons that engage and resonate with a diverse classroom, below are
20 differentiated instruction strategies and examples.
Try the ones that best apply to you and your students, adapting them to support your
unique teaching style and students' learning needs.

Let's explore each strategy, complete with examples and implementation tips you
can adapt for your classroom:

1. CREATE LEARNING STATIONS

Provide different types of content by setting up learning stations – divided sections
of your classroom through which groups of students rotate. You can facilitate this
with a flexible seating plan.
Each station should use a unique method of teaching a skill or concept related to
your lesson.
To complement your math lessons, for example, many teachers use Prodigy to
simplify differentiation. You can assign specific in-game skills to each student – or
distinct student groups right from your dashboard.
Students can rotate between stations that involve:

 Responding to a video
 Creating artwork
 Reading an article
 Solving puzzles
 Participating in teacher-led explorations.
To help students process the content after they've been through the stations, you can
hold a class discussion or assign questions to answer.

2. Use Task Cards

Like learning stations, task cards allow you to give students a range of content.
Answering task cards can also be a small-group activity, adding variety to classes
that normally focus on solo or large-group learning.
First, make or identify tasks and questions that you'd typically find on worksheets or
in textbooks.
Second, print and laminate cards that each contain a single task or question. Or, use
Teachers Pay Teachers to buy pre-made cards. (Check out Prodigy Education's
Teachers Pay Teachers page for free resources!)
Finally, set up stations around your classroom and pair students together to rotate
through them.
You can individualize instruction by monitoring the pairs, addressing knowledge
gaps when needed. You can also have various levels of task cards to further
differentiate for students.

3. Interview Students

Asking questions about learning and studying styles can help you pinpoint the kinds
of content that will meet your students' needs.
While running learning stations or a large-group activity, pull each student aside for
a few minutes. Ask about:

 Their favorite types of lessons

 Their favorite in-class activities
 Which projects they're most proud of
 Which kinds of exercises help them remember key lesson points

Track your results to identify themes and students with uncommon preferences,
helping you determine which methods of instruction suit their abilities. If individual
interviews are not possible, give a paper survey at the beginning of the year to
quickly capture this information from all of your students at once.

4. Target Different Senses Within Lessons

A lesson should resonate with more students if it targets visual, tactile, auditory and
kinesthetic senses, instead of only one.
When applicable, appeal to a range of learning styles by:

 Playing videos
 Using infographics
 Providing audiobooks
 Getting students to act out a scene
 Incorporating charts and illustrations within texts
 Giving both spoken and written directions to tasks
 Using relevant physical objects, such as money, when teaching math skills
 Allotting time for students to create artistic reflections and interpretations of
lessons
Not only will these tactics help more students grasp the core concepts of lessons, but
they will also make class more engaging.
Prodigy Math, for example, is an engaging way to gamify math class in a way that
worksheets simply cannot. 👇

5. Share Your Own Strengths and Weaknesses

To familiarize students with the idea of differentiated learning, you may find it
beneficial to explain that everyone has different skill levels and ways of processing
information. Talking about your own strengths and weaknesses is one way of doing
this.
Explain – on a personal level – how you study and review lessons. Share tactics that
do and don't work for you, encouraging students to try them.
Not only should this help them understand that people naturally learn differently,
but also give them insight into improving how they process information.

6. Use the Think-Pair-Share Strategy

The think-pair-share strategy exposes students to three lesson-processing

experiences within one activity. It's also easy to monitor and support students as
they complete each step:

1. Start by asking students to individually think about a given topic or answer a

specific question.
2. Next, pair students together to discuss their results and findings.
3. Finally, have each pair share their ideas with the rest of the class, and open
the floor for further discussion.
Because the differentiated instruction strategy allows students to process your lesson
content individually, in a small group, and in a large group, it caters to your
classroom's range of learning and personality types.
7. Make Time for Journaling

A journal can be a tool for students to reflect on the lessons and activities done in
class, helping them process new information.
When possible, at the end of class, give students a chance to make a journal entry
by:

 Summarizing key points they've learned

 Attempting to answer or make sense of lingering questions
 Explaining how they can use the lessons in real-life scenarios
 Illustrating new concepts, which can be especially helpful for data-focused
math lessons
As they continue to make entries, they should figure out which ones effectively
allow them to process fresh content.
But if you're struggling to see the value of journaling in a subject like math, for
example, you can make time specifically for math journaling. While you connect
journaling to your own math objectives, students can make cross-curricular
connections.
If you want to learn more, check out K-5 Math Teaching Resources for a detailed
overview. Angela Watson at The Cornerstone for Teachers also has great math
journal resources you can use in your class!

8. Implement Reflection and Goal-Setting Exercises

As an extension of journaling, have students reflect on important lessons and set

learning goals for further learning at pre-determined points of the year.
During these points, ask students to write about their favorite topics, as well as the
most interesting concepts and information they've learned.
They should also identify skills to improve and topics to explore.
Based on the results, you can target lessons to help meet these goals. For example, if
the bulk of students discuss a certain aspect of the science curriculum, you can
design different activities around it.

9. Run Literature Circles

Organizing students into literature circles encourages students to shape and inform
each other's understanding of readings and helps auditory and participatory learners
retain more information.
This also allows you to listen to each circle's discussion, ask questions, and fill in
gaps in understanding.
As a bonus, some students may develop leadership skills by running the discussion.
This activity makes written content – which, at times, may only be accessible to
individual learners with strong reading retention – easier to process for more
students.

10. Offer Different Types of Free Study Time

Free study time will generally benefit students who prefer to learn individually, but
can be slightly altered to also help their classmates process your lessons. This can be
done by dividing your class into clearly-sectioned solo and team activities.
Consider the following free study exercises to also meet the preferences of visual,
auditory, and kinesthetic learners:

 Provide audiobooks that play material relevant to your lessons.

 Create a station for challenging group games that teach skills involved in the
curriculum.
 Maintain a designated quiet space for students to take notes and complete
work.
 Allow students to work in groups while taking notes and completing work
away from the quiet space.
By running these sorts of activities, free study time will begin to benefit diverse
learners – not just students who easily process information through quiet, individual
work.

11. Group Students with Similar Learning Styles

Flexible grouping and students' readiness levels are key considerations when
organizing your class. While heterogeneous grouping is a common practice,
grouping students based on similar learning style can encourage collaboration
through common work and thinking practices.
This is not to be confused with grouping students based on similar levels of ability
or understanding. In some cases, doing so conflicts with the "Teach Up" principle,
which is discussed below.
Rather, this tactic allows like-minded students to support each other's learning while
giving you time to spend with each group. By assessing students' readiness before
forming groups, you can create more effective learning partnerships. You can then
offer the optimal kind of instruction to suit each group's common needs and
preferences.
Remember that groups should remain flexible – students can and should move
between groups as their skills and understanding develop. This flexible grouping
approach helps ensure that all students are appropriately challenged and supported
throughout the learning process.

12. Give Different Sets of Reading Comprehension Activities

Instead of focusing on written products, consider evaluating reading comprehension

through questions and activities that test different aptitudes. Graphic organizers can
help students visualize relationships between ideas and organize their thoughts
effectively.
Although written answers may still appeal to many students, others may thrive and
best challenge themselves during artistic or kinesthetic tasks. Using choice boards
allows students to select activities that match their learning preferences while
ensuring they meet key learning objectives.
For example, allow students to choose between some of the following activities
before, during and after an important reading:

 Using graphic organizers to map out story elements or character relationships

 Participating in literature circles
 Delivering a presentation
 Writing a traditional report
 Creating visual art to illustrate key events
 Creating and performing a monologue as a main character or figure

Offering structured options through choice boards can help students demonstrate
their understanding of content as effectively as possible, giving you more insight
into their abilities.

13. Assign Open-Ended Projects

Similar to evaluating reading comprehension, give students a list of projects to find

one that lets them effectively demonstrate their knowledge.
Include a clear rubric for each type of project, which clearly defines expectations. In
fact, some teachers have their students co-create the rubric with them so they have
autonomy in the work they'll be completing and being assessed on. Doing so will
keep it challenging and help students meet specific criteria.
By both enticing and challenging students, this approach encourages them to:

 Work and learn at their own paces

 Engage actively with content they must understand
 Demonstrate their knowledge as effectively as possible
In addition to benefiting students, this differentiated instruction strategy will clearly
showcase distinct work and learning styles.

14. Encourage Students To Propose Ideas for Their Projects

As well as offering set options, encourage students to take their projects from
concept to completion by pitching you ideas.
A student must show how the product will meet academic standards and be open to
your revisions. If the pitch doesn't meet your standards, tell the student to refine the
idea until it does. If it doesn't by a predetermined date, assign one of your set
options.
You may be pleasantly surprised by some pitches.
After all, students are the focus of differentiated instruction – they likely have a
good grasp of their learning styles and abilities.

15. Analyze Your Differentiated Instruction Strategy Regularly

Even if you're confident in your overall approach, Carol Ann Tomlinson – one of
the most reputable topic thought-leaders – recommends analyzing your
differentiated instruction strategies:
"Frequently reflect on the match between your classroom and the philosophy of
teaching and learning you want to practice. Look for matches and mismatches, and
use both to guide you."
Based on her book, "How To Differentiate Instruction in Academically Diverse
Classrooms," analyze your strategy by reflecting on:

 Content. Are you using diverse materials and teaching methods in class?
 Processes. Are you providing solo, small-group, and large-group activities
that best allow different learners to absorb your content?
 Products. Are you letting and helping students demonstrate their
understanding of content in a variety of ways on tests, projects and
assignments?
In doing so, you'll refine your approach to appropriately accommodate students.

16. "Teach Up"

Teaching at a level that's too easily accessible to each student can harm your differentiated
instruction efforts, according to Tomlinson. Instead, she recommends "teaching up." This
eliminates the pitfall of being stuck on low-level ideas, seldom reaching advanced concepts:
We do much better if we start with what we consider to be high-end curriculum and
expectations – and then differentiate to provide scaffolding to lift the kids up. The
usual tendency is to start with what we perceive to be grade-level material and then
dumb it down for some and raise it up for others. But we don't usually raise it up
very much from that starting point, and dumbing down just sets lower expectations
for some kids.
This concept should guide your differentiated teaching strategy, helping you raise
each student to "high-end curriculum and expectations." It has also grown
particularly popular as educators have focused more on accelerated learning by
"teaching up", as opposed to filling learning gaps.

Differentiated Math Instruction Strategies and Examples

These next four strategies focus specifically on making math instruction more
engaging and accessible for students at different skill levels:

17. Use Math EdTech that Adjusts to Each Student

Some EdTech tools – such as certain educational math games – can deliver
differentiated content while providing unique ways to process it.
For example, Prodigy adjusts questions to tackle student trouble spots and offers
math problems that use words, charts, and pictures, as well as numbers.
To the benefit of teachers, Prodigy is free and standards-aligned for grades one
through eight. You can adjust the focus of questions to supplement lessons and view
reports to examine each student's progress.
18. Relate Math to Personal Interests and Everyday Examples

Clearly linking math to personal interests and real-world examples can help some
learners understand key concepts.
Working with 41 seventh-grade students throughout an academic year, a 2015 study
published by the Canadian Center of Science and Education used contextual
learning strategies to teach integers and increase test scores by more than 44%.
Striving for similar benefits may be ambitious, but you can start by surveying
students. Ask about their interests and how they use math outside of school.
Using your findings, you should find that contextualization helps some students
grasp new or unfamiliar math concepts.
There are many math-related games and activities to find inspiration for
implementing this tactic.

19. Play a Math-Focused Version of Tic-Tac-Toe

Help students practice different math skills by playing a game that's a take on tic-
tac-toe.
Prepare by dividing a sheet into squares – three vertical by three horizontal. Don't
leave them blank. Instead, fill the boxes with questions that test different abilities.
For example:

 "Complete question X on page Y of your textbook."

 "Draw a picture to show how to add fraction X and fraction Y."
 "Describe a real-life situation in which you would use cross-multiplication,
providing an example and solution."
You can hand out sheets to students for solo practice or divide them into pairs and
encourage friendly competition. The first one to link three Xs or Os – by correctly
completing questions – wins.
So, depending on your preferences, this game will challenge diverse learners
through either individual or small-group practice.

20. Create Learning Stations Without Mandatory Rotations

Provide differentiated math learning opportunities for your students by setting up

unique learning stations across your classrooms, but forgoing mandatory rotations.
Try creating stations to solve similar mathematical problems using things like:
  Data. Provide spreadsheets, requiring students to manipulate data through
trial and error.
 People. Group students into pairs or triads to tackle a range of problems
together, supporting each other's learning.
 Things. Offer a hands-on option by giving each student objects to use when
solving questions.
Allow students to only switch stations if they feel the need. If they do, consult them
about their decision. In each case, you and the student will likely learn more about
his or her learning style.
Supplemented by your circulation between stations to address gaps in prior
knowledge, this activity exposes students to exercises that appeal to diverse abilities.