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Differentiated Instruction in the Inclusive Classroom

Author Affiliations

  • 1 Institute of Educational Technology and Vocational Education, Panjab University, Chandigarh- 160014, INDIA

Res. J.Educational Sci., Volume 2, Issue (7), Pages 10-14, November,1 (2014)

Abstract

Inclusive education has developed from the belief that education is a basic human right and that it provides the foundation for a more just and accepting society. The right to education Act (RTE) – 2009 necessitates the present day classroom to be inclusive in nature that is welcoming and is pedagogically capable of educating the naturally diverse population of students who arrive at its door. Differentiated instruction is the very foundations upon which teachers can create such classrooms. Differentiated instruction is a technique that teachers use to accommodate each student’s learning style and instructional preferences. This strategy may involve teaching the same material to all students using a variety of instructional methods, or it may require the teacher to teach content at varying levels of difficulty based on the readiness, interests and ability of each student. The paper also highlights the rationale of differentiated instruction that lies behind Piaget’s constructivist theory, Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory; Gardner’s multiple intelligence theory, varied learning styles. The present paper focuses on the four areas by which the teachers can differentiate viz. i. through content: the information that must be learned, ii. process: The combination of activities and input from the teacher that engage the learner in the content, iii. product: The outcomes of student learning that demonstrate understanding or mastery, and iv. learning environment refers to how the classroom is designed to meet the needs of the students.

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