Differentiating Instruction in the Primary Grades with the Big6[TM]

Tomlinson defines differentiated instruction as "attempts to meet students where they are in the learning process and move them along as quickly and as far as possible in the context of a mixed-ability classroom." Successful differentiation equals student engagement and understanding. Instruction can be differentiated in several ways: by student interest, as each student adds questions that are directed by personal interests; through readiness differentiation when each student adds personal research and writing goals; or by learning-profile differentiation, where students use different products to show their understanding of the key concepts, principles, and skills. Differentiated instruction and the Big6 process appear to be made for each other. In this article the author explains how instruction can be differentiated with the Big6 process.