THE "WHY" OF DIFFERENTIATION

Taken from How to Differentiate Instruction in Academically Diverse Classrooms by Carol Ann Tomlinson

Differentiating Content according to readiness means matching the material or information you're asking student to learn to a student's current proficiency in reading and understanding.  

• WHAT we teach

Differentiating Process according to readiness means matching the complexity of a task, materials, and support to a student's current level of knowledge, understanding and SKILL. 

• HOW we teach

Differentiating Product is based on the key knowledge, understanding, and skills the teacher wants to assess.  Products cause students to think about, apply, transform, and expand on the identified knowledge, understanding, and skills.