Differentiated Instruction for Social Studies

In social studies, students can use differentiated instruction to study what they find interesting.

Every classroom has multiple types of learners, and social studies teachers might feel overwhelmed meeting every student's needs while working through their expansive curriculum. Using differentiated instruction, though, is a way to engage multiple learners and give children some control over what they study. In the social studies classroom, you can use differentiated instruction to allow students to focus on their areas of strength but work on their weaknesses, too.

Identification

Differentiated instruction asks that teachers change the pace, level or kind of instruction they provide in response to individual learners' needs, styles or interests, Diane Heacox, author of "Differentiating Instruction in the Regular Classroom," says. Teachers who practice differentiated instruction continually take note of their students' progress and change lessons as needed. Heacox recommends that teachers know their students' learning styles. She cites Howard Gardner's eight types of learners: visual/spatial, verbal/linguistic, logical/mathematical, bodily/kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal and naturalist. (See Reference 1.)

Benefits

In a social studies classroom, teachers are expected to teach students several types of concepts: geography, social issues, history and government. When teachers differentiate instruction, students are able to focus on their areas of expertise while learning new content. Heacox says that when it is appropriate, students can make choices about what they learn and how they show what they have learned. Instruction, she says, is not "one size fits all."

Activities

Before starting a new unit, pretest your students so that you have an idea about what they already know. Then, during the unit you can pair students with similar abilities or learning styles together, so that they can challenge each other and work together. When it is time to assess, have several projects ready for students to choose from. While you should not eliminate the paper and pencil test altogether, you can sometimes offer students choices instead. For instance, if your students are studying the Great Depression, give them an option of writing a diary entry from someone laid off, creating a skit that details the life of a struggling family or studying the music from the late 1920s. If you have low-achieving students, you can have a separate assignment that allows them to highlight their knowledge and be successful.

Considerations

Though Heacox recommends that children focus on their strengths when they are working on assignments, it is still important to encourage children to work on their weaknesses, too. While a student might struggle with geography and shy away from it when he is allowed to choose an activity, he should still be expected to complete assignments out of his comfort zone so that he strengthens his weaknesses.

References

• "Differentiating Instruction in the Regular Classroom"; Diane Heacox; 2002