Tiering

As I was reading more on the subject of tiering, I found a website created by Bertie Kingmore that has many articles on the subject of differentiation.  I read the article on tiered instruction. Kingmore explained tiered instruction using the analogy of a staircase.  Students are all at different levels of the staircase, so they need different instruction, activities, or support systems to get them to their highest learning potential.

In class today, it made sense to me that tiered instruction is differentiating for a student's readiness.  The cake analogy and our discussion of how the hallmarks apply to tiered instruction helped me to understand the hallmarks of differentiation a little more deeply.   The one that stood out to me was hallmark 2 (absolute clarity about what the teacher wants the students to know, understand, and be able to do - about what is truly important to learn in this unit).  In tiered instruction the teacher uses the same objective, but differentiates the process, and products to get the students to where they are supposed to be.  I can only succeed with tiered instruction if I know clearly what I want my students to know, understand, and be able to do.