Differentiated instruction involves instructional practices and teaching strategies that are inclusive in nature, practices that enable all learners, including those with disabilities, to access and succeed in the general education classroom and curriculum (Santamaria &Thousand, 2004).The authors cited above view differentiated instruction as a compilation of good educational practices with roots in theoretical research and the successful outcomes programmes such as gifted education. At the basic level, differentiation consists of efforts of teachers to respond to variance among learners in the classroom. When a teacher reaches out to an individual or small group to vary his/her teaching in order to create the best learning experience possible that teacher is differentiating instruction (Tomlinson, 2000, 2001).
Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs. Whether the teachers differentiate contact, process, products or the learning environment, the use of continuing assessment and flexible grouping makes this a successful approach to instruction. Differentiated instruction is based on the premise that, since learners differ significantly in their interests, learning styles, abilities and prior experiences, the teaching strategies, materials and pace should vary accordingly (Tomlinson, 2000). It is a set of strategies that allows a classroom teacher to meet the needs of learners with varying levels of readiness, learning ability, interest and educational background in the same class at the same time. This process requires pre-assessment to identify each child’s instructional level, flexible grouping, variation in content, process and product, depending on each child’s learning profile and an assessment plan to determine if the instructional goals have been met (Peters, Mathews, McBee & McCoach, 2014).
Teachers using differentiated instruction can utilise the Renzulli Learning System, which is a comprehensive programme that begins by providing a computer- generated profile of each student’s academic strengths, interests, learning styles, and preferred modes of expression (Renzulli & Reis, 2007). A search engine then matches Internet resources to the student’s profile from 14 carefully screened data-bases that are categorized by subject area, grade level, state curricular standards, and degree of complexity. A management system known as the Wizard Project Maker guides learners in the application of knowledge to teacher or student selected assignments, independent research studies, or creative projects that individuals or small groups would like to pursue (Shavinina, 2013, p. 62). Learners and teachers can evaluate the quality of learners’ products using a rubric known as the ‘Student Product Assessment Form’ (Renzulli & Reis, 2007, p. 2). Learners can rate each site visited, conduct a self-assessment of what they have gained from the site, and place resources in their own ‘Total Talent Portfolio’ for future use (Renzulli &Reis, 2007, p. 63).
Learners have unique learning styles; hence teachers need to take time to find these out, particularly when working with gifted ones. After establishing how gifted learners learn it becomes necessary to find specific differentiated strategies that can be incorporated in any learning environment (Raymond, 2011). In an effort to address unique gifted learners’ learning styles Tomlinson (2000) in Tomlinson (2001) recommended support for diverse learners by instruction in ways that recognise them:
learn best when they are actively involved in and physically interactive with their environment;
develop a deeper understanding when they are encouraged to construct their own knowledge;
benefit from choice, both as a motivator and as a mechanism to ensure that they are working at an optimal level of understanding and development;
need time and encouragement to reflect on and communicate their understanding;
Need considerable and varying amounts of time and experience to construct scientific and mathematical knowledge.
The above recommendations suggest that trainee teachers need professional competencies that would enable them to recognise and develop giftedness (Trnova, Trna &Skrabankova, 2013). This implies that innovative educational methods for motivation and development of gifted learners are to be incorporated in teacher preparation programmes in order to equip trainee teachers with appropriate knowledge and skills.
Tomlinson (2000) suggests that teachers using differentiated instruction should develop teaching strategies that are responsive to all learners’ needs, whilst the strategies should use a variety of groupings and challenge learners at an appropriate level in light of their readiness, interests and learning profiles.
In differentiated classrooms, teachers provide specific ways for each individual to learn as deeply and as quickly as possible without assuming one student’s way of learning is identical to another’s. Teachers in differentiated classes use time flexibly, call upon a range of instructional strategies, and become partners with their learners to see that both what is learned and the learning environment are shaped to the learner (Tomlinson, 1999).
If the differentiated instructional strategies are not implemented, Raymond (2011) argues that gifted learners may be at risk of underachieving or may not complete their primary education unless an appropriate curriculum is provided to engage and challenge their abilities and develop their talents. There are also concerns about how gifted education will affect a student socially. In the majority of cases placing a child with his or her intellectual peers allows a gifted child to understand his or her uniqueness better and usually become less disruptive in the classroom as the mind remains occupied (Raymond, 2011).