Introduction*

Up to this point, we have explored the first two stages of the Backward Design model, developing clear objectives and designing assessments. We have looked at the first two stages of the model that emphasized articulating our desired results through developing learning objectives and identifying assessment tools appropriate to gather evidence of student learning. Before moving on to Stage 3, planning instruction, it’s essential to consider how teachers can accommodate the diverse needs of learners during assessments and instruction.

Teachers consistently encounter the challenge of engaging students with varying readiness levels, interests, and learning profiles. Differentiated instruction is a teaching theory based on the premise that instructional approaches should vary and the curriculum should be adapted to individual and diverse students in classrooms (Tomlinson, 2014). Differentiated encourages teachers to flexibly adjust curriculum and instruction to meet learners where they are rather than expecting students to adapt to a single path. Tomlinson states, “Teachers who differentiate provide specific alternatives for individuals to learn as deeply as possible and as quickly as possible without assuming that one student’s road map to learning is identical to anyone else’s” (Tomlinson, 2014).

The following sections examine information on the theory and research behind differentiated instruction and its intersection with Universal Design for Learning (UDL), an educational framework based on research from the neurosciences and effective teaching practices designed to increase flexibility in teaching, decrease barriers, and optimize learning for all. We will define differentiated instruction, identify components and features, and explore research evidence for effectiveness. Next, we introduce UDL and the connections with differentiated instruction in theory and specific lesson examples. The chapter concludes with general guidelines for the implementation of UDL and a list of web resources that provide further information.

Differentiated Instruction*

To differentiate instruction is to recognize students’ varying background knowledge, readiness, language, and learning preferences, and to react responsively. As Tomlinson (2014) notes in her book, teachers in a differentiated classroom ask what it will take to alter or modify the curriculum and instruction so that each learner comes away with the knowledge, understanding, and skills necessary to take on the next important phase of learning. Differentiated instruction is a process of teaching and learning for students of differing abilities in the same class. Teachers, based on characteristics of their learners’ readiness, interest, and learning profile, may adapt or manipulate various elements of the curriculum (content, process, product, affect/environment). Therefore, differentiated instruction is often referred to as responsive teaching that adjusts instruction based on ongoing assessment of students’ needs.

Identifying Components/Features

While Tomlinson and other researchers recognize there is no single recipe for differentiation, they have identified guiding principles, considered the “Pillars that Support Effective Differentiation”: philosophy, principles, and practices. The premise of each is as follows:

The Philosophy of differentiation is based on the following tenets:

• (1) recognizing diversity is normal and valuable,
• (2) understanding that every student has the capacity to learn,
• (3) taking responsibility to guide and structure student success,
• (4) championing every student entering the learning environment and assuring equity of access

The Principles identified that shape differentiation include—

• (1) creating an environment conducive to learning
• (2) identifying a quality foundational curriculum
• (3) informing teaching and learning with assessments
• (4) designing instruction based on assessments collected
• (5) creating and maintaining a flexible classroom

Teacher Practices are also essential to differentiation, highlighted as—

• (1) proactive planning to address student profiles
• (2) modifying instructional approaches to meet student needs
• (3) teaching up (students should be working just above their individual comfort levels)
• (4) assigning respectful tasks responsive to student needs—challenging, engaging, purposeful
• (5) applying flexible grouping strategies (e.g., stations, interest groups, orbital studies)

Several key elements guide differentiation in the education environment through which teachers may differentiate instruction: content, process, product and affect/environment  (Tomlinson, 2014). These are described in the table below, and they help to serve as guidelines for forming an understanding of and developing ideas around differentiation of instruction.

Differentiated instruction allows teachers to adjust pratice, process, products, content, assessment, and grouping, thus creating multiple pathways to learing that align with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. The next section of this document introduces the reader to the theory and research behind UDL. We then investigate the links and connections between UDL and differentiated instruction. Additionally, we identify methods and materials that may be used to support the implementation of differentiated instruction in concert with the principles of UDL. Finally, a set of guidelines for UDL implementation is provided, including additional resources.

Differentiation Vignettes 🤖

Introduction to Universal Design for Learning Applications*

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a theoretical framework developed by CAST (the Center for Applied Special Technology) to guide the design and development of learning environments that represent materials in flexible ways and offer a variety of options for learners to comprehend information, demonstrate their knowledge and skills, and be motivated to learn. Just as universal design in architecture anticipates user diversity, UDL represents proactive teaching that anticipates learner variability and designs for it from the outset. The concept of UDL was inspired by the universal design movement in architecture. This movement calls for the design of structures that anticipate the needs of individuals with disabilities and accommodate these needs from the outset. Universally designed structures are usable by individuals with disabilities and offer unforeseen benefits for all users. Curb cuts, for example, serve their intended use of facilitating the travel of those in wheelchairs, but are also beneficial to people pushing strollers, young children, and even the average walker. The process of designing for individuals with disabilities has led to improved usability for everyone.

The universal design movement changed how architects think about designing buildings. Similarly, UDL challenges how educators think about learning environments and curricula. For example, fixed, one-size-fits-all curricula are designed to address the needs of mainstream learners with a disregard for the diversity in skills, needs, and interests that individuals bring to learning. In contrast, a UDL curriculum is designed to consider the variability in individual learners. As a result, a UDL curriculum is flexible and enriched with multiple media, so many paths exist to develop the talents of all learners. In doing so, a UDL curriculum reduces barriers and optimizes the level of challenges and support to meet the needs of all learners from the start.

The UDL framework is based on neuroscience research evidence that individual learners differ in how they are motivated (affective network), how they comprehend information (recognition network), and how they express what they know (strategic network). Whether the differences facilitate learning or become a detriment to learning depends on the educational context. As Meyers, Rose, and Gordon explain, “Success occurs when the learner and the curriculum interact in ways that help them both improve at the same time” (2014). To guide educators in creating lessons, curricula, and learning systems that are engaging, maximize flexibility, and optimize learning, the three primary brain networks are translated into three UDL principles of design: 1) provide multiple means of engagement, 2) provide multiple means of representation, and 3) provide multiple means of action and expression (Rose, Meyer, & Gordon 2014).

As teachers, we should provide flexibility in how our students access content (representation), engage in the learning process (engagement), and demonstrate learning (expression). For more information about UDL, consider the following resources and the self-guided learning module found at the end of this chapter.

• Read about Universal Design for Learning (UDL), its three principles, and how it benefits not just students with learning and attention issues but all students.
• Watch a video summary of UDL.
• Explore the Interactive UDL Guidelines website for detailed checkpoints and classroom considerations.

UDL Vignettes 🤖

Differentiated Instruction and the Three Universal Design for Learning Principles*

This section explores the connections between differentiated instruction and the UDL principles.

Recognition networks. The UDL principle focused on representation and the importance of providing multiple, flexible methods of presentation when teaching indicates that no single teaching methodology for representing information will be satisfactory for every learner. Differentiated instruction supports the UDL principle, provide multiple means of representation, as it encourages the use of several elements and materials to support instructional content. A teacher following this principle might help students in a social studies class to understand the location of a state in the union by showing them a wall map or a globe, projecting a state map, or describing the location in words. Also, while preserving the essential content, a teacher could vary the difficulty of the material by presenting smaller or larger, simpler or more complex maps. For students with physical or cognitive disabilities, such a diversity of examples may be vital for them to access the pattern being taught. Other students may benefit from the same multiple examples by obtaining a perspective that they otherwise might not. In this way, a range of examples can help ensure that each student’s recognition networks can identify the fundamental elements characterizing a pattern. This same use of varied content examples supports a recommended UDL Guideline: provide options for perception. A wide range of tools for presenting instructional content are available, especially in the digital environment; thus teachers may manipulate size, color contrasts, audio, and other features to develop examples in multiple media and formats. These can be saved for future use and flexibly accessed by different students depending on their needs and preferences.

Strategic networks. People have preferences when it comes to the most desirable method of learning strategies; therefore, teaching methodologies need to be varied. This kind of flexibility is key for teachers to help meet the needs of their diverse students, and this is reflected in the UDL principle provide multiple means of action and expression. Differentiated instruction recognizes the need for students to receive flexible models of skilled performance, which reflects the UDL Guideline provide options for expression and communication. As noted above, teachers implementing differentiated instruction are encouraged to demonstrate information and skills multiple times and at varying levels. As a result, learners enter the instructional episode with different approaches, knowledge, and strategies for learning. To successfully demonstrate the skills that they have learned, students need flexible opportunities for demonstrating skills. Differentiated instruction directly supports this UDL checkpoint by reminding teachers to provide multiple options for learning and expressing knowledge, including the degree of difficulty and the means of evaluation or scoring.

Affective networks. Differentiation and UDL call for motivating and sustaining learner engagement through flexible instruction. Differentiated instruction emphasizes the importance of effective classroom management and reminds teachers of meeting the challenges of effective organizational and instructional practices. Teachers are encouraged to offer choices of tools, adjust the level of difficulty of the material, and provide varying levels of scaffolding to gain and maintain learner attention during the instructional episode. Similarly, UDL encourages teachers to provide multiple means of engagement by offering choices of content and tools; providing adjustable levels of challenge, and offering a choice of learning context. By providing varying levels of scaffolding when differentiating instruction, students have access to varied learning contexts as well as choices about their learning environment.

In summary, differentiation and UDL are different but similar approaches to responding to the needs of learners. Effective teachers combine aspects of both approaches to set their classrooms up for success. In your classroom, you may find yourself planning specific means of differentiation in response to specific learner needs while also integrating a variety of choices to allow all learners a unique pathway to engage with content, interact during the lesson, or demonstrate learning. The key takeaway is that a one-size-fits-all model of education will most likely not be sufficient for your classroom.

Accommodations vs. Modifications

When teachers plan to assess their students, they must consider how they will ensure that all learners have equitable access to the assessment. To address this issue, teachers often resort to either providing accommodations or modifications during an assessment. Accommodations refer to any practice that provides students with disabilities access to instruction or assessment. An accommodation unlocks the activity in a way that does not alter the skill being assessed but allows the student to perform the task without the inference-distorting effects of their disability (Popham, 2017). Accommodations allow you as the teacher to collect the evidence you need to fully assess a student’s knowledge. Accommodations often align with the UDL principles.

In contrast, modifications alter learning tasks in a manner that alters the expectations students are to learn or demonstrate based on the needs of the individual. Some students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) may have specific modifications written into their plan. However, often the subset of students requiring modifications that reduce the expected level of learning required is very small. The majority of students with disabilities or English Language Learners will only need accommodations to help them either access information or demonstrate their learning. A key thing to remember when working with these student populations is that your goal is to have them achieve the same learning objectives as every other student.

Strategies for Students with Disabilities

When working with students with disabilities, it is common to provide accommodations that alter the presentation of information, student demonstration of understanding, assessment settings, and timelines for completion. Similar to the UDL Guidelines, accommodations for students with disabilities may include providing various methods to interact with information. For example, providing alternatives to text, such as recordings and either tactile or visual models, can allow students with hearing and visual impairments to interact with the content and help learners with cognitive disabilities access information. Along those same lines, providing students with options to demonstrate their understanding through assisted graphic organizers or even via oral report may allow you to see evidence of student learning that may not be possible on a standard constructed-response test. This is where you, as a teacher, can be creative in allowing students to choose how to demonstrate their learning. Lastly, some students may need accommodations in the physical environment to perform an assessment or the time required to complete the task. Most of these options will be pre-defined for you by a student’s IEP, but as the teacher, you have the right to provide such accommodations for all your learners based on your professional opinion of their needs.

Strategies for English Language Learners

Just as students with disabilities benefit from accommodations, English Language Learners (ELL) may also require linguistic supports. Some schools are fortunate enough to have support staff who work directly with ELL students. Some schools are not so fortunate. Regardless, as a teacher, you should be aware of some basic things you can do to accommodate the needs of ELLs. When providing learning activities or assessments in a written format, some ELLs may need a version where the language load is reduced, in other words, written at a basic level of understanding. Providing dual-language dictionaries and the option for recorded versions of the instructions may also prove helpful. Some ELLs may have strengths in reading the English language but struggle with writing their responses or vice versa. Therefore, providing students options in how to respond, such as orally or in writing, in either English or their native language, allows you to assess their knowledge of the skills and concepts without their proficiency in the English language interfering. Lastly, like your students with disabilities, ELLs may benefit from extended time to complete learning tasks.

Strategies for Gifted Learners

The last group of students we focus on is often overlooked in the classroom. Gifted students are viewed as the top students in the class who complete all their work quickly, flawlessly, and effortlessly. Too often, teachers don’t challenge this group; instead, they burden them with extra work or tasks that do not extend their knowledge. Examples include extra worksheets or extensive use of peer tutoring. Instead, gifted learners should benefit from a curriculum that is accelerated, compacted, and extended. This means that gifted learners should be allowed to move through the curriculum at a pace that is comfortable for them and is compacted, as they can skip the content they already show mastery of. This accelerating and compacting of the curriculum opens the opportunity to extend the curriculum to deeper learning. All of this should be facilitated by the teacher and done in a group setting with students with similar strengths. This does not mean the gifted students sit in the back of the room, isolated from the class and the teacher. Gifted students should still participate in the class regularly, but there will be times when they are allowed to move on to more advanced material as the class works on content they already understand.

Accommodation & Modification Vignettes 🤖

Using Generative AI to Support Differentiation and UDL

Generative AI tools can assist teachers in designing differentiated lessons and UDL-aligned materials while saving planning time and expanding creative options. When used responsibly and transparently, these tools can help teachers:

1. Generate Tiered Assignments: Prompt an AI tool to create versions of the same task at varying levels of complexity or reading difficulty.
   Example prompt: “Create three versions of a 9th-grade science reading passage on ecosystems at basic, intermediate, and advanced levels.”

2. Offer Multimodal Supports: Use AI to suggest visuals, summaries, or analogies that align with students’ preferred modes of learning (representation).
   Example prompt: “Explain the Civil War causes using a short poem, a diagram, and a two-paragraph summary.”

3. Design Flexible Assessments: Ask AI to propose multiple assessment options for a single objective (e.g., oral report, infographic, or written essay).

4. Create Accommodations: Have AI generate accessible text versions, extended-time planning guides, or sample alternative assessments for students with documented needs.

5. Encourage Student Agency: Allow students to use vetted AI tools to brainstorm examples, clarify directions, or self-assess their understanding—with teacher monitoring and explicit ethical guidance.

AI Use Reminder: Teachers should always review and adapt AI-generated materials to ensure accuracy, alignment with objectives, and accessibility.

Conclusion

As classrooms continue to diversify, teachers who intentionally combine differentiation and UDL principles will be best positioned to create equitable, engaging, and challenging learning experiences for every student. They have both received significant recognition. When differentiation is combined with the practices and principles of UDL, it can provide teachers with both theory and practice to appropriately challenge the broad scope of students in classrooms today. Although educators are continually challenged by the ever-changing classroom profile of students, resources, and reforms, practices continue to evolve, and the relevant research base should grow. And along with them grows the promise of differentiated instruction and UDL in educational practices.

Summarizing Key Understandings🤖

Peer Examples

Suggested Activities

Activity: Applying Differentiated Instruction and Universal Design for Learning

References & Attributions

AI Assistance: Sections marked with  include text that was drafted or refined with the assistance of OpenAI’s GPT-5-mini. All content has been reviewed and edited by the author for accuracy, clarity, and alignment with learning objectives.

Attribution: “Introduction”, Differentiated Instruction”, “An Introduction to Universal Design for Learning Applications”, and “Differentiated Instruction and the Three Universal Design for Learning Principles” were adapted from Hall, T., Vue, G., Strangman, N., & Meyer, A. (2004). Differentiated Instruction and Implications for UDL Implementation. Wakefield, MA: National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum. (Links updated 2014). Retrieved [9/23/2024] from http://aem.cast.org/about/publications/2003/ncac-differentiated-instruction-udl.html, licensed by CC BY-SA 4.0

CAST. (2019). About Universal Design for Learning [Website]. Retrieved from http://www.cast.org/

Meyer, A., Rose, D. H., & Gordon, D. (2014) Universal design for learning: Theory and practice. Wakefield, MA: CAST.

Popham, J. (2017). Classroom assessment: What teachers need to know (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD

Tomlinson, C. A. (2014). Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD