Differentiated Instruction and the Layered Curriculum

If you are a teacher, there is no doubt in my mind that you have a diverse group of learners in your class. You are faced with the daunting task of trying to accommodate these diverse learners in your classroom: remediating the student who has trouble in reading and math, motivating the student who has become lax in their studies, and challenging those that excel in the subject matter.

In the past, teachers found themselves teaching "to the middle" in order to get through the curriculum that they were expected to cover, hoping not to lose those struggling, and not to bore those who excel. In the past 15 years, differentiated instruction has been highlighted as a way to reach all students in the classroom. When the concept differentiated instruction was first introduced, teachers had little training on how to actually accomplish this in the classroom. Resources on differentiated instruction were slim. Teachers were expected to differentiate instruction according to laws dealing with learning disabilities, but many teachers struggled with the execution of such a feat. Today, differentiated instruction resources are abundant, and the teaching is much better for it.

Introduction to the Layered Curriculum™

One of the best ways to differentiate instruction is use of the layered or tiered curriculum. The Layered Curriculum™ was developed by Dr. Kathie Nunley in order to accommodate those that were mainstreamed into her classes, as well as accommodate different learning styles in the classroom. The Layered Curriculum™ provides teachers with a method for assigning various tasks at various difficulties within the same lesson or unit. Using the Layered Curriculum™, teachers are able to differentiate instruction for a wide range of abilities, all while addressing the visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic and reluctant learners.

Basically, how the Layered Curriculum™ works is by providing multiple avenues for students to learn the curriculum. A unit is divided into three layers: a C layer, a B layer, and a A layer.

In the C layer, students are offered a variety of basic activities that are geared towards the knowledge and comprehension level of Bloom's Taxonomy. These activities are differentiated in different types for various learning modalities. All students must start at this level and complete this level. If the students complete this level satisfactorily, the students earn a C. Then students can move onto the next level. If they don't move onto the next level, the highest grade they can earn for the unit is a C.

The B level is more advanced, usually dealing with the application level of Bloom's Taxonomy. If the students complete all the activities required in this section satisfactorily, the highest grade they can earn is a B. Again, different learning modalities are addressed.

Finally, the students can move onto the A level. The A level deals with the synthesis, analysis and evaluation level of Bloom's Taxonomy. If the students finish the activities required in this section satisfactorily, they can earn an A.

By differentiating these layers, the students are able to work to their own ability and pick and choose the activities that interest them. It also gives the students the ability to strive to reach for more. Each layer should have at least 3 times the amount of activities needed in order to earn the grade in that layer. By using the Layered Curriculum™, the teacher is differentiating the instruction for the students needs and learning styles while motivating them to achieve more.