A new session of each course opens each month, allowing you to enroll whenever your busy schedule permits!
How does it work? Once a session starts, two lessons will be released each week, for the six-week duration of your course. You will have access to all previously released lessons until the course ends.
Keep in mind that the interactive discussion area for each lesson automatically closes 2 weeks after each lesson is released, so you’re encouraged to complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.
The Final Exam will be released on the same day as the last lesson. Once the Final Exam has been released, you will have 2 weeks plus 10 days to complete the Final and finish any remaining lessons in your course. No further extensions can be provided beyond these 10 days.
Week One
Lesson 01 - Differentiated Instruction 101
Wednesday
This first lesson covers what Differentiated Instruction is, the different avenues for implementing it in the classroom, and the basics of Differentiated Instruction assessment.
Lesson 02 - Multiple Intelligences: Get Smart
Friday
In this lesson, you will discover the power of teaching to multiple intelligences in your classroom as you learn tried-and-true techniques to customize your lesson plans.
Week Two
Lesson 03 - Scaffolding and Guided Practice
Wednesday
You may already be adept at providing scaffolding and guided practice in your classroom, but in this lesson, you will learn how to ramp it up a notch with some smart tips on integrating and extending the Differentiated Instruction strategy.
Lesson 04 - Flexible Grouping
Friday
Flexible grouping is already a mainstay in your classroom, but this lesson is packed with great integration strategies that will help you extend its power across different grade levels and academic subjects.
Week Three
Lesson 05 - Creating Interest Centers
Wednesday
This lesson covers the basics of creating interest centers in your classroom. By grouping students into centers based on topics, subjects, or types of activities, you can focus like-minded learners on specific tasks, enabling you to offer unique learning opportunities for each student in your class.
Lesson 06 - Cubing in Your Class
Friday
Cubing is a writing activity that lets students explore topics from six distinct points of view. In this lesson, you will explore the power of the cube in your Differentiated Instruction classroom.
Week Four
Lesson 07 - WebQuests: Online Sleuthing
Wednesday
WebQuests have been a powerful classroom tool for some years now. In this lesson you will discover why they're so useful in the Differentiated Instruction classroom. You will examine the components of successful WebQuests and learn the best ways to find quality ones on the web.
Lesson 08 - I-Search, You Search
Friday
An I-Search allows students to pick a topic that interests them and do a combination of traditional and out-in-the-world research to learn more. The products of I-Searches are often amazing, and in this lesson, you will learn how your students can have fun learning more about topics that matter to them.
Week Five
Lesson 09 - RAFTS for Writing
Wednesday
In this lesson, you will discover another great writing strategy for your Differentiated Instruction classroom: RAFTS. RAFTS is a strategy where students assume different roles to approach reading and writing and then create unique products. You will have fun exploring this strategy with your writers!
Lesson 10 - Tiering Student Assignments
Friday
Tiering is a Differentiated Instruction strategy where you assign students paralleled tasks at different levels of complexity depending on where they are on the learning curve. This lesson will teach you how to employ this strategy with confidence as you customize assignments.
Week Six
Lesson 11 - Anchoring Activities
Wednesday
Curriculum compacting is a Differentiated Instruction strategy that will help you give different work to your advanced learners so that they aren't bored by average or remedial instruction. You will find out everything you need to know in this lesson.
Lesson 12 - Utilizing Anchoring Activities in the Classroom
Friday
Your final lesson explores anchoring activities that will help you direct students to further productive activities when they're finished with regular classroom work. You will learn how to bring these activities alive with a little creativity and a lot of Differentiated Instruction.