Opinion Blog

Classroom Q&A

With Larry Ferlazzo

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to lferlazzo@epe.org. Read more from this blog.

Teaching Opinion

Differentiated Instruction Doesn’t Need to Be a Heavy Lift

By Larry Ferlazzo — July 22, 2022 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

During the summer, I am sharing thematic posts bringing together responses on similar topics from the past 11 years. You can see all those collections from the first 10 years here.

Today’s theme is on Differentiating Instruction.

You can see the list following this excerpt from one of the posts:

teachersmustfaciliatatewilson

1. Five Ways to Differentiate Instruction in an Online Environment

Examples from two educators include giving students the time to take physical breaks as well as pausing academic presentations to give students time to think. Read more.

2. Seven Ways to Support ELLs in Online Content Classes

I offer seven suggestions on how to help English-learners when doing remote teaching, including by providing graphic organizers and models. Read more.

3. ‘Fair Means Providing What They Need’

This four-part series on “fair” versus “equal” is being wrapped up today with answers from Rick Wormeli, Pedro A. Noguera, Ph.D., Elizabeth Stringer Keefe, Ph.D., and Sheila Wilson. Read more.

4. ‘Equitable Practices Elevate Everyone’

Debbie Silver, Gloria Brown Brooks, Tasha Moyer, Barbara Blackburn, and LaChawn Smith discuss if “fair” means “equal” in the realm of education. Read more.

5. Student Differences Are Not Deficits

Today’s commentaries on the difference between treating students “equally” and “fairly” come from Kelly Capatosto, Gina Laura Gullo, Cheryl Staats, PJ Caposey, Ashley McCall, Orion Nolan, Jen Schwanke, Marisa Nathan, Carol Bruzzano, Keisha Rembert, and Tatiana Esteban. Read more.

6. ‘Fair Is Not Equal’

Julia Stearns Cloat, Rocio del Castillo, Holly Spinelli, Sabrina Hope King, Joe Feldman, and Felicia Darling discuss the difference between treating students “fairly” and “equally.” Read more.

7. Everything You Wanted to Know About Differentiation But Were Afraid to Ask

New videos, along with many other resources, on differentiated instruction! Read more.

8. ‘The Best Place to Start’ When Teaching ELLs ‘Is by Getting to Know Your Students’

Judie Haynes, Debbie Zacarian, Eugenia Mora-Flores, Melissa Jackson, Joyce Nutta, and Carine Strebel contribute their ideas on differentiated instruction for English-language learners. Read more.

9. Differentiate for ELLs by ‘Establishing a Welcoming and Safe Classroom’

Sandra C. Figueroa, Becky Corr, Sydney Snyder, Adria Klein, Michael D. Toth, and Barbara Gottschalk share their suggestions on differentiating instruction for ELLs. Read more.

10. Ways to Differentiate Instruction for ELLs

Valentina Gonzalez, Jenny Vo, Tonya Ward Singer, Carol Ann Tomlinson, and Nélida Rubio discuss ways to differentiate instruction for English-language learners. Read more.

Videos about differentiating instruction:

More Q&A posts about differentiating instruction:


Explore other thematic posts:

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar
Smarter Tools, Stronger Outcomes: Empowering CTE Educators With Future-Ready Solutions
Open doors to meaningful, hands-on careers with research-backed insights, ideas, and examples of successful CTE programs.
Content provided by Pearson
Recruitment & Retention Webinar EdRecruiter 2026 Survey Results: How School Districts are Finding and Keeping Talent
Discover the latest K-12 hiring trends from EdWeek’s nationwide survey of job seekers and district HR professionals.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Recalibrating PLCs for Student Growth in the New Year
Get advice from K-12 leaders on resetting your PLCs for spring by utilizing winter assessment data and aligning PLC work with MTSS cycles.
Content provided by Otus

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Teaching The World's Oldest Known Twinkie Turns 50 at a Maine High School
How a classroom experiment turned into a half-century study.
Elizabeth Walztoni, Bangor Daily News
4 min read
Libby Rosemeier, a former George Stevens Academy student in the Twinkie experiment class, and Roger Bennatti, the now-retired chemistry teacher who initiated the experiment, hold the 50-year-old snack cake that has been housed in a homemade box since 2004.
Libby Rosemeier, a former George Stevens Academy student in the Twinkie experiment class, and Roger Bennatti, the now-retired chemistry teacher who initiated the experiment, hold the 50-year-old snack cake that has been housed in a homemade box since 2004.
Linda Coan O'Kresik/Bangor Daily News
Teaching This Teacher Created a 'Six-Seven' Christmas Song That Delighted His Students
Music teacher shares lessons learned about how to use song lyrics to engage students in any subject.
2 min read
Christmas Wreath with red sound wave graphic equalizer bars and flying musical notes against black background. A large 6 and 7 made of pine and decorated with ornaments and lights in the foreground.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + iStock/Getty Images
Teaching Opinion The Best and Worst of 2025's Education News
Larry Ferlazzo offers his thoughts on cellphone bans, absenteeism, vouchers, and more.
8 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Teaching Does Homework Further Learning? Educators Weigh In
Most said homework isn't effective or beneficial for students.
1 min read
Kapua Ong does math homework at her home in Honolulu, on Sept. 11, 2025.
Kapua Ong does math homework at her home in Honolulu, on Sept. 11, 2025.
Mengshin Lin/AP