A Study of Differentiated Instructional Change Over 3 Years

Abstract

This study examines Title 1 heterogeneous classroom teachers' instructional behavior change through implementing well-designed research-based curriculum units and attending regular professional development activities across 3 years. Employing an experimental design, this study compares experimental and comparison teachers' behavioral changes as measured by an observation scale of differentiated teaching strategies across 3 years. The results show that experimental teachers received statistically significant and educationally important higher ratings than comparison teachers on differentiated strategy use and effectiveness across 3 years. The study corroborates the research literature that shows that teachers' instructional improvement takes 2 years to manifest its effectiveness and to shape belief in student learning benefits. Putting the Research to Use: This study suggests several areas of practical application. One area is in the reality versus the myth of professional development. These data suggest the need for multiple years of professional development, interspersed with observations that track the frequency and efficacy of targeting instructional behaviors. Thus, educational reformers must be clear about what change they want teachers to achieve and set about a 2- to 3-year plan for making it happen at the school level. This study also lends support to more systematic approaches to encouraging differentiation. It highlights the need for monitoring classroom implementation. The use of a well-validated observation tool such as the Classroom Observation Scale—Revised provides a venue for ongoing instructional monitoring and improvement. Moreover, embedding content pedagogy in actual curriculum for training reduces the chance for inaccurate teacher inferencing about how to employ a strategy effectively.