Based upon feedback a teacher gains from formative assessments, s/he should be able to quickly adapt and design instruction to meet the needs of all learners in the classroom. This is responsive teaching, or differentiated instruction. 

 

Differentiated instruction is a systematic approach used to plan curriculum and instruction to meet the needs of the academically diverse learners in the classroom. There are many ways to enrich and remediate students based upon their current levels of performance on a topic. Good teachers naturally differentiate instruction each time they teach, utilizing many different methods and strategies. This enables them to proactively engage the learners where they currently are, without teaching with a one-size-fits-all methodology.

 

In its most basic framework, teachers can differentiate in three ways