| As evidenced by the poor mathematics performance in American schools, specifically in the school district in the current study, providing identical educational opportunities for diverse students does not necessarily increase academic achievement for everyone. Differentiation is an instructional method that has been found to be successful in teaching diverse students and has a strong conceptual framework in the theory of multiple intelligences, learning styles theory, and developmentally appropriate curriculum. This sequential mixed methods study explored what teachers needed in order to implement differentiated instruction into 3rd and 4th grade classrooms. Fifteen 3rd and 4th grade teachers participated in a survey and 2 were interviewed. Descriptive analysis was used to analyze the quantitative survey data, while inductive analysis was used to analyze the open-ended survey data and the qualitative interview data. Results indicated that teachers had some knowledge of differentiated instruction yet were hesitant to use it during instruction and required additional training and support to implement this type of instruction. Based on specific teachers' needs, a differentiated instruction toolkit was developed to provide teachers with professional development in differentiation. The professional development plan included a formative and summative evaluation. This research could bring about social change by providing administrators with the tools needed to train and support teachers as they implement differentiated instruction into their classrooms, thus reaching all students' mathematical needs. This research could also promote increases in students understanding, achievement, and success. |
