<P> Differentiated instruction and assessment (also known as differentiated learning or, in education, simply, differentiation) is a framework or philosophy for effective teaching that involves providing different students with different avenues to learning (often in the same classroom) in terms of: acquiring content; processing, constructing, or making sense of ideas; and developing teaching materials and assessment measures so that all students within a classroom can learn effectively, regardless of differences in ability . Students vary in culture, socioeconomic status, language, gender, motivation, ability / disability, personal interests and more, and teachers must be aware of these varieties as they plan curriculum . By considering varied learning needs, teachers can develop personalized instruction so that all children in the classroom can learn effectively . Differentiated classrooms have also been described as ones that respond to student variety in readiness levels, interests and learning profiles . It is a classroom that includes all students and can be successful . To do this, a teacher sets different expectations for task completion for students based upon their individual needs . </P> <P> Differentiated instruction, according to Carol Ann Tomlinson (as cited by Ellis, Gable, Greg, & Rock, 2008, p. 32), is the process of "ensuring that what a student learns, how he or she learns it, and how the student demonstrates what he or she has learned is a match for that student's readiness level, interests, and preferred mode of learning ." Teachers can differentiate in four ways: 1) through content, 2) process, 3) product, and 4) learning environment based on the individual learner . Differentiation stems from beliefs about differences among learners, how they learn, learning preferences, and individual interests (Algozzine & Anderson, 2007). Therefore, differentiation is an organized, yet flexible way of proactively adjusting teaching and learning methods to accommodate each child's learning needs and preferences to achieve maximum growth as a learner . To understand how our students learn and what they know, pre-assessment and ongoing assessment are essential . This provides feedback for both teacher and student, with the ultimate goal of improving student learning . Delivery of instruction in the past often followed a "one size fits all" approach . In contrast, differentiation is individual student centred, with a focus on appropriate instructional and assessment tools that are fair, flexible, challenging, and engage students in the curriculum in meaningful ways . </P> <P> Differentiation is rooted and supported by literature and research about the brain . Evidence suggests that, by instructing through multiple learning pathways, more "dendritic pathways of access" are created . This can be achieved by using several senses (i.e. sight, sound, smell) or by creating cross-curricular connections . When more regions of the brain store data about a subject, there is more interconnection and cross-referencing of data from multiple storage areas in response to a single cue, meaning one has learned rather than memorized . </P>

4 elements of instruction that can be manipulated in di