EDU 630 - Strategies for Online Instruction
Differentiation & Flipped Classroom
The following example resources should help you better understand the concepts of differentiation and flipped classroom. Take a moment to skim and read any resources below. Can you make connections to see where you might be interested in learning more?
The videos Differentiating Instruction This link opens in a new window and the series Flipped Learning Toolkit This link opens in a new window can help you get started learning about these concepts.

Example Resources
- Definition of Flipped LearningTo counter common misconceptions and bring clarity to discussions about “Flipped Learning,” the governing board and key leaders of the Flipped Learning Network (FLN) announced a formal definition of the term. They also released the Four Pillars of F-L-I-P™ and a checklist of eleven indicators that educators must incorporate into their practice. The group of experienced flipped educators also draws a distinction between Flipped Learning and a Flipped Classroom.
- Flipped Classrooms: a Review of Key Ideas and Recommendations for Practice.Flipped classrooms refer to the practice of assigning lectures outside of class and devoting class time to a variety of learning activities. In this review, we discuss the range of approaches to the flipped classroom and focus on activities frequently used in these settings. Amongst these, we examine both out-of-class activities (e.g., video lectures) and in-class activities (e.g., quizzes, student discussions) (2017).
- The use of flipped classrooms in higher education: A scoping reviewThere is increasing pressure for Higher Education institutions to undergo transformation, with education being seen as needing to adapt in ways that meet the conceptual needs of our time. Reflecting this is the rise of the flipped or inverted classroom. The purpose of this scoping review was to provide a comprehensive overview of relevant research regarding the emergence of the flipped classroom and the links to pedagogy and educational outcomes, identifying any gaps in the literature which could inform future design and evaluation (2015).
- It's not about seat time: Blending, flipping, and efficiency in active learning classroomsThis study examines the effect of reducing the seat time of a large lecture chemistry class by two-thirds and conducting it in an active learning classroom rather than a traditional amphitheater. To account for the reduced lecture, didactic content was recorded and posted online for viewing outside of the classroom. A second experimental section, also in a blended and flipped format, was examined the following semester as a replication (2014).
- The Differentiated School : Making Revolutionary Changes in Teaching and LearningLooking for advice and guidance on how to implement differentiated instruction throughout your school? Learn from the experts. Administrators and teachers alike will find viable ideas and answers to questions as leaders at two schools share milestones and vignettes from their real-life experiences in converting entire faculties to this dynamic approach to teaching and learning.The authors balance broadly applicable guidance with specific illustrations of how two schools—a middle-income elementary school and a mixed-income high school—experienced the change process in dramatically different ways (2008).
- The Differentiated Classroom : Responding to the Needs of All LearnersAlthough much has changed in schools in recent years, the power of differentiated instruction remains the same--and the need for it has only increased. Today's classroom is more diverse, more inclusive, and more plugged into technology than ever before. And it's led by teachers under enormous pressure to help decidedly unstandardized students meet an expanding set of rigorous, standardized learning targets. In this updated second edition of her best-selling classic work, Carol Ann Tomlinson offers these teachers a powerful and practical way to meet a challenge that is both very modern and completely timeless: how to divide their time, resources, and efforts to effectively instruct so many students of various backgrounds, readiness and skill levels, and interests (2014).
- The Most-Cited Educational Research Publications on Differentiated Instruction: A Bibliometric AnalysisThe amount of empirical research conducted in the area of differentiated instruction (DI) is overwhelming, necessitating this bibliometric analysis in order to produce an overview of literature on the topic. The objective of this study is to identify the characteristics of the most-cited educational research published on the topic of DI using science mapping and multi-dimensional bibliometric analysis methods. These findings inform scholarly efforts adopted in developing a diverse knowledge base in the field. The findings are important to scholars as they provide an overview of the progress of research on the topic of DI (2020).
Databases for further research
Now that you have an idea of what these concepts and theories are and how they have been used in some examples, continue learning by researching on your own. The databases below aren't the only places you can look, but give them a try first! What additional contexts do you want to explore in these areas?
- ERIC - EBSCO This link opens in a new windowContains citations and abstracts from education-related journals and document published by ERIC.
- Education Database - ProQuest This link opens in a new windowMagazines, scholarly (peer-reviewed) journals and reports in the field of education
- SAGE Journals This link opens in a new windowThe SAGE Journals platform includes full text of scholarly journals from SAGE publications in many disciplines, such as, education, sociology, women's studies, criminal justice and business.