Seeing Multilevel Instruction in the Classroom

What is multilevel instruction all about?

As today's classrooms are increasingly diverse and teachers are challenged to develop instruction so that all learners are simultaneously engaged and supported, we need powerful approaches to redesign classroom work. In a one-size-fits-all instructional approach it is difficult to capitalize on students, capabilities, interests, talents, cultural backgrounds, and diverse ways of learning. Designing multilevel instruction right from the start offers a structural change for curriculum planning that acknowledges the great variety among learners and minimizes the need for continual modifications to accommodate individual students.

How can you design instructional events so that learners with widely divergent skill levels can actively and meaningfully participate in all curriculum experiences? Multilevel instruction is a powerful alternative to simply modifying and adapting established lessons to accommodate diverse learners. Elements of multilevel instruction include varied and flexible participation structures, diverse materials and resources, differentiated tasks and products, and multiple assessments.

The theories for multilevel instruction include: