Differentiated instruction for basic reading comprehension in Philippine settings

Abstract

Differentiated instruction has been a buzz word in Philippine education for many years. Educators utilize differentiated approach in teaching to maximize and meet the expected learning outcomes. Previous study pointed out that students vary in terms of learning style and understanding the concept. This study aims to identify the role of differentiated instruction in teaching reading and promoting comprehension in basic education. This paper looked at four differentiated instructional strategies for teaching guided reading: Noting details, sequencing events, getting the main idea and predicting outcomes. Moreover, it seeks to determine the multiple intelligence profile and the performance in reading comprehension of the students. It also determines whether a significant correlation exists between the profile and the performance of the students. Data were generated using adapted multiple intelligences inventory instruments and written passages, prescribed curriculum by the Department of Education. The data obtained were analyzed using weighted mean, standard deviation, and chi-square. The findings revealed that students learned from all aspects of intelligence they have, no matter what the situation is. This was so intriguing because it was known that every individual has different learning intelligence. Pedagogically, the findings recommended that educators need to innovate to help meet the needs of diverse learners, enriched reading activities, and differentiated instructions must be integrated to strengthen learner competence in basic reading comprehension. The surprising finding is that, though students learn differently, there are also some learning contexts, which students shared with the same entity. Therefore, teachers must recognize that students have different versions of learning.