The Multiple Menu Model: A Practical Guide for Developing Differentiated Curriculum

Based on constructivist learning theory, The Multiple Menu Model presents six practical menus that guide curriculum developers as they bring together an understanding of a discipline, its content and methodologies, and a vast array of instructional techniques. Teachers have successfully used this approach to challenge learners on all levels and make learning more meaningful, relevant, and engaging.

The "Knowledge Menu" aides educators as they locate a topic in the realm of knowledge, uncover the basic principles and concepts, and make learning more meaningful, relevant, and engaging. The "Instructional Objectives and Student Activities Menu" helps teachers address issues of balance between content and process objectives as they write curriculum.

While the "Instructional Strategies Menu" reminds educators of the wide range of teaching strategies they can use within a lesson or unit, the "Instructional Sequences Menu" helps educators organize and sequence a unit or lesson to maximize impact and outcomes. The "Artistic Modification Menu" encourages teachers to inject the curriculum with their own creative contributions, and the "Instructional Products Menu" presents the outcomes of learning experiences.

Using the six menus, step-by-step planning guides and reproducible templates, curriculum developers and teachers can differentiate lessons and challenge all students with opportunities for "high-end" learning, use "real-world" investigative skills in the classroom, teach enduring concepts and principles instead of trendy topics and transitory information, and engage students in pursuing topics of their own personal interest.