Refers to lesson planning and curriculum design that focuses on students where they are, rather than the standardized, one-size-fits-all approach. Teachers are proactive in arranging varied approaches to the material be learned. Differentiated instructional strategies are student-centered and focus attention on how students learn and how the learning will be evaluated.

This approach involves giving students choices for their projects, essays, and other assessments. It may involve designing different forms of a test. On the front end, in the preparatory stages, it looks like more work for the teacher, but giving students some advocacy in their learning method often produces more active learners, with more investment in the outcome.