AI tools for diversifying instruction offer powerful ways to create tailored resources like sentence frames, leveled texts, and scaled articles, ensuring that all students have access to content within their zone of proximal development (ZPD). Vygotsky (1978) defines ZPD as the difference between what a learner can do independently and what they can achieve with guidance, emphasizing that learning occurs most effectively just beyond a student’s current abilities¹. By generating differentiated materials quickly, AI enables teachers to meet students within this zone, fostering engagement and comprehension while challenging them appropriately.

Beyond differentiation, AI streamlines the process of providing immediate, targeted support for students with IEPs, disabilities, or 504 plans. Teachers can generate customized resources on the spot, ensuring students receive the scaffolding they need in real-time. This efficiency allows educators to focus more on individualized instruction, formative assessments, and relationship-building, improving outcomes for all learners while minimizing the administrative burden of creating accommodations from scratch.

Strategies

Sentence Frames for Written Assignments 

Leveled Reading

Outlines and Scaffolding

Modifying Directions