In strategic learning, the instructor must make strategic decisions about the course materials based on different variables. These variables may include the student's background, language, experience and the teacher's preferred mode of teaching.
Differentiated instruction takes into account that each student is different, and therefore the instructor must teach according to an individual student's needs and learning style.
While both strategic teaching and differentiated instruction aim to structure teaching according to a student's needs, they differ in approach. Strategic learning consists of five components: 1) One or more daily outcomes based on state education standards, 2) breaking learning into manageable pieces as well as holding student discussions, 3) Using connected before, during and after literary strategies, 4) The four steps to explicit instruction (“I do,” “We do,” “Y'all do” and “You do") and 5) the T.W.I.R.L components of active literacy: Talk, write, investigate, read and listen.
In differentiated instruction, the instructor differentiates the course material, as in assigning students to study the material based on their prior understanding of it. For instance, a teacher may assign one assignment to a student with little or no knowledge of the material, and then assign a different, more advanced assignment to a student who has more knowledge of the material. This ensures that students who don't know the material learn it well, and it also prevents students from having to rehash lessons they've already learned.