When teachers use Differentiated Instruction in the classroom, it is not about changing up lesson plans for one or two students. It is about learning how to differentiate for all students. During the beginning of our research unit, students were starting to fall behind and lose track of what to do and when to do it. To ensure understanding and clarity for all students, I focused on creating a way to DI based on each student's ability.
There were three steps to complete in two days ranging from handouts to submission comments. Students were able to work at their own pace, work with each other, collaborate with each other, and work with me. This is the first time that I tried this approach. At first, I was not sure it would work properly. In fact, I was sure it would not work the way I wanted it to. However, I was ready to see it fail. But what I did not count on was that it worked. Students worked step by step to complete all the assignments at their own pace. Many even chose to ask other students for help.
This leads me to a discussion I had with my seniors today about what students are being taught in the classroom. If you asked what a student learns, you will hear the same basic ideas: writing, reading, math, etc. But that is not all they are learning. They learn from watching, from conversations, and from their own prior knowledge. Once again, I asked my seniors what they are being taught in the classroom. Again, they began with writing, reading..... and then I stopped them. After asking the same question a third time, they understood where I was coming from.
When we think of using Differentiated Instruction in the classroom, we tend to think how to manipulate assignments so that they are easier to understand. However, there is more to using DI in the classroom than alternative assignments. Differentiated Instruction is about having a diverse classroom of learners in helping them process the information not just completing an assignment. This held true with the discussion of my seniors and the independent learning from my sophomores.
Next time you think about using Differentiated Instruction in the classroom, it's not about how to decide between alternative assignments but to focus on the diverse set of learners so that they all can learn at the same pace.
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