Every educator knows that one-size-fits-all learning almost never works. Children bring to us a myriad of strengths and needs, and it's our job to understand that and differentiate the learning to teach well.
The challenge with differentiation is to both tailor learning to a child's needs and strengths while also making sure that the expectations for all students remain high.
Fortunately in my setting I have multiple tools and substantial staffing to make differentiation work. The challenge is finding the time to plan for all that differentiation and collaboration with teaching assistants, specialists, and others.
So now that I am beginning to get a good sense of students, differentiation efforts are beginning in earnest. What will I do?
First, a team of teachers will meet today to talk about differentiation related to social-emotional learning. What works for some with regard to building stamina, perseverance, positive self talk, responsibility, and doing the right thing doesn't work for others. As a team we'll think about how to foster optimal teamwork and following directions for all students today with differentiation.
Also I will work with the special educator to differentiate math learning materials so that those materials are differentiated for students current skill levels, visual/writing needs, and interest. We'll strategically work with online tools too. In that regard, I'll work with my grade-level colleagues to monitor and assign online practice tools with differentiation to meet and develop students' skills.
Further differentiation will involve teaching assistants. During math core time, we'll work together to make small groups for targeted learning, and I'll offer some extra time to help students who need help with the homework. This morning will be our first "morning masters" morning--a time when students may come into school early for extra help.
To differentiate well has a puzzle like quality--you're always thinking about who a learner is and how to best meet his/her learning needs and strengths. When done well, it is very satisfying for both learner and teacher. Sometimes too-tight controls, tech restrictions, less access to materials, dearth of support, and not enough planning/prep time can stymie educators' ability to differentiate. At present, most of those situations are not an issue for me, so I have a lot to work with. This sensitive and personalized part of the job is one of my favorite goals of good teaching and learning.
