Having a Differentiation Mindset

Don't be a bowler!!!  Differentiate instruction
to make it meaningful for all.

Do you share these same beliefs?

1.  Every student is worthy of dignity and respect.
2. Diversity is both inevitable and positive.
3. The classroom should mirror the kind of society in which we want our students to live and lead.
4. Most students can learn most things that are essential to a given area of study.
5. Each student should have equity of access to excellent learning opportunities.
6. A central goal of teaching is to maximize the capacity of each learner.

If you share these same beliefs, then you believe in differentiation and possess that differentiation mindset! You welcome your students' differences and acknowledge that each student learns differently. Although you know this, you may be struggling with ways that you can accommodate these differences.

I know that my lessons should be differentiated, BUT I don't even know where to start?!?!?!

There are 4 critical elements to implementing differentiation and maintaining a flexible classroom. They are:
-Work in small groups with classmates
-Work with the teacher individually or in small groups
-Spend different amounts of time on a task in order to learn well
-Work with different materials in order to learn well

First, remember that you are not trying to do one more thing! When you are planning your instruction, your mind should be thinking about how can I adjust this lesson for 2.0s, 3.0s, and 4.0s. Don't overwhelm yourself with the excitement of differentiation by trying to do everything at once. Ease into it by looking at lessons you already teach or have recently taught.  

Reflect on how a past lesson went. Did everyone learn? Were those who already knew it were challenged? Did those who struggled get an extra dose of instruction?  

Try to adjust something that you already do to differentiate. Questioning strategies are vital to reading comprehension. When you do question stems or starters, change some of them to right there questions and some of them to on my own questions. This will help children feel comfortable at the level they are at and allow you to ease them into a higher level.

Invite someone to help plan. Having someone to bounce ideas off and talk through lessons can be very helpful. Ask a coach to come in to listen to your ideas and have a conversation about what you are teaching. We would be happy to help! :-)

I will leave you with a video of a fable called Animal School. It is an interesting take on the education system. Please share your thoughts and comments.