While "variety is the spice of life," I'd say that variety is the main ingredient in today's classrooms. Students need to be exposed to a variety of resources, instruction strategies and modes of assessment to best meet their needs and build on their strengths. This student centred approach to teaching doesn't water down the flavour of an effective classroom- it enhances it!
Differentiated instruction means that students receive qualitatively
different instruction based on their needs, not simply more or less of
the same thing. It may require teachers to adapt all aspects of their
literacy programming, including teaching strategies, content, resources,
assessment methods, and student groupings.
(Literacy for Learning Report of the Expert Panel, 2004 p. 41)
When I began teaching the paradigm was just beginning to shift from thinking of the curriculum as "what have I taught?" to asking "what have my students learned?" We are not covering the curriculum by frantically checking off one expectation at a time. That was shaky ground for those who like to check off an expectation and move on to the next one. But what about all of the students left behind because they didn't master the concept, even though you knew you taught it?
So what's this differentiated instruction really about? It's an approach to teaching, not an add-on. There are four ways we can differentiate:
What makes differentiated instruction the main ingredient for an effective classroom? When you build on students' strengths, you are setting them up for success. They are more willing to take risks when they know that you want them to succeed and that you aren't waiting for them to fail.
I work with students who are tentative learners. Already in grade one they have figured out that reading is hard for them and they don't think it is for others. At the beginning of the year, when I set a book in front of them they almost universally say "I don't know how to read." These fragile learners get to have 10 days of lessons that are designed to work within their known. Ten glorious days to build confidence in themselves as readers and to work on being fast and fluent with what they already know. The beauty of this is that when we meet for our eleventh lesson, they don't even notice the shift to one or two new pieces of learning because they know they are such good readers now! If differentiating my instruction to start where my students are at for ten days can make such a drastic shift in how my students view themselves as readers every time I start with a new group, how can I not believe that differentiated instruction works?!
So what's this differentiated instruction really about? It's an approach to teaching, not an add-on. There are four ways we can differentiate:
- vary the content or topic, which means using diagnostic assessments to find out what your students already know and where their gaps are
- vary the process and the types of activities through which students learn
- vary the product that students demonstrate their learning
- manipulating the environment and altering your instructional approaches to meet a variety of learning styles
What makes differentiated instruction the main ingredient for an effective classroom? When you build on students' strengths, you are setting them up for success. They are more willing to take risks when they know that you want them to succeed and that you aren't waiting for them to fail.
I work with students who are tentative learners. Already in grade one they have figured out that reading is hard for them and they don't think it is for others. At the beginning of the year, when I set a book in front of them they almost universally say "I don't know how to read." These fragile learners get to have 10 days of lessons that are designed to work within their known. Ten glorious days to build confidence in themselves as readers and to work on being fast and fluent with what they already know. The beauty of this is that when we meet for our eleventh lesson, they don't even notice the shift to one or two new pieces of learning because they know they are such good readers now! If differentiating my instruction to start where my students are at for ten days can make such a drastic shift in how my students view themselves as readers every time I start with a new group, how can I not believe that differentiated instruction works?!
"Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength of the nation." -- John F. Kennedy
To extend your learning on differentiated instruction:
“A Guide to Effective Instruction in Reading, Kindergarten to Grade 3”
http://www.eworkshop.on.ca/edu/resources/guides/Reading_K_3_English.pdf
“A Guide to Effective Literacy Instruction, Grades 4 to 6”
http://www.eworkshop.on.ca/edu/resources/guides/Guide_Lit_456_Vol_5_Reading.pdf
“A Guide to Effective Instruction in Reading, Kindergarten to Grade 3”
http://www.eworkshop.on.ca/edu/resources/guides/Reading_K_3_English.pdf
“A Guide to Effective Literacy Instruction, Grades 4 to 6”
http://www.eworkshop.on.ca/edu/resources/guides/Guide_Lit_456_Vol_5_Reading.pdf
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