Differentiation can simply be described as meeting students where they are at and providing a personalized instruction. Each student still has the same final destination; some students just need to take a different path to reach it. It is our job as teachers to guide students toward the end goal and provide them with the support that they need to get there. Differentiation should be provided for mental, physical, or emotional needs.
Students at different academic levels require different forms of differentiation. Low preforming students may need to have certain lessons pre-taught in order to build schema, which will result in a better understanding of the material being taught. One-on-one instruction time is crucial for low preforming students’ differentiation. This not only gives the students a more personalized instruction, but also allows the teacher to better and more quickly identify misconceptions and provide feedback. Low preforming students may also benefit from explicit instruction, anchor chats, and teacher think alouds.
Middle preforming students may need specialized instruction that focuses on addressing misconceptions and closing gaps in learning. It is important for teachers to keep these students in mind when planning and executing their instruction because they often overlooked due to their gradual progression. Middle preforming students should be encouraged to express their ideas freely and take ownership of their work.
High preforming students need to be challenged. The most important thing to consider when planning differentiation for high preforming students is that we are not giving them more work and labeling it as differentiation. The challenge that we provide our high flyers should inspire creativity and require them to think critically. One way to apply differentiation to high preforming students is to allow them to create a poster or PowerPoint to showcase what they have learned. Other strategies include: passion projects, choice boards, and class newspapers.
Unmotivated students can present a challenge to teachers. As teachers we are tasked with creating engaging lessons for our students. We should promote a growth mindset over a fixed mindset, meaning that we should praise students for their efforts over their ability. Teachers should also develop meaningful and respectful relationships with their students. When students feel that you genuinely care about them they are more likely to perform. Another strategy to motivate students is to form a caring community of learners in your classroom. This encourages respectful collaboration between students and teachers. Expectations for all students should also be set high and be made clear. Ambiguous and vague instructions should be avoided, we should remain clean and concise. Teachers should also be inspirational to their students, we should model and share our successes and failures with them.
English Language Learners will also benefit from all of the strategies listed above. In addition to the differentiation strategies previously mentioned, ELL students also need visual representations. Charts, diagrams, pictures, and explicit step-by-step teacher modeling of instruction. ELL students learn best when they are immersed in a group of English speaking peers. This exposes them to the language and social cues. Extended wait time is also a crucial strategy for ELL students. These students need time to process the information in their native language before formulating an answer to give in English.
In my future classroom, I will be sure to incorporate all of the previously mentioned strategies. I know the importance of providing individualized instruction that is tailored to each student. I love the idea of allowing high flying students the opportunity to participate in passion projects that showcase their learning. In the future, I will be sure that all of my students receive the best personalized instruction that I have to offer. I hope to encourage my students to express themselves without fear of judgement.
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