Peace, Love, and Compromise

What does differentiated education mean to me?

To differentiate education I believe the teacher must recognize the differences in her students, and adapt herself to all of them as best she can. She must teach to each of these differences. She must also learn to push herself and her students out of their comfort zones. She must recognize the differences in herself and realize how different and how similar she is to each of her students. These differences can be cultural, learning abilities, social, and/or ethnic.

"You don't get harmony when everyone sings the same note." Doug Floyd

I think that this quote applies itself perfectly to the ideas behind differentiated education. I think that the harmony that can exist in a classroom where everyone is excited about learning and feels no pressure to fit into any kind of mold could feel like a choir singing in harmony. There is a moment where everything is so beautiful it almost hurts to listen. I hope that my class can be that different someday. I don't exactly remember specific instances of my teachers teaching in a differentiated way. I do remember that sometimes when I was "learning" things that, I actually felt like I was playing a game. It was a fun thing! It wasn't work, like many students seem to view learning.

"You don't really know something until you teach it." Dr. Scott and others...

I don't know if I had ever heard that quote before, but it is definitly true. I am still unsure of how I will implement all of these things we have learned in my classroom, especially since I am going to be an Art teacher. All I know is that I want my students to love art and realize its importance in the world. I want them to not be nervous every time I introduce them to new materials. I want them to have fun and relish expressing themselves in a variety of ways. If these things happen, learning should come naturally.

I think that learner-centered instruction and standards based instruction can be reconciled. I think that they need to meet somewhere in the middle. There needs to be a commitee of educators, not government officials, that meets to create an instructional system that uses parts of each of the rival methods. The teachers that we read about in the Tomlinson article met and discussed the standards. They found a way to work with the standards, instead of against them. If we could come together and do the same with both of the methods, we could end the wars between educators and administrators.

I think using the strategies are a great place to start with differentiated instruction
Readiness & Ability
Teachers can use a variety of assessments to determine a student's ability or readiness. Also, to learn new concepts students may be generally working below or above grade level or they may simply be missing necessary prerequisite skills.
However, readiness is constantly changing and as readiness changes it is important that students be permitted to move between different groups. Activities for each group are often differentiated by complexity. Students whose understanding is below grade level will work at tasks inherently less complex than those attempted by more advanced students. Those students whose reading level is below grade level will benefit by reading with a buddy or listening to stories/instructions using a tape recorder so that they receive information verbally.
Varying the level of questioning and compacting the curriculum and are useful strategies for accommodating differences in ability or readiness.
Adjusting Questions
During large group discussion activities, teachers direct the higher level questions to the students who can handle them and adjust questions accordingly for student with greater needs. All students are answering important questions that require them to think but the questions are targeted towards the student’s ability or readiness level.
An easy tool for accomplishing this is to put posters on the classroom walls with key words that identify the varying levels of thinking.
With written quizzes the teacher may assign specific questions for each group of students. They all answer the same number of questions but the complexity required varies from group to group. However, the option to go beyond minimal requirements can be available for any or all students who demonstrate that they require an additional challenge for their level.
Compacting Curriculum
Compacting the curriculum means assessing a students knowledge, skills and attitudes and providing alternative activities for the student who has already mastered curriculum content. This can be achieved by pre-testing basic concepts or using performance assessment methods. Students who demonstrate that they do not require instruction move on to tiered problem solving activities while others receive instruction.
Tiered Assignments
Tiered activities are a series of related tasks of varying complexity. All of these activities relate to essential understanding and key skills that students need to acquire. Teachers assign the activities as alternative ways of reaching the same goals taking into account individual student needs.
Acceleration/Deceleration
Accelerating or decelerating the pace that students move through curriculum is another method of differentiating instruction. Students demonstrating a high level of competence can work through the curriculum at a faster pace. Students experiencing difficulties may need adjusted activities that allow for a slower pace in order to experience success.
Flexible Grouping
As student performance will vary it is important to permit movement between groups. Student’s readiness varies depending on personal talents and interests, so we must remain open to the concept that a student may be below grade level in one subject at the same time as being above grade level in another subject.
Flexible grouping allows students to be appropriately challenged and avoids labeling a student's readiness as static. Students should not be be kept in a static group for any particular subjects as their learning will probably accelerate from time to time.
Even highly talented students can benefit from flexible grouping. Often they benefit from work with intellectual peers, while occasionally in another group they can experience being a leader. In either case peer-teaching is a valuable strategy for group-work.
Peer Teaching
Occasionally a student may have personal needs that require one-on-one instruction that go beyond the needs of his or her peers. After receiving this extra instruction the student could be designated as the "resident expert" for that concept or skill and can get valuable practice by being given the opportunity to re-teach the concept to peers. In these circumstances both students benefit.
Learning Profiles & Styles
Another filter for assigning students to tasks is by learning style, such as adjusting preferred environment (quiet, lower lighting, formal/casual seating etc.) or learning modality: auditory (learns best by hearing information) visual (learns best through seeing information in charts or pictures) or kinesthetic preferences (learns best by using concrete examples, or may need to move around while learning) or through personal interests. Since student motivation is also a unique element in learning, understanding individual learning styles and interests will permit teachers to apply appropriate strategies for developing motivational techniques.
Student Interest
Interest surveys are often used for determining student interest. Brainstorming for subtopics within a curriculum concept and using semantic webbing to explore interesting facets of the concept is another effective tool. This is also an effective way of teaching students how to focus on a manageable subtopic.
Reading Buddies
This strategy is particularly useful for younger students and/or students with reading difficulties. Children get additional practice and experience reading away from the teacher as they develop fluency and comprehension. It is important that students read with a specific purpose in mind and then have an opportunity to discuss what was read. It is not necessary for reading buddies to always be at the same reading level. Students with varying word recognition, word analysis and comprehension skills can help each other be more successful. Adjusted follow up tasks are also assigned based on readiness level.
Independent Study Projects
Independent Study is a research project where students learn how to develop the skills for independent learning. The degree of help and structure will vary between students and depend on their ability to manage ideas, time and productivity. A modification of the independent study is the buddy-study.
Learning Centres
Learning Centres have been used by teachers for a long time and may contain both differentiated and compulsory activities. However a learning centre is not necessarily differentiated unless the activities are varied by complexity taking in to account different student ability and readiness. It is important that students understand what is expected of them at the learning centre and are encouraged to manage their use of time. The degree of structure that is provided will vary according to student independent work habits. At the end of each week students should be able to account for their use of time.

Well leave it to me to forget what day it is and that I was supposed to have this done….better late than never I suppose!
When I read the negative cases in the Reconcilable Differences article I was embarrassed for the middle school teachers who organized their students into groups of Definitely, Maybe and No Hope for standards tests, but I felt even worse for their students. There will always be students who do really well in school, some that are mediocre and some that have great difficulty in learning and passing standards based tests. Having an attitude that some of your students have “no hope” is the worst attitude a teacher could have. I’m not saying a teacher should expect all his/her students to be perfect, but I think having the attitude that your students CAN and WILL learn(even a little) if you LEARN to differentiate instruction is a much better attitude. Like Carol Ann Tomlinson said, curriculum only tells us what to teach but differentiation tells us how. I think a big part of the “how” is attitude and willingness to accept that not all students are the same! (and that some are forgetful like me)

(Ir)Reconcilable Differences

Differentiation quotes:

Students will learn best when they can make a connection between the curriculum and their interests and life experiences.

Students will learn best when learning opportunities are natural.

Standard-based teaching quotes:

Are we using standards as a curriculum, or are they reflected in the curriculum?
Does our use of standards remind us that we are teaching human beings, or does it cause us to forget that fact?

Reconciliation:

At this point, I am not convinced that differentiation instruction and standard-based teaching can be reconciled. It was a downer to me when standard-based teaching was introduced in class. Here I was learning all about differentiated learning and I began to process all of the wonderful ways that I could incorporate this information into my classroom and then I was blind-sided with standard-based teaching. To me, as long as we are required to teach based on standards, then our hands are tied in regards to creativity within the classroom.

Tomlinson, when speaking on differentiation, says “Students will learn best when learning opportunities are natural.” Forcing standardization onto the teachers, in turn forces standardization on to the students. This does not seem very natural to me. She also states that “Students will learn best when they can make connection between the curriculum and their interests and life experiences.” To have the time to teach in a way that encompasses a student’s interest and life experience, a teacher would have to be able to spend a large amount of her/his planning time and classroom time implementing differentiated instruction. If this were to happen, where would the standard-based teaching fit?

We do need to look at whether we are using standards as a curriculum or are the standards reflected in the curriculum. This is a point to which Tomlinson also eludes. Maybe it is just up to us to find creative ways to hide standardization within our curriculum instead of making it what our curriculum is all about.

We certainly do not want to forget the fact that we are teaching human beings. By being forced to implement standards-based learning, it feels like we are not only making the students robots but, we are turning our teachers (ourselves) into robots, as well. What next? Will the “powers that be” create standardized lesson plans? If that happens, they will only need robots to teach because all creativity and differentiation will truly be gone.

quotes from Carol

“Differentiation can show us how to teach the same standard to a range of learners by employing a variety of teaching and learning modes.” – Carol Ann Tomlison


“Our first obligation is to ensure that standards-based teaching practice does not conflict with best teaching practice. Once those are aligned, differentiation -- or attention to the diverse needs of learners -- follows naturally.” – Carol Ann Tomlison


These two quotes help summarize the importance of differentiated instruction. Carol Ann Tomlinson helps break down the curricular elements of content, process, and product because the way each student process ideas as they read, think, and conjure ideas with the use of materials is all different. As she says in my second quote once you have the content, process, and product aligned teaching your curriculum should (key word) flow naturally. I don’t feel people give teachers enough credit. In doing my lesson plan I have tried to think of every possible scenario that may arise and how I would handle questions, reactions, failures with just one lesson plan. Teachers teach a whole 8 hour day. I have spent the last week trying to work on one lesson plan using differentiated instruction. Yes, it is very easy to stand up there and give them the content, but whether they understand it and engage in it is what really matters and the use of differentiated instruction is our gateway in doing so. As for my second quote, give us two very special aspects in teaching curricula. We are given the standards which help us and give us a direction and differentiated instruction which gives us the pathway to use our creativity, imagination, and even think like the students for once. What would be fun and what would they enjoy doing. I hated school when it was boring and just had to take notes. As new teachers we are given the opportunity to excel and show our excitement to each student and we might even learn from them. Hopefully my lesson plan will be filled with excitement, engage my students, give them different ways in learning and fun.

Differentiated Instruction in Today's Education

“Differentiation can show us how to teach the same standard to a range of learners by employing a variety of teaching and learning modes.” - - Carol Ann Tomlinson.

This quote and all the chapters we reviewed in class support the importance of differentiated instruction and how through it, learner-centered instruction and standard-based instruction can work together. However, all this knowledge and tools are being introduced to educators and to us, the ones preparing to be in the field. It is our responsibility to use them and continuously prepare, learn and adjust our own style in order to fit the needs of our students.

Tomlinson also says, “Differentiated Instruction shows us how to teach and Standards tell us what to teach.” Understanding each of them and their benefits is essential, not only for the students but to teachers as well. We know children learn in different ways but as educators we can teach in different ways. What a powerful tool to have, be able to reach out to each student.

Differentiated Instruction is an opportunity to accomplish this, but it requires time, planning and good communication with our students and their families. It might sound complicated but it is also a challenge, and worth a try.

I want to finish this week's reflection with a few quotes from an article written by Scott Stephens ( The Plain Dealer, April 1st. 2008), whose views are very interesting and appropriate to our class discussion.
“ With different learning styles, why not different testing styles?” he wrote. Also, “students learn in different ways. So why should everyone be tested the same way?” In the article, Stephens cites State Superintendent Susan Zelman, who says, “There are multiple pathways for students to succeed in school and there are multiple ways to measure that success”

In closing, two thoughts occurred to me while writing this week' assignment, that Differentiated Instruction is critical to our career's as Educators, and that I have much more to learn!

One Size Never Fits All

"Reconcilable Differences? Standards-based Teaching and Differentiation"

One size fits all. Really? Wow what a concept but it doesn't really work, does it? Well it does if you are right in the middle all the time. Sort of like those things they have you wear at the hospital - You know what I am talking about so I will leave you with your mental picture. Not pretty is it? I have never been able to buy gloves that were fashionable or warm. Any watch I have ever purchased has to have the band replaced. Hands to big, wrists to large. How many stores sell men's size 15 dress shoes?

So imagine being the student who is extremely smart or fast to pick up concepts or who has a family where education is extremely important so they are better prepared than students their own age. Now imagine the opposite of all those things or just being a student who is motivated to do the work but things don't come easy. Teachers must teach to the full spectrum of student readiness, interest and learning profile not through "One Size Fits All" methods and without regards to standards-based instruction. The full spectrum is ROYGBIV and is all encompassing not just the visible white light. This is my definition of a diverse classroom and rationale for differentiated instruction. Standards-based instruction approaches need to be assessed in ways that make an impact on the gifted or academically challenged students who are outside the usual norms of achievement.

Primary and secondary teachers complain about teaching to the test. Well there is a reason society created the tests and standards. We discussed a number of these in class. There is a reason colleges and universities only admit students after reviewing ACT and SAT scores. Employers also want to know if the education the prospective employee received has the same quality and measures up to the other prospective job candidates. You hear the horror stories of advance students being idle and how borderline and low motivation students are being moved to Special Education so their scores won't reflect poorly on the teachers, school, administrators, school board and the community. In the Tomlinson article she lists the following bullet points as questions educators need to ask themselves about how they are teaching.

· Do the standards reflect the knowledge, understandings, and skills valued most by experts in the disciplines that they represent?

· Are we using standards as a curriculum, or are they reflected in the curriculum?

· Are we slavishly covering standards at breakneck pace, or have we found ways to organize the standards within our curriculum so that students have time to make sense of ideas and skills?

· Does our current focus on standards enliven classrooms, or does it eliminate joy, creativity, and inquiry?

· Do standards make learning more or less relevant and alluring to students?

· Does our use of standards remind us that we are teaching human beings, or does it cause us to forget that fact?

She goes on to say, that if your "practices yield positive answers", then move forward fast in differentiating your class room with "adaptations that address the needs of academically diverse learners." If your "answers are less than satisfactory" problems need to be addressed. Because "such problems… point to cracks in the foundation of quality teaching and learning, and we diminish our profession by failing to attend to them." This is what I meant earlier when I said, “without regard” it must be done the students are counting on you.

Further into the article, Tomlinson continues that the problem is not a disconnect between standards and instruction. She says, "The problem lies in an ill-conceived interpretation and use of standards" that diminish the real structure of "effective teaching and learning." "The problem is not that we can't attend to the needs of individual learners, but rather that we've lost the essential frameworks of the disciplines in addition to the coherence, understanding, purpose, and joy in learning. Our first obligation is to ensure that standards-based teaching practice does not conflict with best teaching practices. Once those are aligned, differentiation—or attention to the diverse needs of learners—follows naturally."

I think what she is saying is that teachers taught as they were taught so now they are missing a sense of coherence, understanding and purpose. Teaching is as much an art as a science but it also must be a calling. There must be joy freely given and received. But most people get into that rut at work and find a comfort zone that allowed them to feel good about what they have been doing. Now they are being told not just to do it differently, but we decided that you weren't doing it so well after all. What a blow to confidence and self esteem that must have been to the teaching community. She says once you align standards-based teaching with best teaching practice you can move on to what is truly important. And when your heart is pure and mind is clear then attention to the needs of diverse learners will follow.

I really enjoyed reading this piece. I reread it a number of times and just kept finding more and more in it.