Image by: Grant Cochrane
Lately, I’ve spending time preparing for the 2012 – 2013 school year. Last week I had a conversation with a teacher in another district about student achievement data, specifically MAP data. We discussed similarities/differences in general student achievement data. The achievement data inside a typical elementary classroom can range significantly.
This data along with teacher input can bring awareness to academic strengths and concerns. Educators are responsible for teaching all students regardless of prior knowledge. I think most stakeholders would agree that prior academic background knowledge vastly impacts instruction and pacing. What happens if that prior knowledge is missing, partial or incorrect?
All students in a classroom should have the opportunity to experience success. That success depends on the environment and instruction that occurs throughout the school year. What do teachers proactively do to meet the needs of all students in their classroom? Treating all students to the same instruction, same assignments, assigning same goals, same homework, same _____ doesn’t help all students meet their potential. I’ve found that differentiating my instruction is one way to meet the diverse needs of students. What does differentiation look like in the classroom? “Differentiated Instruction is matching instruction to meet the needs of individual learners ” –FCRR. I’ve included strategies with links for more information on differentiated instruction below.
- Tiered assignments
- Curriculum compacting
- Math/reading stations
- Use a learning contract
- Small groups
- Flexible groupings
- Alternative assignments
- Open-ended questions
- Tic tac toe menu
- Webquests
- Podcasts
- Game creation
The links below have been helpful in writing this post.
Gifted Differentiation GT Webinar Instruction for Gifted Learners Flexing Differentiation Ideas for Teaching
Educational Aspirations 
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