Students and Differentiated Instruction
Students are at the core of what we do as teachers. The beauty of who we are as humans is that we are complex and varied--no two of us are exactly alike! Even if we create incredible curriculum, but are only able to teach it in a single dimension, we'd be missing the point all together of what it is that we do. To teach to an audience of one is often not the case. In differentiated instruction, teachers are mindful of their unique set of learners who bring different experiences and backgrounds that will inevitably influence the teacher's planning and practice. These teachers incorporate differentiated instruction in their practice by:
(Tomlinson pp. 20-21)
- Finding ways to get to know students more intentionally and regularly.
- Incorporating small-group teaching into daily or weekly teaching routines.
- Learning to teach to the high end.
- Offering more ways to explore and express learning.
- Regularly using informal assessments to monitor student understanding.
- Teaching in multiple ways.
- Using basic reading strategies throughout the curriculum.
- Allowing working alone or with peers.
- Using clear rubrics that coach for quality.
(Tomlinson pp. 20-21)