Why Differentiate? Five Reasons.
Let's take a look at each one of these reasons to differentiate:
1) Reduce risk of underachievement: If a student does not find his schoolwork meaningful, he may become unmotivated to continue working in school. For gifted children, they may continuously finish their work before their peers and may become completely bored in school. Differentiation allows the work to be more meaningful for anyone in the classroom.
Click here to read an interesting article about using a differentiation strategy to help talented students
Click here to read another article regarding underachievement and gifted students
A quote from the second article:
1) Reduce risk of underachievement: If a student does not find his schoolwork meaningful, he may become unmotivated to continue working in school. For gifted children, they may continuously finish their work before their peers and may become completely bored in school. Differentiation allows the work to be more meaningful for anyone in the classroom.
Click here to read an interesting article about using a differentiation strategy to help talented students
Click here to read another article regarding underachievement and gifted students
A quote from the second article:
"One crucial reason why talented students choose not to excel is that the curriculum they encounter is often unchallenging and unmotivating. High ability students can master material at a much faster rate than average students, but they are rarely given the opportunity to do so. Instead of coping with and trudging through their everyday work they simply refuse to do anything. This lack of challenge can be experienced in a child's early years of schooling and translate later into poor work habits."
2)Alleviate discipline problems: Watch this amazing video asking you to detect what the teacher and students are doing wrong in the class. It is regarding "Managing and improving behavior in inclusive educational environments". For our purposes, it shows what happens if you are teaching a classroom that needs differentiation but the teacher is teaching to one crowd...
Click here to watch, and you will see: NO DIFFERENTIATION= MORE CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS!
Click here to watch, and you will see: NO DIFFERENTIATION= MORE CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS!
3) Increase Motivation: "Two motivational states interfere with learning: Anxiety and Boredom. ANXIETY OCCURS WHEN TEACHERS EXPECT
TOO MUCH,
BOREDOM WHEN THEY EXPECT TOO LITTLE." - Mihaly Csikezentmihalyi
Flow: the Psychology of Optimal Experience (Taken from Dr. Goldberg, Azrieli Graduate School)
Differentiating your classroom can prevent BOTH anxiety and boredom, therefore increasing the student's motivation!
READ THIS: The Effects of Differentiation and Motivation on Students' Performance
4)Address Learner Readiness: It is important to determine the "readiness" of learners before teaching something. Some learners may have already covered the topic before, while other students may have trouble learning a topic that is new to them. Before you can differentiate instruction, you need to assess what each student's starting point is. Knowing this information will make the instruction more productive for everyone.
Differentiating your classroom can prevent BOTH anxiety and boredom, therefore increasing the student's motivation!
READ THIS: The Effects of Differentiation and Motivation on Students' Performance
4)Address Learner Readiness: It is important to determine the "readiness" of learners before teaching something. Some learners may have already covered the topic before, while other students may have trouble learning a topic that is new to them. Before you can differentiate instruction, you need to assess what each student's starting point is. Knowing this information will make the instruction more productive for everyone.
When we teach the same things to all students at the same time 1/3 already know it, 1/3 get it and 1/3 don’t so 2/3 of them are wasting their time. -Scott Willis, Some characteristics shape teaching and learning in an effective differentiated classroom (Tomlinson, 1995)
This is a video worth watching: A new Chemistry teacher is trying to figure out ways to differentiate her classroom her first year of teaching. She consults with differentiation expert Rick Wormeli who explains to her how important assessing student readiness is important throughout the year. We need to constantly be assessing where students are up to in order to differentiate the instruction. Watch the video HERE.
In a differentiated classroom:
In a differentiated classroom:
"On - going assessment of student readiness and growth are built into the curriculum. Teachers do not assume that all students need a given task or segment of study, but continuously assess student readiness, providing support when students need additional instruction and guidance, and extending student exploration when indications are that a student or group of students is ready to move ahead." ( http://www.beaconmedia.com)
To read the full text from the above quote, click here:
http://www.beaconmedia.com.au/bm/images/docs/why%20differentiate%20instruction.pdf
It is a good short article to read titled "Why differentiate instruction?".
5)Build Self Esteem: Because with differentiated learning students have assignments catered to them, they are more likely to feel challenged and accomplished during the learning process. Self esteem is built by succeeding in tasks that one perceives to be difficult (Sylvia Rimm). If children better in a particular way but the classroom does not cater to their needs, they will not be as successful in the classroom, lowering their self esteem.
This article, titled "Self-Esteem and Children’s Learning Problems", has some good information about the importance of encouraging self esteem in children.
Now that you know why we differentiate, we want to know WHAT we can differentiate in the classroom. Click here to learn WHAT you can differentiate in the classroom.
For a fun exercise...watch this video "Inclusion and Differentiated Instruction: Teachers in the Movies do it Too". As you watch, keep in mind how the differentiation techniques helped the learner in these scenarios.
http://www.beaconmedia.com.au/bm/images/docs/why%20differentiate%20instruction.pdf
It is a good short article to read titled "Why differentiate instruction?".
5)Build Self Esteem: Because with differentiated learning students have assignments catered to them, they are more likely to feel challenged and accomplished during the learning process. Self esteem is built by succeeding in tasks that one perceives to be difficult (Sylvia Rimm). If children better in a particular way but the classroom does not cater to their needs, they will not be as successful in the classroom, lowering their self esteem.
This article, titled "Self-Esteem and Children’s Learning Problems", has some good information about the importance of encouraging self esteem in children.
Now that you know why we differentiate, we want to know WHAT we can differentiate in the classroom. Click here to learn WHAT you can differentiate in the classroom.
For a fun exercise...watch this video "Inclusion and Differentiated Instruction: Teachers in the Movies do it Too". As you watch, keep in mind how the differentiation techniques helped the learner in these scenarios.
Go on to WHAT we can differentiate!