Differentiation
This has been a topic of discussion for years! What is the
best way to differentiate? How do I make sure that I am differentiating for all
kids in a class of 25 (or more)? What data is the best data to use to plan
this? How do I find the time?
For me, T-Tess has been the best rubric to reframe my
understanding of what differentiation truly is. As an inclusion teacher,
differentiation has been extremely important to me; having my students be
successful is what drives me. We all know that “Ah-Ha” moment and what that
means to our kids- I love this look! Now, as I look back, I was not as
effective as I could have been. I look at the strategies I used, the supports I
gave, even who got the supports; I see now that I gave crutches to students who
did not need them. Did the word bank help? Of course! Would they have been
successful without it? Probably. What data was I using to make these decisions?
If I could go back, the changes I would make! I think we all feel that
hindsight is 20/20. If I had been more targeted with my scaffolds and supports,
would I have gotten students to be more successful? I like to think so.
Why is this important to share? Why do I need to say this
aloud? Because, we all have tried strategies that did not go the way we wanted
them to or lessons that did not give us the results we thought we were going to
get. It is important to know that is about our journey. Teaching is not an
exact science; kids are unpredictable. We need to have lots of experiences and
strategies in our toolbox to be the most successful teacher we can be.
When we plan lessons, we need to think about all the students in the
room. It can be any need the students have:
Academic- maybe they need less answer
choices or maybe they need to have a small group lesson before they start their
assignment
Social/Emotional- maybe the students need to turn and talk about
their thinking before they can work without disrupting others or maybe they
need a checklist to help them focus on the task at hand?
Whatever the need of the students are, it is our goal to
meet them in order for them to be successful in their work. It can be a daunting undertaking, but
together we can work to close the gaps, challenge our students, and guide our
students to success. Teachers have a tremendous responsibility of educating our
future; we take this responsibility seriously.
