Differentiation in the Classroom

I know I've sat through classroom observations, watching a teacher do the same thing with each and every student. This "cookie-cutter" classroom is indicative of a teacher who doesn't understand the needs of her children. Within any group, whether a gifted classroom or not, students have different levels of achievement. Some students are high achieving and work at a faster pace than others, some students are low achieving and can't seem to keep up with the work, and some students fall right in the middle.

The problem with classrooms today is that teachers have become accustomed to "teaching to the middle." Unfortunately, when teachers do this, they fail to challenge their high achieving students, and they fail to properly scaffold their low achieving students. Because the vast majority of students in a classroom will be average students and this is the group teachers are targeting, test scores will "look" good and the teacher feels as though she has done her job. 

Sadly, this is a picture of many classrooms that I've witnessed thus far. 

Characteristics 

Differentiation, however, is a solution to this problem and makes it possible for a teacher to reach the individual learners that exist in a classroom. By definition, differentiation is when a teacher is "reacting responsively to a learner's needs" (Tomlinson & Allan, 2000). When a teacher chooses to differentiate instruction, the teacher is also choosing to recognize and understand the differences that each student has. It forces a teacher to validate the individual needs of each student and make adjustments to meet their needs. 

According to Tomlinson, teachers can differentiate by "content, process, and product" (Tomlinson & Allan, 2000). This makes for several opportunities throughout a lesson to switch things up to meet the needs, interests, and learning profiles of each student. 

To differentiate content in a classroom, a teacher would mostly focus on changing how the student gains access to the material. While the facts, vocabulary words, and skills would be the same for every student in a classroom, how students gain access to this learning will shift the level of difficult within a lesson. Tomlinson and Allan suggest that teachers use some of these ways to differentiate the access to content within a lesson: 

• Using manipulatives; 
• Using texts or novels at more than one reading level; 
• Using texts, computer programs, tape recorders, and videos as a way of conveying key concepts to varied learners (Tomlinson & Allan, 2000). 

To differentiate the process by which students learn to make sense of the content, teachers can provide a lot of choice in the activities by which students come to understand the material. By varying the levels of difficulties, giving students choices about how they present or express what they've learned, and tailor activities to student interests, teachers can potentially meet the needs of every student they have. 

To differentiate what students do to demonstrate what they've learned, teachers can use several methods to give opportunities for students to express themselves and become more involved in the process. Tomlinson and Allan suggest that teachers provide several options that match student readiness, allow for students to work together, and use a wide variety of assessment tools to ensure success on all levels (Tomlinson & Allan, 2000).  

The end goal of a differentiated classroom is to maximize the amount of growth and success each student achieves. While many teachers focus on bringing their students up to "grade level," differentiation moves away from the generalized benchmarked goals and ensures each student is growing based on their personal and individual starting point (Tomlinson & Allan, 2000). 

Not every student will have the same starting point every year, or in every subject. To this end, teachers will create opportunities for students to master the content based on each student's understanding of it. Students who understand a lesson before it is taught might not need to do work that is repetitive and irrelevant to them; instead, they might try working on an independent study or delve into an aspect of the lesson they found interesting. Students who have no background knowledge on a lesson might need more assistance, meaning that their activities may be more "surface-level" before they can move on to more challenging ideas. 

Apart from those I've already discussed, there are few other characteristics of differentiated classrooms that make this method work. Generally speaking, differentiated classrooms are: 

• Flexible
• Based on the regular assessment of students needs 
• Focused on teacher/student collaboration (Characteristics of a Differentiated Classroom, n.d.)

All of these characteristics look great on paper, but what happens when teachers try to implement differentiated instruction into their classroom? It isn't as easy as one might think.

Challenges 

A differentiated classroom is hard work. It comes with a wide range of challenges that teachers must overcome to ensure the success of their students. 

The first and most important challenge to overcome is that teachers must come to understand what is going on in their students' heads (Benefits and challenges of differentiating instruction in 21st century classrooms, n.d.). We must ask ourselves if we know our students—if we understand the state of our students' current knowledge—and how do we measure this? 

Next, students must begin to adjust to being in charge of their own learning and success within the classroom. In a differentiated classroom, this responsibility is placed on students early on. It is important that these students understand their role in the process and get used to how things work. 

Many students, myself included, found it odd when the focus in a classroom was on the individual and their success. I could never understand why the teacher was giving me so much time to do something on my own. As we know, this kind of independent work is great for student achievement, fostering creativity, and deepening our understanding of previously mastered content. However, I think that students fail to understand that the teacher is the facilitator of learning. To teach, the teacher does not need to stand at the front of the room and lecture. Instead, the teacher must provide plenty of opportunities for students to interact with the material. 

In a gifted classroom especially, students may have free time to work independently on a project or assignment—and that's OK. As a society, we need to move away from the image of a teacher lecturing at the front of a classroom and instead look at a classroom where students work independently while the teacher conferences with each of them, monitors, and facilitates growth.  

Another of the many excuses teachers use as a reason that differentiated instruction will not fit their classroom is that there is not enough time for it. Rather than think of differentiated instruction as something "extra" to do, teachers must start thinking of it as the only way to do things.

Experience 

Although I haven't had much experience working in classrooms, from what I've seen teachers do not make differentiation a priority. Apart from one classroom in particular, each teacher I have observed has not had different ways for students to access, understand, and present their knowledge on a topic.

This is disheartening, especially because I could quickly identify the differences in students across the room and understood that there was a demand for it. 

However, over Fall Break I had the opportunity to observe two gifted 4th grade classes. These teachers worked hard to ensure that every student was working towards an individual goal and had multiple options for learning. One student in particular was of interest when he began coding in math class. For a fourth grader, this was impressive, but it was part of a independent study that he set up with his teacher, who quenched his thirst for a better understanding of computer science. 

Without differentiation, this student would not have been as successful in school He already understood the topics that were being covered, didn't need to participate in irrelevant activities, but used code to solidify what he already knew about the subject. 

Ultimately, teachers need to start thinking about their students as individuals, not a group of students that need to meet a certain benchmark goal. By looking at individual needs, we do more for our students by attempting to meet them where they're at rather than assume what they don't know.

References 

Tomlinson, C., & Allan, S. (2000). Understanding Differentiated Instruction: Building a Foundation for Leadership. In Leadership for Differentiating Schools & Classrooms (Ch. 1). 

Characteristics of a Differentiated Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved from: http://pdsupport.cmswiki.wikispaces.net/Characteristics+of+a+DIfferentiated+Classroom. October 27, 2015. 

Benefits and challenges of Differentiating instruction in 21st century classrooms. (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://designing21centurylearning.wikispaces.com/Benefits+and+challenges+of+Differentiating+instruction+in+21st+century+classrooms. October 27, 2015.