In many ways, the concepts of separating out individuals that are different has been fostered by the construction of the educational format. Tomlinson notes the fallacy of such an arrangement and provides some excellent advice with regard to classroom inclusiveness. "A classroom is -- or at least ought to be, in my opinion -- a microcosm for the world we live in. It is a community of individuals in which the good of each and the good of all continually seek a balance." (Tomlinson, Sharing 189) Of course, to assume that the mere make-up of classrooms to inclusive rather than exclusive would change prevailing prejudices is to overestimate the influence of such a measure. But education should not be endorsing such outmoded concepts as segregation and differentiated instruction helps to provide an environment wherein individuals of varying skill levels and learning potentials can see the value that other members of the class can bring to the fore. In many ways, differentiated instruction embodies much of what is honorable and worth aspiring to as human beings.
'Differentiated instruction ... drives the spirit of the classroom and school community toward critical reflection and disrupts the inequalities currently prevalent in our schools and our society. Such differentiated teaching practices reflect a democratic philosophy, wherein each student's voice is heard and valued." (Baglieri and Knopf 525)
Such concepts as noted by Baglieri and Knopf may seem beyond the scope of educators but helping individuals achieve the most they can with what they have to offer is an ideal worthy of effort. Larsen states "Using differentiated instruction ... educators can help each child achieve his or her potential." (17)
Another aspect of differentiated instruction involves the opportunity to teach the value of diversity. When children learn this concept it helps alleviate many of the problems that can result from insensitivity and prejudice. Helping students reach their potential shapes the attitudes of the students being taught and shapes the images in the minds of the students of what it means to be different and how that can be a valuable asset both in and out of the classroom.
Diversity in classrooms was often avoided because of the delay that "slower students" would cause in the instruction process. As a consequence those students were marginalized and stigmatized. Many educators may still fear that including such a variety of students into a class could jeopardize the learning process. But, "educators should be raising their expectations and associated teaching competence to meet standards rather than lowering the standards for students with special needs." (Hoover and Patton 76) This will inevitably require change and adaptation on the part of teachers but the benefit from such work is difficult to measure. Instead, it is easier to measure the significant unemployment, disaffection and societal harm that come from preventing classrooms from being "burdened" by diversity of learning abilities.
Among the variety of reasons to include differentiated instruction in the classroom today is the importance that knowledge has in modern society. In the industrial age, the strength of one's back was often more important than the strength of one's mind. Consequently many educational approaches hang on to out dated principles that fail to consider knowledge to be the "prime resource in the modern economy and society." (Davies 197) This failure is not one of simply failing to educate about mathematical equations, historical facts and writing but is a failure to teach students to think, reason and work together. Differentiated instruction stresses these very ideas which have reached an all-time high with regard to their importance. Not simply because of the computer-age in which students are growing up, but in an age where understanding is tantamount to living together in peace.
In spite of the important reasons to begin using differentiated instruction, there is a great deal of reluctance to adopt the notion. The consequence has been that some teachers view the philosophy as a fad or worse, as a hindrance to education. There are as many reasons for refusing to accept the idea as legitimate as there are success stories for its implementation so progress to spread the philosophy and get it implemented on a large scale has been slow. Interestingly, the resistance to differentiated instruction comes not from a lack of efficacy but out of deep rooted and almost dogmatic fears and doubts. In some cases it comes down to the issue of humans being slow to change.
What is keeping teachers from using differentiated instruction?
Some teachers see the adoption of differentiated instruction as a leap of faith or as a switch from some closely held belief to something wholly unknown.
'The incremental approach...
(Brown, nd) Brown lists 'labor intensive' strategies for differentiation to include those as follows: Assessment, data analysis, and diagnosis; Flexible grouping; Tiered tasks; Anchor activities; Differentiated learning encounters; Learning contracts; Independent study. (Brown, nd) The work of Jahnine Blosser (2005) entitled: "Unit of Lessons: Safety in the Secondary Science Classroom" states that there is "a growing need to make all students understand science and the relevancy of science to their lives." Blosser notes that "many students learn differently
Thus, the idea of inclusion was born, an idea that suggests students with special needs be paired alongside students who are gifted, students with different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and students who have different modes of learning (Tomlinson et al., 2003). Despite this, evidence exists to suggest that the self-contained special education classroom still serves the needs of many students with special needs, suggesting that fears related to special education
Teachers should not try to do everything at once but start with highest priority first and work with a collaborative team to set goals. Best Advice The best advice is for teachers to reflect on what it will take to incorporate differentiated instruction. Next, teachers need to evaluate the curriculum with a survey including what students should know, what most know, and what standards they must be held accountable for. Furthermore,
Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which special training addressing how to effectively identify the correct needs of the students, without the intrusion of personal bias, will improve the academic outcomes of elementary school students. Because this is a quantitative study, academic outcomes will be measured in terms of test scores on a standardized test designed for grades 2 through 4. Research Design and
Differentiated Instruction and Closing the Achievement Gap It is not always easy to see how differentiated instruction is able to initiate an advantage in schools that are performing extremely low or how it could help in closing the achievement gap. On the other hand, research done by experts show something different. Research has been taking a look at schools that have been on the AYP list and achieving results that are
Teachers may provide introductory discussions to the entire class and follow this up with smaller working groups that are coached by members and the teacher. Based on the results, content and projects, grouping and regrouping should be a dynamic process to meet objectives. 4. How do we differentiate and evaluate products? Bransford, Brown, and Cocking (2000) advise that the use of tools in the classroom provides no guarantee that student learning
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