What is differentiation Great teachers have been differentiating

What is differentiation?

Great teachers have been differentiating instruction for hundreds of years - they know their curriculum, see who shows up, and design learning experiences that respond to students’ needs/readiness, interests, preferences, and learning profiles.

If some students get it quickly and at at deeper level, these teachers challenge them. If others don’t get it the way it is taught, the teachers reach into their toolkits and try another approach.

Differentiation is the core of the art and science of teaching. Some teachers differentiate intuitively, others need guidance, encouragement, and a tackle box of ideas.

Understanding some brain basics from neuroscience research on learning, attention, memory, emotions, and stress can serve as a solid foundation for designing classroom environments, curricula, and instructional strategies.

Differentiation is many things to many teachers. It is a relatively simple concept with complex implementation and requires a shift in thinking and planning to be successful.

Differentiation may be accomplished by varying: How we create a safe and secure brain-compatible environment that maximizes student learning How we engage (hook) the learner with interesting, meaningful, relevant tasks How we orchestrate exploration of the new learning to ensure retention and mastery How we modify and expand learning to accommodate struggling learners and challenge capable students How we assess and evaluate student progress and provide feedback