Differentiation

As I continue to lead teach on my own, one aspect of education has become very clear to me… differentiation is an absolute necessity in the classroom in order that all students succeed and feel like they are succeeding.  For instance, in my bilingual setting, it would be very difficult and extremely frustrating for native English speakers and native Spanish speakers to complete the same types of English writing work (what I teach) because some simply have more experience with the English language both in terms of speaking and in terms of writing.  This applies vice versa as well…when completing their Spanish writing assignments, English native speakers would have a very difficult time too and become exceedingly frustrated.  Therefore, being able to give each group a different type of English writing homework (an assignment that follows the same theme and has similar learning outcomes) is helpful in order that students are able to complete the task and feel successful.  

Now, I know that some view differentiation as a tool in which a teacher classifies learners as being “high” or “low” in a particular area (I used to think along those lines as well—I would never want a student to think of him/herself as “low” in an academic area).  However, after working in a school where students have so many different language needs, I now view it as a way to make students feel positive about themselves and the work they do.  If certain work is overwhelmingly hard for a student, he or she will feel frustrated and may begin to dislike the subject or even worse, school.  On the contrary, if he/she feels like he/she can master the task, he/she will feel self-confident and happy. 
Differentiating lessons also makes you, as a teacher, more aware because you have to know your students individually and find ways to meet them where they are at.  Everyone is different and has different needs, strengths, and weaknesses; differentiating lessons is one way students can take into account their strengths and weaknesses in a positive manner.  In my experiences, differentiation has been a way to make sure none of my students are silently slipping through the cracks. 

Although differentiation is needed in a classroom, it is hard to carry out in the younger grades without additional support…at least that has been my experience with it.  When trying to differentiate math lessons for the first graders, it was almost impossible for me to make sure one group was staying on track while leading another group in a mini-lesson.  Many young students have questions or get easily distracted if you leave them unattended for too long.  Today, however, I was blessed with an adult volunteer in my classroom, and she totally made all the difference!  Suddenly, I could differentiate lessons because the volunteer could help one group while I led the other.  We got so much more learning and work done today than ever before, and it was less stressful—both for me and all the students.  We all left the day on a happy note! 

As a future teacher, I have discovered how important and necessary volunteers are to any given school day.  Needing volunteers can be a great way to get parents, other teenage/older students, or community members involved in the classroom.  These people can then be positive role models for the students as well as insurers of their success in school.  I will be sure to contact parents early on in the year to see if any are willing to help out in my classroom whenever possible.

Without seeing the diverse needs of my classroom from learners who speak English, Spanish, or Italian and who either did or did not go to Kindergarten, I would have never realized or saw the full benefits that differentiation can bring about.  I am so glad I decided to try it!

Emily and I paired up our fourth grade and first grade students based on their language needs for a fun buddy reading experience.  It was a big success!