Differentiation
Differentiation means considering the child differently, not simply teaching the child differently.
"Differentiation is simply a teacher attending to the learning needs of a particular student or small groups of students, rather than teaching a class as though all individuals in it were basically alike." Carol Ann Tomlinson
In my classroom, scores are not the deciding factor for differentiation of instruction. While we certainly want to find the areas in which a student falls short and provide instruction in those areas, it is the content and relevance of that instruction that empowers the child.
There are three factors I use to design instruction.
Scores
Saturation
Situation
Scores. Of course. Benchmark data is key in instructional design. Students who score poorly in a particular area have indicated that re-teaching that goal is necessary. Benchmark data is only a small part of the instructional design for a differentiated classroom.
Saturation. How much and what type of instruction have those students who scored poorly already had? If their classroom experience already "covered" the goal, it is likely that they lack a skill, concept or adequate vocabulary to master the use of literary devices.
Situation. Every student comes to class with a different set of issues and problems. Considering what they walk in with determines what they walk out with. As an educator I don't know everything about all of my students, but relationships and conversations can be just as revealing as a sheet of benchmark data. One of my alumni had an outstanding mastery of my class content but scored considerably lower than her classmates. After conferencing with her I discovered she had debilitating test anxiety that had gone unnoticed for years.
Differentiation means considering the child differently, not simply teaching the child differently.
"Differentiation is simply a teacher attending to the learning needs of a particular student or small groups of students, rather than teaching a class as though all individuals in it were basically alike." Carol Ann Tomlinson
In my classroom, scores are not the deciding factor for differentiation of instruction. While we certainly want to find the areas in which a student falls short and provide instruction in those areas, it is the content and relevance of that instruction that empowers the child.
There are three factors I use to design instruction.
Scores
Saturation
Situation
Scores. Of course. Benchmark data is key in instructional design. Students who score poorly in a particular area have indicated that re-teaching that goal is necessary. Benchmark data is only a small part of the instructional design for a differentiated classroom.
Saturation. How much and what type of instruction have those students who scored poorly already had? If their classroom experience already "covered" the goal, it is likely that they lack a skill, concept or adequate vocabulary to master the use of literary devices.
Situation. Every student comes to class with a different set of issues and problems. Considering what they walk in with determines what they walk out with. As an educator I don't know everything about all of my students, but relationships and conversations can be just as revealing as a sheet of benchmark data. One of my alumni had an outstanding mastery of my class content but scored considerably lower than her classmates. After conferencing with her I discovered she had debilitating test anxiety that had gone unnoticed for years.