Have you ever found yourself going crazy trying to meet all of your students’ needs in the classroom? You might’ve even said, “Just tell me what to do!” I too have been in this very spot. It doesn’t matter how experienced a teacher you are, or how much you plan, or even whether students are on IEPs or not, every classroom needs differentiated teaching.

Adapting with Differentiated Teaching

I’ve taught students in both regular and special education. One thing they have in common is that each classroom has diverse needs from one end of the spectrum to the other. I used to approach my lesson planning by teaching in the middle. However, I was beyond frustrated that I was not meeting every student’s needs the best that I could.

I was planning a lot of activities around the skills I wanted to teach, but test scores showed not all of the students were gaining the concepts of what I was trying to get across. I knew I had to do something different to reach all of their needs. This was going to require thinking in a different mindset… a differentiated teaching approach.

I began looking at what students “could do” rather than what they “couldn’t do.” Realizing that everyone does not learn the same way, I did discover students can gain more knowledge of the concepts I teach when given the opportunity to learn at different levels.

It basically comes down to how I present the material that makes a difference in how much information students take in. That is when I began to teach pretty much everything with a differentiated mindset.

I have to admit, when I look at incorporating several activities, I not only teach differently but give up some of my control. The payoff has given me more time to spend with students to steer them in the right direction without giving the answers. This is a win-win for both me, as a teacher, and the students.

I think the difference between regular lessons versus differentiated instruction is like eating. Do you want to take out food or a real meal? We usually order takeout food for convenience, but in the end, there is little value. A real meal takes preparation. Then you get to sit down at the table to enjoy that meal together. It leaves everyone so satisfied in the end.

If regular lessons are planned with only learning a new skill in mind, just the basics are being considered. Differentiated instruction is the total opposite. It engages everyone in learning. Remember, differentiated learning just means learning differently. Since everyone is not wired to learn the same way, how we teach must be adjusted.

Is it time to adjust your teaching mindset?”

Let VLR  help. Module 8 – “How To Differentiate Assignments and Projects” will give the tools you need to ease into differentiating lessons and projects. Before long, you will be connecting student learning in ways you thought were not even possible.