What Differentiated Instruction Looks Like in My Classroom

2:15 p.m., head down, arms folded, eyes slipping into slumber. The gentle grinds and groans of fifteen-year-old computers plunge me further into a needed restful state. “Luby,” I mumble. “What to do with that kid? Ah! Napua too. What to do what-to-do?”

At the end of everyday, that is my thought process. Mulling over the academic needs of my twenty 2^nd grade students. Some students receive more thought than others, but nonetheless, the daily thought process of “What could I do differently with her? What does he need? How come I’m not reaching her? Why can’t he get it the first time?” is always the same. To quote old school rocker Jerry Lee Lewis and his hit Great Balls of Fire, “Its enough to drive a man insane!” Fortunately, my sanity remains, however so do the numerous and ever-evolving needs of my students.

 “Without differentiated instruction, any child who varies from the norm will suffer” (Differentiating Instruction, pg. 1). Most adults have the ability to cope with issues and problems that are out of the norm, but children don’t quite have this skill.  Students given an assignment that is too hard for them, most of the time, won’t complete the assignment. Students given an assignment that is too easy, will do it, but will not go and seek out something more difficult unless it is presented to them.  Avoiding these issues and making sure that my students are receiving all of their academic needs is part of my job as a teacher.

When I think about “Without differentiated instruction, any child who varies from the norm will suffer” in terms of my students, none of them are entirely within the realm of the norm. The last thing that I want is for any of my students to suffer because I’m not responding to their needs. Whether it is more challenging math or a leveled book, every single one of my students has something about their academics that needs a little tweaking.

In my classroom, differentiated instruction takes on different forms.  Sometimes it involves students who are in need of leveled books reading together in guided reading groups, other times it might be a group of advanced students learning about tougher math concepts, or sometimes it is at an individual level because I know a certain student needs a specific kind of help in order to succeed. 

Every one of us is truly unique and can use a little personal alignment every once and again.  The same goes for children, especially for children.