Why Differentiate if the Class is Homogeneously Grouped?
This section of D.I. really struck me personally actually. This small section points out an example of an AP English classroom and I know from first-hand experience how this has affected my life and now understandings of D.I. Of course here I sit today and I’m an English major, but just because I’m grouped into a category of English majors doesn’t mean that I love everything about English! In my AP English class in high school, I hated the majority of the things we read and looking back on it, I know it was because of the way it was taught. My teacher taught to those highest in the class (sitting in my class was the valedictorian and salutation). Then there was me and a few other ‘eager and willing students’ but we simply needed a different way to approach the material and that teacher knew no other way to differentiate her instruction. Now throughout my college career, I’ve gone back and read almost everything we’ve read in my high school English class and I love it! But only because I was able to connect to the text in a way that I understood. This example that our D.I. textbook brings up about needing to still have differentiated instruction even in supposedly homogeneously classes must be brought more to attention.
I've been talking a lot this past week with some of the kids in PDS and they were simply telling me whether or not their schools are tracked and how they think that has an effect on the school and students. I've heard good and bad about both ways and I honestly cannot tell which I prefer. I understand the need to track learning abilities of our students but how can we level the playing field? I think D.I. is the answer. If we, as teachers, find a way to make the activities fit the needs of our different students, we will accomplish our goals.
The part of the book that briefly talked about assessment is still my biggest worry. How do we differentiate instruction and assessment to fit everyone's needs? I think the ideas that the text brought up are really valuable; i.e. getting to talk to the parents and students about expectations, etc. But I'm still incredibly worried about this! Does anyone have some suggestions or recommendations that can help quell my worries?
This section of D.I. really struck me personally actually. This small section points out an example of an AP English classroom and I know from first-hand experience how this has affected my life and now understandings of D.I. Of course here I sit today and I’m an English major, but just because I’m grouped into a category of English majors doesn’t mean that I love everything about English! In my AP English class in high school, I hated the majority of the things we read and looking back on it, I know it was because of the way it was taught. My teacher taught to those highest in the class (sitting in my class was the valedictorian and salutation). Then there was me and a few other ‘eager and willing students’ but we simply needed a different way to approach the material and that teacher knew no other way to differentiate her instruction. Now throughout my college career, I’ve gone back and read almost everything we’ve read in my high school English class and I love it! But only because I was able to connect to the text in a way that I understood. This example that our D.I. textbook brings up about needing to still have differentiated instruction even in supposedly homogeneously classes must be brought more to attention.
I've been talking a lot this past week with some of the kids in PDS and they were simply telling me whether or not their schools are tracked and how they think that has an effect on the school and students. I've heard good and bad about both ways and I honestly cannot tell which I prefer. I understand the need to track learning abilities of our students but how can we level the playing field? I think D.I. is the answer. If we, as teachers, find a way to make the activities fit the needs of our different students, we will accomplish our goals.
The part of the book that briefly talked about assessment is still my biggest worry. How do we differentiate instruction and assessment to fit everyone's needs? I think the ideas that the text brought up are really valuable; i.e. getting to talk to the parents and students about expectations, etc. But I'm still incredibly worried about this! Does anyone have some suggestions or recommendations that can help quell my worries?
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