Differentation, a choice that appeals to me!

I feel like what I have learned in the education program up until this point has been focused on differentiated instruction, just without telling us that’s what it was. In Curriculum Design we focused on accommodations, in Classroom Management we learned about creating a community of learners and having students be involved in the responsibilities and rules of the classroom. In Intro to Education and Multicultural we discussed equity and equality and meeting the needs of our individual students. We have learned a lot of elements of differentiation and now we have the opportunity to reflect on that and be able to create a coherent idea in our head of why and how we will differentiate our instruction.

Some of the choices that appeal to me regarding differentiation are phrases right out of the portion I read in Differentiation in Practice. First of all and most importantly that education isn’t and doesn’t have to be one-size fits all each student has their own unique needs and as teachers WE CAN meet those needs. It is a difficult thing for me to think of how I can possibly meet the needs of all of my students, in a section describing being aware of who we teach it said, “ With each passing year, Ms. Johnson becomes more aware that there are a variety of factors shaping her students as learners” As I begin and continue teaching I will keep learning and becoming aware of all of my students and aware of how I can meet their needs. We also had the reading about morning meeting, and what better way is there to get to know our students than in that no stress environment that really builds a community of learners. The who, what, and where factors are very important and have to be addressed to be able to differentiate, but it is really all about the how, how we are teaching. This is what excites me about this semester, we will continue to learn HOW to differentiate, HOW to meet the diverse needs of all of our students whether they are social, emotional, academic etc… I am also really excited about the morning meetings and definitely want to go watch a few in action. I have participate in morning meetings in my dad’s classroom and have always loved them. It really does help to create the community of learners that we have discussed in so many of our classes and by having that safe environment students will feel free to be themselves and take risks and that is a great place to start with our students, somewhere that they are willing to just try and maybe try again. I really do want to be a teacher who tries my hardest to meet each students’ needs. I understand that I will not be able to be everything to everyone every time, but I am going to try my hardest, and as I continue to try and probably feel inadequate I will learn and grow and be a more able and better teacher.