A common expression of concern among parents as they send their children off to school is wondering whether their teachers will understand how to reach them. Will a teacher realize that the light bulb only comes on for them after they’ve read and then listened to a discussion about a topic? Or only after they’ve seen a picture that illustrates the concept? Or when they’ve had a chance to touch and feel something that brings an abstract concept to life?
It is the recognition that children learn in very different ways, and are successful only when they are “reached,” that is guiding a formal change in instruction that will be initiated in Joseph City Schools when classes begin on Wednesday, Aug. 10.
Superintendent Robert Klein explains Joseph City Schools will be implementing the Differentiated Instruction Methodology district-wide this year.
“This is something we’ve always aspired to, but this is a conscious emphasis and approach,” said Klein. “It’s something that really good teachers do intuitively and just haven’t put a name to it.”
As Klein describes it, differentiated instruction simply acknowledges that student learning is a process that happens differently for each child. Some students learn better with auditory stimulus, some are more visually compelled, while some are tactile and learn best through doing.
In Joseph City Schools, teachers are being taught to evaluate how their students seem to best learn, and then adjust their teaching methods and materials to reach them. This would influence anything from the materials teachers select for instruction, to how they physically arrange their classrooms.
There is a long-standing practice among some educators, Klein said, to teach toward the middle: understanding that some kids lag far behind and others are way ahead of the class, many teachers try to find a middle ground where they can reach most of their students. The differentiated teaching methodology sets this approach aside and asserts that kids on the fringes of the middle–or even far to the outside of middle–shouldn’t be left to fend for themselves.
The model for differentiated teaching requires that teachers tailor their teaching methods and curriculum to students’ needs, rather than expecting students to try to change themselves to fit the curriculum. Klein said teachers will spend time getting to know their students, observing their learning patterns, and begin making adjustments to teaching methods to best reach their students.
Several teachers have been sent to training to learn the fundamentals of the methodology and have begun sharing the training concepts with peers. Teachers have also spent time simply discussing students they’ve already instructed, and sharing observations about learning patterns, so as students advance to other classes, instructors already have some ideas how to best reach individuals.
“This is something we’ll continue to integrate as time goes on,” said Klein. “For those teachers who already approach instruction in this manner, the additional training will simply provide them with more tools and resources.”
With differentiated instruction, a teacher adapts not only content, but also how the students gain access to knowledge and skills. They may also vary how students demonstrate they’ve mastered a subject. Instead of book reports, they may be able to build a model, paint a picture or develop a multi-media presentation.
While the manner of providing instruction may vary, educators will not vary student objectives or lower performance standards. All students will still work toward the same standards and objectives set by schools and the state. Ensuring that students with less understanding are able to master a subject, and students with greater understanding or who are faster learners are challenged, is key to effective teaching. With differentiated teaching, educators might ask students with partial mastery of a subject to complete tasks that apply, analyze and evaluate information, while students who have a high level of mastery might be asked to complete tasks demonstrating evaluation and synthesis of information.
Klein cautions that differentiated instruction doesn’t occur at a level that equates to creating an individual education plan (IEP) for every student. Rather, it’s formalizing an emphasis the district already embraced, making it a conscious effort to find ways to address different learning styles while developing and implementing lesson plans.
Klein expects to see measurable results among students as the new methodology is widely implemented. “Already, internal evaluations have shown that teachers who are getting the best results in their classrooms are teaching to this process,” he noted.
