In any given classroom, teachers will be faced with a multitude of students who will require some form of altered instruction. Because every student student is different and will learn at a different pace, teachers must always plan accordingly. In the classroom, teachers will have students that are gifted (high-performing students) and those who are in need of special education or accommodations (special needs students). Students in needs of accommodations can range from cognitive disabilities, physical abilities to English Language Learners (ELL) that will require a translated or altered form of material in order for comprehension of content to take place.
Most classrooms will have students who are “fast-paced”, gifted, learners. These students typically perform far beyond their peers. They can comprehend material much faster, remember content mush easier, building on their previous knowledge (scaffolding) is not much of a challenge for them and they can overall perform faster and produce higher quality work, in comparison to their peers. For these particular students, the differentiation that must take place is for them to be given higher, more rigorous or challenging, work. By giving gifted students more challenging assignments, teachers will prevent from these student getting bored in class (possibly causing distractions as a result of), but more importantly challenging the students intellect and academic capabilities. By giving these students work that is more to their academic level, a teacher is providing a foundation for the student to better comprehend the work and to apply his/her abilities in a more meaningful way. For example, if a student happens to finish her work earlier than the rest of the class and to a high quality, the instructor should plan accordingly and provide the student with supplementary assignments that can build upon her current knowledge.
In using differentiation, teachers will also be faced with students who will need special accommodations in order to best learn the given content. Some forms of differentiation will be having students work in groups, individualized, given transcripts of lesson content, provided with material in bigger font, handed step-by-step directions, guided notes, a specific seating arrangement, translated material/use of translation software, use of technology when appropriate, etc. The forms of differentiation will be dependent on the students specific Individualized Educational Plan (IEP). Every student will have a wide-range of needs that must be met and provided to best possible extent by the teacher as mandated by state and school. Of course, the IEP will serve as a guideline for how students can best be accommodated as well as a description of what the student is diagnosed/assessed with. As educators, it is our duty to provide students with an environment were they can learn best and feel inclusive of the classroom, despite the accommodations that they may require.
Reference Website: https://www.edutopia.org/topic/differentiated-instruction
