Hallmarks of Differentiation (Volume Two)

5. A "way up," usually through multiple and varied pathways, and never a "way out."
Teachers need to push their students, using a support system. In order to do this, a teacher needs to "teach up" to their students by including opportunities to scaffold. Teachers need to avoid the mundane drill and practice and work toward strategic lessons. Students need the effort put forth by their teachers to push them toward success. Never cheat your students by giving them work that is not helping them move forward.

6. "Respectful" and engaging work for all students.
Each student should be thinking on their highest level and assigned work that is inviting and important to them. When needed, adjust quality rather than increasing or decreasing the quantity. Students need to be challenged and it is the teacher's responsibility to continue to keep these students challenged. Continually assessing students is how you know what will challenge your students and keep them engaged in their work. Students who need to be "kept busy" is the teacher's fault for not challenging them and giving them busy work that does not challenge, nor engage them.

7. Proactive thinking and planning for different pathways.
This hallmark is all about planning ahead for what each of your students will need from your lesson. This includes planning ahead for re-teaching, remediating, accommodating, and modifying instruction. Good teaching always includes planning ahead, but differentiated teaching includes planning ahead on all fronts for your students. In field, as I began teaching, I realized one of the students couldn't see the board, and stopped working. I began to fit it into my lesson that any student who couldn't see the board while we were working could come sit on the carpet in front. This way, I didn't single him out, and as it turns out, a few other students had a hard time seeing the board as well.

8. Flexible grouping.
At different times of the day, and through different lessons, students will be grouped in different grouping. Some lessons you need to pair/group students by similar/different interests, learning profiles, and random or guided leadership. In the classroom I was in, my cooperating teacher had "clock partners". At the beginning of the year, she gave each student a little square sheet of paper that had a clock on it and at each hour was a spot to put someone's name. The rules were that they could not put the same person twice, they had to leave 12 and 6 free and she would assign those, and that their one o'clock partner had to have your name at one o'clock and so on for the rest of the hours. She assigned 12 o'clock partners with other's who were on the same math level, and 6 o'clock partners with those on the same reading level. This method alleviated the need to pick/assign a partner every time she wanted them to pair up and got the students to interact with various classmates throughout the day.

9. Flexible use of time, space, and materials.
This includes the teacher arranging the classroom in a variety of ways and formats. The teacher should also use a variety of materials for all students at every readiness level and/or interests. Their timing of lessons need to be flexible as well. I plan to change my seating arrangements once a month, or once a week if I feel that my students need that. I prefer to put their desks into groups, but I am willing to arrange the classroom in any way that I think would best benefit my students. I love hands-on learning and I am always looking for, and hoarding, knick-knacks that I think could be used in a lesson. I am a big believer in a wide variety of materials for students. Everyone learns in a different way, and it is our job as teachers to provide them with what they need to learn.