Chapter 1 FIAE

The true meaning of Differentiate Instruction is adjusting a lesson to accommodate each individual student. Though this sounds daunting, in actual application it is quite simple. Differentiation can be as simple as rephrasing a question, providing examples, or reworking deadlines. The overall goal of differentiated instruction is to ensure that each student achieves the end goal. Differentiation does not equate to an easier learning experience. Differentiation gives students the necessary tools to achieve the end goal.

            Differentiation is more than an educational theory meant to be implemented in a classroom setting. It is seen in everyday life. A personal example would be my job in the UMF dining hall. My primary goal is to ensure that students are fed. The differentiation would be the various options provided to the students. Pizza, salads, sandwiches, fried food, and other options provide students a number of ways to be fed. Further differentiation includes identifying foods containing common allergens and either identifying them or substituting them. Regardless of the food the students ate, hopefully, they will leave being fed. The context of a situation ultimately determines how a task should be approached.

            My mentor and myself have engaged in unconscious and conscious forms of differentiation. We have identified the quarks of various students and have experiment in ways of accommodating them. Even our basic plans for each class is subject to change. We accept that we will cover more content in some classes and have to spend more time with others. Each class may be at different levels, but they all have the same end goal.