Differentiation!

What is Differentiation?  This year I am slowly implementing the differentiation model of instruction.  It is not a new concept.  Basically, differentiation means that I will provide students with some choice assignments based on their instructional level.

How does Differentiation work?
The first thing I do as a teacher is evaluate how much information about or new unit students already know.  This could be a class discussion, a drawing, a quick quiz (not graded), a game, etc.  Then several times throughout the unit students will have the opportunity to complete activities they feel comfortable working on.  Students are still required to learn and know fourth grade material set forth by the county and state.  The change will be in the activities they will actually complete.  

Reasons for Differentiation in Science and Social Studies
In Georgia schools, students are grouped by age not ability level.  Just as with the milestones children have in the early part of their lives (talking, walking, teething, eating, etc.), not all children learn at the same level or the same rate.  This is the reason that I find differentiation a better alternative to whole class lessons.  Please be aware that differentiation requires a lot of upfront work from me before starting a unit of study. Much of this work is completed on my own family time.  Therefore, it is unrealistic to expect every lesson to be differentiated. 

How will this affect my child's work and assignments?
Students will occasionally have choices for their assignments.  Students will find some assignments more difficult than others.  However, any differentiated assignments will all be based on fourth grade material set forth by Gwinnett County and the state of Georgia.  The differentiation is not the subject matter but the activities from which students can choose.

How will this affect my child's tests and grades?
In a perfectly differentiated classroom, I would be able to assess students based on their ability and grade them based on the amount of progress they have made from the beginning of the year.  However, this is not the case at the present time in our county and state.  Students are expected to perform on a fourth grade level.  I have created the unit tests based on the subject matter.  As long as students have performed well on their activities, regardless of level, they should do well on the assessments.

Dont Worry!
This is a learning process for myself and the students.  As Carol Tomlinson says, we should "grow slowly" when it comes to differentiation.  I will be evaluating how well students are doing and also how well I am teaching and facilitating instruction with this model.  If I find any problems, we will take a step back and re-evaluate the situation. 

Links to Online Resources
Below are several links to many resources that may help you to better understand differentiation.

Websites -
http://www.caroltomlinson.com/

http://aim.cast.org/learn/historyarchive/backgroundpapers/differentiated_instruction_udl

http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/strategy/strategy042.shtml

Books -
Differentiation in Practice

Advancing Differentiation

The Survival Guide for Parents of Gifted Kids

Articles -
What Every Parent Should Know About Differentiated Instruction

A Different Place

Differentiated Instruction for Young Gifted Children:  How Parents Can Help