What is Differentiation?

I am taking a class about differentiation. One of my big questions has been, "what exactly is differentiation?" Differentiation is a teacher reacting responsively to a learners needs. It means tailoring instruction to meet the needs of each of your students. Differentiated instruction is exactly that. Tailoring instruction to meet the needs of each individual, which are different for each student. The reading from this week came from a book called, Differentiation in Practice, a resource guide for differentiating curriculum. Part one of the book gives a great example of differentiated instruction, or parenting. It talks about how parents differentiate their parenting for their children because most children are not identical in the ways they approach life. Because each child has different needs, the parents work with each child differently to help them each succeed. We as teachers need to do the same. Each of our students will be different. Some students will be learning English as a second language. Other students will be amazing readers. Some will be struggling readers. Some students will excel in math while others will not understand even the concept of different operations. It is our job to know the needs of our students and help meet their needs so they can each grow and excel. Differentiating instruction will be harder than teaching straight from the book, but you will make a much bigger difference in the success of your students as you differentiate your instruction. Another book we read from this week was titled Fulfilling the Promise of the Differentiated Classroom. It suggests that a differentiated classroom can help all. Students who are learning at a faster pace, students who have difficulty learning, ESL students, students who have "given up", and students whose culture may be different from the norm. The book says that teachers need to take into account WHO they are teaching as well as What they are teaching. Differentiation takes active and consistent planning to help each learner move as far and as fast as possible along a learning continuum. Differentiation is definitely something I look forward to learning more about and hopefully become a teacher that will use it in my classroom!