Misconceptions Misconception: It is impossible to meet standards using differentiated instruction.
Reality: Providing differentiated instruction is a better way to ensure that every student meets the standards, because every student has the opportunity to strive for personal excellence. This type of instruction is also a way to challenge students to go beyond what the standards require.
Misconception: Differentiation takes too much work.
Reality: As with any change, getting started may require extra time. Providing differentiated instruction becomes easier with time and practice. Differentiation actually enables the teacher to do less instructing and more guiding. In addition, differentiation provides the teach with more opportunities for individualized instruction, or small group needs.
Obstacles In the Middle School Academic Study conducted by the National Research Center of the Gifted and Talented, educators admitted that although middle school educators believed in the theory of differentiation, this theory was rarely converted into practice. The sample of educators consisted of 500 principals and 449 teachers of which 25% responded to the survey. The results of this survey indicated that a "one size fits all instructional approach" is common in today's middle schools.
Although teachers agree with the theory of differentiated instruction, they are not putting the theory into practice. Why is this occurring? Are the misconceptions stated above predominating the minds of middle level educators and preventing them from wanting to provide differentiated instruction?
In addition, many of these educators who were surveyed also saw middle school learners in a plateau learning phase. These educators provided low-level thinking assignments using basic skills. Differentiated instruction provides learning opportunities for students based on their cognitive levels of learning and recognizes that students in middle school differ in their developmental needs. These educators reported that diverse learning populations received little, if any, focused instruction. When the educators surveyed did provide instruction for diverse learners, gifted learners received less instruction than special education or remedial students.
These surveyed educators were not meeting the needs of every learner, but rather, were meeting the needs of the average student. As indicated in the developmental section of this website, the average student is not the typical student. Students' learning abilities and cognitive levels vary greatly in today's middle schools.
Additional Obstacles
- In implementing differentiation into the classroom setting, parents may be one of your biggest obstacles. Parents are more afraid of change than educators are. Because parents learned in a different way than their students, they may not support the philosophy of differentiation. Many will balk at a "new" technique. In order to alleviate any tension between parents and educators, educators should notify and educate parents about differentiation. If parents have concerns, meet with them and listen to their concerns. In addition, educators might want to be prepared to talk about the benefits. If educators can get the parents on their side first, the students will benefit greatly.
- In addition, because administration and the school board have the last say on any school issue, ensure that they have your support. If they are not already familiar with how differentiation works, clearly express the benefits of a differentiated classroom.
- Disorganized? At first things may seem disorganized. Students will be working on different things at different times and on different levels. Research papers, projects, models, critical analyses, presentations, etc., will be completed at different times. Not having everyone's identical work to grade all at the same time may take some time. Rubrics offer a way to organize assessment practices and to justify the reasons for these assessment practices at different cognitive levels.
Created by: Students at the University of Maine at Farmington
Carolyn Shorey:carolynshorey@hotmail.com Sarah Olmsted:omisj@hotmail.com
Becky Waugh:waughb42@aol.com
Eric Feeney:efeene@hotmail.com