I ran across this a few weeks ago and it instantly hit home, so I thought I would share. I know we are all trying our hardest to meet our students needs through differentiated instruction, so it's important we evaluate our own practice and dig deeper to realize what is and is not classified under differentiation. If we continue down the IS path we are on our way of meeting ALL of our students needs. I know as a team, family, and school, we are capable of making this happen and showing success.
If you are interested in learning more there is a great book called- The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners, 2nd Edition by: Carol Tomlinson.
For teacher’s and administrators, a useful definition of differentiated instruction is “adapting content, process, or product” according to a specific student’s “readiness, interest, and learning profile.”
“The goal of a differentiated classroom is maximum student growth and individual success. As schools now exist, our goal is often to bring everyone to “grade level” or to ensure that everyone masters a prescribed set of skills in a specified length of time. We then measure everyone’s progress only against a predetermined standard. Such a goal is sometimes appropriate, and understanding where a child’s learning is relative to a benchmark can be useful. However, when an entire class moves forward to study new skills and concepts without any individual adjustments in time or support, some students are doomed to fail. Similarly, classrooms typically contain some students who can demonstrate mastery of grade-level skills and material to be understood before the school year begins—or who could do so in a fraction of the time we would spend “teaching” them. These learners often receive an A, but that mark is more an acknowledgment of their advanced starting point relative to grade-level expectations than a reflection of serious personal growth. In a differentiated classroom, the teacher uses grade-level benchmarks as one tool for charting a child’s learning path. However, the teacher also carefully charts individual growth. Personal success is measured, at least in part, on individual growth from the learner’s starting point—whatever that might be.”
http://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/the-definition-of-differentiated-instruction/
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