Differentiating Instruction: Getting Started

I teach in a four-wall box of drab proportions,

But I choose to make it a place that feels like home.

I see too many students to know them as they need to be known,

But I refuse to let that render them faceless in my mind.

I am overcome with the transmission of a canon I can scarcely recall myself,

But I will not represent learning as a burden to the young. …read more.…

—Carol Ann Tomlinson (2010)

As illustrated in the poem, a classroom of diverse learners with varying needs presents challenges when pressure for reaching high levels of student achievement is greater than ever. But effective teachers make a difference, not excuses. They realize differentiated instruction is the means for transformational teaching. They capitalize on learner variances because one-size-fits-all instruction no longer applies and there is no other option in order to achieve rigor. Like doctors practice medicine, effective teachers practice differentiation, and through ongoing work, they improve their practice.

 Before beginning Week 1, read the Module Description and Outcomes & Assessments page located on the left  navigation bar.