What Is Differentiated Instruction

All students deserve a rewarding learning experience regardless of race, gender, economic status, or physical disability, for this reason Walnut Ridge Elementary school implements researched based practices such as differentiated instruction to help meet the individual needs of our students. Teachers are being made aware of the fact that diversity can have a detrimental impact on learning. Through the implementation of differentiation, we are able to expand the learning experiences for all diverse populations, thereby expanding educational opportunities for our students.

All in all, differentiated instruction is a method used by teachers to accommodate all the different learning modalities, levels of learning, cultural and language barriers and special needs often integrated in one classroom with one lesson plan.

Many special education students struggle to learn the curricula material when the information is organized and expressed by standard strategies and through general special education programs. However, customizing lesson plans and teaching strategies according to the particular needs of each individual student can help motivate each student to thrive and finish school. The customized plans can enable the students to more effectively comprehend the information, become engaged by the course material, and remain encouraged by the improved test scores. The customized lesson plans should also include strict attendance and scheduling procedures to help enhance the stable atmosphere of the educational experience and to help monitor the progress of the students (Allensworth and Easton, 2007). Additionally, another strategy that can reduce the dropout rates is to maintain close relationships with the parents. Ensuring that the teachers establish positive relationships with the families can enable the parents to understand the needs of their children, the tactics being implemented by the teachers, and help the parents encourage their children to remain focused and enthusiastic about the courses. Thus, schools can help reduce the dropout rates of the students by customizing lessons in ways that are most conducive for each individual student

I can incorporate elements of powerful teaching and learning into my practice by involving students in the learning and at the same time ensuring that the material helps them think for themselves. As a future teacher, I will always find methods to make learning important, accurate, and valuable to students. I will find what students are enthusiastic about and then use those interests as inspirations to increase engagement. Whether a student is passionate on one thing or has probably few areas of interest, there are many easy strategies that I can use into my curriculum. I truly believe that every student learns different ways. So it is very important for me to use in the classroom differentiated instruction, especially for those students with special needs. Differentiation is the best way to engage all learners successfully. I will also include engagement in the classroom. This is a good way to involve students in the classroom and to stay engaged in their learning and develop greater skills. When students are taught to control their behavior and work independently, the environment in the classroom is peacefully and easy to teach. I am looking forward to incorporate all these teaching strategies in my

As a special education teacher, I have spent the last several years evaluating my teaching methods. In 2013, I returned to college to pursue a Master of Teaching, Learning and Leadership with an emphasis as an Elementary Mathematics Specialist. My primary purpose was to discover pedagogies and philosophies that would address the highly specialized needs of my students. In addition, I wanted to learn how to meet the mandated requirements dictated to all students, even those with severe disabilities, to be ready for life, to critically think, and to problem solve to become productive citizens that are college and career ready.

During instructional time some teachers encounter difficulties spending one on one time with the students in their classrooms, especially those students with special needs. Teachers complete many tasks on a day to day basis in their classrooms and many times face the challenge of offering individualized instruction to those students in need of it.

Understanding the theory of learning will aide those servicing students in special education because they will have a better understanding of the process of it. Some challenging behavior may be typical for that age group or may be a learned behavior. While this can be difficult for teachers, most students respond positively to lower level behavioral interventions that can be implemented for the entire classroom. Positive reinforcement, redirecting, or setting clear, concise classroom rules are all easy to implement behavioral supports that can help to curb challenging behavior in typically developing students, as well as students who may have higher level behavioral

We all have a collective responsibility to support and meet the needs of our youngest citizens so they can grow, achieve, reach their full potential, and live a fulfilling life. Educators have a special role to play in identifying barriers to learning and a duty to work to overcome these barriers. My philosophy of special education comes not just from what college taught me, but from my work experience in the field through out the school, what I continue to learn everyday, and my general beliefs and values about people. This view is not static, it is evolving. I seek to practice what I know to be effective and right, to reflect upon what works and what does not, and to change when change is needed.

Education is challenging profession, which requires continual professional learning and development focused on effective instruction practices to increase student achievement. New special education teachers are faced with managing continually evolving models of delivering instruction and support, diverse student needs, paperwork, and high expectations of collaborating with multiple stakeholders such as parents, administrators, paraprofessionals, general education teachers, and/or community agencies. Researchers continue to identify

Special education teachers are trained to work with children who have a wide range of disabilities. One of the primary responsibilities of a special education teacher is to assess her students' cognitive abilities, and modifies the standard age-appropriate curriculum to create a custom plan for the student. This plan is called an individual education program(IEP). An IEP often includes a number of social and emotional development goals as well as specific academic areas to be taught. The special education teacher’s core task is to meet each of the goals established in the students’ IEPs. In some cases, the special education teacher is located in a separate classroom. When this is the case the teacher will creates lessons geared to meet the objectives of the students’ IEPs. In many instances, special education students are placed in regular classrooms. In that situation, the special education teacher attends classes with her students. She often will work with students on life skills and behavior modification techniques as well. Skills that special educational teachers should possess include, better than average stress management, great multi-tasking abilities, quick thinking, and creative problem solving. A special education teacher must be able to think outside the box and develop an array of teaching methods and techniques to meet the needs of each individual student. Special education requires a vast amount of detailed record keeping, so it is essential for these teachers

This was a very interesting and informative assignment. First, because working and collaborating with a general education teacher on differentiating lessons. This was a innovative and exciting experience for me. The teacher I collaborated with had 10+ years of experience in the classroom, so she was a great resource and had lots of feedback to give on my ideas to differentiate the lessons. I learned, as a special educator, that it is not always required to use different strategies for every population of students that may be characterized in a general education classroom, because the numerous differentiation strategies that can be used for multiple populations. For example, strategies used for English Learners and special needs students,

Differentiation is an advanced form of scaffolding designed to meet each students level and ability. Pearl Subban proposes that teachers can create a model of differentiated instruction to increase academic diversity. Subban reports that,“ current educational trends across the globe reflect significant changes in student populations from two or three decades ago” (2006). In the 21st century we have the inclusion of students that range from english language learners, special needs students, and gate students. In order to differentiate instruction, we must recognize student’s diverse cultural backgrounds and how that plays a role in adjusting curriculum to meet the needs of all students. Subban’s work clarifies or makes apparent the gap between the learning stances of responsive teachers who do not want to change their

Education by nature is a field known for change. In recent years the word differentiation has become almost as common as the word instruction; although the exploding shift into differentiated instruction comes with the need to better educate and support teachers in order to accommodate the growing expectations for increased differentiation in the classroom. The role of teacher has shifted into many new roles with increased responsibilities and demands for addressing increased diversity in the classroom posing and greater educational challenge.

As, I embark on my new career as a special education educator, I understand and take on the challenges of looking beyond the confinements of the student(s) and take on the task of educating them despite the criticism, adversity, and challenges that we both may confront. It is through differentiation, reliability, and individual awareness that I will govern myself to look beyond any problems and see the ultimate goals that I can assist the student(s) in reaching. By looking beyond circumstances and focusing on ability, I will be better able to find a way to pose educational scenarios to students of all ages and types, in a manner that helps them draw from their prior knowledge and life understanding. I will constantly, focus on growth,

Differentiating for students with disabilities can be extremely challenging, particularly for new teachers. Furthermore, special education students are mainstreamed into general education classroom more than ever. The problem is that general education teachers are only required to take one survey course in special education throughout their undergraduate career. Teachers are overwhelmed trying to figure out how to differentiate their lessons. Furthermore, with increased accountability,