They Are Not All Ducks

Most teachers teach every child the same way, using the same material, and using the same method of assessment -  

     As a secondary educator, students come into my classroom with varying degrees of readiness, varied interest levels, a range of learning styles, and a myriad of educational and life experiences.  At this point, students view themselves as "good at school" or not...

With this in mind, I see my job as more than teaching English.  I teach young adults.  I teach them to believe in themselves and to see their potential.  But how can I reach all of the students who come into my classroom with such individual differences.  I don't think I have to reinvent the wheel to reach all of my students, but I do think I have to get to know my students and teach content in a way that will benefit each of them - in other words, I have to use differentiated instruction.  

What does differentiated learning really look like in the high school classroom?  It is student centered rather than teacher centered.  Differentiated instruction is not a new set of skills for the teacher but rather a rethinking of the practice of teaching.  I have an idea about how it can be used to increase interest, engagement, and achievement in the high school language arts classroom, and I aim to find out if I  am correct!  Is  it easy? No.  It takes more planning that homogeneous instruction.  Is it worth the effort? Yes - By differentiating instruction I can help students see they can achieve success, and I can give the students self awareness and strategies for achieving success that will benefit them long after they leave my classroom.          

Teacher Inquiry

As a member of the South Mississippi Writing Project Inquiry Institute, I will be conducting a research project in my classroom throughout the upcoming school year.  While pondering possible inquiry topics,  I recalled that I spent a great deal of time frustrated with differentiated instruction last year.  I had a class with a huge range of ability and interest levels.  My class contained the student who refused to read aloud and the student who read Jane Eyre for fun.
There is a great deal of information and research available on differentiated instruction for elementary classes; however, information for differentiated instruction in high school is limited. After seeing a need for more information in this area, I have chosen to research differentiated instruction in secondary language arts.