Response to "Differential Instruction"

(See previous post for a response to Readicide)

 I am not sure if it is possible to serve all the students in the classroom to their own unique needs and requirements. Most classrooms--especially in high-school--have over twenty students and only one teacher. This teacher usually has three or more classes, each one composed of a different mass of students that are as different from each other in aggregate as they as individuals.  But that doesn’t mean the attempt should not be made. Idealism, generally speaking, usually implies an impossible goal—but that does not that the journey to reach that goal is pointless. The article I chose was actually a question and answer PDF about differential education. I chose this article because it proposed questions that I had about the process, and then answered them with brief, but efficient responses.

 For example, one of the major concerns I have with differential instruction is how to grade individuals who may be on different intellectual  skills, as well as a complex and varied array of needs. The article answers this question by suggesting that teachers may grade students not only to the degree in which they met the “standards,” but also to the degree in which each individual student grew from the beginning of the term to the end of the term.

 One of the great things about differential instruction is that it forces the teacher to look at the context of the classroom—at the individual students as opposed to a mass of bodies that can be judged in aggregate. The reality is that teachers need to find a way to meet the needs of their students. The manner in which classes are commonly taught do not take into account the students as individuals. Every student deserves to be taught in the classroom up to a standard and to their own needs—and it’s the teacher’s job to figure out how to achieve that.

Article Link