Meeting the Needs of all Learners

Meeting society needs

“Diversity has become the norm among the students in the classrooms of today” (Johnson, 1990)

• Languages
• Families
• Cultural backgrounds
• Economics
• Experiential background

Student Diversity

• Aptitude
• Achievement
• Interest
• Motivation
• Needs
• Ability

Paradigm Shift in Education: Curriculum

• Traditional
• Major focus on content
• Content acquisition
• Lock step progress

• Evolving
• Content & process balance
• Learning to learn
• Continuous progress

Instruction

• Traditional
• Teacher-centered
• Single textbook
• Single instructional approach
• Passive learning

• Evolving
• Child-centered
• Resource-based learning
• Multiple approaches to instruction
• Active learning

Environment

• Traditional
• Competitive
• System level management
• Supervision of learners
• Hierarchical structures

• Evolving
• Cooperative
• School-site management
• Empowerment of learners
• Professional/collegial structures

Students need to become …

• Independent
• Active
• Self-organizing
• Responsible
• Empowered

Brain Research

• Confirms what teachers have always known:
• No two children are alike.
• No two children learn in the identical way.
• An enriched environment for one student is not necessarily enriched for another.
• In the classroom we should teach children to think for themselves.
• --Marian Diamond

• Differentiation

• is a philosophy
• that enables teachers to plan
• strategically in order to
• reach the needs of diverse
• learners in the classrooms.

Differentiation

• IS NOT
• Tracking
• A New Strategy
• Static
• Teaching to the Middle
• Synonymous with Individualization

• Differentiate? What?
• Content & Materials
• Process & Strategies
• Assessment & Assignments
• Time
• Based on readiness and interests

Climate

• Effective teachers believe that all children can learn and be successful.
• Effective teachers create a climate where all students feel included.
• Effective teachers feel that there is potential in each learner and commit to finding the key that will unlock that potential.

Knowing the Learner

• We need to know the learner so that we can make sure that the curriculum fits.
• We need to know how students access, process, and express information-
• We need to know their learning styles.
• We need to know their thinking styles.

Assessing the Learner

• Just as one size of learning doesn’t fit all, one size of assessment doesn’t suit either.
• We need to pre-assess the learner so that we can find out what they already know.
• We need to assess during the learning- use ongoing assessments.
• We need to assess after the learning.

Adjustable Assignments

• Allow teachers to help students focus on essential skills and understanding key concepts, recognizing that they may be at different levels of readiness.
• Students have the opportunity to develop essential skills and understanding at his or her appropriate level of challenge.