Differentiated Instruction

As a special education teacher you would think as a group this is all we do; however that is not the case. I have been observing classes and have found that many special education teachers think of great strategies to get their students to learn. This sounds great but then these teachers apply these strategies to ALL the students in the class whether they are the best strategy for that student or not. Not all students need the same scaffolding, not all students need read alouds. Differentiating is more than that. It is taking your students needs, abilities and deficits along with their interests and tweaking all or parts of your lesson to that student. My favorite way to differentiate is to use stations. Many middle and high school teachers do not use this strategy. I have found it highly effective. I have three flexible groups and they have a computer portion. We use ALEKS program which tailors instruction to each students needs. I have an independent station. I keep the work in envelops and each group has their own assignment and then I have a group that works with me. I have small classes anyway and this lets me get the groups even smaller to focus in on student needs. It is more work to set these up but I feel I make it up in classroom management time. Students have 20 minutes in each station so there is movement, students work at their levels and can experience success. This is not the only way to differentiate. The most important piece is to know your students and not to be afraid to try new ideas!