Response to Differentiated Instruction

When I think of differentiated instruction, I think of the section on the TPA lesson plan that asks what I will do for my students when it comes to differentiated instruction. I usually will make comments such as I will do different activities that touch on the different learning sensory, and if I have a special needs student, I will state what accommodations I will make for them. However, after reading my article on differentiated instruction, I now realize it is a deeper process than I initially thought. The article I found stresses the importance of the whole school and staff being involved with differentiated instruction. The principle or vice principle should be readily available with information and support when it comes to teachers implementing differentiation. But once the whole staff is on the same page, changes in the way teachers see their students learning start to happen. First, teachers will establish learning goals for their students and invite them to participate in shaping the classroom procedures, making choices that are the best for them, and thinking of ways to make the classroom more effective. It is important that each student works toward essential understandings and skills. I also like that my article gave examples of what differentiated instruction looks like, so that when it comes to my TPAs, I will know how to better answer that portion. The instruction could look like many things: establishing clear goals, but leaving the way of achieving them open, being reflective and responsive to the needs of the school, students, and teachers, providing support to teachers based on their needs, and having the staff create a range of levels of support for the teachers comfort. The article did mention though that in order for differentiated instruction to take place in the school and be successful, the administration needs to have a course-length development for the teachers, so that they can be aware of what differentiated instruction is and the steps they need to make in their classrooms to make this happen.

I think that this type of instruction applies to ELA because it would require the teacher to constantly make changes and do a variety of activities in order to touch on most students learning styles, and to make the text comprehensible in more ways than just reading and doing questions. ELA teachers are given a great opportunity to implement differentiated instruction because of the variety of texts they are required to teach. In order to make literature fun and meaningful to their students, the teachers need to make activities that are different and always changing, so that the students do not get board.