Differentiated Instruction

It wasn't until I began my credentialing program in August that I heard of differentiated instruction. I have not had the opportunity to teach in the classroom yet, but I am excited to try and incorporate differentiated strategies in my classroom as much as possible. After course work, research, and speaking with teachers, I realize how important differentiated instruction is and hope to develop my skills in this area.

There are a few ways I hope to differentiate, but one strategy that has really stuck out to me is using Project Based Learning (PBL). In my last course, I learned what PBL is and had to create a PBL idea to use in the classroom. While creating these can be a lot of work on the teachers end, I can see why they are so beneficial to student learning. PBL allows students to use and learn research skills, peer collaboration, self-assessment, technology, social skills, and cross analyze curriculum. I am going to set a goal for myself for my first year of teaching to incorporate at least one big PBL project. I hope I can incorporate it more, but after talking to other teachers it seems it is not the easiest task and they feel there isn't always enough time for them.

Some other ways I plan to differentiate in my classroom is through scaffolding, technology, and peer-peer learning. Differentiating is still a bit of a mystery to me as I have not seen a lot of it used, nor have I gotten to use it myself. All I can do at this point is learn as much as I can and learn through others and personal experience. I believe mastery of differentiated instruction will only come with hard work, time, and classroom experience. I am excited to continue to build my knowledge around differentiated instruction and learn from others' experiences.