Thoughts on Differentiated Instruction

Parker, Linda

ET
CO

Huebner, T. A. (2010). Differentiated instruction. Educational Leadership, 67(5), 79-81.

Since I didn't really know anything about this topic, I found this article provided a good platform for describing differentiated instruction.  The old school way of doing things was to mold the child to fit the curriculum, however, under principles of differentiated instruction, the curriculum is molded to fit the student.  Everyone is different and, therefore, brings to the table unique background knowledge, influences, learning styles, language, and cultural issues which impact their learning.  Differentiated instruction is an attempt to take all of these factors into consideration to maximize the learning experience for all ranges of students within the same classroom - from learning disabled or challenged to gifted students because a "one style fits all" approach to learning/teaching seems to be less effective.