Panel 4
If Differentiated Instruction is
the Best Way to Teach Science,
Then Why Isn’t Everyone Doing
It?
If Differentiated Instruction is the Best Way to Teach
Science, Then Why Isn’t Everyone Doing It?
• Lack of training
If Differentiated Instruction is the Best Way to Teach
Science, Then Why Isn’t Everyone Doing It?
• Lack of training
• Resistance to change
If Differentiated Instruction is the Best Way to Teach
Science, Then Why Isn’t Everyone Doing It?
• Lack of training
• Resistance to change
• State standards and testing
If Differentiated Instruction is the Best Way to Teach
Science, Then Why Isn’t Everyone Doing It?
• Lack of training
• Resistance to change
• State standards and testing
• Grading fairly
If Differentiated Instruction is the Best Way to Teach
Science, Then Why Isn’t Everyone Doing It?
• Lack of training
• Resistance to change
• State standards and Testing
• Grading fairly
• Lack of time
Panel 4
If Differentiated Instruction is
the Best Way to Teach Science,
Then Why Isn’t Everyone Doing
It?
I don’t have strategies
for differentiating
instruction. How do I
do it?
“Ninety percent of teachers do not
know how to differentiate in a
mixed-ability setting.”
Peter D. Rosenstein
Executive Director of the
National Association for Gifted Children
“It’s not a lack of desire on the part
of teachers.
Differentiation is a wonderful
concept if you supply staff
development.
But to leave teachers high and dry
– they’re dying out there with so
many things on their plate.”
Judy Hart, NEA Member
Teacher education programs too
often fall short of preparing
preservice teachers for the
inevitability of academically
diverse classrooms
“Young teachers are developing the gross
motor skills of teaching. Differentiation is
a fine motor skill. In truth, differentiation
probably calls for an expert teacher.”
Carol A. Tomlinson
Advocate for Mixed-Ability Classrooms
I’m comfortable with
the way I teach. If it’s
working why change it?
“When allowed a choice, teachers
will generally choose workshops
that provide brief, hands-on
activities they can use in their
classrooms on Monday, instead of
the sometimes painful specter of
initiating long-term, systemic
change in their standard operating
procedures.”
Carol Tieso
How can I differentiate when
I am required to teach
specific content and skills
determined by the district
and influenced by state
standards?
How do I grade fairly if some
students are doing more
challenging work than others?
With an already full school
day, how can I find the
planning time to differentiate
instruction?
How do I make differentiation
“invisible” to students so
they don’t feel that being
assigned different tasks is
unfair?
How can I make changes in
the way I teach when I have
no budget for training,
materials, or resources?