A.
"Differentiation is defined as a response to the
cognitive, affective, social, and physical
characteristics that distinguish what and how
students learn. A classroom where learners are
provided with equal opportunity to learn, but are not
expected to learn the same curriculum in the same way
at the same time is the context that exemplifies
differentiation. Respect for individual differences
among and between learners is a definition of
differentiation."
Sandra Kaplan, interview, "Differentiation in the
Classroom", from Talent, newsletter for
Northwestern's Center for Talent Development, Winter
2006.
B.
"It is important for all educators to view
differentiation as a philosophy and then to assess
the manner and degree to which differentiation occurs
within each classroom. It is also important to
realize that teachers will vary along the lines of a
continuum in their expertise in knowing how to
differentiate in the teaching and learning
environment. When educators have the time to study
their content and to clarify what they want students
to know, understand, and be able to do, I often find
that the instructional tasks that they design become
more meaningful and require students to think more
deeply."
Jan Leppein, interview, "Differentiation in the
Classroom", from Talent, newsletter for
Northwestern's Center for Talent Development, Winter
2006.
C.
"DI is mostly about what we do ahead of time, not how
we interact or conduct the lesson at the time. There
are some good aspects going on in the classroom, but
that facilitation can only occur with purposeful and
thoughtful planning. I can make flexible decisions
because I've already prepared the resources or other
avenues in anticipation of student needs. Am I always
prepared for everything? No way. I get better with
time, however."
Rick Wormeli, MiddleWeb List Serve Response, "Getting
Started with Differentiation", 2003.
D.
"When teachers effectively differentiate instruction,
there is a continuous flow in the processes of
teaching, learning, and assessment. These components
operate not as steps that we follow, but rather as a
continuous cycle, each process informing the next."
Diane Heacox, Making Differentiation a Habit, 2009.
E.
"Differentiation is driven by 3 cogs:
• The student seeks - challenge, affirmation,
purpose, power, contribution
• The teacher responds - investment, persistence,
invitation, opportunity, reflection
• The knowledge of the world - focused, engaging,
demanding, scaffolded"
Carol Tomlinson, NAGC Conference, November 2002
F.
"What we share in common makes us human. How we
differ makes us individuals. In a classroom with
little or no differentiated instruction, only student
similarities seem to take center stage. In a
differentiated classroom, commonalities are
acknowledged and built upon, and student differences
become important elements in teaching and learning as
well ....students have multiple options for taking in
information, making sense of ideas, and expressing
what they learn. In other words, a differentiated
classroom provides different avenues to acquiring
content, to processing or making sense of ideas, and
to developing products."
Tomlinson, Carol Ann. How to Differentiate
Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms, Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1995
G.
"What is important about differentiation? The
important thing about differentiation is that it
attempts to increase student achievement. The
important thing about differentiation is that it is
pro-active. The important thing about differentiation
is that it demands the reconfiguration of various
curriculum components. The important thing about
differentiation is that it requires appropriate
professional development, planning, classroom
management, and changes in grouping arrangements. But
the most important thing about curriculum
differentiation is that it respects and responds to
student differences."
Jeanne Purcell, Deb Burns. "Capturing the Essence of
Curriculum Differentiation". The Trillium. Ontario
ASCD. June 2002
H.
"If I'm (the teacher) doing a good job. You (the
student) will be struggling appropriately. Define
what is fair for each student. Fair is when each
student is struggling enough to learn something new.
A fair fit for one student will be different from the
fair fit of another. A simple packaging for
differentiation is this: put students in situations
where they don't know the answer—often. "
Dr. Carole Morreale, "Leadership For Gifted
Education", IAGC graduate course, March 2000,
Northwestern University.
I.
"It's what I am doing when I feel great about my
teaching. I planned for the differences, I took into
account what the kids were doing and what they had
showing me they knew. I thought out how I would match
up what I would ask them to do, which resources I
would use for whom, and what kinds of questions I
would ask of different kids."
4th grade teacher, Wilmette Public Schools, during
teacher collaboration session, 2000.
J.
"I would like to propose that is a way of life. It can be studied;
it can be analyzed but in order to be a truly “differentiated”
teacher, you have to completely jump into the role. You don’t just
differentiate this lesson or this product. You live a
differentiated life. I bet you have experienced one of these
teachers in your career. Think about that teacher and what they
did. These are the teachers that although you are one of 150 that
they see during the day, you feel they designed this lesson just
for you. They are talking and questioning you, and everyone else is
just along for the ride. That is a teacher who is
differentiating...You have to live it, give your teaching self over
to it. When it happens - what a freeing thing it is! Think about
it, by providing opportunities for students to make choices and
show their strengths, I do not have to constantly try and figure
out what is best for every student. By providing an atmosphere of
risk taking, every student can work to their potential – they are
willing to risk stepping out of their comfort zone, and that is how
growth takes place.."
Laurie Westphal, blogger on Classroom 2.0~ What is DifferentiationReally? Classroom 2.0, Februrary 20, 2009
K.
"If you were to fold your hands together naturally,
you would have a comfortable, close fit. The goals of
curriculum differentiation are to find the closest,
most comfortable fit between the learner and the
curriculum ...varying the process or content or
product to match the needs of the learner can help us
reach that close fit."
Dr James Curry presenting January 21, 1999 at a
District 39 presentation for parents of identified
gifted students
L.
Teach me my most difficult concepts in my preferred
style. Let me explore my easiest concepts in a
different style. Just don’t teach me all the time in
your preferred style and think I’m not capable of
learning.
– Virleen M. Carlson, Center for Learning and
Teaching.
M.
I like this class because there’s something different
going on all the time. My other classes, it’s like
peanut butter for lunch every single day. This class,
it’s like my teacher really knows how to cook. It’s
like she runs a really good restaurant with a big
menu and all.
–5th grade student, in a comment from a course
evaluation
N.
I really like DI classes because it makes me feel
like I can do it. It doesn’t make me feel smart or
dumb, big or small—It makes me feel important.
– Meg, elementary school student
O.
Differentiation is making sure that the right
students get the right learning tasks at the right
time. Once you have a sense of what each student
holds as “given” or “known” and what he or she needs
in order to learn, differentiation is no longer an
option; it is an obvious response.
Lorna M. Earl, Assessment as Learning: Using
Classroom Assessment to Maximize Student Learning,
2003