Inclusion Through Differentiation

In our English Language Arts course, our group explored the subject of differentiated learning strategies for teaching writing in the classroom. I’ve seen great strategies used in the grade 2 classroom during my practicum where my sponsor teacher modifies activities to include and engage everyone in the class. During word-work time, one student is assigned a task of grouping pictures of words with the same onset consonant, since he is not yet able to read. During writing time, someone is there to provide a guideline (usually by using a highlighter to provide letters for him to trace). He also seems to have a somewhat unspoken contract with the teacher: he can leave to go to the bathroom even if he’s just gone, because she knows he needs to go for a walk and is still working on building his attention span. Upon raising his hand and asking, he can be excused from carpet time to quietly and busily play with building blocks on his own. Even though it isn’t snack time, he can go help himself to food any time upon request. Our sponsor teacher understands that different students require different expectations and have different needs. This student needs moments to let out some steam, and their unspoken agreements make it so that he is actually far less disruptive in class. Instead of sitting in class goofing off and distracting other students, he can excuse himself for these “brain breaks” for the better of himself as well as the whole class. When he gets to school in the morning, often he hasn’t had anything to eat yet. So how is the teacher to say, “It’s not snack time”? Rules and lessons and school structures are not a one-size-fits-all design. Some children cannot sit still. Some have empty tummies. Some simply aren’t ready to learn to read and hold a pencil. Some children excel at things that school doesn’t take into account, and it’s important to really make an effort to make school a pleasant place for these students. If students have positive feelings around school, reading, math, etc., they are more likely to eventually succeed at those subjects. Observing my sponsor teacher and her students, I have seen first hand how important it is to build relationships with students to really get to know them and understand their needs. Here is a link to our ELA presentation all about differentiated learning: https://prezi.com/view/XlQKzy2gA79oetRAfRjH/