Differentiation in Practice Part 1

In Differentiation in Practice, I honestly can say that I learned so much. Not only did I learn, but I felt inspired to teach. I actually felt like what I was reading could directly apply to my teaching career. On page two, it says the goal of differentiation is to maximize the capacity of each learner by teaching in ways that help the learner bridge gaps in understanding and skill and help each learner grow as much and as quickly as he or she can. As a future teacher, I feel like this is exactly what I hope to do. I want to ensure that all my students can learn; I know each one of them will be different and will learn in different ways, but as I begin to use differentiation in my own classroom, I can reach each individual child. As the book stated, the needs of the students and the requirements of the curriculum are two factors that we as teachers need to balance. It's difficult to make sure that the students' needs are met while still teaching them at the speed the curriculum needs to be taught. However, I loved when the book talked about responsive teaching: who we teach, what we teach, where we teach, and how we teach. No, we don't have a choice on what we teach, but we do have a choice to love the students individually and strive to make a difference in their lives. Any person can get in front of a classroom and spew out information. However, only a truly dedicated and caring person can reach each child and help them grasp concepts as well as learn life lessons. I just hope that I can learn from the characteristics of a differentiated classroom and really apply it to my own class.