Inclusion and Differentiation
When we hear the word differentiation, we mostly think of adapting or modifying lessons for students with dissabilities, students with difficulties, and students with Individualized Education Plans. It is important to think of these students when planning lessons, because these students may have specific needs in order to grasp the lesson that you are trying to teach. For example: A student who has problems concentrating on his/her work may benefit from noise-canceling headphones in order to complete the assignment. An ESL student might benefit from pictograms with associated words in order to complete and understand a writing assignment. But differentiation is not only about adding aids in order to help the students who require adapted and modified lessons. Differentiation is about teaching a lesson where you can reach as many students as possible.
I believe that all students learn differently: some will be able to grasp a traditional lecture-style lesson easily, while others learn best when they can feel and experience the lesson. Some students will need visuals, while others learn best when they move around. One way to ensure that all students will learn to the best of his/her abilities is to provide students with choices for their assessment medium. For example:
Students reading a novel could show their understanding of a chapter by:
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Writing a summary
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Doing an art project
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Acting it out
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Making a video/animated movie
Students can work as a group or by themselves.
Other ways to differentiate in a classroom:
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Giving students the option to choose how they would like to demonstrate their knowledge will empower, engage and inspire students, as they will be able to show you what they learned using the method that works best for them.
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Creating centers. Centers are a great tool as students are exposed to many different ways of learning.
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Having students in varied-ability groups
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Adapting assessments in order to give students more than one chance to complete their assigned tasks
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Flexible seating so that students have the option to work in the setting that fits his/her learning style best.
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Working with Students with Disabilities or Difficulties
Working with students with dissabilities or difficulties that require extra attention can be challenging when teaching in an inclusive classroom. Still, seeing the progress that a student can do can be definitely rewarding. I believe that there are a few points to remember when planning for students with dissabilities and/or difficulties.
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Use all available resources: teacher's aids, fellow teachers, resource staff to plan and help implement lessons.
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Observe students and make adaptation and modifications when needed
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When you can, use small groups to re-assess acquired knowledge
Most important of all, have high expectations for all your students, including those with disabilities/difficulties. Just because these students think differently, it does not mean that they don't have the capacity to achieve greatness.