Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Is differentiated instruction a hollow promise?

When you have to wear a ball and chain, getting a longer chain doesn't help you move faster.

Oh, that's a shame! What a frustrating situation.

Oh, but it matters-- because while the school board mandates have little enforcement power (unless you can move the board or superintendent to take action), the state's or province's mandates are likely more enforceable with real consequences. One can lodge complaints or sue, and the results can be significant. In our district, some parents made a (very justified) formal complaint to the State Dept. of Ed and got some really sweeping changes.

WOW - how "differentiation" is practiced really differs! From what I've seen with my DC, a single teacher attempting to differentiate child by child within a single class, SELDOM works (blackcat - we NEED Wonderwoman!). "Whole class differentiation" is MUCH more effective (and I'll admit, you probably need decent class size to do this). That is, I've seen my DC make progress where an entire say, math or reading class of higher-achievers has its own teacher and its own separate class (and there are other levels with their own teachers during the same time, so the entire grade is broken up into groups).

DS8's teacher this year does try to give him work at his level, and I am certainly thankful for it. However, differentiated instruction implies that children will be instructed at their level, not simply given different worksheets to do than the other kids.

That's why I instruct DS after school and on weekends (we used to homeschool) and having patiently waited until standardized testing was over, got his teacher to agree to using our Beast Academy math curriculum in school. I also sent his teacher a list of books on/above his level so he could begin reading/writing about them at school. (He is having a blast reading The Hobbit, for example, which isn't a stretch read but still closer than anything else he's read in school this year). I've had to get over worrying whether I will be seen as a pushy tiger mom or not. My son does have a GIEP which is worth very little unless you push the school to follow it. I had him skip 1st grade, but since the district readily admits to not knowing what to do for a kid like him, I happily rush in to fill the void. And I like to think that as a fellow teacher, my suggestions carry some weight.

From that perspective... I am a middle school math teacher (grades 6-8) and it is not easy or practical to differentiate instruction when some kids are at grade level, some barely remember basic math -- think adding and subtracting single digit numbers -- and when you turn your attention to one student or group, many others in class will get off task.

I do have paras in my room throughout the week to help students with IEPS and 504s. It's not daily, however, and they are hard pressed to help only "their" students when others see the assistance those kids get and clamor for extra attention as well. So, in my experience thus far, as a parent and teacher, at least in our FL district, it is certainly wishful thinking that any real differentiation can take place under existing class structures.

My older son has been in some successful differentiation situations because 4th -8 th grade the two schools clustered all the gifted students into one class....then they fill in the remaining seats with high achieving probably just not identified students (my son started out in 4th grade as a filling in the class student and was tested the next year). The teachers taught to the gifted kids and the other kids kept up. The teachers were either endorsed gifted or working on it...most of the time they were flexible, sometimes not. Some were more gifted as teachers than others. I think the clustering/ability grouping or even multiage grouping is the key.

My younger son has had random differentiation, some that was terrific and some that was okay and then none at all. Luckily he is one of those easy going kids that just thrives anywhere and you can't keep him from learning. He had one of the most talented 2nd grade teachers who was a pro at differentiating. This year other than being in the highest reading group and getting computer time when he was done with work...not much but he just skipped a grade so maybe he didn't need as much. The computer time was above level work. He isn't clustered because he is in a different elementary school from my older son and we will probably home school him for middle school.

I agree with what you've written here. IMO, two ways to help solve this problem are to:

1) group children by ability/skill level, starting in kindergarten or first grade;

2) not move them to the next subject until they're proficient at the second one.

Unfortunately, many schools have policies against these approaches, which creates these problems.

Ability/skill level grouping would definitely help. This was done in the elementary school I attended (also freely across grades), and it was terrific.

Unless you have groups that are each scheduled for instruction time, not everyone gets instruction at their level. This requires that there be a plan to instruct each group. It shouldn't be as hard as it is.

I think the single biggest error in in-school differentiation is the assumption that a gifted child should be able to sit alone with a workbook and instruct himself or herself.

If in-class differentiation really worked, then every school could consist of just one big classroom.