Coming Full Circle

“What is my theory of teaching? Effective teaching is communication between the instructor and the pupil that engages, educates, and enhances both parties.”

This line from my This I Believe entry is the underlying foundation of my teaching rationale. Effective communication between both parties is essential to effective teaching and learning experiences. Through my participation in a course of Differentiated Instruction, I better understand the goals and benefits of Differentiation. Differentiation is a proactive communication reaches and teaches all students.

Differentiation does not divide the class into a caste system of the smart ones, average, and dumb ones. It is a heterogeneous mixing, always changing and ever evolving. It is allowing students to have equality and learning experiences with many individuals.

Differentiation begins with the students—prior knowledge, culture, and desires to continue. Teachers need to know where the student came from before knowledge of the content can be addressed. Students learn best when new knowledge is connect with what they already know. Connecting the known with the new.

Curriculum and instruction are the first defenses when differentiating. Learning objectives and activities that are tightly aligned provide the scaffolding which allows the student to reach high standards. This day in age, teachers combat against television, videogames, the Wii, and many other activities that are much more engaging than lectures and school. We want students to be engaged. Steven Levy proposes “learner engagement occurs when a teacher sees what is really powerful in a topic, merges that with his or her own particular passions and talents, and creates a place of learning where there are enough materials, avenues, and inquiries to invite each student to use individual abilities and interest in mutual exploration of ideas”. We want students to be excited about our subject—We must first be excited about our subject and seek ways that will cause interest.

Teachers who differentiate are able to incorporate a variety of strategies addressing the needs of the students, be flexible, and become partners in their students learning instead of dictator. A secure teacher is the leader in the classroom. Carol Tomlinson wrote “Leadership can and should be shared with the learners, but the responsibility for the leadership resides with the adult who is charged by professionalism, tradition, and law with that task.” A teacher also is secure when they are genuinely open and learning with their students. They don’t have to have all the answers yet they must seek for them. Teachers want a challenge and know their students have much to offer. Teachers are life-long learners of their students, their world, and the world around them.

We are not just teaching young children but the future leaders of the world. This is a huge investment worth more than any stock has to offer. Invested teachers have a personal goal to each individual student. The long-term goal is instilling life-long learning in each student. Many days and moments, we loose sight of this goal through trials and troubles in the classroom. Yet we need to be persistent and constantly persistent in our goals.

Differentiated classrooms feel right to students who learn in different ways and at different rates and who bring to school different talents and interests. The feeling of rightness produces a positive learning environment that is inviting the student to return again and again. The teacher is in tuned with the students and the students are willing to be “tamed” by the teacher.


Foundational conviction: We no longer are teaching if what we teach is more important than who we teach or how. Therefore, we must communitcate!

A "Mock" Open House Introduction

A Look Around Ms. Zemp’s Class: Embracing ALL Students

WELCOME! Welcome, parents, to this wonderful Open House—It is a time for you to explore a glimpse of what your child experiences every day!

In the front, on display, I have some of last year’s portfolios and projects to exhibit some of the instructional activities we will have the opportunity to discover. You can flip through Laura’s detailed scrapbook of the cell cycle. Mark compiled a very organized report on photosynthesis, incorporating data we gathered during class experimentation. Christine created an in-depth display on how polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) impacted several ecosystems and her proposed applications to correct these situations. Also, included in the portfolios are many group exercises and independent work with the unifying theme of learning for all.

“Discovery was given. Doing was a way of life. Students learned to do better than what they perceived to be their best. Skills had an identifiable purpose. School was the place to be. Learning was the thing to do” (Tomlinson 8). This is my goal, my mandate for this upcoming year. I want the students to discover, do, and learn to their maximum capacities and beyond!

I will be up front with you—this year will be tough and stretching. Things may be run contrary to what is the norm. Reason being: All students can learn yet all students learn in different ways. Your student(s) and I have an agreement: I will provide various opportunities to explore learning and they will be prepared to take responsibility for their own learning.

I differentiate my classroom because I want all students to learn. Science may not become their favorite subject but they will know something about it and gain a greater respect for it. More importantly, the students will gain personal satisfaction for working hard and knowing they succeeded! If they can learn this life lesson, then they can succeed in anything!

I look forward to this up coming year. I cannot wait to see what original works Vince will create using his artistic abilities. Brie has a very practical mind that needs real world applications—what conclusions will she draw from the world around her? Clarence is a real tease but he is a great leader—how will he lead in group work? Sherri is very calm young lady. I know she will have something important to say and contribute. I am excited to have all your students in my class.

Again, why I differentiate, all students can learn but they learn in different ways. My job is to provide multiple avenues to enhance their learning experience.

Tomlinson, C.A. 2003. Deciding to teach them all. Educational Leadership. 61 (2): 6-11.