Responses

Differentiation is a matter of getting to know students as people, finding out their strengths and preferences (vs. type of student) Mr. C on teaching "lower-level" students: have them be engaged in as many activities as possible so they're always doing something new; groupwork, other people can support them; games/activities --Chelsey 10th grade genre study on "A Marriage Proposal": one group performed, got confused, teacher supported, did what they were able to do (focus on their strengths); student with autism sits with "higher-level" learners, helps him stay focused (arranged in pods of four, keeps him from getting distracted. --Julia Keep high expectations, don't water it down: if you let them know you think they can do it, they will; implement PBS to manage behavior; get a feel for their learning styles, doesn't mean they can't do what advanced students can--keep it RELEVANT. --Kristi V.  Ms. T on differentiation: Stick to one activity to make it easier for students with attention disorders to focus; co-teaching to allow for more individualized attention; workshop-style approach, just takes a little longer, more time to get where they're going. --Morgan  But how do we assess? Business vs. College prep; using standard benchmarks beneficial? --Melissa "Fairness isn't making sure that all students have the same things, it's making sure that they have what they need." Want them to do generally similar assessments but modifying expectations. --Amanda In the biz, two trends: options that appeal to different learning styles/multiple literacies AND "slanty rope" assignment. user:sherrymi