How does the notion of differentiation fit in with your philiosophy of education?

How does the implementation of this concept differ in a homogeneours, heterogeneous, and/or special education classroom? Or does it? What is the relationship between educational philosophies and differentiating instruction in our culturally diverse classrooms for all students, including students whose primary language is other than English and students with special needs? Please make explicit connections to Ryan and Johnson as well as to your authentic personal experience. Include citations from our textbooks within your initial response to the prompt. I believe that differentiated instruction is essential to keep students engaged in the classroom. Changing the way the information is given on a day-to-day basis will help keep the learning environment fresh and exciting. This differentiated instruction can also help to reach the students through their different learning outlets; visual, audible, and hands on. Because all people learn differently, I think that it is important to include these many different ways of learning in the classroom. Johnson states that differentiated learning can also accommodate the different levels of learning that students require (pg. 356). The teacher must keep a close eye on how and which students react to the different kinds of instruction so that the class may be come more focused on the ways that are working best for the over all class. The concepts that Johnson puts forth are very straightforward and deliberate. Differentiation is essential if every student is going to be reached and the point is clearly stated with in the pages of Foundations of American Education. It is inevitable that every class will have high achievers and lower achievers, and there are different ways to group these students together for learning. In a heterogeneous grouping, students of all different levels may be grouped together (Johnson pg. 354). This can allow the higher achievers in a sense help teach the lower achievers. When someone teaches something they themselves learn it better. This can also support peer inspiration and create strong bonds amongst the students of different levels. Ryan points out in a mixed or untracked group with a diverse student population, the emphasis is on effort rather than perceived ability (Ryan pg. 53). I couldnt agree with this more for most situations, as it is important for all students to feel somewhat equal in their abilities to learn. The grouping together of students who have the same level of abilities is called homogeneous grouping (Johnson pg. 354). In this case the instructor will put students of like abilities together; high achievers with their peers and the lower achievers with their peers. In this case it allows the higher achievers to challenge each other and push each other to higher levels of learning. It also allows the lower achievers to learn from each other at a pace that suits them. I think that both heterogeneous and homogeneous grouping can be useful in the classroom, depending on the situation and the material being taught. Because every student is so different, teachers must constantly keep an open mind to teaching techniques regardless of their core philosophies. Throughout this book I have come to consider the reality of the classroom. Every student is very different and deserves the absolute most out of their educational experience. No matter what the students background or educational profile may be, their right to knowledge is equal. Foundations of American Education is essential to any new teacher as it opens the door to the diversity of any student they may ever teach.

Works Cited

Johnson, James. Foundations of American Education 15th ed. Pearson Education, Inc. New Jersey. 2011 Ryan, Mark. Ask the Teacher 2nd Ed. Pearson Education, Inc. Boston, Ma. 2008.