Giving Compass' Take:

• The onset of education technology in the classroom helps teachers differentiate student learning in order to have more effective class instruction tailored to students' needs. 

• How does personalized learning instruction also help teachers differentiate? 

• Read more about how personalized learning was first forged by teachers. 

This is no surprise to educators, who know that one of our biggest challenges is effectively differentiating to meet the needs of every student. Nor is it a new problem. The above quote is from “The Classroom Teacher,” published in 1927. Luckily, we have new tools to help us effectively differentiate while maintaining our sanity.

In an age when acronyms and educational programs are continually tossed at teachers—only to be discarded a few years later—it’s difficult to determine what will actually move the needle on student achievement. In the face of all this change, we can rely on at least one constant: Each student entering our room in the fall will come equipped with a different set of skills, support systems, and background knowledge.

If we accept this constant, the necessary follow up question is: What can we do to provide students with what they need in order to be successful?

  1. Learn: First, we need to figure out where our students are. While teaching fifth grade, I had one student who was devouring algebra workbooks in her free time for fun and another student who couldn’t add double digit numbers. The typical fifth grade curriculum wasn’t the right match for either of these students.
  2. Curate: Once we know where our students are on the learning continuum, we need to figure out which content and approach is best for each learner. These can take many forms: independent activities, books, 1:1 interventions, small group instruction and so on.
  3. Improve: Once relevant content has been curated, organized and delivered, we need to figure out whether or not differentiation is working.

By using technology to streamline differentiated learning’s most challenging steps—identifying opportunities for academic growth, leveling content, and improving instruction over time.

Read the full article about student differentiation by Chris McCormick at EdSurge