Imagine you’re walking in on your first day as a new hire at a popular restaurant. You and Jeremy, another new hire, are instructed to make macarons for the head chef. You’ll be scored based on the time it takes you to complete the task, as well as the taste and appearance of your product. Lucky for Jeremy, he started a day prior and got to assist the chef in baking a batch of macrons. You on the other hand, have only seen the creation of macarons on your favorite baking show. You’re at a clear disadvantage but you’re being evaluated with the same expectations.
This happens daily in the school system. Kids are not met where they are when they first enter the classroom, and instead, are struggling to meet the teacher’s expectations. This sets students up for failure and stunts their growth in the classroom. As a teacher, you need to adjust your expectations to meet your children’s needs, not the other way around! In the public school system, kids are more likely to be brushed aside when they enter the classroom at “below grade level.” As a public school teacher with one hundred and some students, you might not have or make the time to differentiate for each child’s needs. As a homeschool parent, you have the power to differentiate for your child’s needs and the ability to do so on a more personal level.
Steps for differentiating in your classroom:
- Asses each child’s learning and present skill set
This can be done with a formal or informal assessment.
- Set goals with each individual child
Instead of setting goals for each child, try setting goals with each child. When students feel involved with their learning, it promotes motivation and success.
- Create lessons that build from those skills
You have to start somewhere, so start somewhere that is attainable and comfortable for your student. If you have several students in the classroom, you may need to spend extra time on lesson planning in order to meet a variety of needs. It takes time, but the results are worth it.
- Reflect on achievement frequently
Check in with each student and see how they’re feeling with the material. If you don’t reflect frequently, you will risk wasting time on a topic that the child may not be ready to learn, or you may spend too much time on a topic that the child has already grasped. This is also a good time to do a mental health check in with your students.
- Switch gears, slow down, or speed up if necessary
Go at the child’s learning pace, not your preferred teaching pace!
Learning is like baking. Every dessert has its own recipe, much like every student has their own journey towards achievement. The end result is rewarding, but the only way to get there is through patience and care.
Hannah Shevitz is a health education teacher and graduate student at Villanova University, where she studies Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
