Running Head: DEFINING DIFFERENTIATION 1

Defining Differentiation

Corrie Mills

University of Georgia
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According to Alane Jordan Starko in Creativity in the Classroom: Schools of Curious

Delight, “To build intrinsic motivation, we need to help students develop an increasing sense of

competence, be engaged in meaningful tasks, have experiences with choice and exploring

interests, and receive informational feedback […] students need instruction at a level that

challenges them without overwhelming them, and sufficient time for engaged work” (2014, p.

286). This particular quote challenged me as an educator; I began to question if I truly am

providing my students with experiences of choice and interests. I realized my need to begin

implementing more choice in my lessons.

As I attempted to fathom what this would look like I came across yet another quote on

the next page, informing me that “if students are going to work at a level appropriate for them,

and have experiences with choice in the classroom, it goes without saying that they cannot

always be doing the same thing at the same time” (2014, p. 287). I need to stop making cookie

cutter lessons in which each student is consistently working on the same assignment at the same

time, and the different assignments need to meet each student where they are at academically.

Starko points out that “in a classroom based on differentiated instruction, students sometimes

work together, sometimes individually, and sometimes in groups, depending on the need of the

moment” (2014, p. 287).

I kept reading to get an idea of what this differentiated instruction might look like in my

classroom and quickly realized it will be a process. I am learning that “the first key to making the

transition to independent student work is realizing that you need to teach students how to work

independently. It is not sufficient to tell them to be independent; you must teach them how to do

it” (2014, p. 287). I have never actually truly differentiated to the level that I now plan on
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differentiating my work sessions for my students. I am going to need to walk them through what

these different stations will look like and what is expected of each student individually.

In planning my lessons, I realize that “activities should include opportunities for data

gathering, problem solving, individual research, and creative expression, in addition to more

traditional vocabulary practice and fact-gathering exercises” (2014, p. 291). My differentiated

assignments do not need to only reach students at their academic level, but it needs to include a

variety of practice methods for my students. I intend on researching many different resources to

help build and create my four lesson plans for this practicum.
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References:

Starko, A. J. (2014). Creativity in the classroom: Schools of curious delight. New York: Routledge.