Chapter 1 The Differentiated Instruction Mind-set: Rationale and Definition

Chapter one, Fair Isn’t Always Equal, reveals that teachers have been using differentiated instruction for hundreds of years, but it wasn’t until recently that society decided to name it, and define what it actually means. The book defines differentiated instruction as “doing what’s fair for students,” and applying this concept to help them acquire the information they need to continue learning the material at the same pace. There are some teachers and parents that are concerned with this form of teaching because they believe students will come to rely differentiated instruction, and in turn they will not be able to learn without receiving this method of teaching. The example given in the chapter explained that there were two students of equal learning, but one student had glasses and the other one did not. If the student, who wore glasses, was asked to remove his glasses both students would be in an equal state of learning; however, the student who needed his glasses, to be able to read his assignment, was now at a disadvantage. Differentiate instruction is similar to providing a child with glasses. The student might be able to understand the material without his or her glasses, but it will take them so much longer to accomplish this task, not because he or she didn’t understand but, because the material was unclear. Scott Willis and Larry Mann website provides examples of how to incorporate differentiated instruction in the class without creating overbearing amounts of stress for the teachers who are trying to use this method to teach.
The class seemed to really enjoy this chapter, and found it rather useful in better understanding how to use differentiated instruction in the classroom. Most students enjoyed the reference made towards how teachers have been using differentiated instruction for decades, and the examples of how most students probably have experienced this kind of teaching method and were completely unaware. They also commented on enjoying the part in the chapter that gives examples as to how teachers differentiate instruction to children, therefore, I found a website that has tons of examples that will help us in the further understanding how to use differentiate instructions in our lesson plans.