This was supposed to be a closing activity for class on Tuesday, but all the amazing conversation and sharing of ideas put us off schedule.
Listed below are some characteristics of a differentiated classroom. Some of these characteristics are from ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development), others are from Ilana and myself. Feel free to comment to add more characteristics.
Differentiation
PLC
What are
characteristics of a Differentiated Classroom?
Differentiated classrooms can take many
forms, and no one class will contain all of the following
characteristics. Feel free to add your own ideas and observations.
- Proactive, not reactive- differentiation is planned for up-front
- Flexible groupings
- Students’ needs are met
- Respect for diversity
- Respectful student tasks
- Positive classroom climate
- Student centered learning/learner-led
- Student-teacher partnership
- Student Choice
- Knowledge-centered- the teacher has a clear understanding of the material
- Focus on academic growth, not competition
- Scaffolds growth
- Addresses student readiness, interest, and/or learning profile
- Students taking responsibility and ownership of work
- Stretches the student academically (ZPD)
- Derived from ongoing assessment
- Variety of materials to address student needs
