Maybe I am getting the hang of this DI thing.

My biggest concern last semester was definitely differentiation - I had no idea how it could be possible to cater teaching to each individual student. It frustrated me to no end trying to figure out how to challenge my advanced students without damaging the egos of the kids who weren't up to speed. How do I grade them - is it possible to do it equally and hold everyone to the same standards? Do the standards change? My questions were endless, even up to the beginning of this semester.

Now that I'm actually in the pilot's chair this semester, I'm seeing how that DI can be more of a possibility. I'm learning that it doesn't have to separate between every single last student, but can be catered to small groups of students, or even classes. One of my 7th grade classes appears to be much lower than my other two classes, despite the students not having any kind of IEPs. Their instruction needs to be much more detailed, and because their class is my first 7th grade of the day, they suffer from all the kinks and bumps that need to be worked out throughout the day. My mentor noticed the same thing, so we sat down and tried to come up with a solution.

This is where DI comes in. Jess, my mentor, offered the idea of maybe setting that particular class period back one day, so that their lesson comes last when it's finally perfected and I see what works and what doesn't. My 6th and 7th period 7th grade classes have to be the guinea pigs, but they perform at a higher level and can work through any problems much easier. They tend to participate more and have better discussions which helps keep the flow going. By that time in the afternoon, I'm also in the swing of things with a higher confidence level, which helps avoid any issues giving the lessons the first time around. 3rd period has the polished product, and everyone wins.

After just a week of integrating this plan, I'm already seeing better results. My lessons for that 3rd period class run much more smoothly because I know what works and what doesn't - the prior knowledge helps me make any last minute changes if needed as well. My confidence is up since I've already taught the lesson twice before, and the discussions flow much better and easier. I'll admit I was skeptical about the whole "DI" buzzword to begin with, but now that I'm actually seeing the progress in action, I'm interested in experimenting with it in other classes and lessons as well.