Your Classroom as an Orchestra: Practical Differentiation Strategies

Every child needs a champion In 2013, Rita Pearson reflected on a conversation she had with a fellow teacher. The teacher claimed that she wasn’t paid to like the children she taught; she was paid to teach. Rita replied “... kids don’t learn from people they don’t like” (Pearson, 2013, May). Recalling this conversation was the introduction to Rita’s viral TedEd talk, which has gained over 13 million views to date. Pearson, who at the time of the TedEd talk had been a professional educator since the 1970’s, reminded educators that “Every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.” As Christians, we know that God is our “champion”, who has written our names in the palms of His hands; “[our] walls are continually before [Him]” (Isaiah 49:16 English Standard Version). But how can we connect deeply with our students, especially in the high school where we teach multiple classes, with students of different abilities? How can we realistically be their “champion”? The answer lies in knowing, understanding and catering to the learning of students through quality differentiated teaching practices. Although the research evidence regarding differentiation is sound (Smale-Jacobse et al., 2019), it’s unfortunately not always well understood. Delisle (2015) commented on differentiation in relation to gifted learners, stating that “differentiation does not work” (para. 2). His comments were rebuffed by Tomlinson (2015) and DeWitt (2017), with the latter stating that differentiation is not the issue, but rather “the actual issue is the lingering remnants of the factory model/mindset of education still largely ingrained in our educational system” (para. 9). DeWitt (2017) explains his viewpoint through the analogy of a train heading to a station, i.e. all students learn at the same pace and in the same way, and through the analogy of a conductor leading an orchestra, i.e. students have different abilities and require specific instruction on using these abilities through quality differentiated practice.