Differentiation Blog #4 due by Sunday night February 18th at midnight
The research is clear.
For the most part, teachers tend to teach the way THEY learn, not focusing on the many different ways that their students might learn.
I do a pretty comprehensive 9-hour session in some of my courses on cooperative learning. I go through a model of cooperative learning step-by-step and we experience it in a rich, authentic way. Still, there are quite a few people who would rather swim through a pool of their own vomit than ever have to do any cooperative learning! They hate it! Despise it! Loathe it! They hate the social interaction. The hate those lazy folks who are “hitch-hikers” and don’t do their part, placing more responsibility on others. They hate the “ball hog” who, like bullies we remember as elementary children who would always hog the ball and never share, take over a group and run their ideas through without ever considering others’ ideas. And here is what I say to people who hate cooperative learning:
“It’s not about you anymore.”
Brash, ain’t I?
Honestly, I don’t care whether you like cooperative learning - a strategy I chose randomly, by the way, because you could add any strategy here that you loathe - because the research is clear that many of your students process information best when they get to do it socially.
“It’s not about you anymore.”
We must be able to operate from ALL kinds of different strategies if we’re going to be able to lead students to success. We must be nuanced about differentiation in our classrooms.
“It’s not about you anymore.”
How will you differentiate your curriculum and teaching so as to reach ALL learners? This week you can respond to Helena’s video after watching it. By the way, she recently received a global award for her work in the field of Disability Justice. She remains concerned that all children get the teaching they need.