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Differentiation in the Classroom, an effective tool for teachers
- December 14, 2022
- Posted by: The Teachers Academy
- Category: All Blog Postings Classroom Activities Educator Resources / News Online Courses

Jump to course: Differentiation in the Classroom
“Like students, teachers grow best when they are moderately challenged.
Waiting until conditions are ideal or until you are sure of yourself yields lethargy, not growth.” – Carol Tomlinson
An excerpt from Differentiation in the Classroom:
I’m going to go ahead and say it: I taught the best lesson of my life last semester. It was student-driven, collaborative, chock-full of new material and even had a physical movement element. The kids were engaged, laughing, working together and learning. Never had I wanted my administrator to walk into my room unannounced as I did during this lesson. When the bell rang, the kids gave an audible groan that class had ended. I couldn’t believe it; they didn’t want to leave! I rocked it.
The next semester, I couldn’t wait to teach it again. I even considered reaching out to admin to pop by for today’s lesson. (Of course, I didn’t because, well, you know!) It began the same way- the kids got up and they held hands to make a human neuron chain. But then, the unexpected happened: One student groaned, “Ewe. I’m not touching him. He’s so sweaty.” And then another, “Ugh. Gross, are we seriously holding hands? What grade am I in?” And a third, “This is so stupid.” The first thing I thought was, Thank goodness I didn’t invite anyone to observe me today and the second thought was, What is wrong with these kids? I wasn’t doing anything differently!
That was the problem. I had an entirely different class. We had a different rapport, a different energy and quite simply, this wasn’t the warm and fuzzy group I’d had the previous semester. The students changed and I hadn’t. So, I had that panic moment: What do I do? Force them through it? Change gears? Hand out consequences for being disrespectful to me and their fellow classmates? In that moment, I decided to go forward with the activity. When it was over, some kids successfully met the day’s objectives, and some didn’t. No one groaned when class was over, and I was especially happy that it had finally ended. But I couldn’t stop asking myself, What went wrong?
That panic moment, the one where you realize one or some of your students aren’t getting the objectives, that’s the ideal time for differentiation. Contrary to popular belief, differentiation is not a menu of options, group work activity or specific written lesson plan, it’s recognizing that the current plan is not working, and something needs to change. This seems simple, but recognizing a problem is hard and making a change is even harder. Having the ability to switch gears and change in the moment seems impossible. In reality, it’s an acquired skill. Only the most capable teachers can do it. Are you up for the challenge? Let’s get started.
Projects To Be Completed
- Defining Differentiation
- Formative Assessments (Make your own using Google Forms)
- Instructional Strategies for Content, Process, Product
- Teaching Up and Tiered Instruction
- Quiz: Is… It… Differentiation?
- What Would you do? (Applying differentiation strategies)
Differentiating instruction is not a new strategy it is a tool to help teachers address needs and challenge their students to excel. The Teacher’s Academy’s professional development course, Differentiation in the Classroom (18 Act 48 Hours) is available for all teachers in PA. Teachers in other states like Colorado, Texas, Michigan, Arizona, Tennessee, Indiana, Massachusetts, Virginia, etc., can also take this for 18 professional development hours, or any other professional development course.
Teachers can maintain their licenses by taking any of our professional development courses. Continuing education hours, points, IACET CEUs, ACSI credits and Act 48 hours are listed on Certificates of Completion according to specific state requirements:
Online coursework for teachers makes it convenient to complete the professional development hours necessary to maintain educator’s licenses. The Teacher’s Academy courses are the least expensive option for teachers making earning hours, affordable. Teachers who take our courses are encouraged to customize their projects to use in their classrooms right away, making the online professional development courses, relevant.