InTASC Standard 2: Learner Differences

Differentiating based on learner differences is a challenging and integral part of teaching.

As a teacher, I must use what I know about where my students come from to inform my
teaching. Recognizing their diverse cultures and communities within my instruction allows
students to know that I view them as individuals who bring valuable experiences into the
classroom. By recognizing students as individuals with different learning styles and different life
experiences I can craft my lessons to allow students to meet my high standards. In homogeneous
classrooms it is generally somewhat easier to do this because the students are largely at the same
ability level, however in heterogeneous classrooms it can be tough. Most teachers know to use
different methods of teaching throughout the same lesson in order to reach students with
different learning styles, but different learning styles and ability levels are only half of it. In order
to connect with students in a way that makes meaningful learning possible, it is necessary to
acknowledge the students diverse cultural and economic backgrounds in addition to their
varying degrees of ability and multiple learning styles. Again, in a school were these
backgrounds are largely homogeneous, this should not be too much of a problem, but in a truly
diverse school like Edgewood high school, it can be a challenge to design lessons to reach all
students within a class in a way that will make the lesson stick.
The classes at Fallston Middle School are largely homogeneous with the students
grouped by ability. Though the disparity between the reading level of the lowest group and the
reading level of the highest group is astronomical, most of the students were coming from
roughly the same socio-economic background and about ninety-eight percent of them identified
as white. When my mentor, Mrs. Jones, differentiates for learner differences in her classes she

focuses mainly on reading level and ability. The top and bottom classes are very similar, but the
bottom classes are allowed an extra day to complete what the top classes complete in a period.
There is also a lot more scaffolding in the lower classes: they are much more likely to get a
handout with notes than asked to write them themselves, there are two special educators in the
room with them, and one student with sight problems is given print outs of the PowerPoint slides
so he doesn't have to look at the screen. Within her classes, Mrs. Jones also attempts to
incorporate activities that appeal to different kinds of learners; visual aids, audio, movement, and
hands on activities. The differentiation in Mrs. Jones's classes makes them more accessible to
students with different learning styles and ability levels, but most of it is fairly superficial. The
content doesn't need to be changed to appeal to students of different cultural backgrounds
because her students don't come from diverse backgrounds. At Edgewood High School things
are very different.
Mrs. Chisholm, my mentor at Edgewood, teaches 5 English classes; one standard grade
12 British Literature class, two CC (cooperative collaborative) grade 12 British Literature
classes, and two International Baccalaureate grade 12 English classes. The ability levels of the of
these classes are even more disparate than at the middle school, but the true challenge comes
from the students cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Edgewood high school students
come from the communities of Edgewood, Joppatowne, Joppa, and Abingdon, four communities
with distinctly different economic profiles. The students range culturally from all around the
world (though the Asian population is significantly smaller than other ethnic groups) and speak
English with varying degrees of proficiency. Even among the native English speakers, for many
students the way English is spoken at home and the way English is spoken in the classroom is so
different that they do not always seem to be the same language. And so Mrs. Chisholm's

differentiation goes deeper; though the texts are limited by the topic of British Literature, the
supplemental texts are diverse, looking at the works through different lenses and placing the
content in a light that makes it clearer for the students.
Acknowledging and addressing learner differences is crucial to giving students the
opportunity to succeed academically. Students are a diverse group and if their education is
approached with a one-size-fits-all mindset, many will be left, lost by the wayside. By
acknowledging learner differences and addressing them in an effective manner, teachers avoid
allowing students to fall through the cracks of their lessons, and students are given the tools they
need to reach for the stars.