Differentiated Coaching for Educators

During my differentiation workshops, I often show films of students completing mathematical tasks. In my favorite clip, a little boy starts over three times before successfully making a shape that is 1/4 red and 3/4 yellow. When asked, in every workshop about 80 percent of the participants admit, "I would have stopped him after his second mistake to help him, assuming he couldn't do it on his own. And stopping him would actually have stopped his learning..."

In other words, the film helps teachers see the importance of giving students time to process new information and make sense of it.

What happens next? In every workshop, someone raises a hand and says, "But with pacing schedules and standards, we can't give students that kind of time." Fortunately someone else always adds, "Do you hear what we're saying? That schools can't find time for students to learn?"

The math teachers with whom I work most closely took this dilemma to heart and evaluated their schedule for next year with the goal of giving students more time to learn. They agreed to team teach larger classes so they can regroup flexibly. They're investigating ways to have a core teacher be available for after-school tutoring. They'll all teach a second math class for students who are significantly behind so that there is coordination of curriculum with the regular math class.

All students can succeed, if given the right support and enough time. Let's make sure our schools make this possible!