mixitupdifferentiation

Philosophy

Before any teacher begins a journey or takes a workshop on differentiation or before a school brings in a differentiation trainer for all staff, I believe there are a few philosophical questions to consider:

What is your definition of control in the classroom? If you believe that control can include student physical movement, students talking, students questioning, students working in multiple group situations, then differentiation is for you. Quite candidly, if you believe that maintenance of control means students in rows, always working individually and never interacting with each other, then differentiation will die before it even begins. How you set up your environment - for grouping and centers, for example, is highly important.
Do you have a willingness to "get off the stage?" Teachers who differentiate become more of a facilitator of the learning than a lecturer. Teachers will lead whole classroom discussions from time to time, but presenting information has a very limited place.
What is the definition in your school of the words, achieve and master? For example, in the pre-assessment section a reason to pre-assess would be to determine if some students had achieved or mastered the content. If teachers have varying ideas about the word master, then there could be a problem.
Do you believe the following about students:

No two children are alike.
No two children learn in an identical way.
An enriched environment for one student is not an enriched environment for another student.
In the classroom we should teach children to think for themselves.

Resource: http://members.shaw.ca/priscillatheroux/differentiating.html
If you believe these bulleted points, your philosophy will enable you to be well on your way!