Active Learner – Far from a traditional approach that expects students to sit passively through presentations of information, a differentiated approach relies heavily on the engagement of students in their own learning. As Carol Ann Tomlinson (1999) suggests, students in a differentiated classroom are viewed as the workers (p. 13). This might seem to be common sense, but for many teachers it feels as if there is a tremendous effort toward learning on the part of the teacher and very little on the part of the student. If we’re very honest, sometimes it feels as if we are the only workers in our classroom. Where this is truly the case, a differentiated approach would ask teachers to consider any alternatives that would balance that out, or perhaps even reverse it. Robyn Jackson presents what might seem like a scandalous assertion: that as a teacher you should “never work harder than your students” (2009, p. 4). In her book, Never Work Harder Than Your Students, Jackson presents an outline of what she refers to as the “mastery mindset,” or effective teaching principles, that master teachers live by in order to create effective teaching and learning conditions. Jackson reiterates that the task for teachers it not merely to give the work back to the students, but rather to determine what work is truly right for the student and what work is right for the teacher (p. 172). Therein lies the challenge–and the pitfall for many teachers who effectively prevent students from becoming active learners.
Explorer – Students are born natural explorers and live in a constant exploratory mode unless the conditions around them suggest otherwise. Advances in brain research have helped us to understand just how biological development, and in particular brain development, support learning. In a traditional classroom, a student’s natural hope to learn through exploration, inquiry, and open-ended learning is routinely met with lecture, worksheets, and low-level “drill and kill” repetition. While lecture, worksheets, and repetition for skill-building can be part of effective instruction, their use in a differentiated instruction classroom is intentional and they are not the predominant methods used. In a differentiated classroom the assumption is that when asked, all students can identify what interests them, what they would like to learn more about, and areas that draw their attention. A teacher who differentiates creates opportunities for quality learning to occur--learning that is far more than rote memorization of a string of facts in support of standards. Teachers who thwart exploration go against the very grain of our biology.
Producer – In a differentiated classroom students are responsible for being creative, collaborating with others, and providing evidence of their learning. Students act as a type of production manager, or producer, of their own learning artifacts. By orienting the work toward what is found to be meaningful to each individual student, teachers find that the best source of ideas for differentiating are the students themselves. As such, the focus is not on the quantity of artifacts, but the quality. As Dr. William Glasser (1969) has theorized, students have a need to connect to quality work in at least one area of their life in order to replicate quality in other areas. As producers, students are taught what signs of quality to look for and how to make decisions that are in their best interests as learners.
Unlike a traditional view of teaching in which teachers “get kids to do things,” a differentiated view recognizes that teachers really can’t make students do anything. By focusing on what motivates, interests, and inspires students to accept the many challenges involved in learning, teachers who differentiate help students achieve at high levels without high levels of frustration.
Collaborator – In a traditional classroom collaboration was attempted in isolation and was the exception to the rule. In a differentiated classroom, the assumptions are that the class comprises a community of learners, that success is the goal for all, and that success is a reflection of these relationships. Teachers thoughtfully create the learning conditions so that students are routinely working in a variety of sub-communities. By investing in each student’s skill in communicating, teachers equip students in ways that would not have occurred in a traditional classroom. Relationships in a differentiated classroom are like those formed in a neighborhood cul-de-sac where families and children often are much more aware of one another’s wants and needs, likes and dislikes, goals and challenges. By emphasizing learning in the context of a community of learners, teachers find that cooperation, communication, and collaboration are respectful and productive. Teachers expect students to be co-laborers and to engage in meaningful, active learning together. Competition against oneself and a desire to grow personally is the mainstay in a differentiated classroom.
Communicator – In a differentiated classroom teachers place a premium on communication that originates with the student. They help students find their authentic voice within the learning environment. Because students are always in the process of constructing their own understanding, students are given ample formats to share their perspective, to hear the perspectives of others, and to engage in meaningful dialogue. In a traditional classroom approach, two-way student-student or student-teacher communication was devalued. However, such communication is a hallmark of a differentiated classroom. The assumption is that all students have a unique voice and it is the job of a teacher to help bring that voice out for others to hear and enjoy.
Researcher – Similar to the role change for teachers, in a differentiated classroom students too have a different role: they become students of themselves. As students research what works best for them, what doesn’t work, what strengths and interests they have, and the learning approaches that do not seem to fit them, a learning profile begins to take shape. Students learn to assume that success will be the result and that it’s okay for students to have different pathways to achieve success. Students are always pushed to stretch to the next level, or as Vygotsky put it, to their next zone of development. One of the changes in roles for students in a differentiated classroom is that what they say about their own learning experience matters. Students learn that the evidence of learning includes how it makes them feel, or encourages them to persevere, or invites them to work harder than they’ve ever worked before. As Stiggins (2007) asserted, students have been marginalized in the assessment process even though it is an assessment process that depends entirely on them. Any assessment should yield information that is motivating to students because they are researching what works, and doesn’t, for themselves.