FIAE Ch 1: Introduction

Summary:
The first chapter of FIAE gave an introduction of differentiated instruction (DI). Not all examples of DI are obvious because certain things like proximity or rephrasing questions don't seem like instruction. DI is all about how to make school fair for each student, which isn't the same for every student. Teachers have to get to know students in order to reach each and every one of them where they learn best. Although this is sometimes seen as a crutch, the author argues that DI helps each student find their own starting platform, whether high or low, from which to spring from. DI allows students to understand themselves better and see how they learn best. DI can be enhanced by using technology because where it helps students in lower levels, it brings an interest level to all abilities.

Reflection:
Most found this chapter to be very informative. Students also recognized incidents in their past where they experienced DI. This helped give perspective on effective uses, and not so effective uses. It was acknowledged that it is important to get to know students. Without this, DI is not possible. Taking the time to get to know students will allow teachers to use DI with ease. Most of us found that DI is something that is completely usable in the classroom, and that it would be especially helpful as each student is obviously different and therefore needs to be taught with a different approach. This chapter provided a useful sampling of examples and provided a great base from which to build our beliefs about DI.