Differentiated Instructional Strategies

I'm reading Differentiated Instructional Strategies: One Size Doesn't Fit All, by Gayle H. Gregory and Carolyn Chapman (2nd ed., 2007).

In my own experience, plenty of independent schools are talking about learning styles, but there hasn't been enough action on implementing instructional advancements.

Here's a great quote from the book: "When we want to 'catch fish,' we bait the hook with what the fish like, not what the fisherman likes." (34)

Too often, we bait the hook with what the fisherman likes. In other words, we continue to see teacher-centered instruction more often than not, when all the research shows that that kind of instruction has become increasingly ineffective (apart from the 30% of students who learn in spite of ineffective instructional methods).

This is not about condemning one particular method; it's about pointing out the obvious - change has occurred - and moving toward a more effective instructional model that benefits our students. This change, however, has caught lots of folks by surprise, especially those who haven't engaged in regular professional development.

It's about baiting the hook with what the fish like.

That's a big shift for a lot of people - to which schools must be sensitive. But just because it's a big shift doesn't mean that doing nothing is an option!

Au revoir, status quo!