It is our job to make sure our students succeed! On that note, since we have already talked about student traits, let's continue on to learn about elements in our classroom that will help us to be able to differentiate our students!

There are 4 classroom elements that we as teachers can modify for our students to help them with their various needs.  They are, CONTENT, PROCESS, PRODUCT, and LEARNING ENVIRONMENT.  

CONTENT: Content may seem pretty self explanatory but just for a quick review... Content is all about what a teacher teaches, and what we want our students to learn.  The main goal of a teacher is for all of their students to be able to learn the content/information that they want them to learn.  In order for all students to learn specific content and information sometimes teachers need to do certain things to ensure that all of their students have access to the same content.  On the flip side, if a student is in first grade and they are already reading on a 3rd grade level that student would not need the same reading skills instruction as a student who is reading on a 1st grade reading level.  

PROCESS: Learning is a process.  A lot of times everyone's learning process is different too.  Process is how a student makes sense of and comes to understand the information that is given within a lesson.  For a teacher to be effective they need to make sure that every student makes meaning of the information that is given to them in a lesson.  

PRODUCT: product can mean many different things.  A product of learning can be a sort of assessment, demonstration, or something that shows what a student has learned.  A product is an opportunity for students to show what they have learned!  Effective products hold students accountable.  I think that as teachers we can use a variety of products when assessing our students.  Maybe we can use a variety of products so that we are not just always giving paper and pencil tests. Imagine how much good we can do for students if we allow them to produce the information that they have learned in a way that they enjoy and understand clearly.  

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT: 

I really like the analogy that the book uses to explain learning environment.  It says, "Learning environment is the weather that affects virtually everything that transpires in a classroom."  




The book also points out a key ingredient in a classroom for learning environment.  Can you guess what that would be??

 The answer is..... MOOD.  The Mood of a classroom effects the learning environment significantly.  The key to a good learning environment relating to mood is that you need to have a balance in the mood in your classroom.  We need to have a fun learning environment, but we also need to balance that with seriousness, responsibility, and respect.  

I think this statement from the book is key. "In differentiated classrooms. teachers continually assess students readiness, interest, learning profile,and affect.  Teachers then use what they learn to modify content, process, product, and learning environment to ensure maximum learning for each member of the class."

Learning should be fun for our students!  As we use these strategies to differentiate our instruction, we will make sure that our students are having fun, and successful moments as they learn!