Differentiation: "Guess what! Different People Choose To Learn In Different Ways."

When it comes to learning, "What's the difference between adults and children?" Adults have choices when choosing how to learn. Children? Uh! Less so.

Note these personal "adult" examples:

1. I want to learn about news and politics: I LISTEN to podcasts from National Public Radio and retain a lot. If I read the newspaper, I seem to retain less.
2. I want to learn about a new software program: I explore and play with the software's features well ahead of the time when I will actually need to use the program. Then, when I have real problems, I READ the FAQs, manual and help screens very slowly until I uncover the solution to my problem.
3. I want to learn how to fix a toilette: I WATCH a youtube video that shows me how the entire flushing system works.
4. I want to learn how to manage my appointments: I prioritize which features I need first, and then I use my Outlook calendar every day and provide myself easy access to it.
5. I want to learn how to train my mind and improve my vocabulary: I READ a book. Sometimes I read a paper book, and most times I read on my Kindle or Ipod Touch. After reading a book, I document my progress on my virtual bookshelf of choice, Shelfari.
   

I love this new world in which we are living. Opportunities for learning abound and the tools we have at our disposal are effective and intriguing. So I have to ask, "Are we giving our students access to all the tools in the toolbox?

No doubt, children are not adults and their needs are different, including their needs as learners. Still, common sense suggests that children are like adults when it comes to modes of learning. Different kids learn differently. Thus the explosion of the new "eduspeak" term: Differentiation.

Although I am not fond of educators' proclivity for using trendy terms that have a tendency to complicate matters, that doesn't negate the importance of the topic of Differentiation. When it comes to learning in school, students need options. Teachers need to provide and allow for such options, and parents can provide such support as well. To better understand how differentiation can work for children and teens in schools, the following web site should be a good starting point.

Learner Strategies