What Does a Differentiated Classroom Look Like?
The three interdependent principles from brain research help us sketch what a differentiated classroom might look like. Certainly, these principles can be translated in various ways appropriate to the developmental levels of students, the needs of teachers, and the nature of subjects. Nonetheless, some characteristics of academically responsive, or differentiated, classrooms derive from what we know about the brain. • Students and teachers continually work to accept and appreciate one another’s similarities and differences—to be respectful of one another. • Teachers are hunters and gatherers who energetically continue to find out all they can about students’ current readiness, interests, and learning profiles. • Teachers use what they learn about students to provide varied learning options and build learning experiences around the important concepts of the content. • All students take part in respectful learning experiences that are equally interesting, equally important, and equally p
