How will you differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all students,considering science as the subject?

As a special education teacher I see many general education teachers agonize over this. And most of them think it is harder to do than it really is. The first thing to rememer is that “fair” doesnt mean “equal.” Many teachers get caugt up in trying to have everyone do th same thing becae it’s just not “fair” for one person to do less work.

Start with trying to think about what are the most important things you want students to “get” from your lesson. If you have more than 5 things, you need to break it down. Now if most of your students can get these 4 things, maybe your special needs kids only need to get 2 of them. Now think of the best way for the majority of your students to demonstrate that they get it. If your asnwer is to have them write a paragraph, then you have your secial needs kids pick 2 out of 4 topics.

The other thing to keep in mind is that things that are good for special needs students are generaly good practices for all students. Maybe instead of having students write a paragraph, see if they can draw a diagram, make a chart, or draw a picture. Rememer you have some key points about science that you ant them to know. Is writing really important here? If not, then take that level of difficulty away and help your students focus on the science.

Other ideas include collaborative teams (a whole topic in itself, you’ll have to do some reading about this to make it work), oral presentations, hands-on demonstrations, power point, etc.

Remember, good instructional practices work for everyone, not just secial needs kids.