When we hear the word differentiation, many of us automatically think of developing instructional activities that are appropriate to a student’s learning ability. However, how many people think about the behavior when they hear the word differentiation?
Let’s think of a few reasons why differentiating instruction is good practice. Well, it supports the student in their level of learning, without the work being too easy or too difficult. Ensures that a student gains the building blocks necessary to understand broader concepts or skills. Provides a safety net for students. Increase student participation. It gives the educator a clearer picture of what the student is really capable of. It can encompass a student’s specific learning style. God, the list can go on and on. We differentiate instruction for students because it helps them find the most success in the classroom.
So why aren’t more schools differentiating discipline? There seems to be a widespread belief that specific rules should be set, and if those rules are broken, specific consequences should be applied to each crime, regardless of who committed it. So heck, if Joey talks while the teacher talks, he MUST get a detention! That is the consequence of breaking that specific rule !!
Go! Really? Our society doesn’t even work that way! Sure we have laws, but does the exact same thing happen every time someone breaks them? How many of us have been fired with a warning after being pulled over for speeding and how many of us have been slapped with a costly fine? How many times do we see different sentences for people who have committed the same crime in our judicial system?
Students enter our classrooms with different experiences and backgrounds; therefore, we cannot expect them to match the school’s expectations in the same way. For example, my stepdaughter, Aubrey has grown up in an environment that shares similar rules to school (we practice traditional manners, we speak with respect, we have ground rules that we follow, we generally do not speak loudly when we are at home together, etc.). In addition, Aubrey receives a lot of love and all her basic needs are met. So if Aubrey were caught stealing something from someone’s lunch box, she would expect a different punishment, maybe more severe, than if the girl (let’s call her Mary) who comes from poverty steals something from someone’s lunch because she may be the only thing she is. you can eat when you return home.
Now am I saying that Mary shouldn’t be punished? No, I am not saying that at all. However, how does giving Mary a standard “theft consequence,” such as arrest, will teach her not to steal or, more importantly, help her solve the reason she wants to steal? This is when an educator needs to have those serious conversations with Mary, talk to her about stealing, help her think through the perspective of the child she stole from and how she might feel, what better solution to her problem could be, and what an appropriate consequence of it. your actions can be.
Aubrey and Mary have two different sets of knowledge and social backgrounds, just as they may have two different levels of learning ability. It shouldn’t be okay to differentiate only your learning needs and not your social needs. The result of any disciplinary situation should be to help the student grow in his understanding of how to make better decisions … not to see how badly we can punish him to do better.
Please know that I am not saying that there should be no common consequences for anything. For example, students help us each year create consequences for not turning in their evening assignments. While we must abide by those consequences, we must also be ready to step in to help support those students who have a harder time meeting those expectations due to situations beyond their control. We do not want to lower our standards for students because they have exceptional struggles in their lives, but we must be prepared to meet their specific needs, socially and academically, and not think that everyone should be able to do so. they do the same behaviorally and should suffer the same consequences when they don’t.
The book Learning to trust by Marilyn Watson and Laura Ecken does an excellent job of sharing ways that teachers can handle discipline in a more differentiated approach to learning. I can’t lie … I’m a big fan of fiction and sometimes I have a hard time reading non-fiction books, even on subjects that I am passionate about; however, I loved this book! It is essentially about a teacher’s daily interactions with students at a downtown Lousiville school as she adopts this discipline approach. I highly recommend it!
When making decisions that involve your students in the classroom, remember: what is fair is not always the same and what is equal is not always fair.