| Reaching students has been a mystery for a long | | | | were intrapersonal. They learn best by keeping |
| time. Teachers teach many lessons throughout the | | | | journals, reviewing and visualizing, and writing about |
| day. The lessons they create take time, hard work, | | | | personal experiences. Twelve were musical learners. |
| and at times are quite extensive. They expect | | | | These students learn best by creating raps, playing |
| students to excel on their assessments. Unfortunately, | | | | instruments, and writing to music. Nine students were |
| once graded, teachers often discover that only a | | | | kinesthetic learners. These students learn best by |
| fraction of the class has passed the assessments. So | | | | making up cooperative games, conducting hands-on |
| what do they do? Differentiated Instruction may be the | | | | experiments, and constructing models. Five students |
| answer. | | | | were logical/mathematical learners. These students |
| Action Research Question: What is Differentiated | | | | learn best by comparing and contrasting ideas, creating |
| Instruction, why does it matter, and is it being used in | | | | patterns, and creating time lines. Three students |
| the classroom? | | | | considered themselves to be linguistic learners. Ideas |
| Differentiated Instruction is teaching with student | | | | for teaching these students include reading stories to |
| variance in mind. It means starting where the kids are | | | | others, retelling stories, and creating crosswords |
| rather than adopting a standardized approach to | | | | puzzles. None of the students felt they were a |
| teaching which presumes all students of approximately | | | | naturalistic learn. However, I would like to note that |
| the same age and same grade learn the same way. | | | | naturalistic learners learn by collecting and categorizing |
| Differentiated Instruction is based on the following | | | | data, materials, or ideas. They also like to discover or |
| beliefs. | | | | experiment, take field trips, and study means of |
| 1. Students have their own learning styles. | | | | survival. |
| 2. Students need to have classrooms which allow | | | | In the sixth grade there were forty-three students who |
| them to be active learners, decision makers, | | | | took the survey. The results showed that seventeen |
| andproblem solvers. | | | | students felt they were interpersonal learners, fourteen |
| 3. "One-size doesn't fit all" | | | | were intrapersonal learners, spatial and musical were |
| 4. Making meaning from material is more important that | | | | tied at twelve, ten were kinesthetic, six were linguistic |
| covering material. | | | | learners, four were logical, and one student felt |
| 5. According to Shivahn Fitzell and Susan Fitzell there | | | | naturalistic was their learning style. |
| are six types of learners; linguistic, logical-mathematical, | | | | In the seventh grade forty-five students took the |
| bodily kinesthetic, spatial, musical, interpersonal, | | | | survey. Twenty-three of them felt as though they |
| intrapersonal, and naturalistic. | | | | were interpersonal learners, kinesthetic, and |
| Methods of Collecting Data | | | | intrapersonal were tied at twelve students, seven |
| Classroom observations were the first step of my | | | | were musical, five were spatial, four were linguistic, and |
| action research process. I observed two classrooms. I | | | | three were logical learners. None of the students felt |
| observed each teacher two different days. The first | | | | as though they were a naturalistic learner. |
| teacher I observed was an elementary classroom | | | | There were sixty-seven eighth grade students who |
| teacher. She was teaching math the day I observed. | | | | took the survey. Thirty-five of them stated that |
| She used the Smartboard to present a lesson and she | | | | interpersonal is their learning style, nineteen were |
| had the students up moving around singing math | | | | intrapersonal, eighteen were musical, ten were |
| songs. When I observed her on the second day she | | | | kinesthetic, eight were spatial, five were logical, two |
| was teaching reading. She also incorporated the | | | | were linguistic, and one was naturalistic. |
| Smartboard into her lesson while introducing new | | | | Conclusions |
| vocabulary words. However, this time the students | | | | Students do not learn the same way. The days of |
| stayed in their seats. | | | | standing in front of the classroom, having students |
| The other teacher I observed was a middle school | | | | open their books, and following along as you read |
| teacher. He has four Science classes throughout the | | | | aloud are over. Furthermore, teaching with a |
| day. I observed his class on two different occasions. | | | | one-size-fits-all attitude isn't reaching all learners. Today |
| He also used the Smartboard when reviewing | | | | teachers need to compete with video games, iPods, |
| vocabulary words. | | | | cell phones, and texting. In addition students come from |
| Collecting data was the second step of the action | | | | families that are split up, remarried, in the court |
| research process. The first method utilized was a | | | | systems, or facing a whole dynamic of problems. |
| general survey given to fifty-two teachers. | | | | Traditional teaching isn't going to cut it anymore. |
| Twenty-three teachers returned their surveys. The | | | | A teacher needs to understand her students learning |
| first part of the survey asked teacher to write in their | | | | styles. By doing this she/he will be able to create |
| own words the definition of Differentiated Instruction. | | | | lessons that allow students to be active learners, |
| Other questions asked pertained to what DI is and isn't. | | | | decision makers, and problem solvers. |
| Results of the survey showed that the majority of | | | | Recommendations |
| teachers feel Differentiated Instruction means they are | | | | Based on the data collected in the teacher surveys, |
| creating lesson for the individual and creating different | | | | student surveys, and classroom observations I |
| assessments for everyone. The survey also showed | | | | recommend the following: |
| that the majority of teachers feel that DI is a grading | | | | 1. Our school should require Differentiated Instruction at |
| nightmare because everyone is doing something | | | | all levels. |
| different, and DI takes more time. | | | | 2. Teachers should be made aware that DI doesn't |
| The third part of my data collection was from a | | | | mean you are creating individuallesson and |
| survey handed out to students in the fifth, sixth, | | | | assessments. Instead you are incorporating the same |
| seventh, and eighth grade. The surveys consisted of | | | | lesson withactivity and assessment options. Teachers |
| six learning categories; linguistic learner, | | | | need to also be aware that DI onceestablished won't |
| logical-mathematical, bodily kinesthetic, spatial, musical, | | | | take any longer to implement than any other lesson. |
| interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic. Each | | | | 3. Differentiated Instruction training is highly |
| category was separated into a box. Each box listed a | | | | recommended. |
| variety of activities. The students were to read the | | | | 4. Teachers should share ideas with each other. |
| activities and check off the activities they like to do. | | | | 5. Each teacher should receive a copy of a book on |
| Once they finished checking off each category they | | | | how to implement Differentiated Instruction. |
| were to add up all of the checkmarks. The category | | | | 6. Teachers need to give some kind of survey at the |
| with the majority of checks in it is an indication of the | | | | beginning of the year in order to get to knowtheir |
| student's learning style. | | | | students and their learning style. |
| There were fifty-three students in the fifth grade who | | | | 7. Teachers need to write lesson plans that |
| took the survey. The results of that survey were as | | | | incorporate as many different learning styles as |
| follows. Twenty-three students felt they're learning | | | | possible. |
| style was interpersonal. This means they learn best by | | | | 8. Teachers need to implement these lessons |
| telling stories, role playing, and cooperative games. | | | | throughout the year. |
| Fifteen were spatial learners. These students learn by | | | | 9. Teachers should be willing to change teaching |
| creating posters, drawing maps, and graphing. Fourteen | | | | strategies as needed. |