by Alma Pettenger, SPS Professional Learning Specialist
Standard #3: Curriculum Implementation
Quality Indicator #2: Develop lessons for diverse learners
I have fond memories of watching the American television drama Little House on the Prairie when I was a child. I enjoyed learning about the simplicity of life in the 1800’s. As an educator I marvel at the challenges the teacher, Laura Ingalls, faced in a one room schoolhouse. She had to divide her time, her resources, and the content between students who didn't know the basic skill of holding a pencil and students who were already proficient readers.
“Students are more diverse than ever – culturally, emotionally, economically, physically, and intellectually” (Wormeli, 2007, p.3). Although the one room schoolhouse model is almost extinct in the United States, its underlying theme of differentiation is very much alive in our schools today.
Why did one room schoolhouses work?
A safe classroom environment is one of the fundamental building blocks of effective differentiation. Josh Getlin, a New York City writer, spent some time at a one room schoolhouse in South Dakota. When he asked the teacher this very question, her answer was: “It works because we are basically one large family unit…” (One-Room School – Little School House on the Prairie). If we are to implement effective differentiated instruction, teachers must learn to build trusting learning environments where students feel free to take risks and make mistakes. By teaching the value of effort over talent and ability, a teacher creates a safe classroom environment and communicates clearly that every student can succeed. “No matter what your ability is, effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishment” (Dweck, p. 20).
Assessment is critical in academically diverse classrooms; it is how teachers know the readiness levels of their students. Readiness is a student’s entry point relative to a particular understanding or skill (Tomlinson, p. 11). In the old, one room schoolhouse, students moved on as they mastered goals and skills. Today, to achieve effective differentiation, assessment must be ongoing and diagnostic (Tomlinson, p. 10). The teacher must ask, “What do my students know before the instructional sequence begins? How is their learning progressing? How did they measure at the end of the unit? What should I plan next for them? Assessment informs instruction; without it, purposeful differentiation is simply not possible (Heacox, p.25).
Knowledge of students is what allows effective teachers to make appropriate decisions about the learning experiences that will lead learners to academic achievement. Keith Hall is a 13 year old boy who attends a one room school house in Alabama. When asked about his success in his current school compared to his previous school, he said: “This one is different… At my old school, it would take them half the year just to know you. Here, they keep track of stuff…” (Wilgoren, 2000). In addition to knowing students’ readiness levels, effective teachers seek to know students’ interest and learning profile. Interest refers to a student’s affinity, curiosity, or passion for a particular topic or skill while learning profile has to do with how we learn (Tomlinson, p. 11).
Some educators consider differentiation a passing fad. However, the one room schoolhouse has taught us that effective teachers have long been differentiating instruction. “Going forward, teachers will need the strategies of differentiation until the day they walk into classrooms where all students are at the same readiness level, learn at the same pace in the same way, and exhibit similar interests. Obviously, this day is unlikely to arrive” (Heacox, p. 19).
What might be some changes you could implement in your instruction to meet the diverse needs in your own one room schoolhouse?
Dweck, Carol S (2006). Mindset. The New Psychology of Success. New York: Ballatine Books
Getlin, Josh (1997). One-Room School – Little School House on the Prairie. Deadwood Magazine. Black Hills, South Dakota. Web. Nov. 2014.
Heacox, Diane (2007). Making Differentiation a Habit. Free Spirit Publishing.
Tomlinson, Carol Ann (1999). The Differentiated Classroom. ASDC.
Wilgoren, Jodi (August 6, 2000). The one-room schoolhouse. The New York Times on the Web. Web. Nov. 2014.
Wormeli, Rick (2007). Differentiation: From Planning to Practice. Stenhouse Publishers.
