On differentiated instruction and beyond

Every definition of Response to Intervention (RtI) that I've ever read starts with the same basic premise: At Tier I  - which includes every single student who walks through our doors - teachers must be offering high-quality, research-based, differentiated instruction to all students.  What does that mean to us as teachers?

In short, we're supposed to teach every child. To be a bit more detailed, we're supposed to meet each child where he is and teach her in the way(s) she learns best. That probably seems like a daunting task to most educators who remain married to the one-worksheet-fits-all, columns and rows education model.  I won't lie. It's not easy.  But to me, it's easier to try as hard as I can to meet every child where he or she is than it is to live with myself as I lie awake at night wondering why little Johnny failed.

So we differentiate instruction at Tier I.  Fine.  But wait, there's more.  Ginger Lewman, a long time advocate for differentiated instruction, has argued that there may be an education paradigm that's even leaner.  Problem-based learning (PBL) takes differentiation to a whole new level.

Tonight, at 8:00 CST, we're going to talk about all this on Twitter at #reg5chat. I'd like to hear your thoughts. So join us, won't you? And if you're getting around this post after the fact, don't worry. I should have posted a link to the chat summary and transcript by now, so scroll around and feel free to share your thoughts in the comment box below.