Help Students Understand Your Goals for Differentiation

        One of my favorite activities in my gifted and talented workshops is to demonstrate the importance of differentiation.  I have the participants spread out in a wide line facing me.  I explain that I will be calling out specific skills or talents and they are to move along a continuum from their right (#1 weak skill) to their left  (#10 strong skill) with each talent I call - comparing themselves only to their peer group.  First, I start with "swimming".  Some teachers quickly move to the left, others head to the right, while many stay in the middle along the #4, #5, or #6 area.  I continue to call out skills or talents such as, playing volleyball, writing a newspaper article, speaking Spanish, cooking a gourmet meal, building an outdoor deck, and so forth.
         After watching teachers move along the continuum showing their strength in certain areas as well as weaknesses, I ask them to pretend they just signed up for my swimming class.  I explain, "While some of you are ready for the high dive, others still have a fear of the water".  If I ask my swimming students to get up on the high dive, some will be frightened and others excited.  If I ask the students to put their face in the water and blow bubbles, several would want to drop out of the class because they would be wasting their time.  The same holds true in our classrooms.  With this type of activity students will understand why the content, process, or product of our class work may look quite different at times.  Give this memorable moment a try!