First-year educators experience many problems during the transition from student to teacher. Pedagogical issues, lack of administrative support, and the need for both materials and appropriate planning times are common concerns of most first-year teachers, whether they have been trained as regular or special-education teachers. Unique to special educators' first-year experiences, however, is the pedagogical demand for differentiated instruction. Renick found that regardless of how much university preparation regular educators received in differentiated instruction, their preparation was typically "washed out" by their student-teaching experiences. As a result, very little university preservice preparation actually reaches the classroom of the regular educator.
Prepared Teachers Should
Know where they want students to be
Begin where the students are
Continually assess their students
Advice for teachers just starting out with differentiated instruction
Become a kid watcher. Study the kids in any moment and in any way you can. Learn to see them as individuals rather than a group. Ask them how the class is working for them and how to make it work better. Then begin to respond to what you see. Each step you take will teach you, if you want to learn. If you combine that with regular pre-assessment of student competencies and begin to think about teaching with student needs in mind, you'll be off to a great start. ~ Carol Ann Tomlinson
