To differentiate instruction is to recognize students' varying background knowledge, readiness, language, and preferences in learning and interests, and to react responsively.

Differentiated instruction is a process to teaching and learning for students of differing abilities in the same class. The intent of differentiating instruction is to maximize each student's growth and individual success by meeting each student where he or she is and assisting in the learning process.

(Hall, Strangman, and Meyer 2011)

As educators, we must believe that our role is not to dispense information, but to inspire and facilitate learning. When we foster genuine, positive relationships with our students and tap into our own creativity and intuition to connect with them, we become powerful conduits of positive energy to motivate learning and stimulate brain development in each and every student. I believe that this philosophy, together with content knowledge and skilled implementation of high quality strategies, is at the heart of differentiating instruction.

Motivation is the natural capacity to direct energy – through attention, concentration, and imagination - in pursuit of a goal. Learning is the active process of constructing meaning from experience and text. There is substantial evidence that motivation is consistently and positively related to educational achievement. It is important to keep in mind that all students are motivated in some way by something, although some may not be motivated to learn what a teacher has planned. The student’s motivation may be in another direction, aligned with a different goal or perspective or set of values; but in any circumstance, no matter how they may appear, learners are not inert.  (Wlodkowski 2008)

The question is: how can we make content meaningful and relevant for a diverse group of learners?

Do you know that we are born with 50 - 100 billion brain cells?

These brain cells, called neurons, are the functioning core of the brain. The body of each neuron is about one-hundredth the size of a typed period at the end of a sentence. A single neuron can connect with as many as 15,000 other neurons! These connections, called synapses, are referred to as the “circuitry” or “wiring” of the brain. By the time a child is 3 years old about 1,000 trillion connections will be formed! Nature, our heredity, and nurture, our environment, are equally important to brain development. We are born with the brain’s hardware, but the brain’s software continues to develop and mature with our life experiences. Try to make these life experiences as rich and positive as possible. The effects can last a lifetime!