Why Classrooms Need Differentiation

Differentiation means adjusting your method of teaching to meet the diverse learning needs of students in your classroom.

When God created Adam and Eve, he gave them the genetic diversity that resulted not only in the many people groups we observe around the world after the Babel event, but that also resulted in people with a wide range of giftings, personalities, proclivities, and abilities. Because every person is a unique blessing from the Lord, every student in your classroom is a unique learner. Differentiation means adjusting your method of teaching to meet the diverse learning needs of students in your classroom.

The greatest teacher of all, Jesus Christ, differentiated his own teaching methods throughout his ministry. He used stories to illustrate a point: the prodigal son and his brother contrasted humble repentance with arrogant self-righteousness, all in light of the father’s steadfast love and grace (Luke 15). He used tangibles, such as a coin, to teach his disciple to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s (Matthew 22:21). He sometimes taught candidly and other times in parables. He gave his disciples tasks and later used those tasks to teach a point.

Too often, students suffer from the sit-and-get method of instruction, which is a disservice to most students who need to interact with the material in various tangible and oral ways to really begin comprehending it.

We practice good stewardship of our students when we acknowledge their individual learning needs and adjust our materials and methods accordingly.