Expanding our "Teaching Menus"

“Some classes, it’s like peanut butter and jelly for lunch every single day. But in this class, it’s like my teacher really knows how to cook. It’s like she runs a really big restaurant with a big menu..."

The above is from an interview Carol Tomlinson (DI guru and my academic crush) conducted with a student. Besides her nice grasp of simile, this kid really gets the need for variety in a classroom.

I'll be the first to admit, there were plenty of days in my own classroom where PB & J was the only thing on the menu. To extend the metaphor . . . PB & J was what I was good at. I had mastered it. Plus, I liked PB & J. It was one of my own favorites.

But when I read the above quote, I am forced to ask myself: What about those students I had who didn't like PB & J (still with the metaphor here)? Maybe some who hated it? Maybe some who liked it sometimes, but were pretty sick of it when it was the only option most days? Was I providing them enough variety? Was I providing them enough "nutrients" -- what about all those other foods I could have been serving? Veggies, fruit, even the occasional ice cream?

You know what? I wasn't growing as a "chef," either. Sure, my PB & J was darn good, but what else was on the menu? I wasn't stretching myself to learn to prepare new things -- I was stuck in a comfort zone rut.

When we think about differentiation, we should embrace it as an opportunity to expand our teaching menus, to grow so that we are also running "really big restaurant[s] with . . . big menu[s]." It will benefit our students -- after all, we're trying to nourish everyone, but they don't all have to eat the same thing at the same time to get that nourishment. It will benefit us as teachers, too, enabling us to grow.

The focus of my upcoming summer workshop is how to plan this kind of "menu," including the use of different types of assessments, different options to offer our students, all while keeping their "tastes" and "dietary needs" in mind. It's still not too late to sign up -- if you're interested, and/or have questions, just let me know. Or, if you can't make the workshop, we can plan on working together in a coach/coachee capacity towards this end. 

Happy cooking!