Differentiating kindergarten

Abstract

A 'one size fits all' method of teaching falls short of meeting the diverse needs of students in today's classrooms. This project explores the history, philosophy, principles, and practice of differentiated instruction and discusses the planning, implementation, and results of differentiated instruction in the social/emotional, academic, and physical areas of the kindergarten curriculum. Key themes in the discussion and implementation of differentiated instruction are the developmental view of education, planning for individual differences, and using and internalizing knowledge from current research about the brain, learning, and multi-intelligences to make the paradigm shift necessary to develop attitudes and curriculum for a child-centered learning environment.