How are we different? We differentiate our instruction.

Yes, school-wide our unique educational instruction provides differentiated instruction and expectations, from kindergarten through our senior class, with all subjects taught including music, math, English, science and foreign language. Every day our students have clear, measurable learning goals in each subject. Every day students read, write, and complete multi-step expectations to increase their knowledge and skills at expectations of 80% to 95% for passing grades. Every day their teachers have the ability (and expectation) to modify their daily goal if (1) it would assist the students understanding of the concept; or (2) would create greater expectations.

Teachers are required to know where each student stands in their understanding and their confidence in learning the subject by the second day of instruction. Without this knowledge, the teacher would be unable to arrive at the decisions she would need to make and where to focus the student’s instruction.

Where we would disagree with most purveyors of differentiated instruction is the idea of basing our methods of instruction to the preferred cognitive style of the student. There is a lack of evidence to justify any particular approach. Our training and teaching is built on our teachers building longer (more than a typical school year) relationships with students and their families and differentiating the instruction based on sound practices and teacher experience with the student.

Instruction, encouragement, and correction are the key focuses of our differentiated approach which compliment the above mentioned ideas of sound practice and individual knowledge of each student.

Instruction is provided through many one-on-one meetings between the teacher and the student in each subject period. This face-to-face meeting provides rich language opportunities and practice for each student and immediate accountability, encouragement, correction, and individualization of student goals.

We also may vary student objectives or performance standards. While this is quite contrary to most educational practices, it works. If, while instructing a second grade student in multi-digit addition, it is observed during the one-on-one instruction that the student is unable to recognize place value for a three-digit number, the student’s goal will immediately change to mastering the concept of three digit place value and then return to the concept of multi-digit addition. Only our student with the missing skill is affected, because each and every student in his math class most probably has their own unique goals for the day. The student’s instruction in mastering three-digit place value may involve using pencil and paper, base ten blocks, counting pieces, etc. to assist him in achieving mastery. Working towards the same daily standards and objectives is mistaken in assuming each student enjoys the same background of skills and experiences. They do not. Our differentiated approach provides challenging daily expectations for each student and immediately addresses issues and problems each student may have.

Along the road of educating our students, the differentiated approach practiced at Bios educates to the strengths and weaknesses of each student, which results in a very skilled and learned individual.