DI chapters 1-7

I just realized that I did not do this last week so I am doing it now.
"we cannot reach the mind we do not engage"
This statement made me think of a couple of classrooms I was placed in last year. I noticed a few struggling students in the classroom. At the time I thought the students were struggling due to a lack of understanding (which may be true) but now I see it may have been due to a lack of engagement. I noticed that these same students who were the least engaged got into the most trouble as well. Coincidence? I think not. If a classroom differentiates instruction according to a student's needs and strengths I do not see how they could not be engaged. Children's minds are all different. They have different interests which is why there are so many varied jobs in the world. By discovering what the students are interested in and encouraging them and giving them opportunities to explore and show off their strengths we are teaching them that they are worthwhile learners and that they can be successful at school. If we allow all of the students to express excitement about their strengths inevitably the students will help each other in their weaknesses. It is no wonder so many students are discouraged in the classroom when so much emphasis is on remediating flaws rather than celebrating strengths. Differentiation is a way of proving to each student that they CAN learn, they CAN enjoy it and they CAN be successful.