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Adopting the one size fits all approach mindset is not beneficial for both teacher and students. As teachers, we need to help our students learn better. We can apply DI through many ways. I also learnt that we can roll out DI slowly in small steps.

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DI seems like an insurmountable task for beginning teachers such as myself, especially when there are so many factors we need to be aware of. But through this lesson, I've learnt that DI is not just a task to complete, but a tool to better our teaching and learning for our students. When intentionally planned, it will provide every student with a platform for learning in a way that they are comfortable with. I've also learnt that it is okay to "roll out" DI in the classroom in small chunks/steps, and to take our time to learn slowly :)

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Every learner is different in many of learning such as in their learning styles and learning capabilities, learning interests etc. and rote learning does not apply to everyone. The path in learning shouldn't take a 1 size fits all approach and should be customised for different students as much as possible.

DI does not have to be done in a way where learning is micromanaged and so customised for each student though. It can be done in general groupings to ease the load in daily lessons. Also, what I learnt is that DI groupings can be flexible -- students are able to cross groups whenever it suits their learning purposes.

Another aspect of DI that I had as my takeaway is that the planning process does not have to be shouldered by us individually. Coming together with other colleagues to plan the DI tasks can be more effective and also covers our own blindspots in the planning process

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I have learnt the importance of DI, how effective it is and how to differentiate instruction and
curriculum to student readiness, interests and profiles. An important takeaway will be that we cannot follow the traditional one-size-fits-all model as every child is different and has different learning needs. In order for them to learn better, we must differentiate lessons accordingly catering to them. Previously, I only knew how to DI according to learners' profiles but now I know how to DI according to readiness level and interest. This differentiation strategy allows children to grow and feel empowered at their own pace.

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I first stumbled upon term DI during my UT stint and I had the privilege of learning a little more of DI from Dr Goh Su Fen at AST. Although it was just a sneak peak into DI as a UT trying my hands at implementing DI was a long and daunting task. The pre lesson survey to gather my students interest level, to designing a lesson to assess their readiness level and thereafter figuring out which aspects of the lesson would I want to apply DI to and how do I want to carry out DI within the classroom.

The preparation leading up to the lesson proper seemed tiresome and I honestly felt very alone and clueless as to how it will even help my students.  Fast forward and learning more about DI - I know understand that DI is not always a task taken on alone. It can be a collaborated effort with like minded peers.  With more hands on deck the way we view our lessons and the ideas we can come up with is multiplied.

Now during my TA, I have seen DI put into action and the results have yielded much benefit especially amongst the lower progress students. They are better able to contribute and feel they have a place and value within the classroom.

Of course DI is not for everything and anything. DI is best used with intentionality and for areas that students need most support it.

DI can be done to change content,process or product for students to learn better. DI must be done with the students interest and readiness level at the back of our minds.

I feel that it’s always easier to modify and scaffold worksheets and content but harder to implement other aspects of DI like flexible grouping or differentiated instruction and accountable talk.

I feel as beginning teachers it’s often so easy to lose sight and peg your classroom standards and teachings to those around you but I think practising kindness towards your own efforts is also key in surviving the initial phase of teaching.

It’s okay if we can’t do everything all at once. It’s more important to reach out and seek support from your colleagues.

DI may be new to everyone so we are all learning from each other.

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My main takeaway from DI is that it can be done through collaboration with our colleagues to overcome the main hurdle of the extra work we need to put in. Knowing the profile our classes would help us cater to their needs so that we can give them a more curated lesson. There are many benefits to DI and one that is in line with my teaching philosophy is to have an inclusive classroom. Making sure that my students’ school experience empowers them would be made easier by incorporating DI to play into each of their strengths.

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DI can come off very daunting, especially since it is catered foe specific groups of learners for different subjects and topics. However, by working together with the teachers in the department i believe it is possible to work out a possible DI set to incorporate into class lessons to help bridge our students with their understanding and ensure that they achieve the learning that challenges them sufficiently.
However it was interesting to recall how during my UT stint I was unknowingly creating DI worksheets for my students already, not knowing that there was a specific theory on it. I hope that I can continue to harness that sort of inspiration to continue supporting my students.

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I learnt that DI is an essential aspect of lesson planning and instead of seeing it as an additional thing, we should try to make it part of our teaching philosophy.

However, the points about it being extremely time consuming to DI for the countless learner profiles in our classes of 40 students are extremely valid as well.

Even seasoned teachers who have been teaching for tens of years are saying that they struggle to implement DI into their lessons.

Thus, I feel that it is a steep learning curve that has to be taken one step at a time. This is especially so when we are still student teachers and to be BTs.

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Initially, there seemed to be many factors that made DI seem daunting to many of us. However I have learnt that DI can be applied progressively, one aspect at a time. We can DI based on the content, process or product. Furthermore, DI can be planned effectively when we collaborate with other teachers. We don't have to take on the whole task alone! As a beginner teacher, I hope that I will be able to incorporate some aspects of DI in my lessons, whether it be having group work or worksheets of different levels of difficulty.

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With DI, we can ensure that the students do not compromise standards and also reach their potential. Nevertheless, in the interest of time, DI might not always be possible in the classroom. However, if time permits, learning objectives can be differentiated for students with different abilities to help the maximise their learning. We can group students with different interests, readiness and learning profile to optimise the learning conditions for the students if possible. This also allows them to experience different working styles and foster relationships with one another, thereby creating a positive classroom environment for effective learning. During the TA stint, I have seen how DI also empowers students as they feel the sense of accomplishment when they are able to fulfil the task based on their abilities. It is a great way to encourage and motivate students to strive for more.

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My main takeaway is what Dr Liz mentioned and repeated. If you do not differentiate, your students will be at loss. And I see that every time a teacher do not do DI. I see lower progress students sitting in a mixed ability class looking so disengaged. When I ask him or her why you are not paying attention, he does not understand anything. A P2 student can’t pronounce the word ‘tired’. How do you expect the student to understand chunks of text. My heart really goes out to them. Yet, it is difficult. When a teacher is inundated with committee responsibilities, CCA and life in general, how does a teacher differentiate every lesson? We try to do the small things like giving scaffolded worksheets or group work or even a different method to showcase understanding. We must also really understand the needs of the student. If you give scaffolded worksheets but that does not meet the needs of the student, it will really waste your efforts. Hence, the retrofit approach would be useful for me in the future.

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DI seemed like a daunting task back when I was a UT. However, after learning the theories and components in which DI can be executed as well as how my EL CT uses it in her lessons, I do feel that DI can be applied in my classroom. I think that it is important to note that as we wreck our brains to include DI into our lessons, we can always turn to our colleagues for help. By taking small steps at a time, we can slowly train our brains to be able to include DI into our lessons naturally.

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I thought it was very apt for us to learn about DI these few weeks as I saw how my CTs make use of DI in class during my TA and saw what is done well and what can be improved. I also experienced firsthand the considerations and difficulties that comes along with DI. I really like the idea of DI as a means of providing platforms for students to experience success and promoting a growth mindset.

Something I really took away from the DI lesson is to ensure that students do not feel associated with just one particular group. This can be minimised through flexible grouping. I feel that merging DI with flexible grouping allows students to be more empowered in their learning, as they can be grouped by their interests, readiness, and learning profile. This allows them to feel supported and also builds on a positive classroom culture as we can develop SSR through this. This would go a long way in encouraging students' participation.

As a beginning teacher, I recognise that implementing DI would be challenging. However, I do believe in DI as I think it is a way to include and support all my students and empower their learning process. Hence, I would start small, differentiating just one or a few components to establish the norm of DI in the class. Eventually, as the students and I get more comfortable, more DI can then be done.

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As a student teacher, DI may seem difficult to apply and be used for our lessons. Therefore, from the videos, I can see that collaborating and having conversations with other teachers on using DI for the lessons could help us in planning a lesson with DI. We may not be able to successfully apply DI throughout all our lessons, but we can start with a small step. Also, we have to reflect on our lessons after we have conducted it so that we will know which areas we can improve on.

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I think it is important to be intentional with DI. As we understand our students' needs better, we need to use that knowledge and incorporate it into our teaching. DI does not necessarily need to take place all the time in all aspects, but it can. DI is not just a tool to scaffold worksheets, but should be used in all areas, such as teacher talk, questioning techniques, flexible groupings, learning centres, small group/whole class teaching, feedback and even assessment. As long as we are intentional in the use of DI, our efforts will go a long way even if it requires more time.

It is also important to remember that as beginning teachers, we may not be aware of all the tools/strategies available, so we should continue to look to senior or more experienced teachers for advice. In conclusion, DI is not just a single strategy on its own, but a way of teaching that I will strive to adopt.

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I have learned that DI can be done not just through process, content and products, it can also be done by learning environment to meet the diverse needs of our students. We should vary our mode of instructions from time to time i.e. individual, pair work and group work and consider flexible groupings to better enable our students to meet the learning goals. Finally, students are not blank slate. Bringing in their experiences during group discussions can be fruitful as seen in the discussion theme of USS in the video.

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Throughout the first week of TA, I reflected on the class profile and how it affects the selection of lesson objectives, instructional strategies and activities. Today's videos also emphasise the learners' profile and how the planning should address the learning needs. DI is a strategy to optimise the content, process, environment and product of the lesson to better suit the needs of the students.

One of the takeaways from the videos is probably that implementing DI requires collaborative efforts from teachers, whether they are directly involved in the planning of the lessons or sharing their reflections about what was right and what went wrong. I think this is because there is no fixed formula for DI, and teachers have to be flexible and open to implementing this according to their students' profiles. Discussions and sharing within the fraternity are essential to maximising the benefit that DI can have in our students' learning.

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I have learned that DI can be applied in the Primary classroom. For beginning teachers, we can do that progressively, by differentiating one element at a time. For example, we can start by differentiating the worksheet used.
More importantly, DI is not just the tricks, it is a mindset that can be the seed planted in our minds during our time in NIE. When we are still struggling with planning lessons and passing practicum, DI might seem a bit far-fetched. However, as we become more experienced and confident with time, I am sure most of us who seek personal realization will try different ways to teach more effectively, and DI will certainly be one of the things to try out.

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I learnt that DI can be applied to the content, process and product. During my teaching stint, I had only differentiated the content for learners of different readiness levels. As such, I was made more aware of the different ways of DI through this lesson.

I have seen how DI can help students with different needs blossom into the best versions of themselves. As such, I would like to keep DI in mind such that whenever I do my lesson planning, I hope to be able to incorporate at least some aspects of DI into my lessons.

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"Don't see DI as a giant monster...it should be part of the process of lesson planning...see DI as a way of thinking."
-- Dr Liz (paraphrased by me)

The conversations have brought up our apprehension on the sustainability of practising DI in our local classroom setting, where class size is relatively huge and there is no teaching assistant (even if there is, their hands are busy with children with SEN). Nonetheless, I would like to see this as a beginning and consciously plan my lessons in a way that can cater to the diverse needs within my classroom to maximise engagement and learning for all, leaving no child behind.