Education policies should be specifically tailored so as to encourage and promote enhanced learning initiatives in educational institutions and students. It is imperative that educational curriculums are aligned at the district, state and national level and throughout progressive grade levels (Wormeli, 2006). In order to achieve this, a number of steps need to be followed and certain measures should be implemented such as differentiation of instructions for the purpose of supporting the different learning needs of each student.
In order to do this, teachers must gain an understanding of the readiness of each student to work with different mathematical concepts. Moreover, they should also be able to determine the interests and learning preferences of each student (Tomlinson, 2001). For example, if a student learns better through number illustrations then the teacher should provide the ideal environment to foster learning in the specific child while also maintaining that the learning efficiencies of the other children is not affected.
It is also important to devise a repertoire of assessment and instructional strategies which the teacher must refer to for meeting diverse learning needs of each student. An assessment of the students before and after the learning session is essential in differentiated learning as it allow the teacher to determine which students are having trouble with the practiced teaching methods (Wormeli, 2006). This will encourage the teachers to make the required and necessary changes in the teaching strategy in order to foster enhanced learning.
Teachers can then use a grading rubric to determine how effectively individual students have grasped key mathematical concepts that were crucial to the learning outcomes. One of the most essential instruments of differentiation of instructions is the promotion of flexibility in teaching methods as well as among learning groups (Weissberg, et al., 2003). This way, instructional plans are open to changes as per the needs of learners. Therefore differentiation of instructions forms a major component of an effective learning initiative.
Professional development is also crucial to the success of a curriculum initiative since teachers play an integral role in ensuring that the learning outcomes are accomplished. To ensure that effective district-wide and school-wide practices are adopted, it is imperative that teachers are given adequate training and guidance so that they realize the important role that they play in the success of the initiative (Tomlinson, 2001). Also, old-school, traditional and pedagogic teaching methods should be strictly discouraged and newer more innovative ...