Assessing Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of assessing is all about differentiated instruction. The chapter stressed the fact that DI is not individualized learning it is adaptive learning. The book likened DI to giving a child a pair of glasses this isn’t really fair because nobody else gets a pair but it is necessary because without them the student couldn’t do his or her work. Another example of differentiated instruction the book gave was giving the student a CD of their textbook so they could listen to the assignment instead of read it.
As a group we unanimously decided that the chapter had great merit, because it stressed the importance of using differentiated instruction to raise students to a level where they could function like anyone else in the classroom. As apposed to the alternative which is to give them an excuse to slack off. However we did have some concerns with the chapter as well in the form of the fallowing questions. If teachers know about this method and they know it works why don’t they use it? What is the line between assistance and giving the good grades away? And where is the line between fair vs. equal and fair vs. perceived favoritism?