I continue to hear about teachers' struggles with "Differentiation" versus "Ability Grouping," etc.
Of course, there is a time and place for both.
However, for me, the heart of the discussion seems to be the achieving of "High Quality Instruction" and the challenges of teaching and reaching all students.
No matter to what extent you ability group, flexibly group, choice group, force track, etc., you are still faced with 20+ students in a class who have a whole range of background knowledge, abilities, interests, and levels of engagement. There are students at the extreme ends that we seem to worry most about, but there is also a whole range in the middle of any class.
Thus, for educators, there is always this nagging need to reflect, discuss, refine, and hopefully improve instructional practice. The challenges seem daunting, but, yet, still possible.
I found the following short article interesting, especially as it was written almost ten years ago.
I especially appreciated the article because it suggests something that seems possible in all content areas and at all levels.
Mapping a Route Toward Differentiated Instruction
I hope everyone has a well deserved break,
Howie