The Difference in Differentiation

In class this week, the topic of differentiation has been discussed. This is something I find really intriguing, but also really hard to achieve. I don't really know what I'm teaching, let alone how I can alter my lesson to meet all the varying needs of students! In fact, in one of my classes I was told that it can take years for us to get good at differentiation.

It is often stressed to us the importance of differentiation within our curriculum. Jokingly, one of my fellow classmates raised the point that if differentiation is so important, how come there is no differentiation in the university curriculum?

This may seem like a stupid idea at first, but after I thought about it I realised that this was an interesting question; why isn't there differentiation in university, or higher education in general? I have different needs compared to my classmates, yet I am expected to complete the exact same work, following the same processes with the exact same outcomes.

For example: one of my current assignments requires me to make a video recording of me demonstrating certain skills on a computer. This involves me filming my computer screen, while narrating, and then editing the film. I have absolutely NO IDEA how to do this as I am not 'tech savvy', whereas some of my other classmates are and will excel in the assignment. I know all the skills I need to know for this assignment, I am just unable to demonstrate them in the form the assignment requires me to.

So this poses another question; is there are 'line' where differentiation stops? And does differentiation actually help in the long run?

There is a strong focus in differentiation in the primary years. Eventually, all my lessons will be differentiated in some way. There is still a presence of differentiation in high school, but not under such a strong focus. So after you finish high school, are you simply expected to complete the same work and processes as everyone else, after having work altered for you all your life?

There is no differentiation out in the 'real world' so by altering our curriculums to meet the 'needs' of our students, are we helping them, or in fact setting them up for failure later on, such as in university. And why does differentiation stop the moment you leave school?

Differentiation is by no means easy, but I hope I will be able to find the balance between differentiation that is useful and differentiation that is damaging in the long run.

I think I have some more research to do.......