Differentiation

        Being an effective teacher requires more than simply planning a lesson and then going through the motions in front of a class full of children.  It is about learning each and every student's needs.  It is about connecting with the students on a deeper level in order to achieve ultimate learning.  Without differentiation, none of this would be possible.  Differentiation is probably one of the most important aspects of teaching.  No 2 students are the same, so it is absolutely crucial to be able to be versatile with your students so that they all are engaged and excited to learn.
        Differentiated learning is basically breaking down a lesson into multiple different ways, so that there are other learning options for other learning styles.  This works for both different levels of instruction and simply different styles of instruction.  For example, if some of the accelerated students in the class are feeling a bit bored with the lessons, you would create a lesson plan for them that could vary in multiple ways, including adding a few more aspects to the lesson (instead of writing 3 sentences, write 5).  For the lower level students, they may receive some more individual attention, or focus on the basics of the lesson.  For example, if the lesson requires writing 3 sentences about cause and effect, they may start with simply identifying cause and effect.  They would do this until mastery and then move on to writing a few sentences.

        Differentiation may also be used for simply different styles of learning.  Regardless of level, some students may learn better visually, while others prefer a more hands-on approach.  An effective teacher would use differentiation to better serve these students.  They might come up with 2 different versions of the same lesson.  For the visual learners, they might watch a video or cartoon that demonstrates cause and effect.  After viewing this video, they can attempt to come up with their own cause and effect scenarios.  For the hands-on learners, they may act out a situation to observe the cause and effect.  For example, they might roll a ball on the floor and watch it knock over a stack of books.  By doing this action physically, it will better serve their learning needs.
        Overall, differentiation is an extremely important factor when it comes to being a successful, efficient teacher.  In the end, it all comes down to the students, so it is crucial that teachers are doing absolutely everything in their power to help them succeed.