One problem is class size: It can be hard to differentiate with a large class because when differentiation takes place most of the time students are being put into groups. When you have a lot of groups doing different things, it can be difficult to manage or teach all of the groups.
Having available resources can be another issue. Many times differentiated instruction will require the use of additional resources to help students with different learning styles or who need opportunities to experience the content in different ways. This can be troublesome for schools with low budgets and in low socioeconomic areas. To overcome this teachers will need to be resourceful and creative with the items they do have access to, or find stores or websites that give away leftover materials for free or at a low price.
Some teachers face trouble with administrative and parental support. Administrators may think that differentiation does not work and just creates a chaotic classroom. Some administrators may be very traditional and turned off by new methods in the classroom. Teachers need to communicate with their administrators and show them how test scores are improving and standards are being met with these differentiation strategies.
Teachers also need parental support. It is important for parents to know and understand how lessons are being taught to their children at school so they can reinforce these methods at home. If parents are not familiar with how the teacher is assisting their child they may undermine it or not understand it. Because of this teachers need to have strong communication with parents and make sure they have the knowledge and resources to help their children at home.
One last issue teachers might face is finding differentiated lesson planning difficult and overwhelming. If they are not familiar or not used to planning like this, they may not know where to start.
Carol Ann Tomlinson, a professor at the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education, summed up a way to answer almost all of these troubles. She explained that teachers need to be willing to develop the necessary skills, and be willing to make sure these skills mature. She encourages teachers to start off slowly and begin using these methods in small ways. "Trying to do too much too fast is likely to overwhelm and discourage us," Tomlinson says. Building these skills slowly over time will allow them to become second nature to teachers and they will then be easier to use in your classroom.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/chat/chat107.shtml
http://www.ehow.com/about_5066080_problems-differentiated-instruction.html
This was interesting to read. I am working toward my special education endorsement, so everything we do is differentiated based on the learner. Your comment on how "Many times differentiated instruction will require the use of additional resources" really rubbed me the wrong way. It is ideas like this that make teachers think that differentiating is hard- it isn't more materials, its taking what you already have and expanding. Quantity is not always quality. The other thing that caught my attention was about the administration not allowing differentiation?! Do you have any examples? Kind of startled me that some admins aren't on board for teaching students what they need to know based on where they are as a learner. Thank you for this post, it was intriguing :)
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