Differentiation

In order to understand the Bridges Academy twice exceptional educational model, it is important to fully understand the breadth and depth of the concept and practice of differentiation, not to be confused with accommodations. Traditional accommodations are imbedded in the practice of differentiation, but differentiation is broader and takes more factors into consideration.

Bridges Academy begins the process of differentiation by creating individual student profiles that serve to inform our classroom instruction. These profiles include detailed descriptions of each student’s specific learning style, learning issues, strengths and deficits, intellectual, social, emotional and behavioral profile, and suggested strategies and techniques to address both the giftedness and learning difficulties of our students. These profiles are academic history, achievement scores, psychological and neurological testing, school district recommendations (if an Individual Education Program is in place), recommendations from a student’s professional support group, etc.

Because our students’ learning needs reflect both gifts and weaknesses, we provide a learning curriculum that is dually differentiated, as we modify content, process, product, and environment accordingly.

Content Differentiation

At Bridges, content differentiation is based both on readiness (instructional level) and on student interest. All classes offer challenging curriculum that encourages higher-level thinking to assure that these bright young minds are intellectually engaged. However, not all students in a particular grade are at the same readiness level in particular subject areas, nor do they have the same levels of interest in any given content area. To address these differences, we offer content differentiation. It includes, but is not limited to, providing students with:

In addition, we often provide options for inquiry within the curricular unit to allow for student interests.

Process Differentiation

Process differentiation refers to the strategies we use to support student learning. These strategies are purposely designed to align with a student’s:

Teachers use a variety of instructional strategies to provide instructional support to students. Among these strategies are lecture and discussion, multi-media approaches, simulations, role playing, small group work, use of manipulatives, and experiential learning. In addition, teachers make technology, visual organizers, and untimed testing opportunities available to all students as needed.

Product Differentiation

At Bridges, we see product differentiation as an opportunity to develop the talents of our students. By giving students options to express what they know in a way that aligns with their talent areas, we get to see our students engaged, thoughtful, and productive. For example, in the middle school, teachers offer project choices that appeal to the musician, the artist, the writer, and the engineer, to name a few. In the high school, students often design multi-media presentations that integrate their talents and interests. These projects provide one form of assessment among many in an integrated differentiated approach.

Environment Differentiation

Finally, we offer modifications in the learning environment. Because we have the luxury of small class size at Bridges, we can arrange the physical space and the furniture of the classroom to support varied attention levels and learning styles. We encourage students to seek a spot (a soft chair, desk, or floor space) in the classroom where they are best able to pay attention. If they need to pace back and forth in order to stay engaged, they are allowed to do so, whether they are working independently or in a group. Fidgets are readily available to all students to help them stay focused. Any student can put on headphones, use other technology, or even leave the class to work in a quiet setting if necessary.

Differentiation strategies include: