DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION AND ACTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

The participants populating our schools are becoming more diverse. They are coming from different cultures and have different learning styles. They also have different interests and different levels of maturity. As technical teachers, we frequently teach a blend of theoretical and applied engineering topics. Our goal is to provide our students with the skills and knowledge they need to safely and accurately accomplish their jobs to high standards of quality in a cost effective manner. Central to providing effective instruction is knowing something about how people learn. The more we know about the learning process the more effective we can be in designing and delivering appropriate instruction. A one-size-fits-all teaching method lacks the flexibility needed to challenge and encourage learning in today's effective teaching programs. "Differentiated instruction, often referred to as universal design, is a teaching and learning style that is the result of neuroscience research on how the human brain processes and retains new information".