In the beginning....

I.
I am relieved to see this is a "roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty"approach to differentiation [pg. xii]
with the intent to push teachers out of their "comfort zones."  "It may well be that the greatest pleasure of teaching comes from learning" [pg.xiii] is a fabulous statement!  We are all lifelong learners in the process of creating lifelong learners.

II.
The hallmark I would like to concentrate on in my classroom is found on pg. 7; "the teacher uses time, space, and materials flexibly."  Being a music teacher who sees classes for 45 minute periods either once or twice a week, I find the use of time and space extremely challenging.  What would be a normal two week project in a regular classroom setting can easily become a 6 week assignment in mine.  I have worked closely with my librarian to physically move classes to a larger setting offering many more differentiated learning opportunities through the use of technology.  Involving volunteer parents would open up more possibilities as well.

III.
You have to be aware of what your students already know; in what areas individual students may be lacking knowledge and in what areas individual students excel before you can begin differentiation.  It is also important to be aware of learning styles and interests.  Pre-assessment gives you the foundation in which to build on. [pgs. 9 , 10 and 17]