”We’re born to be players, not pawns.”  — Daniel Pink

“Any system which cannot or will not adjust to and meet the needs of every individual becomes a destructive system”.  — David Aspy and Flora Roebuck

“When students are given the choice to learn, it’s more likely they will want to learn.”  — Ashley M., student

Once we understand the importance of differentiated learning, we need to create classroom structures to make it happen.  These structures should customize the learning experience of every student. They should respond to each student’s learning needs and provide the scaffolding for students to make good choices.  If a student takes longer than her peers to grasp new concepts or learn new skills, she will be able to continue working. If another student has already mastered the material, she will be able to move on to more challenging work.      

Giving students this flexibility requires rethinking the nature of homework and classwork.  There must be a structure that allows the teacher to introduce new material to the whole class, while also letting each student work at her own pace.  What is needed is a learning contract.  

In any class, some activities are best done together.  However, there are also moments when learning needs to be desynchronized, when the one-size-size-fits all approach needs to be replaced with something that is responsive to the needs of the students. During open work time, where students are doing different things at the same time, a learning contract can clearly define what activities are available so students can make good choices.

Like legal contracts, learning contracts define the working relationship between two parties: the individual student and the teacher.  Contracts establish a new level of independence and responsibility for each student and free the teacher from controlling every aspect of the student’s experience.