During the course of this and the previous course I learned and researched the importance of differentiated instruction. It's not a new concept at all, maybe just a new term. Let's take a one-room school, years ago. There were no separate grade levels. Everyone was in the same classroom with a teacher, and the teacher taught to meet the needs of every student in the room. This was differentiated instruction; they just didn't know it at the time. Differentiated instruction comes from the belief that there are differences among students, in how they learn, in their learning preferences, and interests. “The aim of schools should be to maximize the abilities of all students. Differentiated thinking allows teachers to be responsive rather than reactive to the unique and individual personalities, backgrounds, and abilities present in students. "(Anderson). Through my experiences, research, and evaluation, I will analyze the importance and effects of differentiated instruction. In 2004, I landed a position as an interpreter for the deaf at a local high school. This was my first taste of the education system. I continued to work there as a sole interpreter for three years. Working as an interpreter, I was simply a conduit for the language. I was there to break the language barrier and it was against my own code of ethics do something different than that. I wanted more. I wanted to be able to help my students and make a difference in their lives. In 2007 I moved to San Antonio, Texas, where I was hired as a teaching assistant for the Northside Independent School District in their regional deaf school program After working there for…half of the job…thinking allows teachers to be reactive rather than reactive to unique and individual personalities, backgrounds, and abilities. present in students. (Anderson) Works Cited Anderson, K. (2007). Teaching Tips: Differentiate instruction to include all students. Prevent school failure. 51(3), 49-54. Retrieved from the Comprehensive Academic Research Database.Benjamin, A. (2006). Enhance differentiated instruction. Education Digest, 72(1), 57-59. Retrieved from the Academic Search Complete database. McQuarrie, L., McRae, P., Stack-Cutler, H. (2008). Provincial review of differentiated teaching research. Edmonton: Alberta Initiative for School Improvement. Rock, M., Gregg, M., Ellis, E., Gable, R. A. (2008). REACH: a framework for differentiating classroom instruction. Prevent school failure, 52(2), 31-57.