I can see through our discussion of differentiation that teachers need to foresee ways to differentiate, and that's not going to be easy for me. Chess requires thinking a move ahead, and I wish I were better at that. I see how good teachers can systematically collect information about their students and turn that information into a solution before the problem really emerges. I am not one of those!!! At least by nature. I tend to react to situations when they're bad, not foreseeing potential difficulties.
When the stakes are high -- that's the key. When the information is important enough, it should be as "proactive and deliberately planned as possible." Just looking into the future for my classes this fall, the stakes are going to be high for my seniors who will still struggle with writing. That's one group I will need to be proactive with. They will have to pass a writing competency to graduate and move themselves out of my class. I'm going to think of ways I can proactively differentiate for them in particular. It should yield some interesting results. Hopefully I'll be shouting 'check mate' this winter!
I love the way you have analyzed this on a personal basis. And, I love the analogy to chess -- it's such a vivid way to express your understanding! I believe I am similar... looking ahead and looking intensely and deeply do not come naturally to me. I can give you a testimonial plug for Carol Tomlinson's books, which, after multiple readings, have begun to make a dent on my natural inclinations. It sounds like you are already moving toward the change it takes to differentiate!
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