Transcript [pdf]

SHOW NOTES

Key Takeaways

• Fair does not mean equal. Differentiation ensures every student gets what they need to succeed.
• Traditional ability grouping and tracking are outdated. Inclusive educators create classrooms where all students engage in meaningful learning experiences together.
• Pushback against differentiation is common. Whether it’s students, parents, or fellow educators, having clear ways to explain differentiation is essential.
• The Emergency Room Analogy helps clarify fairness. Just like medical care is based on need, instruction should be tailored to individual learners.
• Students, educators, and even families need this conversation. Differentiation should be explained early and reinforced often.

Episode Download/Handout

Get the Differentiation Activity & 21 Ways to Talk About It at inclusiveschooling.com/download42. Inside, you’ll find:

• The “What’s Fair?” Emergency Room Activity— A ready-to-use lesson for explaining fairness and differentiation​
• 21 simple ways to talk about differentiation with students, families, and colleagues​
• Examples of how to adapt the activity for younger learners or professional development​
• A step-by-step guide for facilitating meaningful discussions on fairness​

Highlights from the Handout

• Julie’s Favorite: Fairness means giving each person what they need to succeed, not giving everyone the same.​
• Kristie’s Favorite: Learning is like climbing a mountain— some of us take different paths, but we all reach the top.​

Practical Tips

1️⃣ Use the “What’s Fair?” Activity to Spark Conversations

• Have students (or colleagues) triage 12 emergency room patients to understand why different people need different treatments.
• Use this as an anchor lesson to revisit throughout the year when students question fairness in learning.

2️⃣ Teach Students That Differentiation is Normal and Expected

• Ask: “Do all plants need the same amount of water and sunlight?” (No!)
• Frame differentiation as ensuring every student gets the right “nutrients” for their learning.

3️⃣ Model How to Talk About Differentiation

• If a student says, “Why does she get extra time on tests?” respond with, “Because fair means giving everyone what they need to succeed.”
• Reinforce the idea that everyone benefits from differentiation— it’s not about advantage, it’s about access.

4️⃣ Use Real-World Analogies to Reinforce the Message

• Sports: “Just like athletes train differently based on their sport, we all learn in different ways.”
• Art: “Artists use different brushes for different techniques— learning is the same way.”

Additional Resources

• 5 Must-Try Strategies for a More Inclusive Classroom: This blog presents practical, research-backed methods rooted in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to help educators create dynamic, empathetic, and accessible classrooms that empower all students to thrive.
• 20 More Ways to Talk About the Concept of Fairness: This handout offers educators accessible analogies and inclusive strategies to help students understand fairness as meeting individual needs rather than treating everyone the same.
• 22 Ways to Respond to Phrases Like ‘Inclusion is Not Fair to the Other Students: This handout equips educators with empathetic, research-informed responses and reflective questions to reframe inclusion as a universally beneficial, equity-driven approach rather than a burden or compromise.
• Communicating the Benefits of Inclusive Education: 20 Key Points for Families: This resource provides clear, research-based talking points to help educators reassure families that inclusive practices uphold legal rights while supporting students’ academic, social, and emotional growth in collaborative and equitable learning environments.
• What if the Student Can’t “Keep Up”?:  In this video [10:18], special education lawyer Pat Radel dispels the myth that inclusion hinges on students “keeping up,” using case law to emphasize that true inclusivity prioritizes access and meaningful participation over pace.
• What About Students with Significant Support Needs?: This video [4:20] AMA unpacks the legal obligations for supporting students with significant needs, emphasizing that all general education supports must be thoroughly considered before exploring more restrictive placements.