Today, in the lesson (E-Day procedures) with the sophomores I was asked the same question twice. I was helping the students with "critical/analytical annotations" and a student asks me the difference between "revisionist perspective" and "conventional perspective". I explained what it meant and I pointed out its relevance in the context. Even though he said he understood, I showed him another reading (from one of the junior decolonization packets) and how the words were used in that context as well.
A couple of minutes later, another student calls me over and asks the same question. But, the way I went about answering her was very different to my approach to the first student. I felt that if I simply "answered" her question, it would go straight over her head. So, instead, I asked her questions based on the content of the reading to try and "push her" to answer her own questions.
I think this experience was valuable for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I had not planned any of it, yet it came to me naturally. This really encouraged me because I was - to some extent - feeling that differentiating on a student-by-student for an entire class was impossible! But, in fact, it isn't the "monster" I was expecting it to be at all. Also, I feel I learned a lot simply from being aware that was differentiating. If I were to have had this experience a month ago, I might not have taken as much from it, because I would not have been conscious of what I was doing and why my reaction to each student's question was different. Because of my previous conversations and readings, I felt my brief experience turned out to be a meaningful moment in my early teaching experiences.
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