Differentiation can be a contentious topic. Most educators want to reach all of their students, but the realities of how they can serve the breadth of needs in a classroom can lead to frustration. We consider the state of the national conversation by looking at a paper from Warwick (Contested Knowledge A Critical review of the Concept of Differentiation in Teaching and Learning). It argues that theoretical perspectives, policies, frameworks and the implementation of ideas relating to the technique have become conflated, because of the contested nature of the term. Later we return to math education by looking at a study using fMRI data to observe brain activity while solving math problems using different techniques (When math operations have visuospatial meanings versus purely symbolic definitions: Which solving stages and brain regions are affected?) Finally, we roll out the new Peer Review segment, in which we discuss your comments and feedback on previous episodes. We drink Skull Splitter, a strong ale from The Orkney Brewery in the United Kingdom.
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