Inside The Classroom: How Geo-Prep Mid City Uses Differentiated Instruction

“My personal philosophy is that all students can grow,” said Monique LeFlore-Collins, “Some kids learn differently than others, but growth is always an option.” Collins is a teacher and mentor at Geo Prep Mid City, a local K-8 charter school focusing on preparatory education that ensures “all roads lead to college” for every student. Even at the elementary level, each classroom has a representation of a college to remind students of the opportunities ahead.

Collins works with younger children, teaches first-grade ELA, and mentors other teachers at Geo Prep in mathematics. As a mentor, Collins coaches teachers in differentiated instruction. According to Stanford, “differentiated instruction involves teaching in a way that meets the different needs and interests of students using varied course content, activities, and assessments.”

Geo Prep Mid-City utilizes this type of instruction by giving students lessons at an individualized pace. Collins explains what this looks like in the classroom:

“Say you have a red, blue, and green group. For your red group, you might put emphasis on different things and give them individual resources and different examples. Even if it’s not up to the standard, I expect to see some growth.”

Incorporating movement and choice into instruction is another critical component of Collins’ teaching style that pairs with differentiated instruction. She creates a dynamic and interactive classroom environment by allowing students to move around classroom stations and make choices about their learning activities. This approach enhances engagement and caters to unique learning styles to help students thrive.

Geo-Prep also embeds experiences into their curriculum, including Saturday School, Writing Blitz, Burst, Glow Party, and morning interventions. These extra student/teacher touchpoints are fun ways to help students read, write, and prepare for the DIBELS Test. “We want them to see that we care and can have fun,” said Collins.

To learn more about Geo Prep Mid City and enroll today, visit geoprepmc.org.