Mrs. Tonya Swainston is a fourth grade teacher at Gladwyne Elementary School. She was one of the 75 teachers who participated in last year's Differentiated Instruction Staff Development program. Mrs. Swainston has incorporated differentiated instruction into all aspects of her teaching repertoire. According to her, as an educator, differentiated instruction is providing a successful learning environment for ALL children. This process comes from many aspects. She believes that not only should the teacher be aware of the student's learning style but also the student should be aware of his or her own learning style. "Differentiated Instruction gives children the opportunity to have choice—it allows for creativity," explains Mrs. Swainston. For example, when giving a science test, the students can choose from two versions. One is more challenging than the other—the first section on both is fill-in-the-blank, the more challenging test does not provide a word bank. Additionally, each test itself offers a variety of questions—fill-in-the-blank, true/false, multiple choice, write a sentence, write an essay(choice of topic). Another example would be her book report forms, instead of just a general outline she breaks it down for the students. It is asking for the same information but breaks it down into sections with prompting questions and space for students to take notes while reading. This helps set the students up for success. In her experience, she has found that what is good for most students isn't good for some students. However, the accommodations that are made for some students can be very good for most students. She tries to integrate these accommodations into her teaching styles and assessments. "By making these accommodations, I have found that students at all levels of the class from special needs to gifted are benefiting. Students at all levels are challenged by the work. By no means does differentiating instructions mean making assignments easier. It simply means providing students different avenues to learn and be successful." Mrs. Swainston had some familiarity with differentiated instruction before participating in the staff development program. However, the training received increased her awareness of the possibilities and made her rethink her tests and format of assignments. This motivated her to look for additional areas that needed differentiated assessment. According to her, one of the most beneficial aspects was working in groups with fellow fourth grade teachers throughout the District. She described the opportunity for collaboration as extremely meaningful. "My job as a teacher is to give students the ability to be successful so that they are proud of their work. If I haven't done that, then I haven't done my job," declares Mrs. Swainston. "Differentiated Instruction gives me the tools to set my students up for success."