ABSTRACT

Through personal teaching experience, educational courses in early childhood studies, and research, the educational approach to differentiated learning has been adapted as a philosophy of early childhood education. This philosophy is reflected in Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory that the main tenet lies in the social, interactional relationship between the students and the teacher (McLeod, 2022). Children come to the classroom with different strengths, interests, needs, and experiences. Differentiated learning allows the teacher to meet children where they are academically. This philosophy of teaching allows the teacher to introduce new activities and ideas to challenge each child at the right level. Differentiation means that the teacher tailors the instruction to meet the individual needs of each child. This might include differentiating content, process, products, or the learning environment. Additional considerations for differentiated learning include the context of family, culture, and community to help each child feel accepted in the classroom and to assist each child with their different learning abilities (NAEYC, 2011). Substantiated by Bloom's taxonomy, the teacher is encouraged to categorize activities and questions by the level of complexity to extend children's learning and challenge their thinking. This educator believes that the goal of early childhood education is to prepare children to be successful learners for life.