Students learn in different ways and at different levels. To meet the needs of all students, effective teachers incorporate learning preferences and differentiated instruction into daily lessons. With this knowledge of effective teaching, we incorporated these principles during our student teaching experience. This study was completed using a qualitative self-study approach and included varying data collection methods such as learning style inventories, field notes, relevant assignments, student work, and student teaching evaluations. Throughout our student teaching experience, we found that a consciousness of students\u27 ability levels and learning preferences influenced their engagement with the material. However, we noticed two tensions. Offering students a variety of assignment options sometimes causes some students to work more strenuously than others to receive the same grade. Also, learning style inventories do not provide a full insight into learning preferences. Overall, planning lessons with attention to learning preference and differentiation is an effective practice, and we will continue to research ways to bring these strategies into our classrooms
