One classroom. Ten different starting points. How do you teach students with different levels of preparation, confidence, and experience without creating ten different courses? In this episode of The What & Who of EDU, ten educators share practical teaching strategies for reaching a wider range of learners. From prioritizing essential concepts and refreshing prerequisite knowledge to offering different levels of challenge, accessible materials, and flexible ways to demonstrate understanding, these are ideas instructors can put to work right away.

You’ll also hear why predictable flexibility matters, how to adjust when expectations don’t match students’ preparation, and why one-on-one conversations remain so important in an AI-enabled classroom. Because students don’t all start in the same place. And teaching doesn’t have to pretend they do.

Brought to you by Macmillan Learning.

10 Tips

1:15 Teach Less. Make More Stick.

4:15 Ditch the One-Size-Fits-All Mindset

7:03 Make Flexibility Predictable

9:44 Review Without Rewinding the Class

12:16 Find the Just-Right Challenge

15:41 One Concept. Multiple Ways to Get It.

18:00 Give Students More Ways In

20:23 Let Students Show It Their Way

22:46 Adjust When Expectations Meet Reality

24:15 Make Time for What AI Can’t Do

Featured Educators

Dr. Ryan Herzog is an Associate Professor of Economics, Program Coordinator, and Faculty Fellow at Gonzaga University, where he has been teaching for 16 years. His work focuses on macroeconomics, financial markets, and public policy.

Rebecca Whittaker Matte is a Professor of Education at Landmark College with over 30 years of experience supporting neurodivergent students in college and career transitions.. A champion of strengths-based approaches to learning, she helps students develop meta-cognition, self-awareness and self-advocacy skills so they can harness their natural strengths.

Dr. Christin Monroe is an Educational Research Associate at the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She previously taught Chemistry at Landmark College with a focus on supporting neurodivergent learners through inclusive and innovative teaching practices.

Dr. Daniel M. Look is the Charles A. Dana Professor of Mathematics at St. Lawrence University. He’s spent over 25 years trying to convince students that math is not only useful, but occasionally fun. He authored Math Cats: Scratching the Surface of Mathematics.

Dr. Kevin Revell teaches chemistry at Murray State University, with experience that spans high school, community college, and state flagship institutions. He is the author of several leading textbooks, including Macmillan Learning’s Introductory Chemistry and General Chemistry.

Dr. Jennifer Ripley Stueckle has spent the past 17 years as a Teaching Professor and Non-Majors Biology Program Director at West Virginia University. She has taught introductory biology, immunology and human physiology. She also created biology courses offered through dual enrollment at West Virginia high schools.

Betsy Langness is the Psychology Department Head at Jefferson Community and Technical College, where she has worked for more than 20 years. She teaches general and developmental psychology courses in a virtual, asynchronous environment.

Dr. Sara Lahman is a biologist, educator, and curriculum designer with over a decade of experience in STEM education, program development, and learning design. As a Professor of Biology at the University of Mount Olive, she’s created courses that align student learning outcomes with professional and market needs.

Dr. Edward Lee is an Instructional Associate Professor and Director of Service Laboratories at Texas A&M University in the Department of Chemistry. His research is related to synthetic organic chemistry and its application towards biological systems.

Jennifer Duncan is an Associate Professor of English at Georgia State University’s Perimeter College. Jennifer has been teaching English literature and composition for 25 years and specializing in online teaching for 15.

Join the Conversation

What’s one change you’ve made to reach students with different levels of preparation? Share your teaching tip at [email protected].

Know an instructor who’s teaching one class to what feels like seventeen different academic universes? Send them this episode. They could probably use the company.