BRITISH ONLINE CONFERENCE (DAY 3)

PLANNING FOR DIFFERENTIATION

Rachael Roberts

Differentiation is about identifying and addressing the different needs, interest and abilities of all learners to give them the best possible chance of achieving their learning goals. In what ways are learners different? They differ in image, background, personality, etc.

1.      Differentiating by outcomes

A task is more differentiation friendly when:

a.        It is open

b.      It provides choices in terms of challenge

c.       It provides choices in terms of quantity

d.      It allows for personalization, or ‘speaking from within’

e.       It requires interaction with other

2.      Differentiation by task

The teacher should give support and challenge.

In Reading:

·         Support: (1) Give the students the answers in a jumbled order, with a few distracters. (2) Make open question multiple choices

·         Challenge: Select three new items vocabulary, look them up in their dictionaries and write the up on the board, with definitions.

In Writing:

·         Support: Give a model or example before they start writing.

Reduce the word limit

·         Challenge: Students to use a variety of linkers (not too many tough)

Increase the word limit

In Speaking:

·         Support: Give students time to rehearse or plan their ideas.

Elicited and practice the language they will be using beforehand

·         Challenge: Ask students to justify their opinions.

3.      Differentiation by teaching method

GROUPING and PAIRING

An activity which involves group or pair work is likely to differentiate more effectively because student can work at their own level and support each other and learn from each other

Classroom dynamic: Allocate one group member (either a dominant or shy member) to take notes while the others talk and then feed back to the class at the end.

Questioning technique (Bloom Taxonomy):

a.       Mastery Tasks

Mastery tasks can be mastered by all learners, they are straightforward-you may ask a learner to describe something or define something.

b.      Developmental Tasks

Developmental task is more stretching and requires a deep understanding. These kinds of questions might ask the students to judge or critically appraise for example.