Differentiation In The Regular Classroom

What is differentiation?

‘The process by which differences between learners are accommodated so that all students in a group have the best

possible chance of learning’.Training and Development Agency For Schools

Why Differentiate?

• We have 24 kids in a class at our school and each student has his/her own learning style.

• Sometimes there are special services at school for students with specific learning needs but oftentimes it is left up to the regular classroom teacher to accommodate for them.

• Sometimes we feel overwhelmed at the thought of differentiating for all these needs and we don’t know where to start.

• But what would life be like for some students without differentiation?

• Three Things to think about when

creating differentiated lessons for

your students:

– Readiness to learn

– Learning needs

– Interest

How Can We Can Differentiate?

Tasks• One way we can differentiate for varied learning needs is by designing

tasks to meet all these needs at the same time e.g.:

– Produce different sets of worksheets for students at varying levels of ability.

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– Produce worksheets/tasks that gradually become more difficult.

– Develop tasks where students can choose their method of completion e.g. a

poster for those who are good at art, a video for verbal communicators, an

essay for those who like to write etc.

– Use computer generated activities that cater to various levels of ability/learning

styles.

Grouping

• Collaborative learning has many benefits for students in

the classroom.

– Small mixed ability groupings help weaker students receive

peer support while stronger students have the opportunity

to express their thoughts and ideas , do peer modeling, and

build confidence in their ability.

– Small homogeneous groupings allow you to target the needs

of each individual group.

– Study buddies also have a positive effect on both students

involved.

Resources • Some students may need more advanced materials than others e.g. worksheets and

reading passages.

• Technology is an amazing resource that aids differentiation in the classroom e.g. Raz-

Kids for reading, Microsoft Word for writing, and Sheppard Software and IXL for math.

• Using manipulatives also helps some students learn better as they have concrete

items to hold on to. This is especially the case for kinesthetic and tactile learners.

• Using graphic organizers and scaffolds also give weaker students stepping stones on

which to build their skills.

• Differentiation of this kind allows a wide spectrum of materials to be used to attain a

single learning outcome.

Pace• Why differentiate pace?

• When differentiation is used in lesson planning, the available

time is used flexibly to meet all students’ learning needs.

• Faster/stronger students can be given additional/extension

activities to work on so that their time is not wasted waiting on

slower/weaker students e.g. independent whiteboard/

flashcard/challenge activities in math, and comprehension

question extensions/summarization tasks in reading.

• Weaker/slower students’ tasks can be shortened to meet their

needs and ensure that they are not overwhelmed.

Outcome

• This is when all students perform the same task

and a variety of outcomes is acceptable.

• Here a teacher sets an open ended assignment

and students are asked to complete it any way

they can .e.g. Write all you know about….

• Note that a clear set of guideline is needed to

make this method of differentiation work.

Dialogue And Support In the Classroom

• Here teachers determine their students’ individual learning needs

and tailor their language and support to meet these individual needs.

• E.g. an ELL student may need a simple, straightforward explanation

of a concept with visual support whereas an advanced student may

need an in depth explanation with complex vocabulary.

• The teacher may also use more targeted questioning during whole

class activities and debates to ensure that both advanced and

weaker students’ needs are met.

• Verbal support and encouragement are also very important to both

advanced and weaker students as sometimes teachers have a

tendency to focus on the attributes of the advanced while forgetting

the achievements of the weaker/average students and vice versa.

Assessment

Assessment• In a differentiated classroom

assessment should not take place at

the end of learning but on an ongoing

basis so that teaching and

differentiated methods can be

adjusted according to students’ needs.

Assessment IdeasHere are some ways that assessments can be differentiated:

– Shorten/lengthen tests for various learners

– Add bonus/challenge questions for higher achievers

– Use multiple choice for weaker students and open ended questions for

stronger students

– Use various testing methods e.g. creating videos, doing presentations,

making posters, creating storybooks etc. to target different learning

styles.

– Sometimes, depending on the situation, tests can be read aloud for

ELL/weaker students to help them understand the questions.

– Create open ended assessments where students can complete tasks

according to their individual levels of ability.

Designing Differentiated Assessments

• The main thing to ask yourself when

designing differentiated assessments

is, “Is the content in each

assessment the same?” as while the

method/layout of the assessment can

be different, the students should all

be tested on the same concept/skill.

Think, Pair, Share• Can you use any of these differentiation strategies in

your class?

• How can you implement them?

• How will this affect your students?

Questions??