differentiationais.act.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/geoffrey-schneider... · differentiation is a...

Differentiation

We are already doing it

Differentiation is a continuum

Not enough differentiation treats students as all being the same.

Too much can result in a frenzy of activity with too little focus.

Growth Mindset

Looking for each student to grow – all students grow at different rates. And good differentiation allows for this complexity. Through:

• Effort

• Motivation

• Hard work

• Challenge and support

• All students can become more able. – Growth mindset!

Differentiate for ability, not by ability

Differentiation for ability does not involve different provision for:

• the more able,

• the middle ability

• and the less able:

it involves provision for all students to develop their ability to the next level and beyond.

Stretch students and support

• Identify what a student can do independently today.

• Ascertain what a student can achieve with support and assistance.

• Determine what a student can now do independently; which before they could only do with assistance from an educator.

Differentiation ensures

• Engaged and motivated

• Challenges and progression

• Support to achieve

It must be planned

1. Tasks and Resources2. Student Focus, Choice and Negotiation3. Questioning and Lesson Structure4. Outcome5. Group Work6. Feedback, Criteria, and Targets7. Self-Assessment and Reflection

What we are already doing at CGS?

1. TASKS AND RESOURCES

Sum of the parts…….

Individuals and groups can be set different tasks that will feed into a greater whole.

Responsibility with students

Study in greater depth

Tasks with layered objectives

• Choose different learning objectives – continuum - be mindful of long-term development.

• Talk to students - inspire them to get to the next level

• Entry at appropriate level, progress will be maintained.

Resources

• Different Texts

• A range of texts

• Different levels of complexity

• https://www.kidzsearch.com/boolify/

Homework tasks

• Can they choose different activities?

• Can we allocate different activities as HW for different students?

• Choose different levels to work on.

Inductive learning and differentiated

thinking

Classifications and grouping ideas

2. STUDENT FOCUS, CHOICE AND NEGOTIATION

• Choice can personalise learning:

• Sequence

• Task

• Approach

• Ways to present work

• Level

(Claytons choices?)

Student Focus

Make this simple and meaningful!

• Students set own objectives

• Start with last set of Reports

• Personalise core objectives

• Plan backwards. Keep the forms of assessment in mind as you plan and teach.

• Manage time frame of learning - be realistic with your learning goals.

Choice

• When offering choice, success depends on setting clear parameters.

• Explicit purpose of the task

• Learning objectives

• The level students should be learning at

• How learning will be assessed

• Differentiate not just the type of choice but the degree of choice, gradually increase the choice over time.

Invite Negotiation

• Objectives and assessment criteria – NOT negotiable

• Allow students to propose what their vision is.

• ICT can keep track

3. QUESTIONS and LESSON STRUCTURE

Open ended questions

• Everyone can answer• Choose who to answer• Cross examine

Follow up questions

• After a student answers a question:

– What evidence can you provide here?

– How did you reach that conclusion?

– What would be the effect of that on?

– How cold be prove this right or wrong?

– Does anyone have any questions here?

– Could we look at this in another way?

– What does that imply about?

– Does everyone agree with that?

– Yes, but what if?

– How significant is that for?

– Can you explain …. A little more?

– Can anyone add to that point?

How long can you wait?

• Discussions are dominated by confident thinkers, or students who just like to talk?

• Thus ask a question – and wait.

• Ask the students to discuss the piece with the person next to them.

• Ask different pairs of people the answer

The end of the beginning

Ask students to reflect on the last lesson– Reflect on their progress

– Invite them to ask questions

– Leave students with something to think about, even it is just where their learning will go next:

• Don’t end a lesson with .

• End with !

• Or with ?

• Or with ….

Modelling

• Show students something live – not something you have whipped but before!

• Learn from the process; as you are working through a learning sequence – this shows the process to the students.

• It shows your thinking process.

• It shows your attitude!

• Ask students to help and to chip in

Language and communication

4. OUTCOMES

Making differentiation by outcomes work

• Clear Expectations

• Time

• Exemplars

• Know their level

• Challenge and support

• Step away!

5. Group Work

Flexible Grouping

• Try to form groups based on different levels of ability. This will allow students to work on skills in a collaborative fashion.

• Students will need to learn and master the same skills.

6. FEEDBACK, CRITERIA AND TARGETS

Assessment criteria How to apply it so students are not just reading it?

• Is it flexible and broad?

• Does it cover the potential performance of all students in the class?

• Learning continuums

• Set the criteria – choose the criteria

• Formative and Summative

Don’t feedback, feed forward

Ironically – the timing is often too late – at the end of the process

What about assessing half way through the piece??

Differentiated Targets

• Time

• Achievability

• Relevance

• Growth

• Effort

• Teacher

• Stretch

Extension

HOTS not MOTS

7. SELF ASSESSMENT AND INDEPENDENCE

Students take responsibility for differentiating their own learning

• Celebrate their work• Provide a bank of resources• Students assess their own work• Assessment measuring the current performance against

their own prior performance. – Students are used to comparing their previous scores– Beat one’s best score– This is a great motivator

Making displays powerful

• Notes, plans and mind maps

• Lists of key words

• Structures and guidance to hep student to negotiate their way through tasks

• Images and artefacts

• Students’ questions and responses

• Assessment criteria

• Lists of sources of further information.

How did you learn that?

Conclusion

• Faced with not enough challenges, students become complacent and fail to make progress.

• Pushing them too far occasionally will remind them of the importance of hard work in overcoming problems and will help them to get used to coping with failure.