Differentiation
Excerpts from the Approaches to learning and teaching series, courtesy of Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment International Education: cambridge.org/approachestolearning
What is differentiation?
Khác biệt hóa thường được trình bày như một cách tiếp cận giảng dạy trong đó giáo viên coi người học như một cá nhân và học tập như một quá trình được cá nhân hóa. Theo Alyce Hunter trong Hướng dẫn Khác biệt trong Lớp học Tiếng Anh “Hướng dẫn khác biệt là sự thừa nhận rằng học sinh khác nhau về nhu cầu, sở thích, khả năng và kiến thức trước đây của họ. Đó là bàn đạp để từ đó học sinh sử dụng nội dung, quy trình và sản phẩm khác nhau để đạt được một mục tiêu chung mà mình cùng hướng tới. Đó chính là việc giảng dạy thành công cho mỗi học sinh. Và điều này có thể được thực hiện trong lớp tiếng Anh thông thường.”
Differentiation is predominantly supported in the following ways:
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Role of the learner
Understanding individual learners is vital for successful differentiation. In order to be effective, figuring out what the individual already knows or can do is a vital step in the process.
Getting to know learners is, however, more than just finding out what they know. It is also about a broader understanding of learner difference. Learners and their learning can be different for a number of reasons: they may have different levels of interest in the topic; they may have differences in their levels of motivation, their ability to remember information, their confidence, the accuracy of their handwriting, their levels of vocabulary acquisition.
Having knowledge of the individual helps teachers to plan for learning rather than teaching, and ensures that they are always supporting progress. In a differentiated classroom, teachers and learners collaborate in learning and learners have ownership and responsibility. Offering choice can encourage ownership of individual work and learning, creating a learning environment in which learners ‘have no fear’ and apply effort.
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Differentiation at Vinschool
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Scaffolding
Scaffolding, a metaphor to describe the process of learning support that enables learners to go beyond what they are initially able to do, can be a key component of successful differentiation.
Guidelines for Implementing ScaffoldingThe following points can be used as guidelines when implementing instructional scaffolding (adapted from Hogan and Pressley, 1997).
(Adapted from Northern Illinois University) |
Group work
Teachers should employ variety in their classrooms, using a mixture of whole-class instruction, one-to-one work, small group work and peer tutoring. Group work is suggested by many as a good way to differentiate as learners working in groups are able to create knowledge with their peers, help each other to learn, use discussion and apportion tasks based on the relative strengths of the group.
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Extra resources
Below are some available resources from Mike Gershon for the practice of differentiation in ESL classrooms. |