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? Differentiation is usually presented as a teaching approach where teachers think of learners as individuals and learning as a personalised process. According to Alyce Hunter in Differentiated Instruction in the English Classroom “Differentiated instruction is a recognition that students vary in their needs, interests, abilities, and prior knowledge. It's a springboard from which students work toward the same ends, but they use different content, processes, and products to get there. It's all about successfully teaching each student. And it can be done in the regular English classroom.” Although precise definitions can vary, typically the core aim of differentiation is viewed as ensuring that all learners, no matter their ability, interest or context, make progress towards their learning intentions. It is about using different approaches and appreciating the differences in learners to help them make progress. Teachers therefore need to be responsive, and willing and able, to adapt their teaching to meet the needs of their learners. There is no one unique style teachers should adopt. Teachers do not need to differentiate everything for everyone every day; instead, they should select appropriate moments in the instructional sequence to differentiate. In other words, effective differentiation is part of an experienced teacher’s daily lesson plan. It is important that teachers are able to respond to the needs of their learners and use the techniques they deem to be most suitable. It can be difficult to fit in all the syllabus content and support all learners, keeping them engaged in their learning. This is a challenge for teachers the world over. Although there is no single formula that creates a differentiated classroom, when differentiation is in place, opportunities for innovation and ongoing reflection are created that boost teaching and learning in a way which would not be possible in a ‘one size fits all’ lesson. Effective differentiation is heavily reliant on teachers being able to respond to each individual and fully understand their needs to best support their next steps. The viability of this will depend on each teacher’s specific context, motivation, obstacles to overcome and training. There is no single, optimum way to conduct differentiated teaching. However, we can provide a selection of strategies to help teachers to become more confident in their teaching practice. Differentiation is predominantly supported in the following ways: differentiation by questioning (embedding questioning strategies to inform better next steps) differentiation by grouping (using mixed ability groups) differentiation by outcomes (multiple modes of learner output or how learners demonstrate/show their learning) differentiation by task (additional worksheets).

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.

Differentiation at Vinschool Differentiation is one of the most important criteria in classroom observation rubrics at Vinschool. Differentiated factors are required not only in lesson planning but also in real teaching practice. The highest judgment for differentiation is given when “content, teacher delivery, instructions, activities, and assessments are differentiated, as appropriate, for individual learners based on the teacher's prior understanding of their students' abilities” (extracted from Vinschool’s Classroom Observation Rubrics)

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. Similar to the scaffolding used in construction to support workers as they work on a specific task, instructional scaffolds are temporary support structures teachers put in place to assist students in accomplishing new tasks and concepts they could not typically achieve on their own. Once students are able to complete or master the task, the scaffolding is gradually removed or fades away—the responsibility of learning shifts from the instructor to the student.It also should be noted that scaffolding is a site for learning opportunities, and is not simply a way of modeling, supporting, or practising interaction. Applying scaffolding means identifying and providing an appropriate level of challenge in classes, which is key to our students achieving learning outcomes and reaching their full potential in our classrooms. Lev Vygotsky's concept of the 'Zone of Proximal Development' (ZPD) can help us understand our role in identifying where our learners' capabilities are now and providing them with the high challenge - high support lessons they need to progress. Just like differentiation, scaffolding is displayed in the classroom observation rubric as an important criterion. It is expected that teachers can “identify the zone of proximal development (ZPD) of each individual/group for effective and diverse scaffolding before, during and after class” (extracted from Vinschool’s Classroom Observation Rubrics). Guidelines for Implementing Scaffolding The following points can be used as guidelines when implementing instructional scaffolding (adapted from Hogan and Pressley, 1997). Select suitable tasks that match curriculum goals, course learning objectives and students’ needs. Allow students to help create instructional goals (this can increase students’ motivation and their commitment to learning). Consider students’ backgrounds and prior knowledge to assess their progress – material that is too easy will quickly bore students and reduce motivation. On the other hand, material that is too difficult can turn off students’ interest levels). Use a variety of supports as students progress through a task (e.g., prompts, questions, hints, stories, models, visual scaffolding “including pointing, representational gestures, diagrams, and other methods of highlighting visual information” (Alibali, M, 2006). Provide encouragement and praise as well as ask questions and have students explain their progress to help them stay focused on the goal. Monitor student progress through feedback (in addition to instructor feedback, have students summarize what they have accomplished so they are aware of their progress and what they have yet to complete). Provide encouragement and praise as well as ask questions... Create a welcoming, safe, and supportive learning environment that encourages students to take risks and try alternatives (everyone should feel comfortable expressing their thoughts without fear of negative responses). Help students become less dependent on instructional support as they work on tasks and encourage them to practice the task in different contexts. (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. A balance needs to be met between the use of group work and teacher instruction. As John Hattie (2008) argues, direct instruction done properly has a greater impact on learning than group work done incorrectly or inappropriately.

Extra resources Below are some available resources from Mike Gershon for the practice of differentiation in ESL classrooms. Your differentiation masterclass The Differentiation Deviser Free resources for teachers