Giving feedback

Giving feedback is another integral part of teaching delivery which has a compelling influence on learner achievement. Generally speaking, feedback is any response regarding students’ performance, behaviour or attitude in class and it can take many forms (verbal, written or gestural). At Vinschool, the importance of effective feedback in every lesson is emphasized as it is stated in the classroom observation rubric that teachers are expected to offer “effective feedback to different groups of students, motivating them while at the same time making it possible for them to identify the areas they could improve on.” Besides teachers’ feedback, students are also encouraged and empowered to provide feedback on their friends’ and their own performance. Peer feedback and self-assessment are common practices to be observed in ESL classes at Vinschool.

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