If a child does not learn the way you teach, then teach him the way he learns.
Chasty, cited in Chinn and Ashcroft (1999)
Differentiation is one of the least understood elements of teaching. It mystifies NQTs, and terrifies many older teachers. Therefore, before they begin to post in these sections, I invite members to do some pre-reading, which will give them the opportunity to consider a number of ‘questions for personal reflection’, based around the issues:
- Introduction – towards a definition of ‘differentiation’
- Dimensions of ‘Differentiation’
- Doing ‘Differentiation’
Differentiation is an entitlement, not a teaching strategy.
When I was at school, the teacher stood at the front of the class and taught. Learning was an optional extra. By contrast, the latest Ofsted observation framework for teaching and learning downsizes the role of teaching, and emphasises rather the pupils’ learning – their response, progress and achievement. One of the key lesson-components evaluated – a ‘process’ element within that learning – is ‘differentiation’. In a world where all pupils’ learning is being assessed, and the teacher’s ability to get all pupils to learn is being evaluated, teachers are obliged to make sure that EVERY pupil learns as much as possible.
Differentiation is the right of each pupil to be taught in a way specifically tailored to their individual learning needs. The process of differentiation, consequently, is the adjustment of the teaching process to meet the differing learning needs of the pupils, and it involves every teacher having sufficient appropriate knowledge of the pupils, PLUS the ability to plan and deliver suitable lessons effectively, so as to help all pupils individually to maximise their learning, whatever their individual situation.
Differentiation is NOT:
a) Writing 30 different lesson plans.
b ) Saying that differentiation is not necessary because the pupils are setted.
c) Teaching at a slow pace so that everyone can keep up.
d) Abandoning whole-class teaching, setting a task, and then letting pupils/groups work at their own pace through a worksheet.
e) Expecting some students to do better than others and calling it ‘differentiation by outcome’.
f) Humiliating the slow learners by drawing attention to their limitations.
g) Allowing less able learners to copy or draw.
h) Making more advanced learners do extension assignments after completing their "regular" work ("regular work, plus" inevitably seems punitive to pupils).
Teaching cannot be good without differentiation. All good teachers differentiate – even if they only do so intuitively.
And a modern teacher should consciously differentiate every lesson. Since all pupils are different – there will NEVER be a lesson where the teacher will not have to make adjustments to differentiate the lesson to meet individual pupil’s individual needs.
It is interesting and relevant to see the Ofsted assessment criteria relating to differentiation:
2 - Activities and demands are matched sensitively to pupils' needs.
3 - Individual needs are well catered for. Staff understand the next steps pupils need to take in their learning and provide a wide range of activities to help them learn.
4 - The school provides successfully for pupils who do not respond well to school or who have difficulties in learning.
5 - Because of limited tuning to individuals' needs, some pupils get little from lessons.
6 - Little or no account is taken of what pupils already know. Groups of pupils may not be able to cope, and may disengage or misbehave.
Here we see – albeit randomly scattered – the key elements of differentiation:
a) Knowing the prior situation of pupils – how far they have got and what their needs are;
b ) The importance of a suitable learning environment, which is geared up to respond to pupils’ needs;
c) The appropriate application of differentiation strategies within the lessons – ‘tuning’ the activities and demands to the pupils’ needs, and understanding the next-steps-needed to move on each pupil’s learning;
d) The importance of consistency across the department and the school, rather than isolated pockets of good practice.
It is these elements upon which I propose to focus forum-members’ attention.
Differentiation questions and issues
Contributors might wish to comment upon any of the following:
1) Identifying the need - differentiation for what?
Differentiation is not an end in itself – it is a means to an end: the pupils’ learning. So there is no point in planning a differentiated lesson until we know what are the different needs and problems for which we are differentiating. The focus of this question is that differentiation is ‘differentiation FOR…’
It is for contributions about identifying the different needs, and the scope of the pedagogic problem, and the kinds of issues which contributors might address here include:
• What are the different needs that we need to differentiate for?
• What are the different aspects of students' readiness, skill levels, or interests that we need to attend to?
• What strategies/tests can you/do you use to discover what different pupils’ different learning needs are? Can you think of any other/better ways?
• How do you discover/communicate information about these needs in your school, and how successfully? Could you think of a better way to do this?
• What different kinds of pupils are involved, and what problems do they face?
2) Creating the climate for differentiation – how do you make your classroom a learning environment that enables differentiated learning?
Education is not just about teaching strategies applied within a one-hour lesson. The success of a lesson is just as much determined by the underlying physical, organisational and philosophical climate of the school and your classroom.
The focus of this question is is ‘laying appropriate foundations’, and the kinds of issues which contributors might address include:
• What are the key components of diff learning?
• How does classroom climate support differentiation?
• Should I make changes in the externalities – classroom organisation?
• What role does student choice play in differentiation?
• Does differentiation require any changes in overall syllabus?
• What is the relationship between progression and differentiation?
• Might whole-school ethos affect our approach to differentiation?
3) From theory to practice – sharing examples of good practice of differentiation strategies that you have seen, planned or used.
How does a teacher accommodate for different learning needs in the (often fraught) normal class lesson? Has anyone an example of what works (or what does not work) to share?
The focus of this question is ‘planning a differentiated lesson’, and the kinds of issues which contributors might address include:
• Are there ways to make differentiation a seamless part of classroom learning?
• How does the strategy support differentiated approaches?
• What are some of the key facets of the strategy?
• What will be the learning outcomes for your students?
• When and how does the teacher decide on tasks for groups in differentiation?
• Would the strategy fit within your "toolbox" of instructional techniques?
• How could you begin to use the instructional strategy within a differentiated unit?
• What about assessment in a differentiated classroom?
4) Dissemination – how might one introduce differentiated teaching practices into a department/school?
A differentiation ethos needs to be introduced into school, and its introduction needs to be agreed, planned and steered.
The focus of this question is 'Planning for improvement', and the kinds of issues contributors might addreess include:
• What factors inhibit and foster teachers’ implementation of differentiation?
• How might the introduction of a 'differentiation ethos' be affected by the whole-school ethos of the institution?