Catering for Learner Diversity in the Primary English Classroom Language Learning Support Section...
-
Upload
blake-shawn-webster -
Category
Documents
-
view
218 -
download
1
Transcript of Catering for Learner Diversity in the Primary English Classroom Language Learning Support Section...
Catering for Learner Diversity in the Primary English Classroom
Language Learning Support SectionEducation Bureau
10th March 2015
1
Programme rundownPart I Introduction
- What is learner diversity (LD)?- Why do we need to cater for LD?
Part II Strategies on how to cater for LD: - Varying material design - Varying teaching process
Part III Catering for learner diversity in reading and writing lessons in everyday teaching
Part IV Conclusion2
Part IIntroduction
3
What is learner diversity (LD)? Why do we need to cater for LD?
Age Gender
Personality
Motivation
Life experience Socio-cultural background
Interests
Learning styles
Intelligence
Learning strategies
Ability?
4
What causes differences in learning?
http://www.eenet.org.uk/resources/docs/square_holes.php
1. Do teachers use the same strategy to teach all students and students have to adapt to the way teachers teach or fail?
2. Do teachers use a wider variety of teaching strategies to meet the needs of different
students?5
Part II: Strategies on how to cater for LD
6
HOW can we cater for learner diversity?
What do schools do in order to cater for learner diversity?
Student
School Organisation Level
School Curriculum Level
Class / group Level
Guidance and exemplars provided by C&A Guides, EMB 334 web
Funding and support provided (e.g. staffing, grants, professional development)
Facilities, Physical conditions for appropriate learning environment
Systemic Level
Wide choice of subjects, ApL courses & OLE Forming a task force to co-ordinate and lead
Devising a Whole-school Policy
Ethos building to value diversity and individual differences, as well as uniformity
Human Resource Deployment:
Strengthen communication with parents on student progress Partnership with community to motivate student participation in a wide range of learning activities and competitions
e.g.
• Forming learning support team
• A dual class teacher system
• Assign a teacher to one level instead of a range of levels
• Arrange a teacher to the same class for 3 years
• Employ teacher assistants
• Pedagogy, Environment and Assessment to motivate learning
• Student learning profile to record progress (formative)
• Recognise non-academic achievements and participation in report cards
Identify the core and extended / elective parts of the curriculum for different students
KLA / Panels devise plans to cater student diversity
Make adaptation to assessment, e.g. separate core and extended content in the assessment papers, introducing challenging questions in exam
Learn from other teachers by sharing, peer observation, reflection on lessons and student feedback
strategies:e.g. Multi-level activities, co-construction, learning portfolios
Motivating strategies
Catering for learner diversity at different levels
Learning & Teaching / Assessment
Timetabling
Professional Development Opportunities
Strategic plan (e.g. 3 yr plan)
Flexible groupingsExtended timetable for
remedial
Developing interdependent, collaborative learning community; celebrating diversity
Enhancement programmes for more able
Modification, tailoring or differentiation within the subject, OLE
Curriculum Development Institute, EDB, 2007
7
Have you … used different contents set on the same theme? set graded materials and different tasks? varied task requirements? varied the format of questions (e.g. MC, cloze, Qs requiring short
or long answers)? given students choices (e.g. additional practice, level of challenge,
modes of expression)? asked questions of various challenge levels? presented information in a variety of media (e.g. diagrams,
colour-coding)? arranged multi-sensory activities? provided learning scaffolds for your students? used flexible grouping techniques? 8
What effective strategies have you or your colleagues adopted to cater for learner diversity?
Learner differences
Set realistic expectations
Vary teaching materials
Vary teaching process
Stretch the potentials of all students
9
Addressing LD at the classroom level
Vary teaching process
Vary teaching materials
• Readiness• Interest
10
The Equalizer(Carol Ann Tomlinson “How to Differentiate Instruction for Mixed Ability Classrooms”)
Foundational Transformational
More structured More open
Simple Complex
Fewer facets More facets
Smaller leaps Greater leaps
Concrete Abstract
Slower Quicker
Less independent More independent11
Ss read a story taken from The New Pandora’s Box – The
Accidental Time-Travellers • Fewer words
• Simpler sentence structures
• Familiar vocabulary
• Fewer ideas and events
• Without many details
A • More words
• Complex sentence structures
• Unfamiliar vocabulary
• Multiple ideas and events
• With more details
B
12
Set 1
Simple Complex
A
13
More able
B
Less able
14
Less able More able
No. of words • Fewer • 32 words
• More • 119 words
Sentence structures
• Simpler• ‘He whispered to Jolly…’
• More complex• ‘One morning before the
assembly, he whispered to Jolly in the classroom, …’
Vocabulary • Whispered• Complained
+ Monsters from ancient Greece+ Special personalities+ Assembly+ Upset
Ideas and events
• Fewer• Without background
information• One monster: Laziness
• Multiple• Two paragraphs giving the
background• Two monsters: Laziness &
NaughtinessDetails • Without many
• Laziness never did his homework by himself.
• Jolly complained to Ms Cheung.
• With more• Laziness never did his homework
by himself. He slept and ate all day.
• Jolly went to the staff room and complained to Ms Cheung.
Reporting verbs to write dialogues, e.g. ‘whispered’, ‘shouted’, ‘complained’
Modal verbs, e.g. ‘can’, ‘should’
Reflexive pronouns: yourself
Content differentiated BUT inclusion of all the target language items
A C
15
B
Write about the TV programmes that you like and don’t like in at least
80 words
• Definite pre-determined patterns, format or steps
• Fewer options
A• Making decisions about the
process and the product
• More options
B
16
Set 2
A
Writing is divided into 4 paragraphs What to write in each paragraph is governed by the words/phrases given
Introduction: Who & What
Body: Programmes I like- How many (2)- What they are (names)- Why I like them (reasons)- What I think (opinion)
Body: Programmes I don’t like- How many (2)- What they are (names)- Why I don’t like them
(reasons)- What I think (opinion)
A conclusion to end the presentation
• Definite pre-determined patterns, format or steps • Fewer options
17
B
Students can decide:
- How many paragraphs to write
- What to write
- How to write
Not necessarily in the order of:
- name of the programme
- reasons
- what they think
No prompts are provided
• Making decisions about the process and the product
• More options
18
AB
Structured Open
C
19
Allow students to work on a topic/concept more slowly
Include fewer concepts
A
Read the story about Lucy and
answer the questions
B Move students quickly through familiar or minimally challenging material
20
Set 3
Version 1:7 MC Qs
A B
21
Same: Time allowed for A and B: 10 mins No. of questions: 7
Different: A: 7 MC Qs B: 5 MCs = 2 long Qs
Deal with key information about a topic/an area of study, more specific events, or tangible ideas
Represent ideas in a way that students can learn through the senses
A B Focus more on the meanings, implications, principles or interrelationships of the information/ideas/events
Tell what the different characters in the story “Jack & the Beanstalk” did in the story
22
Set 4
A
Pictures are provided to help Ss visualize what the lines say
B
5 pictures from the
story
Ss’ comprehension of the points based purely on understanding of the words
Focus more on the meanings of the information
Tangible ideas Ss can learn through
the sense of seeing
23
Give more teacher assistance e.g. modelling
A B Give little teacher help
Describe the characters in a story (name, picture, one or two sentences to describe each character)
24
Set 5
25
A
Picture of Penny
B
Picture of Penny
Ask Ss to go straight into writing the sentences
Give more T assistance by providing practice in relevant sentence patterns
Material or Worksheet Design
+
+
+
26
Writing Task:“Fight the Virus” Ss have to read an episode of a phone-in radio
programme: a worried mom rang to ask Dr Wong what she should do to help her son stay strongYou have to tell your son to exercise regularly. Moreover, he should eat more fruit and vegetables so that he can get more vitamins and minerals. Then he’ll get stronger.
Ss have to invent a machine to help fight the virus Exercise Eating choice
Ss study the topic they are interested in
27
Example 1
Students’ Inventions
Exercise
Machine
on rock
climbing
Healthy Food Machine:1. The machine can turn snacks into healthy food. 2. If you pour water in it, it will turn (it) to energy and (start the machine.)
28
Group writing: Choose the group’s favourite food for the school picnic and introduce it
Think of: what you want to eat at the
school picnic how much the food costs why you want to buy the
food
29
Example 2
Choose the group’s favourite food for the school picnic and introduce it
Then finish the shopping list Write notes about your choice Present your ideas to your
classmates
30
Task: Making a pictionary on “Food”
P1 students worked in groups and members of each group chose food they like to eat.
Members contributed to areas they are good at (drawing, sentence writing)
choice
interest
31
Example 3a
Task: Making a class dictionary
Ss can select the words they want to learn more about
• Words/phrases• Parts of speech• Meanings• Sentences from:
Textbook/ Dictionary32
Example 3b