Differentiation

Rob Butler CSci TeachAssistant Head

Beech Hill School, Mansfield(Former AST, Region Secretary for the

Association of Science Education)

What barriers to learning do students face?

Look at the worksheet on the following slide

• Decide if this is a good/poor worksheet to use with your groups

• Point out any features which make it suitable for SEN or lower achieving students and any that make it unsuitable

• How could it be improved?

•Think very carefully about the font you chose – notice the difference between the arial font used here and the comic sans font.

•Choose a large font for low ability groups – at least point 14 in size, preferably size 16 or 18+

•Write in short sentences rather than long sentences.

•Watch the use of language – try and simplify the language as much as possible. There may be pieces of terminology (acid, neutralisation etc) that you need to use – make sure you explain these.

•If you are making a worksheet to be written on, make sure you actually leave enough space for someone with large handwriting. This is a common problem with word processed worksheets and can be avoided by double spacing the text. Also good for G&T students

Golden rules for written resources

What pupils say helps them to learn…• Having key words displayed on desks or on the wall• Having a small part of a lesson that reviews work• Being shown how what they are learning links with other work

- being shown the big picture (how lessons link together)• Having the opportunity to visualise ideas using a model and

analogy• Working with a partner• Making sure that much of the learning is related to real life• Using writing frames to structure writing• Use of games and competitions• Setting tasks which guarantee success for pupils (through

small steps and ‘guided support)

DARTS – directed activities related to text

•Text completion

•Diagram completion

•Sequencing and reordering information

•Predicting – having to write the next part of a piece of text

•Underlining /marking – marking key words/ideas

•Ideas diagrams – spider diagrams, concept maps

•Answering questions

•Summarising

•Matching words – words to words – definitions to words - diagrams

•True/false statements

•Grouping words or ideas (e.g. taxonomy, states of matter)

Differentiation‘Differentiation is the process whereby teachers meet the need for progress through the curriculum by selecting appropriate teaching methods to match the individual student’s learning strategies within a group situation.’Visser J, Differentiation and the Curriculum, Birmingham, 1993, University of Birmingham

Differentiation is the responsibility of each and every teacher and should be a routine part of planning.

Differentiation by outcome

For: Against:

• Easy for the time pressed teacher• Can be controlled in lots of different

ways (e.g. setting a restriction on number of words for more able students)

• Suits assessment activities – e.g. level assessed tasks in science

• Frowned upon since for many it’s the easy option

• Still needs careful planning to make sure those at the top of the ability range are stretched

• Can lead to behavioural problems as weaker students finish a task quickly (or perceive it as too hard)

Giving all students the same task (and any supporting resources) and letting students attempt it at their own level. E.g. create a poster to show…

Differentiation by support

For: Against:

• Requires very little set up and planning time

• Can challenge and stretch students more than just differentiating by outcome

• Groups can be given less support rather than extra

• Can involve teaching assistants

• Can be hard to spread support or give where needed

• Can be used to avoid setting a suitable task in the first place

Giving all students the same task and teacher directing more attention to specific students/groups of students. Could also be giving weaker students supporting materials for a task or specialist apparatus (e.g. a digital thermometer)

Use of teaching assistants• Important how teaching assistants are deployed – from the Ofsted criteria:• Good lessons: “Teaching assistants and other classroom helpers, and

resources, are well deployed to support learning”• Inadequate lessons: “Teaching assistants, resources, and parents/carers

are inadequately utilised to support pupils.”• Consider who the TA works with, can they work with groups of pupils

(which also promotes social inclusion)? Could they run a different activity either as part of a carousel or the whole lesson?

• Is there scope to plan with the TA? Do they need to know anything or receive a lesson plan before the lesson? Do you want them to make resources?

• “Teaching Assistant’s toolkit” It is intended for TAs that don’t have time to meet with the teacher before the lesson and contains template blanks for a TA to use with pupils.

• Encourage teaching assistants to use APP criteria to ask ‘good questions’ to students (Questions that move them on) APP for teaching assistants

Differentiation by grouping

For: Against:

• Easy to organise• Can promote behaviour and classroom

management• Mixed ability groups allow activities to

take place that might not otherwise be possible (and more able students can benefit from this approach too).

• Need to know your group• Need to set clear ground rules and

promote a culture of cooperation in your class

Putting students in groups chosen by the teacher. Could be grouping by ability, gender, interests, social/behavioural groups or mixed ability.

Differentiation by resource

For: Against:

• Good for practical subjects where students may be working on the same task.

• Could be as simple as giving a number line to a group of students in maths

• Allows all students to achieve & progress.

• Takes more teacher time setting up than some techniques e.g. differentiation by outcome

• Can create a management problem where some groups perceive work as being different to/easier/harder than that of their peers

Giving all students a similar task but giving different resources. For example a students doing an experiment and then one group of students given a scaffold to support their investigation whilst another group might only get a list of equipment.

Differentiation by task

For: Against:

• Can greatly reduce risk of failure for SEN students and challenge G&T students

• Allows all students to make progress• Promotes engagement• Can tailor lessons to strengths of

individuals

• Much more teacher intensive• Needs careful management to avoid

students opting to do another groups work or seeing it as easier/more desirable than their own

• Assessment can be harder for the teacher

Giving students a different task to do based on their ability, interests or aptitude.

Could be as simple as getting each group to present the same information in different ways e.g. a scene in Shakespeare – a poster, a comic strip, a story, a play or an essay

Could be setting a different task for students – e.g. working on different sets of maths problems, working on different texts, reading different stories/plays etc.

How could you use these strategies?

Think of one of the classes you have had todayConsider:• Which of these strategies might you have used• How the lesson would look (groupings,

resources)• What difference this might have made to

learning/progress within the lesson

Where to start?

• Learning objectives – all/most/some or levelled objectives

• Knowing your students – subject assessment data, reading ages, CATS scores etc

• Be organised – teachers need a work-life balance. Throw in drama activities etc that require little marking, use peer marking & self assessment

DifferentiationPart 2

Rob Butler

Differentiation in practice

Look at the samples of work you have been given.

These are the work produced by the student in the group with the lowest ability levels.

• Decide in your group what activities the middle and upper ability level students might be attempting.

(Not just for teaching assistants!)

Different teaching strategies that can be used as part of a balanced diet of activities.

Trying out some different strategies

Think of the templates you have been shownFor one of the templates• Identify a use for this within your lessons• Identify a group of students you would use

this with• Be prepared to feed back

Word walls

• Select key pieces of information or words for each box

• Use for spelling, reading, guessing, finding words that mean … find the opposite of … find similar words to … creating odd one out activities, explaining definitions, use in a sentence.

• Can be used in a group or one to one

Missing words (Cloze) – Easy or hard

• Title or focus in top.• Fill out key words in boxes at bottom• Write a quick passage with key words

missing (leave a gap). Students can fill in key words.

• Weaker students could trim off bottom of sheet and glue on missing words if you leave sufficient space.

• Usually a one to one activity (could be pairs)

Matching sheets – x2• Could match words to definitions• Could match similar words or opposites• Could join halves that make a full

sentence• Could join questions (or calculations) to

answers• Could use same idea to match a picture to

a word/definition• Weaker students could do these activities

as a cut and paste

True or false

• This activity has a low literacy requirement• Could be used as a prompt for more

detailed oral work• Write a statement (or draw a quick picture)

and pupil can mark true or false (tick or cross)

• Could also be used for self assessment work

Spider diagram or mind maps

• Can be used to record ideas with no need to worry about structure.

• Key idea or topic in middle, lines to summarise ideas etc. Could be used to record characters in a book, events in a play (although you could present this as a timeline).

• Could also write words randomly around the page with pupils joining (and justifying) links between words

obesity

body hair

stamina

oestrogen

testosterone low voice

high voice

training exerciseperformance

hormone

control

insulin anorexia

puberty

Story board or comic strips

• Let student identify key points from a story/event and draw pictures or write text in for student.

• Can present a story as a comic strip using diagrams

• Could cut and paste and then sequence.

Pelmanism cards

• Can use for matching words (face down or face up depending on ability)

• Could also use for opposites, or other definition related games

• Could also match pictures to words (e.g. word and definition, picture of apparatus to name etc).

Sorting or categorising

• Is a thinking skill (with metacognitive plenary)

• Can sort characters into groups, animals or equipment. Could also match numbers etc.

• This template could also be used as a comic strip type activity

Ordering

• Write a series of words or sentences and put in correct order

• Cut and paste activity

Ordering pictures

• A cut and paste activity to order boxes with combinations of words/pictures

• Also has arrows to signify order (could also be used like a mind map to signify connections or links).

Graph

• Has prompt boxes for title and variables• Students will need help calculating values

for axes.

Using Powerpoint

• To add audio to presentations• Complete a presentation from an

outline/scaffold• Multiple choice questions• Later versions can output video• Story telling• To sequence/sort images• Comic strips

Using Excel

• Work out averages, totals etc.• Sort data E.g. fastest to slowest• Graphing results• Conditional formatting (e.g. changing colours

using the IF statement)

Video friendly activities

Don’t have to be recorded, but can be for evidence•News reports•Election broadcasts•Manifesto pledges•Presenting to a group (e.g. hospital board)•Outside broadcasts•Interviews

The end

• Which of these strategies do you use already?• Are there any strategies mentioned today that

you don’t use at the moment but think your staff could use with your pupils

• Do you have any other issues relating to teaching strategies or resources?

Want more information?

• Visit my website http://fiendishlyclever.com

• Follow me on Twitter @cleverfiend

• Come and visit me at school!