Thetrainingmodel2013-14

DIFFERENTIATION

WHAT DO WE MEAN?November 2013

Today’s(short)session

We will address some key questions:

1.What is differentiation?

2.What is its theoretical origins?

3.Why is it important?

4.Does everyone agree with it?

WHAT IS DIFFERENTIATIO

N?

Theprinciples

Differentiation is a response to the fact that all students are different in a vast number of ways, some of which we can’t even detect

Even in classrooms which have been ‘set’ or ‘streamed’ there can be massive variances in ability, motivation, skills and social awareness

Differentiation is at the heart of twenty-first century teaching’s key principle:

that all children are worth educating,

without exception

One summary

SO…

Differentiation is…simply the ways that we adapt our classrooms, in a hundred different ways big and small, to ensure that all of the people within it are catered for

Otherdefinitions

‘Differentiation is….. the process of identifying, with each learner, the most effective strategies for achieving agreed targets’. (Weston 1992) ‘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 1993)

‘Differentiation should be seen as integral to learning, not an add-on for those situations when things do not go as well as planned and problems occur. Differentiation is not about troubleshooting. It is a concept that has to be seen in an inclusive way, applying to everyone’.

Addressingsomemisconceptions

I don’t do any differentiationNOT TRUE – We all differentiate in every lesson

Differentiation is something extra or additionalNOT TRUE – The best differentiation is built into the classroom, used every lesson and every day

Differentiation is always based on abilityNOT TRUE – There are a much wider range of factors that we all consider on a daily basis

Children don’t want differentiation in secondaryNOT TRUE – But it has to be managed carefully

WHAT ARE ITS THEORETICAL

ORIGINS?

Lev Vygotsky’sZone ofProximal Development

HowardGardner’s multiple intelligences

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Realfor Heath Park

Experts on the brain and on learning now stress that everyone can learn more, if they are taught appropriately, whatever they have previously achieved

-Geoff PettySO… Every pupil always in focus – it is the very motto of our school

Reasonswe mightdifferentiate

We must be clear about why we are differentiating in lessons. This will guide the way that we differentiate:

To motivate?To engage?To challenge?To tick a box?“Differentiation sounds great, but on what basis are we differentiating? What do we know about this kid—and how do we know it?” (Daniel T. Willingham)

Striving for consistentchallenge

DOES EVERYONE AGREE WITH IT?

Startingfrom aplatform

Carol Ann Tomlinson – in Harvard Education Letter

Four “non-negotiables”:◦a high-quality curriculum with clear goals, ◦the use of data to monitor and provide feedback on student learning◦the ability to recognize when something isn’t gelling and modify it to fit the student◦the creation of an environment in which students are supported and challenged

She says, “These are not about differentiation. They are about a good classroom. That is good teaching.”

Alternativeview

"Different people have different learning styles - some like working with books, others prefer videos, others practical work and so on. We have to cater to them all. So now I am told by self-styled ‘experts' that my lesson plans must show ‘differentiation'. The implication being, of course, that all of my previous approaches were entirely inadequate. Differentiation is the latest buzzword to have infested education. Apparently I must use a variety of methods at every turn and I must present every topic and idea through a variety of methods and approaches. Nowhere in this obvious argument is consideration ever given to the nature of the material I am teaching.

Colin Everest – ‘The Guardian’

Learning styles discredited?

◦Learning styles has become an influential and widely accepted idea in education.

◦Researchers, however, are raising doubts about using these perceived differences to shape classroom decisions.

◦There is little agreement on what learning styles actually means, according to British researcher Frank Coffield, who studied 13 instruments for determining learning styles with three other colleagues in 2004.

◦While some researchers think of learning styles as fixed and stable qualities, Coffield says, others argue that they are context specific, shaped by previous learning experiences, and changing from task to task.

Are learning styles of continued use to teachers?

BEFORE NEXT TUESDAY…

Homeworkoptions

Differentiated, naturally…1.Read the article ‘Be all things to all pupils’ and ‘Let’s all differentiate’ – staff docs, departments, l+t.2.Make a reflective list of differentiation strategies you know of and/or have tried, and whether they worked.3.Watch some videos on http://www.differentiationcentral.com/videos.html. American, but don’t hold that against them!

The Spectrum of Teaching Styles developed by Mosston (1996) are described as: Style A Command: Teacher makes all decisions.Style B Practice: Pupils carry out teacher-prescribed tasks.Style C Reciprocal: Pupils work in pairs: one performs, the other provides feedback.Style D Self-check: Pupils assess their own performance against criteria.Style E Inclusion: Teacher planned and pupils monitor their own work.Style F Guided Discovery: Pupils solve teacher set problems with assistance.Style G Divergent: Pupils solve problems without assistance from the teacher. Style H Individual: Teacher determines content. Pupil plans the programme. Style I Learner Initiated: Pupil plans own programme. Teacher is advisor. Style J Self Teaching: Pupil takes full responsibility for the learning process.