In 2017, the focus for Special Education teachers professional development day was “Knowing your students, and how they learn”. It placed a specific focus on the critical factors for the successful inclusion of learners with identified educational needs in the secondary classroom. In brief, DIFFERENTIATION in the classroom.

The workshop began with a presentation by Dr Loretta Giorcelli. It explored some of the tools and techniques that are successfully being utilised in secondary settings. She also shared some of the resources that teachers can use to deal with individual learners needs in an academically diverse classroom.

After the first session, there were smaller groups which further explored related topics. I chose to focus more on differentiation in the classroom.

Having studied my Masters, and coming from a Primary background, differentiation in the classroom is not new to me. It’s actually one of my strengths – as long as I have a basis from which to work. That is what I did learn – I need to have a guide when teaching content I’m unfamiliar with so that I can adjust my teaching to meet the needs of the students in my class.

So why is differentiation in the classroom easier said than done? I am a practical person – I prefer to be given practical examples of how something can be implemented. It’s all well and good to spout sonnets about how we need to differentiate, and that if we don’t we’re effectively breaking the law. But HOW do we do this? WHAT does it look like?

In the primary setting, there can be up to seven subjects taught across a week. Within each subject, teachers need to show how they will provide opportunities for all students to successfully complete the tasks. In the primary setting, there are a plethora of resources that provide teachers with a ‘how to’ guide for almost every subject. For example, Oxford Maths Plus resources (especially as Maths isn’t an area of strength for me) are fantastic. They provide with a resource book (or more recently an online platform). This provides warm-up, hands-on, support and extension activities. These then link to an activity page in the student textbook. There are textbooks and resources like this for ALL subjects in the primary sector. These are great because, unlike High School teachers, primary teachers aren’t specialists. While they may have one or two subjects they really enjoy teaching Primary teachers still have to teach across ALL the KLAs.

High school teachers are specialists. They have one, maybe two, areas that they teach in. And while they’re doing that across 2-3 stages, they only have to know that subject area. Special Education teachers, however, are expected to plan, program and teach across a variety of Key Subject areas and grades.

Maths becomes quite complex as you progress through the high school years – things like trigonometry still baffle me! I’ve scoured the internet for countless hours and there is a HUGE void in the “how-to” resource section for teachers – although I am a massive fan of Eddie Woo. Programs I obtained didn’t outline such activities either – they’re more of an overview of the topic, rather than a weekly/lesson break down of learning activities. From what I’ve seen, students also do a lot from textbooks.

Differentiation is a process that involves planning, programming and instruction. It involves the use of various teaching, learning and assessment strategies. These need to provide an appropriate level of challenge for students whilst ensuring they are successful in achieving the learning goals. Teachers must remember that students are individuals who learn in different ways and at different rates. These differences also impact how students respond to instruction as well as how they demonstrate their knowledge and understanding (NSW Syllabus).

While there are many differences within our classroom, differentiation works in 3 main areas:

• Readiness to Learn
• Learning Needs
• Interest

Basically, to provide a differentiated curriculum you need to look at whether your students are ready to learn, and if they’re not how can you get them to be. What learning needs do they have. How you can accommodate these in your teaching and learning? Finally, what are their areas of interest, and how can you incorporate these into your teaching and learning to engage and motivate your students? Using some of the following methods of differentiation in the classroom will help you cater to the varied learning needs in your class.

Differentiated Tasks:

This is one of the core methods of differentiation. It involves setting a task that the majority of your students will be able to complete with a level of independence and then changing this task to meet the needs of those that require extension or support.

Differentiated Grouping:

Collaborative learning is huge at the moment. It has well-documented benefits and is an essential skill that employers are looking for when hiring graduates. In a classroom, having mixed ability groups working on a task means that lower ability students are being supported by their peers, and those high achievers develop skills in organising and developing their leadership skills. Grouping also allows roles to be allocated within the team which cater to each member’s skill set and learning needs.

Differentiated Resources:

By providing a variety of learning activities, you can change the pace of your lessons. You might start with a whole class focus, then break off into groups of individual tasks – this allows the available time to be used flexibly in order to meet all students’ needs. Students who are quick to understand the key concept being taught need not be held back. They can instead access more challenging extension tasks that will allow them to develop a deeper level of understanding of the subject matter or even to progress through the set course more quickly, while those who need more time focusing on the fundamentals can do so without feeling like they’re being left behind.

Differentiation by outcome is where all students undertake the same task but a variety of results are expected and acceptable. Some teachers have reservations about the risk that the less able students will fall below an acceptable level of understanding. However, this can be mitigated somewhat by establishing a clear set of success criteria. Simply by using “I Can” statements allows students to identify what it is they have learnt. Teachers can then identify what has been missed or needs revision. It also offers one clear advantage – no prior grouping is necessary.

Differentiated Assessment:

Rather than relying just on a post-topic assessment, the differentiated classroom assesses students on an on-going basis. This ensures that the teaching, and indeed the other methods of differentiation, can be continuously adjusted according to the learners’ needs. Teachers also need to provide opportunities for students to be assessed in ways that engage their interest areas. I often use the ‘menu’ assessment style. This method asks students to complete the same task but has them doing it in a way that suits their learning style.

 

Differentiation in the classroom is about understanding the needs of our students. However, we must also be aware of our own strengths and weaknesses. By knowing this, we can provide for our students and ensure they are succeeding.