During an INSET day last week, teachers from different subject areas met in a ‘Learning Development Group’ to discuss and share successful classroom strategies for differentiation. The group was led by Steph Holt (Science) and Emma Foster (PE). The following is a summary of the strategies that were shared.
Starters
• Set investigations across a sequence of lessons.
• Select pupils to introduce the starter activity.
• Address the same objective through texts and tasks at varying levels.
• Use pair or small group work with ability pairings or groupings at times.
• Expect pupils to articulate rules or patterns to clarify understanding.
• Have tasks or examples that require higher-order thinking skills.
• Use differentiated or open-ended questioning.
• Make a statement and ask for it to be justified.
• Exploit the power of the follow-up question: ‘What makes you think that?’
• Have a range of tasks based on the same text or focus.
• Ask more able pupils to articulate the skills involved in completing particular tasks.
Whole class
• Use differentiated questions.
• Prepare questions targeted on particular pupils that reflect their needs and personalities.
• Prime able pupils for contributions that extend the experience of all.
• Pitch texts just above the independent reading level of the class.
• Direct questions to individuals to involve able pupils in interactive discussion.
• Expect able pupils to articulate what has been learned.
• Give an oral commentary with the more able in mind.
• Involve pupils in modelling if appropriate.
• Ask able pupils to articulate explanations and principles.
• Make it possible for able pupils to enter tasks at a higher point.-Maths do this well
• Seat students by ability – but br prepared to change it from time to time e.g. same ability, mixed ability etc, depending on the nature of the task.
• Model problem-solving at different levels, to build confidence.
Group work
• Recognise that able pupils are entitled to teacher time.
• Identify able pupils’ shared needs and group accordingly.
• Use additional adults as mentors.- Use TAs appropriately.
• Create task-specific groups.
• Vary group membership.
• Ensure that there are times when the ablest pupils work together.
• Ensure that able pupils have the opportunity to follow and to lead.
• Give able pupils roles in group work that reflect their abilities.
• Have group/pupil targets, not just class targets.
• Promote self-evaluation.
• Recognise and use the linguistic expertise of multilingual pupils.
• Encourage pupils to set questions, not just to provide answers.
• Negotiate over objectives, styles of response and criteria for evaluation.
• Be open to suggestions that build on the pupils’ cultural backgrounds.
• Decide together on the objectives to be addressed by able pupils.
• Discuss possibilities over presentation.
• Allocate challenging roles in group work, for example, chairing the group, taking responsibility for moving discussion forward.
• Use peer editing or marking.
• Require the articulation of principles and development points.
• Expect ‘different’ rather than just ‘more’.
• Help able pupils to contribute to the success of others.
• Focus on qualitative outcomes.
• Explore possibilities for acceleration.
• Give all learning a time frame, but match timing to potential.
• Compact the task and give a limited focus to promote depth.
Independent work
• Marking should be formative, not just celebratory, and should be focused on specific criteria.
• Vary styles of response and avoid excessive pressure.
• Offer the inspiration that can come from meeting older pupils who are gifted or talented.
• Encourage self-checking based on prompt sheets for self-analysis.
• Monitor independent reading round the subject.
• Extend and exploit the conventions of different text types.
• Establish extracurricular groups.
• Foster originality, independence and initiative.
• Set investigative, research-based tasks.
• Make time for individual feedback.
• Promote extended reading and writing.
• Expect the use of ICT and encourage (monitored) e-mail link-ups with able pupils in other schools.
• Consider having students in training as e-mentors for able pupils.
• Ensure appropriate access to ICT.
Plenaries
• Expect pupils to offer explanation, not just presentation.
• Exploit the possibilities of presenting in role and reporting back.
• Encourage able pupils to take notes for feedback.
• Allow able pupils a different timescale for feedback, for example via ICT at the end of the week.
• Focus on the articulation of what has been learnt, using appropriate terminology.
• Tackle demanding objectives.
• Instil the habit of reflection on learning. – Triangle of learning.
• Build understanding of the big ideas- Solo Taxonomy
• Enable able pupils to work with others of similar ability.
Pingback: Differentiation strategies « rmaxwellblake's Blog
Pingback: try » Blog Archive » Differentiation – Plenaries
Pingback: try » Blog Archive » Differentiation strategies – starters
Pingback: try » Blog Archive » Differentiation – Groupwork
Pingback: try » Blog Archive » Differentiation – an alternative view
Pingback: Differentation | Teaching Experience