1. Understanding differentiation
HANDOUTS:
Handout 1:Understanding the concept of differentiation
Handout 2: Ways to differentiate
Handout 3:Tiered Activities in a differentiated classroom
Handout 4: Strategies for differentiated instruction
NB: Instructions for the presenters are written in regular font.
Dialogue for the presenters is written in bold font.
Understanding differentiation 1

2. Quote - Henry David Thoreau
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
Link: The same message can be applied when reflecting on students in our classrooms. 2

3. Brain research confirms what experienced teachers have always known:
No two children are alike. 
No two children learn in the identical way. 
An enriched environment for one student is not necessarily enriched for another. 
In the classroom we should teach children to think for themselves.
State that: Consequently, it follows that although essential curricula goals may be similar for all students, teaching methods employed in a classroom must be varied to suit to the individual needs of all children: ie. learning must be differentiated to be effective.  
Differentiating instruction means creating multiple paths so that students of different abilities, interest or learning needs experience equally appropriate ways to absorb, use, develop and present concepts as a part of the daily learning process. It allows students to take greater responsibility and ownership for their own learning, and provides opportunities for peer teaching and cooperative learning.
Link: We will begin by clarifying what is meant by differentiation. 3

4. What is Differentiation?
Differentiated instruction, also called differentiation, is a process through which teachers enhance learning by matching student characteristics to instruction and assessment.
Differentiated instruction allows all students to access the same classroom curriculum by providing entry points, learning tasks, and outcomes that are tailored to students' needs (Hall, Strangman, & Meyer, 2003).
Differentiated instruction is not a single strategy, but rather an approach to instruction that incorporates a variety of strategies.
Access Centre, 2004
Explain that: To differentiate instruction is to recognize students’ varying background knowledge, readiness, learning styles, and interests and to respond to that.
The intent of differentiated instruction is to maximize each student’s growth and individual success by meeting each student where he or she is and designing instruction that matches students’ needs.
Link: Carol Ann Tomlinson, often described as ‘the guru of differentiation’, has researched and published a significant amount of material on differentiated instruction. 4

5. What is Differentiation?
Differentiated instruction is responsive instruction.
It occurs as teachers become:
increasingly proficient in understanding their students as individuals,
increasingly comfortable with the meaning and structure of the disciplines they teach, and
increasingly expert at teaching flexibility in order to match instruction to student need with the goal of maximizing the potential of each learner in a given area.
CLICK to bring in each of the three points.
Link: It is important for teachers to understand the key principles that support differentiation.
Carol Ann Tomlinson, 2003 5

6. Key principles that support differentiation …
A differentiated classroom is flexible.
Differentiation of instruction stems from effective and ongoing assessment of learner needs.
Flexible grouping helps ensure student access to a wide variety of learning opportunities and working arrangements.
All students consistently work with “respectful” activities and learning arrangements.
Students and teachers are collaborators in learning.
Tomlinson & Allan (2000)
State that: Understanding and adhering to these principles facilitate the work of the teacher and the success of the learner in a responsive classroom.
CLICK to bring in each of the five key principles.
Explain that: Tomlinson maintains:
1. Demonstrating clarity about learning goals, both teachers and students understand that time, materials, modes of teaching, ways of grouping students, ways of expressing learning, ways of assessing learning, and other classroom elements are tools that can be used in a variety of ways to promote individual and whole-class success.
2. In a differentiated classroom, student differences are expected, appreciated, and studied as a basis for instructional planning. This principle also reminds us of the tight bond that should exist between assessment and instruction.
3. In a flexibly grouped classroom, a teacher plans student working arrangements that vary widely and purposefully over a relatively short period of time. Such classrooms utilize whole-class, small-group, and individual explorations. 4. This important principle provides that every learner must have tasks that are equally interesting and equally engaging, and which provide equal access to essential understanding and skills
5. In differentiated classrooms, teachers study their students and continually involve them in decision-making about the classroom. As a result, students become more independent as learners.
Link: The teacher responds to students’ needs in a variety of ways. 6

7. Differentiation of Instruction
Is a teacher’s response to a learner’s needs
Guided by general principles of differentiation, such as
Ongoing assessment & adjustment
CLICK to bring in each of the three principles.
Explain the following:
Respectful Tasks:
All students participate in respectful work. The teacher shows respect for learners by honouring both their similarities and differences, not by treating them all alike. It is a deep respect for the identity of each student that makes a classroom work. The teacher respects the readiness level of each student, expects all students to grow and offers all students opportunities to explore at their own readiness levels. All student tasks are equally interesting, equally important, and equally engaging.
Flexible Grouping:
In a differentiated classroom, the teacher draws on a wide range of instructional strategies that help her focus on individuals and small groups, not just the whole class. Differentiation is an organized yet flexible way of proactively adjusting teaching and learning to meet students where they are and help them to achieve maximum growth as a learner. Teachers will at times work with the whole class, sometimes with a variety of small groups, and sometimes with individuals. This will change from day to day and week to week.
Assessment
Assessment is ongoing and diagnostic. Assessment provides information about who understands key ideas and who can perform targeted skills, at what levels of proficiency and with what degree of interest. The teacher then designs lessons to help students move ahead from their current level of competency.
Link: It is important that we have a shared understanding of ‘flexible grouping’.
Respectful tasks
Flexible grouping 7

8. Flexible grouping: A definition
Flexible grouping is an instructional strategy where students are grouped together to receive appropriately challenging instruction.
True flexible grouping permits students to move in and out of various grouping patterns, depending on the course content.
Grouping can be determined by ability, size, and/or interest.
Link: The following analogy by Michael Opitz paints a clear picture of flexible grouping. 8

9. When I think of flexible grouping, I picture working with sand castles
that the tide will wash away.
I think of ability-grouping as working
with concrete to build permanent foundations meant to withstand change.
Opitz, Michael (2005)
Empowering the reader in every child:
The case for flexible grouping when teaching reading
Read through the quote from Opitz.
CLICK to wash away the sandcastle
Explain that:
grouping of students is a teaching strategy that is used to maximise teaching and learning; and
flexible grouping refers to the use of a variety of student groupings to suit the purpose of the teaching and learning.
Link: Flexible grouping is the “How are they grouped?” part of grouping. 9

10. Flexible Grouping What is it? What is it not? Permanent
Same instruction as large group
Tracking
Extra work
Repetitive worksheets
Round Robin reading
Drill, drill, drill.
Grouping based on formative assessment
Short periods of time
Targeted instructional strategy
Formative assessment used to determine effectiveness
Groups will vary
Read through the summary on the slide
CLICK to bring in the word ”Fluid”.
Discuss how: ‘Fluid grouping’ refers to the composition of the different flexible groups. That is, students will not always be in the same group (Wombats).
Highlight that:
Thinking about groupings as flexible and fluid negates the need to have four reading groups that remain static for a year or a term; and
Student grouping is not an organisational structure, but a teaching strategy.
Fluid. 10

11. is the heart of differentiated instruction.
Flexible grouping
is the heart of differentiated instruction.
CLICK to bring in the quote.
State that: When you group flexibly, you create instruction groups and prescribe specific activities that respond to students’ learning needs.
Heacox, Diane (2001) Differentiating instruction in the regular classroom 11

12. according to students’
Teachers can differentiate:
Learning environment
Product
Process
Content
according to students’
learning profile
readiness
interests
Materials: Handout 1: Understanding the concept of differentiation
Explain each box. Refer to the handout.
Content – What is being taught. You can differentiate the actual content being presented to students.
Process – How the student learns what is being taught. For example, some students need to interact with the material physically, some might prefer to read a book.
Product – How the student shows what he/she has learned. For example, students can write a paper or they can present information orally.
Learning environment-The way the classroom works and feels. This includes the way the teacher has set up work areas, routines and culturally diverse resources.
Readiness – Skill level and background knowledge of child. Try to stay away from the word “ability” because you don’t always know the ability level of a child if their readiness level is low.
Interest – Child’s interest or preferences – these can be interests within the curricular area or in general.
Learning Profile – This includes learning style (is the student a visual, auditory, tactile, or kinesthetic learner), as well as preferences for environmental (such as level of distraction, exposure to light or noise) or grouping factors (small group, large group, or individual)
Link:State that: We will begin by examining how teachers can differentiate the content when teaching reading.
through a range of instructional and management strategies… 12

13. Examples of differentiating CONTENT
Using manipulatives with some, but not all, learners to help students understand a new idea.
Using texts or novels at more than one reading level.
Presenting information through both whole-to-part and part-to-whole approaches.
Using a variety of reading-buddy arrangements to support and challenge students working with text materials.
Re-teaching students who need another demonstration, or exempting students who already demonstrate mastery from reading a chapter or from sitting through a re-teaching session.
Using texts, computer programs, tape recorders, and videos as a way of conveying key concepts to varied learners.
Tomlinson, 2002
Materials: Handout 2: Ways to differentiate
Read through the points listed by Tomlinson. Discuss if necessary.
Explain to participants that: The Handout : Ways to differentiate is a compilation of these next slides.
Encourage participants to add any further suggestions.
Link: We will now examine how teachers can differentiate the process when teaching reading. 13

14. Ways to differentiate PROCESS
Using tiered activities - different levels of support, challenge, or complexity;
Providing interest centers;
Providing choice when responding to a task;
Developing personal agendas (task list that addresses individual needs of learners) ;
Offering manipulatives or other hands-on supports; and
Varying the length of time a student may take to complete a task in order to provide additional support for a struggling learner or to encourage an advanced learner to pursue a topic in greater depth.
Tomlinson, 2000
Materials: Handout 3: Tiered activities in a differentiated classroom.
Provide time for participants to quickly read through the Handout: Tiered activities in a differentiated classroom.
Read through the points listed by Tomlinson. Encourage participants to add any further suggestions.
Link: We will now look at how teachers can differentiate the product when teaching reading. 14

15. Ways to differentiate PRODUCT
Allow students to help design products around essential learning goals.
Encourage students to express what they have learned in varied ways.
Allow for varied working arrangements (for example, working alone or as part of a team to complete the product).
Provide or encourage use of varied types of resources in preparing products.
Provide product assignments at varying degrees of difficulty to match student readiness.
Use a wide variety of kinds of assessments.
Work with students to develop rubrics of quality that allow for demonstration of both whole-class and individual goals
Tomlinson, 2000
Read through the points listed by Tomlinson. Encourage participants to add any further suggestions.
Link: We will now look at how teachers can differentiate the learning environment when teaching reading. 15

16. Ways to differentiate the LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Making sure there are places in the room to work quietly and without distraction, as well as places that invite student collaboration;
Providing materials that reflect a variety of cultures and home settings;
Setting out clear guidelines for independent work that matches individual needs;
Developing routines that allow students to get help when teachers are busy with other students and cannot help them immediately; and
Helping students understand that some learners need to move around to learn, while others do better sitting quietly.
Tomlinson, 20
Read through the points listed by Tomlinson. Encourage participants to add any further suggestions.
Link: We will now look at how teachers can adjust their teaching in response to student readiness when teaching reading. 16

17. Ways to adjust for student readiness
Adjusting the degree of difficulty of a task to provide an appropriate level of challenge.
Adding or removing teacher or peer coaching, use of manipulatives, or presence or absence of models for a task. Teacher and peer coaching are known as scaffolding because they provide a framework or a structure that supports student thought and work.
Making the task more or less familiar based on the proficiency of the learner's experiences or skills for the task.
Varying direct instruction by small-group need.
Tomlinson, 2002
Explain that: To differentiate in response to student readiness, a teacher constructs tasks or provides learning choices at different levels of difficulty.
Read through the points listed by Tomlinson. Encourage participants to add any further suggestions.
Link: Scaffolding is an integral component of differentiation. 17

18. Scaffolding Support that teachers provide
Definition:
Support that teachers provide
temporarily to assist learners
to develop new understandings,
new concepts, and
new abilities.
As the learners develop control
of these, teachers withdraw
their support.
Hammond, J., & Gibbons. P. (2001).
Link: We will now look at how teachers can adjust their teaching in response to student interest when teaching reading. 18

19. Ways to differentiate in response to student interest
Using adults or peers with prior knowledge to serve as mentors in an area of shared interest.
Providing a variety of avenues for student exploration of a topic or expression of learning.
Providing broad access to a wide range of materials and technologies.
Giving students a choice of tasks and products, including student-designed options.
Encouraging investigation or application of key concepts and principles in student interest areas.
Tomlinson, 2002
Explain that: To differentiate in response to student interest, a teacher aligns key skills and material for understanding from a curriculum segment with topics that interest students.
Read through the points listed by Tomlinson. Encourage participants to add any further suggestions.
Link: We will now look at how teachers can differentiate their teaching in response to student learning profile when teaching reading. 19

20. Ways to differentiate in response to student learning profile
Creating a learning environment with flexible spaces and learning options.
Presenting information through auditory, visual, and kinesthetic modes.
Encouraging students to explore information and ideas through auditory, visual, and kinesthetic modes.
Allowing students to work alone or with peers.
Ensuring a choice of competitive, cooperative, and independent learning experiences.
Balancing varied perspectives on an issue or topic.
Providing authentic learning opportunities in various intelligence or talent areas.
Tomlinson, 2002
Materials: Handout 4: Strategies for differentiating instruction
Explain that: To differentiate in response to student learning profile, a teacher addresses learning styles, student talent, or intelligence profiles.
Read through the points listed by Tomlinson. Encourage participants to add any further suggestions.
Refer to the Handout: Strategies for differentiating instruction and briefly discuss format. This is a useful resource when working with teachers.
Link: Differentiation is not new. 20

21. It’s not new Each time you
provide a student with extra help, more time, or a modified assignment, you’re differentiating instruction.
All good teachers, whether they realise it or not, differentiate to some degree.
Diane Heacox, 2001 21

22. REFLECTION G
You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.
You cannot discover new oceans
unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.

23. Bibliography
Access Center. (2004). Differentiated Instruction for Reading. Washington D.C.: Author
Hammond, J. & Gibbons, P. (2001) What is scaffolding? Scaffolding: teaching and learning in language and literacy education, Primary English Teaching Association (PETA), Sydney.
Heacox, Diane (2001) Differentiating instruction in the regular classroom
Opitz, M. (2005) Empowering the reader in every child: The case for flexible grouping when teaching reading.
Tomlinson, C. (1999). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. 23

24. Bibliography (2)
Tomlinson, C. A. (2001) How to differentiate instruction in mixed ability classrooms, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria, Virginia, USA.
Tomlinson, C. A.& Allan, S.D. (2002) Leadership for Differentiating Schools & Classrooms
Tomlinson, C. A. (2003). Fulfilling the Promise of the Differentiated Classroom. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. 24