Differentiation | Read about it

Differentiation involves a range of strategies to respond to the needs of learners found in today’s classrooms. Learners grouped in classrooms have varying interests, understandings, prior knowledge and abilities. In order to meet their needs, it may be necessary to differentiate instruction at different points in the school day. In general, differentiation involves some form of adjustment to the content, process , product, context or evaluation of learning. The differentiation method or strategy you use will depend on your learners, the complexity of the task or activity, and resources available to you. Sometimes teachers differentiate in one way, for instance, differentiate the learning process for a particular task, but not in other ways. Other times, teachers may differentiate the process and the evaluation--depending on the needs of the learner.

The key to successful and manageable differentiation is to include strategies in your curriculum planning. In differentiated classrooms, teachers guide their students into establishing learning goals. They understand their students' individuality and trust their own professional insights, they encourage learners to participate in shaping classroom procedures, making choices that work best for them and thinking of ways to make learning more effective--all with the intention of fostering students who become self-regulated learners. One aspect remains clear, each student is expected to work toward essential understandings, skills and overall competency development. How they do this is often highly negotiable and may involve differentiation in one of the following areas:

Content
Process
Product
Context
Evaluation










Differentiating the learning content
Differentiating the content means making adaptations to what students are learning. Content refers to the concepts, principles, and skills that teachers want students to learn. All students should be given access to the same core content, according to Carol-Ann Tomlinson. Watering down the curriculum is not a differentiation strategy. Struggling learners should be taught the same larger and complex ideas as their classmates.

Content also refers to the means teachers use with students to access skills and knowledge, such as reading materials, lectures, presentations, and field trips. Teachers can vary these means as well, Tomlinson says. For example, a teacher might direct an advanced learner to complex texts, websites, and experts to interview, while providing a student of more modest capacity with reading buddies, videos, demonstrations, or by using graphic organizers that help a student access information more easily.

 

Differentiating the learning process

Differentiating the process means making adaptations in the way students will learn. This may be accomplished by changing the process that a student will undertake to learn or the process that you will use to teach a particular lesson. Guiding students with tools that will help them organize the task at hand and information they may be collecting is one way to differentiate the learning process.

Using a graphic organizer to differentiate a learning process is one way to guide students in their learning when completing a learning activity. The purpose of a graphic organizer is to scaffold or support the learning and thinking process for a student who may be struggling with a task. The goal is that after using one or several graphic organizers the student will be able to internalize and transfer the knowledge of how to proceed with a task, without needing to use an organizer the next time. This may take many exposures to various processes and graphic organizers before occurring. Other students may require continued support in their learning processes, using a graphic organizer. 

Differentiating the learning product

Differentiating the product of learning means making adaptations in how students will demonstrate their learning. Traditionally, students write or answer questions in order to demonstrate their learning.  This may be fine for many students however there are many other ways to demonstrate one's learning. One way is to keep Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences in mind. Planning for varied products of learning will provide opportunities for all students to use their strengths when demonstrating their competency development.
To read more about multiple intelligences research taking place at Harvard university: http://www.pz.harvard.edu/Research/ResearchMI.htm


Differentiating the learning context

Differentiating the learning context means making adaptations in where and with whom students will collaborate with in the classroom. Sometimes students require changes in their physical space in order to feel more comfortable or focused when learning. Not all students work well in groups and may need times during the week when they can work in pairs or individually. As such, breaking down learning situations such that students are provided varied opportunities for working with others or on their own will help to meet the needs of the diverse learners in your classroom.

Differentiation the evaluation

Differentiating student evaluation means providing various opportunities for authentic assessment and evaluation using a variety of methods. In authentic assessment there is a connection between methods and tools used during the teaching, learning and evaluating. This means that when products, process and content are differentiated in order to support various learners, then this same support may be required in the evaluation process.

Below are abbreviated excerpts from the MELS document titled | Differentiated Evaluation

The Conseil supérieur de l'éducation defines pedagogical differentiation as a process that draws upon a diversified set of teaching and learning methods in order to allow students of different ages, backgrounds, abilities and skills to reach common goals via different paths and, ultimately, to achieve educational success.

| What are the 3 Levels of differentiated evaluations according to the MELS? |

1. Pedagogical flexibility
2. Adaptation
3. Modification

1 | Pedagogical flexibility
Offers choices to all students during learning and evaluation situations (LES). Choices do no affect the difficulty of the task, requirements, or the evaluation criteria of the competencies targeted. Allows for consideration of student needs who may be at risk of failing if action is not taken. The teacher provides reasonable and varied challenges.

Example

• Teacher proposes different problems to be solved, questions to be answered or work to be carried out, all related to the same competency.

2 | Adaptation
Requires changing the way in which students become involved in learning and evaluation situations, particularly students with specific needs that are identified in the individualized education plan (IEP).  Choices do not affect the difficulty of the task, requirements, or the evaluation criteria of the competencies targeted.

Examples

• Change the way texts are presented visually--enlarge text, use larger font, spacious layout.
• Read texts to a student during an LES
• Have computer read websites or texts written by the student using free software. Text to Speech help file.
• Change the time requirement (spread task over several periods; use a.m. instead of p.m. classes to complete the LES; increase the time allotment)

3 | Modification
An exceptional measure that involves changing the very nature of the LES for students with specific needs that are identified in the individualized education plan (IEP). The difficulty of the tasks to be carried out, the requirements or the evaluation criteria of the competencies targeted are modified. It is important that students and their parents understand the impact on the certification of studies of a decision involving modification.

Examples

• Assign shorter or fewer tasks
• Teacher provides assistance in identifying information required to solve a problem