Differentiation What might it look like in the Languages classroom?

Key messages Know your students Enable all students to access core content Give students room to manoeuvre Variation Choice Clear aims/goals

Our K-10 Language Syllabuses This syllabus provides…educational opportunities that: Engage and challenge all students to maximise their individual talents and capabilities Encourage and enable all students to enjoy learning and to be self-motivated, reflective, competent learners (Page 5)

Our K-10 Language syllabuses Takes into account the diverse needs of all students Contain advice to assist teachers to program learning for those students who have gone beyond achieving the outcomes through their study of the essential content In the K-6 curriculum students with special needs are provided for It is necessary to continue focusing on the needs, interests and abilities of each student when planning a program for secondary schooling. (Page 6)

Australian teaching standards Descriptors that address “differentiation” and Select from a flexible and effective repertoire of teaching strategies to suit the physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students and Develop effective teaching strategies that address the learning strengths and needs of students… and Develop and evaluate teaching and learning programs that are differentiated to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities

And more… and Design and implement teaching activities that support …students with disability and3.1.3 Set explicit, challenging and achievable learning goals for all students and Plan, evaluate and modify …programs to create productive learning environments that engage all students and Implement inclusive strategies that engage and support all students and Develop, select and use informal, formal, diagnostic, formative and summative tasks to assess student learning

Some strategies: 1. Know your students: Pretesting – Socrative, Google forms, KWL Exit cards Curriculumcorner

Differentiate by content By readiness/ability Tiered task By text type By skill By interest

Differentiate by process: Provide learners with choice Choice Activity choice boards Use of visual stimulus/realia Modelling Flexible grouping Chunking of learning Self- paced learning – ICT Learning profile Provision of active and reflective experiences – variety of tasks

Flexible grouping How to group students? T – Total group A – Alone P – Partner S – Small group Flexible grouping - Some points to consider

Questioning in a Languages classroom What is the meaning of..? Why/When would they say this? Can you see the pattern? When did we use this structure before? What is another way of saying this? How could we use this structure in a different context? How can we link this structure to others to make our language more sophisticated?

Different support Dictionaries, vocab lists, script assistance Additional structure to the task/instruction cards Additional time More individualised attention Make use of NSA’s Wall charts

Differentiate by product: Provide choice and variety RAFT tasks Tiered tasks Different levels of: complexity abstractedness open-endness

For reflection: What do I need to differentiate in this UOW? Why do I need to differentiate? - Readiness - Interests - Learning profiles - Prior learning/background

Resources The myth of the average Languages other than English Center for Educator Development Languages other than English Center for Educator Development Differentiated Assessment Strategies Carolyn Chapman and Rita King Differentiation in Practice Carol Ann Tomlinson and Cindy Strickland