1. Practical Differentiation for Infant/Primary Teachers
Presented by: Sue Cowley
For: Association of British Schools in Chile 29th Annual Educational Conference
Date: Saturday 2nd April 2016

2. Learning Objectives
Consider the varying needs of the children in your class
Find practical and time efficient ways to differentiate more effectively for them
Identify the differentiation techniques you are using already
See how undifferentiated and differentiated feels from the children’s perspective
Examine ways to get the most out of group work

3. What is Differentiation?
“If a child does not learn the way you teach, then teach him the way he learns.”
Dr Harry Chasty
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
Abraham Lincoln
“Support and Challenge for All”
“Finding out what your children know and can do; adapting your teaching as a result.”
Consider this: where learning isn’t differentiated:
A third may already have ‘got it’
A third may ‘get it’ now
A third may not ‘get it’ yet
Therefore … two thirds are not making the best use of their time

4. Start with the Child

5. Start with the Child

6. Start with the Child

7. What is Differentiation?

8. Undifferentiated to Differentiated
. . .

9. What ‘Differences’ Are There?
Attention spans
Levels of interest in subjects
Prior experience of topics
Levels of motivation
Preferred ways of learning
Speeds of working/writing
Age within the year group
Maturity in comparison to peers
Self confidence/self esteem
Knowledge about the world
Life experiences
Language/vocabulary skills
Communication skills
Physical, psychological needs
Social backgrounds
Cultural backgrounds
Faith backgrounds
Time spent in education

10. Getting to Know You home visits all about me visitors and volunteers
open-ended activities
sustained shared thinking
liaison – parents/carers, settings, teachers
interactions build knowledge
incorporate interests / imaginative inspirations
step back, watch, observe

11. What Can I Differentiate?
complexity
type of task
amount and type of support
resources
timing
targets
ability mix of groups
structure of groups
assessment
individual targets for assessment

12. What Can I Differentiate?
repetition
complexity of vocabulary
conceptual abstraction
type of questions
approaches to task
level of access of task
role of learners
choices about form/resources
choices about tasks/timing
and when all else fails, outcomes

13. What Can I Differentiate?

14. Practical Strategies for Differentiation
what do you want to find out/learn/know/discover?
list of questions
objects, ideas and resources from home
goals and targets
sources – parents, teachers, peers, authors, online
‘community of learners’
‘community of inquiry’
‘us’ and ‘we’ not ‘you and ‘me’

15. Practical Strategies for Differentiation
resources for support
word banks, dictionaries, topic tables
“3 before me”
Mantle of the Expert
physical resources for concepts
class blog or website
extension activities
‘Learning Logs’ and projects

16. Practical Strategies for Differentiation
‘next steps’
who already knows, who can already do?
3 minutes, 10/20/30 ideas
visual time targets
visualiser
what can you show me …?
Text Team
Teacher Talkers
Think Tank

17. Practical Strategies for Learners with EAL
tone, emphasis, pace
facial expressions, hand gestures
visual elements, diagrams
language prompts
‘rehearsal’ chances
celebrate variety
‘survival words’
the child as an expert
self talk and parallel talk

18. Making the Most of Group Work
effective but tricky
structure, forward planning
mixed ability versus ability groups
allocate roles/ensure participation
build skills over time
‘rights’ and ‘responsibilities’
timings, targets, feedback
strategies to control noise
allocate roles
taking turns – conch, coin

19. Differentiating Language
repetition and variety
complex conceptual vocabulary
pace, emphasis and repetition
sustained shared thinking
exactly the right words
phrases of different complexity
closed questions for understanding
open questions to extend thinking

20. ‘Rich’ Learning – A Sense of Purpose
examples, analogies, stories, anecdotes
choice and self direction
organise information
mnemonics, summaries, visuals, recordings
real life contexts
peer to peer feedback
success for all
SEAL

21. ‘Rich’ Resources for Engagement
surprise, delight, fascinate
simple = encourage lateral thinking
multi-sensory
structure/support
element of fun
additional complexity for those who are ready for it
Anything can be anything when you use your imagination

22. Start with the Child

23. Start with the Child

24. www.suecowley.co.uk @Sue_Cowley sue@suecowley.co.uk