1. Practical Differentiation
@Sue_Cowley

2. Start with the Learners: A Place

3. Start with the Learners: A Hobby

4. Start with the Learners Something nobody knows about you …

5. Start with the Learners: A Story

6. What ‘Differences’ Are There?
Attention spans
Levels of interest in the subject
Prior experience of the subject
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
Ability to self regulate
Knowledge about the world
Life experiences
Language/vocabulary skills
Communication skills
Physical, psychological needs
Social/cultural backgrounds
Number of settings attended
Faith backgrounds
Time spent in education/school
Learners with SEND or EAL

7. Getting to Know Your Learners
What do they know/like/enjoy/do/know about?
Liase: previous setting/teachers, parents, SENDCO
Transitions and portfolios
Formative and summative assessment
Observations and ‘listening in’
What are the ‘next steps’?

8. Thinking Next Steps

9. One Task : Many Levels

10. Relevance: What’s in a Name? Helicopter

11. What Can I Differentiate?
complexity of task
type or form of task
amount and type of support
type of resources
timings and targets
attainment mix of groups
structure of groups
type of assessment
individual assessment targets
focus of assessment

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

13. Differentiation for Learners with EAL
Avoid idioms
Preteach content
Use self and parallel talk
Offer chances to use the home language
Talk about language as well as curriculum

14. Differentiation for Learners with SEND
Knowledge of SEND is key
Use visual aids
Think about seating positions
Abstract concept – concrete activity
Think laterally about ways to record ideas

15. Differentiation for All Learners
3 column questions
‘Top and tail’ your planning
‘You be teacher’
Choices to stretch/challenge
Take care with scaffolds – they can encourage over reliance

16. The Myth of Average “You’ve literally designed it for nobody
The Myth of Average “You’ve literally designed it for nobody.” Todd Rose – TedX Sonoma County

17. Some Questions to Take Away
Which differentiation strategies do you use that you can’t put on a lesson plan?
How well do you know your learners?
What areas of SEND knowledge do you need to develop?
How much ownership do your children have of their learning?
How do you motivate children to be independent learners?