Task: Differentiation

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 What differentiation is and isn’t



Tomlinson (2001, p. 1) explains that differentiation ‘provides different avenues to acquiring content, to processing or making sense of ideas, and to developing products so that each student can learn effectively.’ [emphasis added]. Content refers to the input or what we expect students to learn, process comprises multiple sense-making approaches deployed by students, and product is the output or how learning is demonstrated. The common thread running through these approaches is that they are designed with the purpose of significant student development in mind (Tomlinson, 2001).

Tomlinson goes on to clarify that differentiation is not to be confused with individualized instruction as it was practised in the 1970s, where the aim was to come up with something different for each of the more than 30 students often found in a class. She emphasises that it includes ‘whole-class, group, and individual instruction’ (2001, p. 5). 

The task

I was asked to outline a lesson based on the topic of Natural Disasters found at https://www.globalissues.org/article/568/media-and-natural-disasters

I was also asked to consider a higher (IELTS 6.5 – 7.5) and a lower (IELTS 5.5 – 6.5) group and explain how I might use differentiation in my lesson. What follows is my attempt. 

Lesson focus: A seminar

Put students in groups of 4/5.

Higher group

Seminar questions (substantiate your opinion):

  • Is media coverage of natural disasters selective?
  • Do some regions that have been hit by a natural disaster get more attention than others?
  • Compare media coverage of the following natural disasters that occurred in 2005:

    1. Pakistan and Indian earthquake
    2. Food shortages in West and Southern Africa
    3. Typhoons in East Asia
    4. Devastating hurricanes affecting Central America and the US

Before the seminar:

  • Compare your notes with your assigned group.
  • Together, think of at least 4 questions you would like to discuss during the seminar.

Teacher's notes

  • Explain the main purpose of the seminar: to deepen understanding of the subject and to develop critical thinking.
  • Explain that this is a safe space and that everyone should try to participate.
  • Collate questions from groups and add to the list. Display the list so that students can refer to it whenever they need to.

Rationale

Seminars are common teaching and learning methods, and therefore it is crucial that students become familiar with them (Alexander, Argent & Spencer, 2018). Students also need to become familiar with the consequential or chronological nature of discourse construction. For example, before they can participate in a seminar, they need to do some reading and/or listen to a lecture, make notes, and perhaps share and develop those notes [genre chains]. It is also useful for them to become aware of the intertextuality of argument construction. In writing, for instance, they will be required to refer to other authors' writing in order to substantiate their arguments [genre networks]. For more on genre chains and genre networks, see Swales, 2004.

With this higher group, it can be expected that they research and read materials to find relevant information. While some might not have well-developed study skills (e.g., how to read a text, note-taking, etc.), their greater language proficiency should give them a reasonable chance of success. During reflection after the lesson, or in a phase during the task, students could be given model strategies for note-taking, note-building, etc., and be asked to compare and assess their own strategies using specified criteria.

 By asking them to collaborate on producing more questions, their criticality might also be developed. In other words, a seminar requires multiple skills and strategies, making it an extremely useful learning/teaching method. Students are asked to work independently as well as collaboratively, and to make decisions on their own as well as in conjunction with others. These are all real-world skills that they will need to be familiar with on their degree programme and beyond. 

For the lower group, I suggest adapting this task in this way:

  • Restrict the reading by setting 2/3 articles.
  • Have 10-12 seminar questions that students can use to guide their reading.
  • Do not ask students to produce their own questions (of course, there’s nothing wrong with them doing so of their own accord).
  • Give them access to a model of a seminar (video) [both groups].
  • Along with the video, highlight useful language (e.g., for stating/inviting an opinion, agreeing/disagreeing, referring to something said earlier, moving on to another point, etc.) [both groups].
  • Let them have a “dry run,” either in small groups or as a class.
  • Give/invite feedback on procedures, strategies as well as language [both groups].
Looking at this again, I can see what other routes I might have taken with this task. This is what makes differentiated instruction so interesting. Using the resource given at the beginning of this blog, what type of lesson might you design and how would you differentiate?

References

Alexander, O., Argent, S., & Spencer, J. (2018). EAP essentials: A teacher’s guide to principles and practice (2nd ed.). Reading, England: Garnet.

Swales, J. M. (2004). Research genres: Explorations and applications. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). How to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability classrooms (2nd ed.). Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. 


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