Differentiation

Scaffolding

Scaffolding is as important at Key Stage 5 as in other years.

Don’t assume that just because students are studying at A Level they are all of an equal ability.

Differentiated Group Work: An Example...

• Each student has an allocated (differentiated) role, to ensure maximum engagement and participation.

• Each group deals with different material, could be differentiated according to ability/learning style/behavioural needs.

Task: analysing a section of a text for English Literature

Student 1: the summariser

Student 2: the analyst

Student 3: the reviewer/interpreter

Student 4: the contextualiser

All linked to a specific assessment objective. Differing roles/instructions for each student.

Unlocking potential with language (Jim Smith’s The Lazy Teacher’s Handbook: developing an independent learning structure)

• ‘What have you forgotten to do?’

• ‘If you were not stuck, what would you do?’

• ‘Try something different...’

• ‘If I gave you a million pounds to be unstuck, what would you do?’

• ‘What could you do to help yourself?’

Teacher Modelling

Always model a task before asking/when asking students to complete a similar task.

By limiting failure in this way - through leading by example - students will be more comfortable with the task and in turn, more confident in their ability.

This should result in a higher quality outcome.

Writing Analytical Paragraphs

Remember to ...• Begin with a topic sentence.

• Embed quotations into sentences in a way that still allows them to make grammatical sense.

• Lead into a quotation with terminology and then pull the quotation apart further through close analysis, applying (where possible) additional terminology.

• Find a way to round off the paragraph that relates back to the set topic.

Example ParagraphThis extract from the novel ‘Devil May Care’ supports a number of gender stereotypes, most notably that men are strong, energetic and violent with an attraction to fast cars. The foregrounding of the plosive monosyllabic “Bond” emphasises his power and importance, adding to his ‘action man’ status. This is enhanced by a lexical set of movement created by the dynamic verbs “hit”,“swerved”, “kicked” and “wrenched” which show Bond to be full of energy. In addition, the adverb “instinctively” to depict his sudden contact with the brake show that Bond remains calm and in control in high stress situations. As a result, the reader is given an idealised portrait of Bond’s exploits.

The Challenge Box: Extension Tasks

• A box of challenging materials/exercises is available for students when they are ready to move on, ahead of the group. This can ensure that extension tasks are meaningful and support progress in a challenging way, rather than simply ‘the next page of the text book.’

• For example, in English Literature a collection of challenging critical essays could be available for students to read and evaluate.

• Extension tasks to be reviewed within the lesson/students given the opportunity to share what they have learned in order to give the tasks value.

Task:

• In your department time, think of a specific way that you can use one or more of these ideas in your subject.

• Come up with one or more of your own differentiation techniques to contribute to the feedback.