“Differentiation”

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Support strategies for students with diverse learning needs in the mainstream classroom.

Document can be located electronically at ‘The Curriculum Place’ www.cnscurric.catholic.edu.au

Booklet compiled by Elena JohnsonAdvisory Visiting Teacher: Special Needs

Fairness & EquityResponding to every student in the same way is

Equal.

Responding to each student based on need is the meaning of Fairness.

GUIDELINES, POLICIES, STATEMENTS & LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS

• Guidance for using the Australian Curriculum with Students with Special Education Needs:– “Wherever possible, inclusive, rather than restrictive terminology

is used in the Phase 1 learning areas.”

– “For achievement standards, emphasis is placed on the skills and understandings that students are expected to demonstrate rather than the mode by which they do this.”

Inclusive for all:

Previous assessment terminology

The Australian Curriculum has been

written using ‘inclusive terminology’

Listen

Speak

Write

Complete

Respond

Communicate

Record

Demonstrate

• QSA – Special Needs:– “The needs of students with specific educational needs

must be considered in a proactive way – to design inclusive learning and assessment programs, and to provide opportunities for alternative assessment arrangements.”

• QSA Policy on Special Provisions for School-based Assessments in Authority & Authority-registered Subjects:– “In making a decision about special provisions, the school

is required to consider what adjustments to assessment conditions are reasonable in the circumstances.”

• Catholic Education – Diocese of Cairns: Inclusive Practices Position Statement:– “Catholic Education – Diocese of Cairns believes that the

concept of inclusion is based on the provision of an educational environment that promotes the human dignity of each student.”

• Disability Discrimination Act (1992):– “A person with a disability has a right to study at any

educational institution in the same way as any other student. The DDA makes it against the law for an educational authority to discriminate against someone because that person has a disability.”

KEY STRATEGIES FOR DIFFERENTIATION

PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE

http://flpbs.fmhi.usf.edu

Don’t forget that there are different types of learners:

Auditory (p. 24 & 25 ‘Differentiation’ Booklet)

Visual (p. 26 & 27 ‘Differentiation’ Booklet)

Tactile / Kinaesthetic (p. 26 & 27 ‘Differentiation’ Booklet)

• Checklist found on p.29 of Differentiation booklet. A similar one is available from ‘The Curriculum Place’ with the Unit plan template.

• Great for general modifications in the classroom that are simple to implement and can support all students.

General Accommodations / Modifications

SCENARIO FOR DIFFERENTIATIONMichael is in Year 8. He has multiple disabilities from birth including

substantial intellectual disability. He has many absences from school because of his epilepsy, plus he has to visit his specialists for medical checkups.

Michael’s academic performance is patchy. On good days he reads at about a year 3 level and can do basic Arithmetic, but struggles with year 8 Maths. He participates in the rest of the curriculum including P.E. Michael is fiercely independent, tries hard to be ‘cool’ and hates being singled out, withdrawn from class or seen as unintelligent. He gets in to fights with other students, often because he goes about establishing friendships the wrong way. Predictably, he goes into rages when called “dummy” or similar names. Michael’s independent living skills are not advanced and his Individual Education Plan (IEP) emphasised his need for better social skills.

Adapted from : ‘Students with Disabilities in Mainstream Classrooms: A resource for teachers’,Anthony Shaddock, Loretta Giorcelli, Sue Smith

Adjustments for Michael could involve:

•Depending on what the staff and parents identify as priority learning goals, it may be agreed that behaviour and social skills are more important to focus on for the time being.

Curriculum Instructional Environmental• Same lesson topic but at a

lower level curriculum especially for Maths

• Alternate programming for some Learning Areas

• During PE include more focus on Michael’s social skills

• Read instructions to Michael or have the text read to him using assistive technologies

• Provide visual aides to support written instructions

• Allow Michael to use a calculator or have a math reference chart to assist in the numeracy of other subjects

• Give Michael scaffolding for tasks eg: sentence starters, graphic organisers

• Use peer tutoring• Ensure Michael can see

instructional displays• Have a visual timetable for

Michael to follow

SCENARIO FOR DIFFERENTIATIONSam is a Year 10 student who has no diagnosed disability but has

difficulty with reading and written tasks, despite intervention in previous years. He can comprehend texts that are read to him but has difficulty with decoding strategies, so he cannot read texts at a year 10 level or read some instructions in class and on assessment tasks. Sam also has limited spelling skills so he finds it difficult to put ideas in written form. He also finds it difficult to copy notes from the board and may have spelling errors in his work, even if it is copied from the board.

Adjustments for Sam could involve:Curriculum Instructional Environmental• Reduce word content for

written assignments• Where possible allow Sam to

present content knowledge in forms other than written (demonstration, orally)

• Sam to be given an audio book to complete novel study activities

• Assistive technologies such as ‘Text to Talk’ or ’Co writer’ can be installed on computer so instructions or any text on the computer are read to Sam, written instructions in class can also be given orally

• Topic vocabulary list can be given out at beginning of unit of work, ‘Talk to Text’ program can be used for written assignments

• Sam can be given printed lesson notes rather than copying from board

• School Officer to note take or scribe

• Allow extra time for copying

• Have peer tutors (note taking, editing tasks)

• Sam sit closer to the board

What adjustments do you already make for your students?

“Fairness is not everyone getting the same

but everyone getting what he or she needs”

Socrates