Differentiation

This week we will be giving you a preview from our train the trainers program our focus is on “Differentiation”. What does differentiation mean and why is it important. Differentiation is defined by the Training and Development Agency for Schools as ‘the process by which differences between learners are accommodated so that all students in a group have the best possible chance of learning’.

Teachers have the task of understanding the differences presented by learners in their class and designing their lessons to meet the various needs of these learners. I will highlight 2 ways a teacher can practice differentiation in their class.

We can differentiate by task which is setting different tasks for learners depending on their ability so that we are catering for the gifted children as well as children who might be slow learners

We can differentiate by resources which means giving students different resources to work with to arrive at the same outcome, some could use ipads, others basic illustrations others could use worksheets. Remember if students don’t learn the way we teach maybe we should teach the way they learn.