1. Differentiated Learning

2. Different Emphasis If youve done this weeks reading, you will notice thatthis lecture has a different title from the chapter The chapter title is Differentiated Learners, and thechapter focuses on teachers teaching for a subset ofstudents, which it calls diverse or differentiatedlearners But we are all diverse! Diverse means different, andnone of us are the same as each other I resist the notion that were normal, theyre diverse 3. Difference, not deficit While student differences can pose challenges to ateacher, recognising that all students are diverse, not justa subset, changes the perspective As far as possible, student differences should ideally beseen as a set of resources on which the teacher and theother students can draw in constructing learningtogether In this process, different students will contribute more atdifferent times 4. Recognition and Distribution Youll remember the tension Nancy Fraser describes,between recognition and distribution, from last weekslecture Treating all students as diverse, and their differences asresources, does not mean denying those differences,identities or challenges It does not mean treating all students as though theywere the same It does mean finding ways to enhance opportunity 5. Thinking about differences Spend a few moments individually listing as manydifferences between students as you can think of (therewill be chocolate for the longest list!) Now compare your list with the person next to you,Boggle-style, and add any they have that you missedand vice versa Select three particular forms of difference, and with yourpartner think of ways to use that difference as a resourcein teaching the whole class 6. Students with Disabilities (better language than disabled students) Some students differences will be specific disabilities thatare named and identified: the reading outlines some ofthese Other differences will also make learning morechallenging, but not be identified or supported in thesame ways Developing specific learning programs and strategies, incollaboration with support services, is part of teaching 7. Differentiated Instruction This is a strong interest of Education Queensland and waspart of the recent state-wide Teaching and Learningaudit of all state schools Differentiation of instruction different learning activitiesfor learners with different needs was in many cases theweakest dimension on this audit, so the issue is receivinga lot of attention It is sometimes understood to mean streaming of classesby ability, but the research evidence shows this is seldomeffective 8. Differentiated Instruction Differentiating instruction can be difficult to manage as ateacher: there are likely not to just be 2 or even 3 groupsbut many on some dimensions At the same time its an impossible demand on a teacherto individualise teaching for all students, all the time Its also not a fair outcome to require the most ablestudents to spend all their time helping their less ablefellow students although its valuable for bothsometimes 9. The Classroom as a LearningCommunity There is no easy approach to differentiating instruction One possible approach is moving away from a model inwhich the teacher is the centre and provider of alllearning experiences toward a model of the classroom asa learning community in which each person bears someresponsibility for his/her own learning and the learning ofher/his classmates A learning community enhances learner autonomy andis in line with MYS principles and values