Defining Differentiation

The National Curriculum Council defined differentiation as 'the process by which curriculum objectives, teaching methods, assessment, resources and learning activities are planned to cater for the needs of individual pupils,' and Tomlinson and Allan (2000) say that differentiation is defined as 'a teacher's reacting responsively to a learner's needs.'

Differentiation is the matching of work to the different capabilities of individuals or groups in order to extend their learning.

Differentiation is about entitlement of access to a full curriculum in order that every pupil can reach their full potential (McNamara and Moreton, 1997).

Differentiation means 'shaking up' what goes on in the classroom so that students have multiple options for taking in information, making sense of ideas, and expressing what they learn (Tomlinson, 1999).

Differentiation is a planned process of intervention by the teacher in the pupil's learning.

Here is my definition:

Differentiation is when the planning, processes, activities, resources and teacher of a lesson meet the learning needs and style of every pupil.

Pupil grouping

Streaming involved the grouping of pupils into classes according to their academic ability. The membership of a streamed class remains the same for all subjects.

Setting allocates pupils to 'sets' according to their ability in particular subjects. A pupil might be in the top set for English but a middle or low set for Maths. Setting recognises that pupils can have different levels of attainment across different subjects.

Banding organises pupils in broad groups for all subjects. A school might organise a year group into upper and lower bands. Pupils might be in different sets within their band but would not be able to experience any lessons outside their band.

There is no setting or banding in my school because it is still growing. All classes are mixed ability. The advantages of this are pupils get to help other pupils who are struggling, the higher achieving pupils set a good example for the others and small groups can be effectively streamed. The disadvantages are that stronger students are slowed down, it is harder for a teacher to pitch a lesson to different levels and students can get frustrated with other students.

Here is a comparison chart of different types of grouping:

 

	Advantages	Disadvantages
Setting	- matching work to learners' need. gaining status and getting a higher grade in tests through being in a high group - allowing for differential attainment in different subjects - minimising behaviour problems. - matching work to learners' needs -raising academic standards, particularly for more able pupils and students - preventing bright pupils and students being inhibited by negative peer pressure - students saw being 'average' as giving protection from teasing and as offering an enjoyable atmosphere which was not too competitive	- many students felt that the work they were given was either too easy or too hard. -  learners being more aware of differences in their performance levels - students in both the lowest and highest sets being stigmatised, teased or called names like 'thick', 'dumb', 'boffin' and 'clever clogs', which many students found upsetting -the pressure of work in the top set and work being too easy in lower sets - not being in the same set as their friends. - learners possibly being given unequal opportunities - stigmatisation of students seen as lower attaining, which teachers saw as having a damaging effect on these students' self-esteem - more discipline problems and disaffection in the lower sets.
Mixed ability	- Students have more positive views of themselves in school - students' relationships with teachers and the school were better as a whole - more students' got on well with all their teachers and saw school as a 'good friend'. - raised the self-confidence of lower attaining students	- lowered the self-confidence of higher attaining students.   - students may be more aware of their performance -

Norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessment

Norm-referenced assessment compares an individual pupil's performance with the performances of other pupils. Giving one pupil a grade or mark doesn't help us to diagnose specific learning difficulties but does tell us about levels of performance in relation to others in the same class and year group.

Criterion-referenced assessment aims to show how far a pupil has met pre-specified learning objectives. For example, a 'driving test' would be a form of criterion-referenced assessment because the standards that have to be met are clearly defined in advance of the task. Similarly, in the classroom, teachers sometimes identify the criteria for success in a subject. Then they use those criteria to evaluate pupils' progress. In this sense, criterion-referenced assessment is an important part of formative assessment.

Some of the norm- and criterion-referenced assessment practices in your school are endorsed by Cambridge International examinations (CIE). Most subjects are exam based, consisting of two exams at the end of the two year course. Some subjects consist of coursework as well as an exam. The course work in my subject (Global Perspectives) gives marks for pupils collaboration, planning and research skills in a group and individual project. We give pupils mock exams to check their progress and give them predicted grades. These mock exams are useful as it gives pupil and teacher and idea of what pupils are doing well or areas of weakness, it also motivates students to get better marks but sometimes it can have the opposite effect making pupils demotivated and less driven if they keep getting bad grades. We also give intern and end of semester reports highlighting pupils strengths and weaknesses and offering advice on how to do better.

Formative, summative and diagnostic assessment

Summative assessment aims to sum up a pupil's achievement and progress. An example might be writing a report for parents or providing certificates at the end of schooling. Summative assessment will usually occur at the end of a piece of writing or at the end of a unit of work, offering a verdict on overall progress and summarising achievement.

Formative assessment aims to gather evidence to decide what a pupil needs to do next, for example, to guide learning or to inform future teaching. Formative assessment offers feedback which can be used both by teachers and pupils to modify the quality of teaching or content of learning.

Diagnostic assessment aims to identify and explain what a pupil is able and not able to do (e.g. to reveal learning difficulties or to build on strengths).

Here is my order of importance, 1 is most important, 11 is least:

• To acknowledge pupils' efforts –2 (Summative)
• To motivate pupils  -1 (Formative)
• To monitor progress – 3 (Formative)
• To identify pupils with special educational needs – 10 (Diagnostic)
• To establish evidence of achievement – 5 (Summative)
• To detect pupil under-achievement – 9 (Diagnostic)
• To report to parents – 6 (Formative)
• To support the grouping of pupils – 7 (Formative)
• To measure achievement at the end of a course – 8 (Summative)
• To compare pupils – 11 (Diagnostic)
• To inform planning – 4 (Formative)

I use summative assessment by:

- Writing an end of semester report

- End of unit tests

- Exams

I use formative assessment by:

- continuous marking of classwork and homework

- Observation of students

- mini quizzes

I use Diagnostic assessment by:

- Leader boards of pupils grades

- Exams

- Observation

The ways in which I might want to change the balance between these three assessment approaches is to integrate them together. I would like to use more formative assessment as it is useful for the teacher and students and can increase motivation.

Ground Rules for Group Work

It is an effective way of using language to think collectively, and the process of education should ensure that every child is aware of its value and able to use it effectively. However, observational research evidence suggests that very little of it naturally occurs in classrooms when children work together in groups.
(Mercer, 2000: 153)

The following problems could arise during group work:

• One or two pupils in each group are not contributing
• One group is stuck and looking quite awkward and embarrassed
• When you join the groups, they get self-conscious and stop talking
• You were hoping for an exploratory discussion of possibilities, but they seem to have reverted to banter and lists of known facts
• You have allowed fifteen minutes for in-depth discussion, but they ran out of steam once they had aired the obvious issues in the first three minutes
• They seem to enjoy talking about the subject but when it comes to feedback, nobody wants to volunteer and you end up making all the running

Here’s how I would deal with 3 of these problems:

- One or two pupils in each group are not contributing

In this case I would observe the group more. If the problem persists I will assign the problem students to a different group where they either feel more comfortable of they are at the same level.  If the group will work together for an extended time I will  get the group to fill in a log each time they meet of what each pupil has contributed.

- One group is stuck and looking quite awkward and embarrassed

I will promt the group and assist them with any difficulty.

- You were hoping for an exploratory discussion of possibilities, but they seem to have reverted to banter and lists of known facts

Brainstorm at the beginning of the lesson so they exhaust all these facts. Set some parameters.

Here are my ‘Golden Rules’ for group work:

• All group activities, even short ones, should have clear and explicit outcomes.
• Tell the groups how long they have for the task.
• Allocate roles to group members – e.g. group roles (chair, observer, timekeeper, spokesperson, minute-taker) or discussion roles (proposer, devils' advocate, opposer, supporter, summarizer, sceptic).
• Stage or structure the talk around a prompt list or task guidelines or the oral equivalent of a writing frame.
• Use one group member as an observer to give feedback on the way the group worked together and how they might improve
• Debrief the activity by reflecting on the kinds of group strategies that work best for the task in hand

The value of Group Work

Cooperation is working together to accomplish shared goals and cooperative learning is the instructional use of small groups so that students work together to maximize their own and one another's learning.
(Johnson and Johnson, 1990: 69).

I get my pupils to work in groups every lesson, although at times it is not possible because I teach at a small school with one class only consisting of two pupils, but I in the bigger classes pupils work in groups up to 3 times in a lesson.

When working in groups they cooperate well although sometimes the less able students are left out. I have to pick groups carefully because some groups tend not to work together. It depends on the group if they 'maximize their own and one another's learning, mostly they do, but it only benefits them if all are actively involved. 

The philosophy of group work can easily be misunderstood. When organised well, however, cooperative approaches to learning, by requiring pupils to explain their ideas to others or to argue a point of view, can help them to fully develop their understanding of many topics.

Group work can also help pupils to learn to communicate well and work effectively in teams. Both qualities are highly valued by employers.

In my opinion, after watching a program of teachers trying various techniques of group work, these were the benefits:

• Students formulated new ideas
• Students expressed opinions
• students negotiated
• it focused their talking and kept them on task
• Students felt at ease when exploring the unknown
• Students showed true potential
• Less emphasis on teacher
• more realistic to career work

The Golden Rules

In their study of Australian schools in the early eighties, Cohen and Thomas (1984) identified four different kinds of disciplinary climate in approaches to learning:

Controlled climate

• Low misbehaviour
• High severity of punishment
• Punishment rare
• Strict and well-ordered classrooms

Conflictual climate

• High misbehaviour
• High severity of punishment
• Teachers overreact
• Constant tension

Libertarian climate

• High misbehaviour
• Low severity of punishment
• Over-relaxed
• Lack of pupil self-direction

Autonomous climate

• Low misbehaviour
• Low severity of punishment
• Self-disciplined pupils
• Pupils actively involved in learning

I would say that my classroom environment is a mixture of a controlled and autonomous environment.

It includes:

- Low severity of punishment

- Low misbehavior

- Pupils actively involved in learning

- Strict and well ordered lessons

- low misbehavior

- Punishment rare

Here are my classroom ‘Golden Rules’:

1. We will work to create a safe and comfortable classroom environment.
2. We will put our best effort into schoolwork and homework.
3. We will be respectful and supportive whilst providing encouragement to each other.
4. We will come to class on time, prepared with homework and materials.
5. We will come to each lesson with new information relevant to the topic being studied