Differentiating instruction in the language classroom is important to engage all students and cater for varying ability levels. There are several ways to differentiate, including by support, text, task, ability, and interest. Differentiation strategies include using scaffolding techniques to modify texts, grouping students heterogeneously and homogenously, providing choice in activities, and varying student outcomes and assessments. Proper planning, resources, and questioning techniques are needed to effectively implement differentiation in the language classroom.

1. Differentiating Language Tasks in the LOTE Classroom
AFMLA Conference
July 12, 2009, Sydney
Lisa Dowse, DEECD SMR Program Planning & Development Officer-LOTE

2. Why Differentiation?
•Differentiate or Disengage: Research from Melbourne
University…capable students who are not challenged in
language classrooms can become disengaged and may
discontinue language learning
•consideration for prior learning and the need to cater for
students’ individual learning levels is something all
language teachers would acknowledge as important to
assist students to achieve their best (PoLT)
•In any one class there can be students with varying
experience, e.g. Pathway 1 students, students from
bilingual programs, students with some family background
in the LOTE
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3. Blockers
•time to plan and prepare for differentiation
• the constraints of text books
•the lack of resources featuring differentiated
tasks
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4. Types of Differentiation taken from
Differentiation – taking the initiative, Pathfinder 18
CiLT, 1993
Anne Convery and Do Coyle
Support
Text Outcome
Differentiated
Learning
by
Task Ability
Interest
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5. By Support
•time on task
•materials
•tasks
•language assistant
•peer tutoring from older / more experienced students
•teacher acting as supporter, assessor, facilitator, co-learner
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6. Time on task
•More finishing-off time for some learners
•revision at the end of a unit for some learners with
extension activities for others
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7. Materials
•banks of extension activities
•checklists to assist students who are working
independently
•sheets with some translation assistance
•reinforcement / revision activities
•word charts
•a completed model as a guide
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8. By Task
•Same text, but tasks of graded difficulty, e.g. Bloom’s
taxonomy
•e.g. reading comprehension: less-able learners not
required to understand every word, only gist
:more-able learners more
searching questions
•Listening comprehension :less-able learners identify
minimal information
:more able learners open-
ended tasks (examples from progression points
assessment tasks) 8

9. By Text
•spoken or written materials at different levels of difficulty
Advantages: all cover the same ground / topic creating class
cohesion
•e.g. :mainstream learners text book weather forecast
:more-able learners an authentic recording of a weather
forecast
:less-able learners an article from a coursebook
:more-able learners an article from an authentic newspaper
or magazine.
*To ensure all learners have access at some time to authentic
resources, collect more simple authentic texts suited to less-able
learners, e.g. cartoon captions, advertisement slogans, etc.
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10. Ways to modify a text for different ability
levels
A mainstream text
When planning a unit of work, choose the main text which
will act as the base for language learning. Choose a text
which is aimed at the expected VELS level for the class.
Then create 2 other texts; one as an extension level and
one as a modified level. This can be done by varying the
levels of scaffolding.
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11. Scaffolding
A Modified Text
•Picture clues
•Cognates
•Punctuation
•Repetition
•Reduce variety of structures
•Supply much context / background to the passage
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12. Scaffolding expanded
Picture clues
add more pictorial clues, even within the text. (See examples). With
enough exposure, these students should be able to decode the text later
without the pictorial clues.
punctuation can aid comprehension: highlight or bold the question mark.
Repetition
Choose the main structure you want to introduce, delete others and
repeat this structure with slight variations whenever possible. (See
examples).
Context
Include the context at the start, either by role-plays, visuals or
introducing the setting in English, so the students are linked in and can
predict what the new language is likely to be about. 12

13. Avoiding students feeling discouraged
by working on less challenging texts
If there is a concern that students will feel deflated by being
set an easier passage, this can be disguised by making the
passage a similar length to more difficult texts but with more
repetitions. (Students often equate length with difficulty).
You can further offset students’ concerns by:
•e.g. varying groupings: in some units of work, students can
be grouped according to different criteria; interest in a topic,
own choice, etc.
•by offering responsible tasks to students who are working on
modified work, such as presenting a role-play of their text to a
younger class.
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14. An Extension Text
•don’t include many pictorial clues or cognates
•include filler and expander sentences
•e.g. for letter writing, in the introduction have the writer say a little about
his / her background, fill in more gaps about the purpose for writing or
add some sentences for politeness.
•include extra phrases in the body of the text, e.g. “In my opinion”, “Last
Wednesday”.
•add adjectives and adverbs to the basic structures
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15. An Extension Text continued
•change some nouns to synonyms
•vary structures
•allow the students to use dictionaries
•use some vocabulary from past units
•encourage students to fill new words/ meanings into
personal dictionaries
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16. By ability
Learners are grouped by ability for teaching and learning purposes
•within a class
•across a year group
Ability grouping (not static and changes according to the dynamics of
the situation): well suited to some tasks: e.g. introducing a more
complex grammar point
: corresponds to Early Years Literacy methodology,
which has the following lesson planning structure
-Whole Class Activities
-Small Group (Dynamic Ability grouping)
-Whole Class Activities (Sharing back, etc.)
*There is some overlap here with differentiation by text as differentiated
texts would be used by the appropriate ability group.
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17. By interest
Learners are given a degree of choice to work on something which
interests them personally
-equipment
-skill
-topic or subject matter
To ensure students make choices which continue their progress, you
might want to:
•make suggestions about suitable choices without mandating the choice
•offer a selection of activities and stipulate a minimum number to be
completed within a given time, allowing them more time to work at their
own pace on those of their own choice
Multiple Intelligence approaches would work well here. 17

18. By outcome
All learners are working on the same task, but produce
widely different results
•e.g. a differentiated worksheet with some students
completing 1 or 2 tasks… ticking boxes, filling gaps, others
working through these activities quickly then working on
open-ended tasks at the end
•productive tasks such as writing and speaking fit well into
this category, e.g. supplying simple factual information
through to descriptive and imaginative responses
*demonstrate value for all learners’ work by displaying all
the examples
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19. Consider Prior Learning
Both prior learning and progress so far will inform your
planning of:
•dynamic ability groups
•choice of activities for interest-based activities
•degree and type of support
•differentiated outcomes
•how you differentiate a text for the different ability levels
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20. Organisational considerations
Prior to beginning to differentiate the learning, use
tools which gather information about students’
interests and prior learning
•KWL
•Student profile (an “old faithful” as a language task,
but useful in finding out student interests as well)
If creating banks of extension activities
•laminate to avoid re-doing
•place them on the school’s intranet for students to
access
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21. Core Work & Branching Work
Branching Work
Reinforcement Core Work Extension
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22. Questioning Techniques: Begin small; practise
trialling different questioning techniques
Less-able learners: ask questions which require minimum original
verbal response:
•a nod or head shake
•a Yes or No
•ask the less-able student a similar question to one you have just
asked a more-capable students, so they can see the model, e.g. I
play soccer. I play cricket.
•include the answer as one of two choices in the question ,e.g. Do
you like juice or soft drink?
•use picture clues, so students can point.
More capable learners can be asked more open-ended questions.
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23. Sensitivity
•use question types randomly, so there is no obvious move
from ‘easy’ to more demanding questions
•be generous and fair in use of praise and encouragement
•handle mistakes and wrong answers sensitively to create
a climate in which learners can, and will want to, operate
according to their differing abilities
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24. Some examples
Destination Departure Time Platform Additional Information
•hyperlink
•wikispaces
•I.T. “hiding” the information behind text boxes
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25. Recording
One teacher devised a symbol which she placed beside
items on her lesson plan to indicate which activities
featured differentiation;
D
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26. Lesson Structure: some possibilities
Introduction
Modified Teacher
group Support
Mainstream Teacher
Group Support
Extension Teacher
Group Support
Sharing with whole group
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27. Assessment
Core work: would be VELS at the expected level
Extension work would be based around next progression points /
standards
Modified work would depend on students’ own achievement levels
If students have not been working on the same work, the same
testing tool would not be appropriate.
As different students perform best in different areas, vary the
types of assessment from unit to unit, e.g. posters, surveys, tests,
anecdotal notes, teacher observation, role-plays.
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28. Portfolios & Personal Learning
Arrange for students to discuss their progress with you, so that
they can work towards greater autonomy over their learning
(Personal Learning).
Have them keep a portfolio of their work, presenting their work
and discussing with you what they believe are their strengths and
weaknesses and areas they could focus on in future units of work
and set learning goals: they write up an action plan for how they
plan to achieve these goals.
Tools such as the “Thermometer” might help them.
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29. Where to from here
In SMR, we are planning for a practical hands-on session in Term
3 or 4, where teachers bring some useful supplementary and
differentiated activities to share, and everyone creates new ones,
such as extension activities, some consolidation activities…
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