Copy of the slides for the "Motivate ALL your language learners!-Differentiation revisited" session at Manchester Grammar School (for ALL), Saturday 23rd November 2013

1. Motivate ALL your Language Learners!
Differentiation revisited…
Isabelle Jones
Alderley Edge School for Girls
http://isabellejones.blogspot.com
Twitter: @icpjones
Powerpoint Templates
Page 1

2. Aims :
• Develop generic strategies to ensure
all our learners’ needs are best
caterered for.
• Consider different ways to support
EAL learners and native speakers in
your class.
• Share tips on how ICT can support
differentiation in and out of the
classroom
Powerpoint Templates
Page 2

3. What do we mean by differentiation?
The planning and teaching that takes into
account all the learners in the class so
that they can all be given the opportunity
to make good progress, regardless of
their starting point.
Not an add-on
Responsive teaching
Integral to effective learning and teaching
Covering content/ Getting learners engaged with content
You already do it- you just need to show others how you do it
Powerpoint Templates
Page 3

4. All learners?
Name different ways in which our students
are all different.
How many can you think of?
1.Age/ maturity levels
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. …
Powerpoint Templates
Page 4

5. All learners?
Name different ways in which our students
are all different.
How many can you think of?
1.Age/ maturity levels
2.Gender
3.Ability
4.Learning style
5.Motivation
6.Prior learning
7.Experiences (of life)
8.Specific learning difficulties
9.Behavioural difficulties
10.Emotional difficulties
Powerpoint Templates
Page 5

6. Progress?
• OFSTED needs to see all «pupils
make rapid and sustained progress »
• Key groups need to be identified in
your planning: FSM, SEND, EAL,
Gifted and Talented …
• Progress within the
progress over time
lesson
Powerpoint Templates
and
Page 6

7. Know your learners :
•Ability range and SEND
•Experience/ Prior learning
•Exposure to home language, English and L2
•Different learning styles (VAK)
•Motivation/cooperation and independence
Know your setting :
• General school setting/ profile of intake
• Specific trends in different years
• Awareness of specific learning and
emotional difficulties
Powerpoint Templates
Can you talk about one of your classes/ introduce your setting for
2 minutes?
Page 7

8. Differentiation aimed at different abilities
• Use of language: cut on teacher talk and provide key words for the lesson
at the beginning or before the lesson. (previewing homework)
• Give practical examples rather than explanations and get students to give
further examples to show they show what they have to do
•
Actively teach dictionary skills and a range of strategies to learn vocabulary
•
Share the rationale of your seating plan (instruction, collaboration etc…)
• Set up a pool of “experts” or “envoys” (depending on ability mix) to teach
other students for topic research.
•
Photocopy good work to discuss features (AfL)
•
Automatic reward for attempting extension work
•
Blooming extension
•
Writing/ speaking frame
Powerpoint Templates
Page 8

9. Differentiation aimed at different abilities-element of choice?
Discuss Pros and cons of introducing an element of choice
An element of choice can motivate students and encourage them to do more
o complete the tasks successfully
Choice has to be guided e.g. by levels or by requesting different types of
activities => importance of students knowing the assessment criteria
Students could be allowed to start on harder tasks with extra support-to avoid
he issue of all students just going for the easiest tasks
Marking and giving feedback on a wide range of tasks can be challenging for
he teacher but it can make peer assessment and evaluation more meaningful
provided all tasks are to be assessed against the same criteria.
To allow some choice, support mechanisms must be in
place and students must be at least partially independent
earners.
Powerpoint Templates
Page 9

10. Generic differentiation techniques:
•By outcome:
Open-ended tasks or tasks with defined
differentiated outcome: Write a different number of sentences,
including different key components-different tenses, connectives…
•By task:
Graded tasks or same reading/Listening with different
tasks e.g. gapfill (NOT by use of English and TL in responses)
•By questioning:
From closed to open and lower order to
higher order questions
•By support:
Use of FLAs, TAs, peers, time, learning mats,
glossaries, dictionaries, verb tables, textbooks, ICT…
Practical positive and negative points of each generic strategy?
How can negative aspects be dealt with?
Powerpoint Templates
Can you give an example of a language task for each technique?
Page 10

11. Learning styles?
Visual
Auditory
Kinaesthetic
=VAK
Visual learning style involves the use of seen
or observed things, including pictures,
diagrams, demonstrations, displays, handouts,
video clips…
Auditory learning style involves the transfer of
information through listening of spoken words,
sounds or music and noises.
Kinaesthetic learning involves physical
experience - touching, feeling, holding, doing,
practical hands-on experiences.
Dominant learning style?
Use of VAK in schools/in the classroom
Powerpoint Templates
Page 11

12. Learning styles?
Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences
intelligence type
Linguistic
capability and perception
words and language
Logical-Mathematical logic and numbers
Musical
music, sound, rhythm
Bodily-Kinaesthetic
body movement control
Spatial-Visual
images and space
Interpersonal
other people's feelings
Intrapersonal
self-awareness
Naturalist
natural environment
Spiritual/Existential
religion and spirituality
Moral
ethics, humanity, value of life
Not just one type of intelligence-always a mix
Not a way to classify students
Powerpoint Templates
Page 12

13. Planning and Learning styles :
1.How can you turn a listening comprehension
into a more visual/ kinaesthetic activity?
2.How can you turn a reading comprehension into
a more auditory/ kinaesthetic activity?
3.How can you support all learners in a visual,
auditory and kinaesthetic way when completing
speaking and writing tasks in class?
Powerpoint Templates
Page 13

14. Differentiation ideas per skill: Listening
Students are given core and extended details to identify from the same listening
Materials.
Students are given a choice to answer in the target language or not, provided they
can identify the key words and they know what they mean.
Students are asked to respond to what they hear: How do they think the person feel?
Do you think they sound interesting? Do you think they are telling the truth?
Students are asked to use/ hide away support material.
Students have to establish if statements referring to the listening material are true or
false (identifying key words) and correct them (understanding negatives,
synonym…)
Students have to sequence pictures and label them correctly
(labels provided or not)
Powerpoint Templates
Page 14

15. Differentiation ideas per skill: Speaking
Students with prior knowledge contribute to a regular ”Show and Tell” session.
When teaching vocabulary some students already know, students may be asked
to find synonyms or different words they know with similar sound (phonic focus)
Peer teaching in pair work or group activities
In role-play activities, students with prior knowledge and more able students can
be encourage to include additional/ more advanced language such as tenses or
opinions.
If the speaking activity is to be performed individually the differentiation will be
determined by the support allowed e.g. full text/ cue card…
When answering questions, more open-ended questions will
be put to the more able or the students with prior knowledge,
Powerpoint Templates
Page 15

16. Differentiation ideas per skill: Reading
Students with prior knowledge receive stimulus in authentic handwriting.
Differentiation by task e.g. more able learners are given tasks focusing on
Connectives, adjectives, verbs and opinions.
Offer a wide range of reading material to encourage independent reading and
reading for pleasure.
Students ask questions as well as answer them.
Students are offered different cloze exercises with gradually more gaps and
less support.
Students with prior knowledge are asked to share strategies
to understand new words (cognates, compound & context).
Powerpoint Templates
Page 16

17. Differentiation ideas per skill: Writing
Students substitute words for pictures in a model text or use a writing frame.
Student use help sheets independently with key phrases/ prompts/ vocabulary.
Students are requested to use a defined number of stylistic devices such as:
*connectives: and, or, but, because …
*sentence starters: firstly, secondly… on the one hand, on the other hand, in general…
*opinions: I think, I believe, In my opinion… (+ justification of opinions)
*qualifier and adverbs: quite, very, a lot, extremely …
Students are requested to refer to more than one time frame.
Students are asked to develop their writing in a creative way:
*poems: finding rhyming words
*songs/raps: writing additional verses
*Writing captions for cartoons, photos…
Powerpoint Templates
Page 17

18. Differentiation specifically aimed at students with prior
linguistic experience
•
•
•
•
•
Expert corner
Helpers
Stepped activities
Options /choices/ extension sheet wall
Student presentations
Powerpoint Templates
Page 18

19. Differentiation strategies aimed at students with EAL / higher
exposure to a range of languages
EAL good practice is MFL good practice
Visual support
Shorter instructions
Unambiguous language
Examples/ demonstration of desired outcome
Assessment issues
Powerpoint Templates
Page 19

20. Differentiated tasks aimed at TL speakers
Independent research
Open-ended tasks (especially written ones)
Student presentation
Assessment
Powerpoint Templates
Page 20

21. The 7 Ts of Practical Differentiation,
Sue Cowley:
•Top and Tail: plan a core activity, an
extension and support mechanism for the core
to be completed.
•Time:
•Targets:
•Teamwork:
•Thinking Skills:
•Things: (resources)
•Technology:
Powerpoint Templates
Page 21

22. The 7 Ts of Practical Differentiation,
Sue Cowley:
•Top and Tail: plan a core activity, an extension and support
mechanism for the core to be completed.
•Time: deadlines, preview of material, personalised time limits,
MAD time
•Targets: multi-layered lesson objectives, personalised targets
linked to feedback & assessment with matching rewards: best
worker, most creative, most risk-taking student, most supportive
team member…
•Teamwork: Know your students-strengths & weaknesses as
well as ability, social skills, interests …
•Thinking Skills: encourage lateral & creative thinking,
deduction, creativity and risk-taking by providing opportunities
to apply knowledge in new contexts.
•Things: (resources) multi-sensory, memorable,
authentic, range of text types, people & props
•Technology: self-access, collaboration, creativity
Powerpoint Templates
Page 22

23. ICT as a
differentiation tool
in and out of the
classroom
Powerpoint Templates
Page 23

24. ICT as a differentiation tool in and out of the classroom
A range of tools to match a range of outcome and learning styles:
audio support, visual support, prompt for creative writing.
(from drilling to creative tasks)
Writing notes: Linoit http://en.linoit.com
Making comic strips: Makebeliefscomics http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/
Tasks set to encourage collaboration, creativity and risk-taking.
Independent learning: Self-access language sites
e.g.languagesonline http://www.languagesonline.org.uk ,
(Hello) Mylo http://www.hellomylo.com
Zondle http://www.zondle.com (make your own games)
Quizlet and Studystack (flashcards)
http://quizlet.com/848918/nudepigs-flash-cards/
http://www.studystack.com/flashcard-120159
Powerpoint Templates
Page 24

25. Using visuals to create open-ended tasks
http://www.flickr.com/
http://www.flickr.com/groups/imagestoteachlanguages/
My own authentic pictures
http://www.flickr.com/photos/icpjones/sets/72157621889909661/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/icpjones/sets/72157612320791556
i
Powerpoint Templates
Page 25

26. Pinterest http://pinterest.com/
Teaching topics
Repin
Board by topic
Button
Follow each other
Powerpoint Templates
Mobile app
Page 26

27. Pinterest http://pinterest.com/
A source of infographic in foreign languages
Differentiated activities?
Powerpoint Templates
Page 27

28. Pictures and Photographs
• NEN Gallery http://gallery.nen.gov.uk
• Photo-vocab (Spanish)
http://Zachary-jones.com/photovocab
• Tag Galaxy http://taggalaxy.de
• Visual searches: http://www.wordsift.com
• Google.fr
Google.es
Powerpoint Templates
Page 28

29. Word clouds
Differentiated activities?
Powerpoint Templates
Page 29

30. Word clouds and mindmapping
• Wordle http://www.wordle.net
• Tagxedo http://www.tagxedo.com/
• Freemind
http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php
• Mindomo http://www.mindomo.com
Powerpoint Templates
Page 30

31. Text-to-speech http://text-to-speech.imtranslator.net/
Powerpoint Templates
Page 31

32. Supporting and Recording Talk
Differentiated speaking tasks?
http://www.easi-speak.org.uk/
http://audacity.sourceforge.
net/
http://www.voki.com
Ppt recording function
Powerpoint Templates
Page 32

33. Real or fake technology?
Visual support & Engagement
Classtool.net http://classtools.net/
Site with templates for resources to be printed
or put on a blog or a VLE.
Drama!
http://www.triptico.co.uk/
Powerpoint Templates
Page 33

34. How do you differentiate? (19)
By asking open-ended questions
By providing a range of resources to support the same learning objectives or task
By planning in a way to appeal to a range of learning styles and students
By providing a variety of assessment opportunities: oral, written, non-verbal…
By sharing assessment criteria and using target-setting with individual students
By allowing different starting points for graded activities
By scaffolding to support progression
By spending a different amount of time with different individuals
By using other members of staff in the classroom in different ways
By pairing up students in different ways in order to provide support/ encourage motivation
By setting different objectives and targets for individual tasks
By ensuring that students have the correct level of independence required to complete
the tasks
By introducing some element of choice
By increasing the level of interaction with or between students (interdependent learning)
By modelling the desired outcome and breaking it down into small steps
By increasing/ decreasing the complexity of the language used to
introduce and prepare for the task
By giving appropriate feedback and points for action
By assigning different roles in co-operative learning tasks e.g expert
By encouraging self assessment Powerpoint Templates questions
and student-generated
Page 34

35. 1-2-3 Action!
1.
2.
3.
Powerpoint Templates
Page 35

36. Aims :
• Develop generic strategies to ensure
all our learners’ needs are best
caterered for.
• Consider different ways to support
EAL learners and native speakers in
your class.
• Share tips on how ICT can support
differentiation in and out of the
classroom
Powerpoint Templates
Page 36

37. Motivate ALL your Language Learners!
Differentiation revisited…
Isabelle Jones
Alderley Edge School for Girls
http://isabellejones.blogspot.com
Twitter: @icpjones
Powerpoint Templates
Page 37