Teaching is a profession.
But we are more than that... more than just "professionals".
We became teachers because we have a calling; we became teachers because young people need that something more that we are uniquely able to bring to the table.
Even with that dedication, though, it is not always easy to reach the kids who are tough to teach, the ones that struggle, the ones that act out, the ones that challenge us the most.
It takes stretching ourselves and our skills and our understandings to the limit and sometimes beyond.
On this page, there are some tutorials and videos to help us all understand a little more fully how to reach the kids that sometimes seem out of reach... how to reach and teach the most vulnerable ones in our care... because we care.
But we are more than that... more than just "professionals".
We became teachers because we have a calling; we became teachers because young people need that something more that we are uniquely able to bring to the table.
Even with that dedication, though, it is not always easy to reach the kids who are tough to teach, the ones that struggle, the ones that act out, the ones that challenge us the most.
It takes stretching ourselves and our skills and our understandings to the limit and sometimes beyond.
On this page, there are some tutorials and videos to help us all understand a little more fully how to reach the kids that sometimes seem out of reach... how to reach and teach the most vulnerable ones in our care... because we care.
Compassion meets the ground running, here and now. With Covid 19, our hallway runners have nowhere to go, stuck at home, self-isolating, and their parents have a front row seat to the pain their children are going through. They can see that lost look in their kids' eyes; they've had that look themselves. And it is on us to give our students tasks that are within their means to accomplish, so they never have that lost look again when they receive their school assignments.
Differentiation, accommodation, modification...
Why more than one video on differentiation, accomodation, or modification? Well, because we are no different than our students and what will make that penny drop for one of us will be quite different from what will make that penny drop for someone else. So here are multiple pennies... and they are all golden in their own way!
The first video gives an excellent breakdown of differentiation, accommodation (adaptation), and modification, with clear explanations and examples. The next video speaks to the difference between accommodation and modification, and helps to clarify the distinction between the two. This video addresses differentiation more specifically, with the key elements of presentation, process, and product. This is a low key but effective video that offers a view of differentiation as a mindset, not an extra set of tasks!
This next video has some unique content that clarifies differentiation, and how to accomplish it. The concept of releasing control of student learning is key to effective differentiation. |
Differentiation can be challenging and we don't necessarily come out of our teacher training with a complete toolbox that allows us to effortlessly differentiate instruction. Well established, successful teachers can still grapple with this critical issue, so here is a video with fifteen strategies that might be helpful to any one of us and our students!
Just to throw a spanner in the works, let's also take a quick look at Universal Design for Learning. The SetBC team uses UDL as a basis for strengthening the overall instructional environment in schools. So, based on your enhanced understanding of differentiation, accommodation, and modification, where does UDL stand? The answer is that UDL can encompass all three because Universal Design for Learning is intended to reach ALL students and requires differentiation of instruction, accommodation for students with learning challenges, and modification of the curriculum to meet the needs of students with widely differing learning abilities and needs. UDL is an inclusive and all-encompassing approach to curriculum development designed to meet the needs of every student in the classroom. Here's a great UDL video from Alberta Education: Flipping the Classroom! One of the instructional models that works extremely well with differentiation is the Flipped Classroom which is a model that has gained traction in recent years, as it allows teachers to provide instruction outside school hours while using in-class time or face-to-face time for targeted instruction.
There is quite a bit of information out there about the pros and cons of flipping the classroom, but in a suddenly remote learning environment, flipping the classroom is no longer a choice but a reality that we need to understand and make the best of for our students and their families. Follow this link to find a chart with good information from The Flipped Learning Network. |
Websites, Blogs, and PDFs
Differentiation in Science
Science presents specific challenges with differentiation.
Next Gen Science Squad addresses the diverse learner in this Teaching Channel blog post. Special Education Support Service provides this detailed PDF on teaching science with diverse students with special needs. It is a comprehensive document filled with excellent, highly applicable information, skills, and strategies for the science teacher. Differentiation in Social Studies
Edugains provides an excellent manual for differentiation in Knowing and Responding to learners in History, Geography, and Canadian and World Studies. This is a Canadian product developed in Ontario.
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Differentiation in Mathematics
The Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat in Ontario has produced this in depth document on differentiating instruction in Mathematics that provides very grounded strategies and examples of Math differentiation.
Differentiation in English Language Arts
Edutopia tends to offer good solid information, grounded in actual practice on various topics. Here we have an article providing Nine Strategies for differentiation in the English Language Arts classroom. |
Articles bank on Differentiated Instruction
For those of us interested in more formal documentation regarding curriculum differentiation, the United Nations Digital Library offers Changing Teaching Practices using curriculum differentiation to respond to student diversity
Edutopia tends to offer excellent how-to articles with very hands on applications of the concepts they address. In this case, here is an article on differentiating in the classroom: Three ways to plan for diverse learners.
ASCD, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, have provided a comprehensive article with specific applications to the classroom at elementary and secondary levels. This is an excellent resource for teachers. Differentiating Instruction: finding manageable ways to meet individual needs.
Differentiation isn't just for students with learning challenges on the needs end of the spectrum. Gifted students also require differentiation to enable them to better develop their excellent minds and abilities, as this article on Differentiating Curriculum for Gifted Students addresses.
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