DIFFERENTIATION

How to Start

Four planning steps set the stage for effective differentiated instruction. First, teachers must have a thorough understanding of the academic content or skill they want their students to learn. Second, they must determine how much their students already know—and what they do not know—about that content. Then they must decide which instructional methods and materials will most successfully address those needs and, finally, design ways to adequately assess student mastery of what is taught. Taking stock of student knowledge and understanding is a key first component of successful differentiation. While end-of-year tests provide some information that can help differentiate instruction, regularly used, classroom-based assessments are much more effective in achieving this purpose. These assessments help teachers accurately measure their students’ academic strengths, weaknesses, and interests on a day-to-day basis and provide a roadmap for next steps in instruction. An initial skills assessment can be conducted at the beginning of the school year, but teachers also should gauge student knowledge and needs before introducing a new concept, starting a new unit, or when developing lessons to review or expand on topics already covered. These assessments can be formal, such as diagnostic tests that evaluate specific skill levels, individual student performance notebooks in which teachers keep track of objectives or skills the student has or has not mastered, or student surveys and questionnaires that determine interests and preferences. But skills assessments also can be informal. Teachers can review existing student work such as writing samples or test results, conduct conferences with students, or observe them to get a sense of their current skill level. (See The Center’s December 2006 newsletter,Using Classroom Assessment to Improve 

PRACTICAL IDEAS FOR STARTERS AND PLENARIES

Starters, appropriately used, mean that learning can begin as soon as pupils enter the classroom.  They can be used to introduce new ideas or a new topic, or to re-cap / consolidate / reinforce prior learning. 

Many teachers have a task displayed on the board or arranged on desks for pupils to get on with straight away, whether the entire class is there or not.

Plenaries don’t have to happen only at the end of the lesson.

They can fit in at point in which you want to check that learning has taken place (‘mini plenaries’), and to share understanding.

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Ideas for lesson starters and plenaries,
Ideas_for_lesson_starters_and_plenaries.
Documento Microsoft Word 31.3 KB
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Interactive Starters and Plenaries
Interactive_Starters_and_Plenaries(1).do
Documento Microsoft Word 24.0 KB

RESOURCES

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Checklist of strategies to support SEN children
TA_teaching_strategies_checklist.docx
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Ways to use your Teaching Assistant
teaching_assistant_tips.docx
Documento Microsoft Word 15.3 KB

Reward Bracelets

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Reward / Reminder bracelets.
Positive reinforcement is the addition of a reward following a desired behavior. This is a nice resource to encourage positive behaviour.
Reward-reminder_wrist_bands.docx
Documento Microsoft Word 148.7 KB
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Identification of SEN
Sample and template of how t identify a child with special needs
review_proforma.docx
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Planning for the week
Week-To-View_Planning.docx
Documento Microsoft Word 24.9 KB


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Child friendly Individual E. Plan
Child's targets to work with.
child_friendly_IEP.docx
Documento Microsoft Word 332.9 KB

MATERIALS

This is a fun and competitive way to revise the tables. It could work as a starter or even as material for fast finishers. 

A group competition chart with who is ahead of the game will motivate children to do this type of activity.