DIFFERENTIATION
ADAPTIVE TEACHING
DIFFERENTIATION
Differentiation within learning & teaching
Supporting learners with additional support needs
Differentiation Within Learning & Teaching
The Differentiation Framework
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Lisa Westman - Student Driven Differentiation
Content
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CONTENT
STRUCTURING LESSONS TO HIGHER ORDER THINKING SKILLS
PERSONALISATION & CHOICE
ONGOING ASSESSMENT
LEARNING INTENTIONS & SUCCESS CRITERIA
USE OF DCC PROGRESSION FRAMEWORKS
USING TEXTS APPROPRIATE TO READING ABILITY
Process
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PROCESS
COLLABORATIVE WORK/ PEER SUPPORT
USING A RANGE OF PEDAGOGIES
TIME
SCAFFOLDING
ONGOING ASSESSMENT
EFFECTIVE QUESTIONING
MODELLING/ EXEMPLIFICATION
Product
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PRODUCT
RICH, MEANINGFUL TASKS
RELATED TO SUCCESS CRITERIA
ONGOING ASSESSMENT
A CHOICE IN HOW TO DEMONSTRATE LEARNING (SAY, WRITE, MAKE, DO)
Learning Environment
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LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS
CLASSROOM ORGANISATION
PACE
ACCESS TO SUPPORT
ONGOING ASSESSMENT
METACOGNITION
CLASSROOM CULTURE OF TRUST
Differentiation Within Groupings
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FLEXIBLE GROUPING
Learners are grouped and re-grouped based on specific
learning objectives and readiness levels.
ATTAINMENT GROUPING
Learners are grouped according to their current
level of understanding or skill in a subject area.
INTEREST BASED GROUPING
Learners are grouped based on their shared
Interests or topics they are passionate about.
RANDOM OR MIXED ABILITY GROUPING
Learners are grouped without considering
ability levels, promoting inclusivity and diversity.
Further Information
Supporting Learners
ADAPTIVE TEACHING
Adaptive teaching is an unplanned approach where teachers continuously adjust their teaching based on ongoing assessment of learners’ progress, needs, and responses.
It involves planning lessons with flexibility, using varied strategies, resources, and supports to ensure that all learners — regardless of prior attainment or need — can access the learning, stay engaged, and make meaningful progress.
Rather than planning separate tasks for each learner, adaptive teaching focuses on making real-time and planned adjustments to instruction, scaffolding, and questioning to meet the needs of the whole class.
What is Adaptive Teaching?
LIVE FEEDBACK
Provide feedback during lessons rather than at the end, allowing learners to correct and improve in real time.
DIAGNOSTIC QUESTIONING
Use targeted questions to quickly assess understanding and adjust teaching as you are delivering it.
FLEXIBLE GROUPING
Vary groupings used within the lesson, being responsive to individual learners who may have misconceptions.
TARGETED QUESTIONING
Use targeted questions to quickly assess understanding and adjust teaching as you are delivering it.
DIFFERENTIATED QUESTIONING
Use a range of question types to challenge all learners, e.g. open-ended questions for higher order thinking.
RESPONSIVE SCAFFOLDING
Provide supports such as word banks, sentence starters, structured templates then gradually remove them.
USING MISTAKES FOR LEARNING
Analyse mistakes to identify misconceptions and adjust teaching to address specific learning gaps for individuals or the whole class.
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Mini-whiteboards help teachers quickly check understanding and make immediate adjustments for individuals or the class.
RESPONSIVE TEACHING
Teachers adapt methods (e.g., discussion, drawing, group work) to boost engagement and check understanding.
Examples of Adaptive Teaching
Further Information