DIFFERENTIATION IN

THE LANGUAGE
CLASSROOM
What, Why and How

Anastasia Batagianni
Greek Language Conference 2014, Sydney

What is differentiation?
It is a student-centred approach to teaching where we adjust the

content, the presentation, the process, the product, the assessment

and the learning environment to cater for the needs of all students,
and every single student in our class.
It stems from the premise that students differ in important ways and

learn differently. It is about adapting our teaching to ensure all of them

have access to a meaningful learning opportunity
In a differentiated classroom teachers begin where students are, not

from the curriculumthey proactively plan varied approaches to what

students need to learn, how they will learn it and/or how they will
show what they have learned, in order to increase the likelihood that
each student will learn as much as he/she can, as efficiently as
possible (Tomlinson, 2011)
In a differentiated classroom not every student is doing the exactly the

same thing in exactly the same way at exactly the same time.

How do our students differ?

Learning
Needs

Learning
Styles and
Preferences

Motivation
and
Engagement

Language
and Cultural
Backgrounds

Readiness
Level

Prior
Learning
Experiences

Interests

Some facts about the modern classroom

1 in 10 boys and 1 in 16 girls will have a diagnosed disability

(intellectual, sensory-physical, psychological)

65.9% of students with disabilities will attend mainstream

schools (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2009)

Depending on the class, the number of students facing some

form of learning difficulty (not diagnosed) may be much higher

Academic performance problems are not limited to students

with disabilities. There are underachievers in every class.

More and more students prefer to learn by doing or visualising

(kinaesthetic and visual learners)

A strong case for differentiation: why do

we need to differentiate our lessons?
Research is showing that teaching to the middle is ineffective.

The one-size-fits-all approach is not working.

Students are more successful when they are taught based on

their own readiness levels, interests and learning profiles

(Tomlinson, 2000).
In differentiated classrooms, learners are engaged

and have more opportunities to achieve. This means

happier students and fewer discipline problems in our classes.
All students can benefit from a lesson where there are multiple

ways of representation, expression and engagement. The

adjustments we make can be beneficial for all.

Inclusion, differentiation and educational policy in Australia

Inclusion: the basis of educational policy in
Australia

Social justice, legislative requirements and

research findings: the drivers for inclusion

Disability
Discrimination Act
(1992)

Disability Standards
for Education (2005)

DDA (1992) and Disability Standards for Education

(2005): notable points
DDA (1992):
It is illegal to discriminate against a person in education

on the basis of their disability

Disability Standards for Education (2005):
The education provider must take reasonable steps to
ensure that the student is able to participate in the
courses or programs provided by the educational
institution
The education provider must make reasonable
adjustments to enable the student to participate in the
learning experiences of the course or program on the
same basis as a student without a disability.

Towards implementation: how do we

differentiate?
The majority of teachers feel
overwhelmed when faced with
the challenges of differentiation.
Some give up, others burn out
trying to do everything at once.
The reality of school with time
constraints and increasing
demands can make it difficult. But
the truth is, it is best to start
small.

Universal Design for Learning: an emerging

theory
UDL is a set of principles for curriculum development that

give all individuals equal opportunities to learn. It is rooted

in the fact that individuals bring a huge variety of skills,
needs, and interests to learning. Neuroscience reveals
that these differences are as varied and unique as our
DNA or fingerprints (Centre for Applied Special
Technology, 2014)

The first steps to creating a differentiated

classroom
Be reflective of
your practice and
willing to learn
more about your
class, so to adjust
learning strategies
that support their
changing needs

Know your
students: what
are their needs,
interests and
learning styles?

Consider the
different ways that
students can
express their
knowledge and
understanding and
engage with the
material

Assess your students

prior knowledge. Define
what you want them to
achieve and how this
knowledge may be
represented in differing
forms.

Some practical ideas for differentiation

Multiple ways of
demonstrating
understanding: i.e.
graphic
representation/
organisers, movie
script, create a
movie, digital
poster-brochure
Choice
Boards/ic
Tac-Toe and
RAFT (Roles,
Audiences,
Formats, Topics)
assignments

Flexible groups:
readiness, interests,
learning styles

Tiered activitiesrespectful tasks:

same core skills and
concepts providing
varying degrees of
difficulty

Learning or
interest centers

Stations: different
spots in the
classroom where
students work on
various tasks
simultaneously

Developing steps
- scaffolding in
assignments
(brainstorming,
models/examples
, time lines,
visual thinking)

Examples - Primary
1. Tic-Tac-Toe

Create a survey to get

information about your
classmates favourite
fruit and vegetable.
Ask 5 of them.

Draw pictures to
represent the new
fruit and vegetables
learned.

Write 10 sentences
with: /
/
/
about food

Design a quiz using

the food words
learned in this unit

Do exercises 8, 9 and
10, pg 31 of your
4 exercise
book.

Write a super-market
and list with 20
items

Create a song or a
poem about fruit and
vegetables.

Listen to the song

and
fill in the missing
words

Write 10 good diet

tips for your
classmates using :
, ,
/

Examples Upper
Primary/Secondary
Projects
Create a board game using your imagination and Greek historical and

cultural events/facts.
Create a travel brochure for your favourite parts of Greece, practicing
commands, future tense, persuasion, travel vocabulary, geographical
skills, research and artistic skills
Design a picture map of Greece focusing on culture, food, events,
sites.
Compile and annotate list of internet resources using your research
and IT skills for a particular topic, i.e. people and events
Write a fairy tale in Greek for young children using the past tense.
Photo story of Greek traditions (pecha cucha) to be presented in class
Study 5 movies from this years Greek Film Festival, watch their
trailers and write short reviews in Greek/write your recommendations.

 Learning Centers or Stations: The Weather and Seasons in Greece

Primary/Secondary

Read the
weather forecast
and fill in the
information on
the weather map

Dictionary work:
Look up this list
of weather
words and write
down their
meaning

Listen to the
weather forecast
and make notes
about the
weather this
weekend

The
weather
and
seasons in
Greece

Prepare and act

out your own
weather forecast
for tomorrow. Use
future tense.

Research on
the internet
and find out a
tradition of
each season

Look at the
weather maps
from this Greek
Newspaper and
fill in the
worksheet
Colour in the
pictures for
each season
with the
appropriate
colours. Label
the seasons

iered activity
-Secondary
Topic: Clothing Using clothing vocabulary in real world

contexts
Tier 1 Assignment
(Concrete)

Tier 2 Assignment
(Somewhat complex
and concrete)

Tier 3 Assignment
(Complex and
Abstract)

Create a catalogue for

an advertising
campaign of a Greek
clothing company. Use
magazine pictures,
drawings or pictures
from the internet,
decide on the style and
age group and include a
short description and
price.

Write the dress policy

for your school,
including 12 rules of
dos and dont. Create a
poster to present in
class.

Write the dialogues for

two scenarios between
challenging clients and
shop assistants. Write
the script and practice
them to be ready to
present one in class.

Example of R.A.F.T./ Primary-Secondary

Role

Audience

Format

Topic

Customer

Hotel Employee

Email

Make a
reservation

Hotel Employee

Customer

Email

Confirm
reservation,
include changes

Students who
want to study
abroad

Organisation

Application

Apply for an
exchange
program to study
abroad

Students who
stayed with a
family

Family

Thank you note

Thank the family

about the home
stay and tell them
about your return
trip

Teaching vocabulary at any level for a particular topic

Identify the topic/skill and develop a list of
vocabulary words that are key for students to
achieve the skill or process (i.e. students have to
write their travel schedule in Greece)
Star any words in the existing list and list any other
words that could be a potential barrier to students
participation in class.
Use the three tier model of vocabulary to work the list
of vocabulary words.
Tier 1: basic words that rarely need to be taught
Tier 2: contains high frequency words that are
important for capable language learners to have in
their vocabulary
Tier 3: Low frequency, usually specific to an academic
domain and best learned in the related content area

Some final words

Differentiation is about varying the content, the process and the

product of learning. Students are empowered by choice. When

teachers honour and respect and act on varying ways students take
in, process and act on new knowledge, learning occurs. And learning
occurs in a collaborative, safe environment where students and
teachers are in a partnership (Tomlinson, 2011).
t is about allowing students to show you what they can do as
opposed to what they cant.
Differentiated classrooms are lively classrooms: students may find
excitement about their choices and excitement about learning (Reese,
2011)
Because we dont have much time in language classes, we have to
look at how we input the content in many ways in the target language
and make it rich and meaningful (Theisen cited in Reese, 2011)
When differentiated instructional strategies are used, there is more
access to learning by more students, more effective use of time and
more evidence of motivated students. The art and science of teaching
emerge (Tomlinson, 1999)

Differentiation explained visually

http://mpostava.wikispaces.com/Differentiated+Instruction

Universal Design for Learning and

differentiation explained by the experts
Watch the following videos to get a better idea about how

differentiation can be applied in the classroom.

1. UDL at a glance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDvKnY0g6e4
2. Implementing UDL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3ardmq0a0
3. Getting started
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGYa6ZacUTM

Bibliography