Differentiation

Description

Embedded instruction is a strategy whereby the teacher gives just-in-time written instructions to students (e.g. a step-by-step plan, a glossary, an explanation...), i.e. while they are working on an assignment. By providing such embedded instructions the teacher aims to improve learner autonomy. The written tool is intended to make subject matter more processable for students in need of more support. After a while, the support will be reduced.

How it works

• Give your students in need of it written instructions (roadmap, glossary, explanation...) while they work on an assignment independently.
  
• Make sure that you reduce the support at the right time. Information obtained from formative assessment can make you decide that some students are ready to work without written instructions.
• Talk to your students about their learning, helping them to develop the necessary insight in the expected learning objectives and their level of proficiency.

Tips

• Keep considering what is manageable for your students and what is not. Tools may only be used to achieve what students are not capable of on their own.
• Aspire maximum learning gain for all students. Offering support should not lessen the challenge for students.

See also (in Dutch): Wouter Smets, Slim differentiëren, praktijkboek binnenklasdifferentiatie voor leerkrachten. Antwerpen, De Boeck, 2017.

Examples

• Students are learning to apply the rules for the accord du participe passé (agreement of the past particle) in French and those who require scaffolding, can use an instruction card on which the exact rules are summed up.
  
• Students are looking for information about the French Revolution on the Internet. The teacher designed an online road map for students who risk not to search purposefully. Students who can perform an online search independently, do not need to use the tool.
• Students are reading Molière during French class. In support of the students, the teacher offers a story line of the text and a translation of some key concepts. In that way, reading the text will be more purposive. Stronger students will be challenged to read without embedded instructions.
• A teacher stimulates their students to keep a vocabulary list on a particular topic. They can use the list while doing the exercises. At the test, the teacher tells the students who made a list that they can use it as an aid.

​Example of embedded instruction in an English class (13 years old)​

Description

Pre-teaching is a learning strategy whereby you prepare a student or a group of students for the learning content before class. By additionally instructing them about important concepts or terminology that will be discussed in class, your students will be better prepared.

How it works

There are different possibilities to organize pre-teaching:

• You can meet with students in advance to revise subject matter. This is a highly labour-intensive approach during which you can interact directly with your students.
  
• You can provide an instruction video. Watching the video and optionally making exercises will prepare students better. This is actually the 'flipped classroom' approach, but it is focused on those students who need it and not on the entire class.

Tips

• Select the students who need pre-teaching very carefully, since it is an extension of learning time which is not necessary for all students. Based on their learning status ('They have not yet mastered it'), the need for pre-teaching can be obvious.
  
• Ask yourself if your students are sufficiently motivated, self-reliant and/or disciplined when you want to implement teacherless pre-teaching.
• If it is necessary for the whole class to look at something in advance, you can end your instruction video with an assignment (e.g.: wear a red garment/sunglasses when you come to class) to check who watched the video in a playful way.

Examples

• Screencast-o-matic is a tool with which you can make a video recording of your computer screen. By recording your voice at the same time, you can explain learning content like you do in class. You can review some theory or a diagram, or explain a difficult exercise, for instance. This tutorial teaches you how to make a screencast.
• With Ed-puzzle you can cut film clips, add questions, and follow up answers of students. 
  

Description

Extended instruction is a strategy that can be implemented during the lesson. It provides additional instruction for students who are in need of it. Extended instruction implies that you take the students aside to offer them customized instruction in a 'mini class'.

How it works

• Provide basic instruction as a start for all students. Make the assignment visible in class (digitally, on the board, on an instruction sheet,...).

• After the basic instruction, you give your students the opportunity to get additional explanation (see 'e' below). As a teacher, you choose which students participate in extended instruction based on earlier observations. Allow the students who are able to do so to choose for themselves whether or not to take part in the mini-class.
• All the while, the other students (see 'b' below) are working on their assignments independently. ​

• Possible classroom arrangement:
  

​Tips​

• Consider which exercises from the textbook you can use. You do not need to use new exercises all the time. 
  
• Provide answer keys, so students can check their exercises by themselves.
• Make clear how the students can work on their own, so you can sit in on the mini class as a teacher and do not need to worry about the rest of the class. For this you can use the 'brain, book, buddy, boss' principle. Classroom management is very important in this case.

See also (in Dutch): Wouter Smets, Slim differentiëren, praktijkboek binnenklasdifferentiatie voor leerkrachten. Antwerpen, De Boeck, 2017.

Examples

French class:

After plenary instruction on the passé composé, a number of students are doing exercises on their own. Some students make use of the teacher's offer to do the first exercises under supervision at the extended instructional table.

English class:

Students start with exercise 1 in the textbook. The 10 sentences of exercise 1 will then be gone over together. The results shall determine the further course of the lesson:

• Students with 5 mistakes or more are required to join the mini class. After the extended instruction session, they do exercise 2 in group with the teacher. After that, they work on exercises 3 and 4.
• Students with 3 to 5 mistakes can opt for the mini class or for doing exercises 2, 3 and 4, which they check with an answer key.
• Students with 1 or 2 mistakes will do exercises 2, 3 and 4, which they check with an answer key.
• Students with no mistakes will do the slightly more difficult exercises 4 and 5, and check them with an answer key. Afterwards, they draw up a test that can be taken by the other students at the end of the lesson or as homework.