Differentiation Strategies: Meeting the Needs of All Learners

 The Student/Teacher Relationship is About More Than the Report Card

Although we are most comfortable with our similarities, it is our differences that make us unique. It is these differences that need to be recognized and celebrated. That is exactly what educators with a solid foundation of differentiation do for their students; they recognize their students strengths and needs and allow for student voice in methods of assessment.

But first - we need to know our students!

Understand who is in front of you!

Getting to know your students as individuals and allowing them to collaborate with peers that have the same interests and learning styles as well as those that have the opposite, depending on the situation will benefit students and allow them to grow as learners and individuals.

• Offer student surveys - learning styles, interests, academics etc.

• Ask open ended questions - Why do you think…

• Get students talking and sharing their ideas and knowledge - circle discussion, group activities

• Talk with your students about non curricular things - interests, activities etc.

• Provide opportunities for students to voice their opinions, likes and dislikes

Meeting the needs of all learners

Effective lessons need to be rooted in Universal Design for all. The following offer ideas to help in the creation of productive lessons to meet the needs of the learners in front of you and allow students the opportunity to achieve their full potential.

• Consider lesson design from the beginning - how are you going to have students demonstrate their knowledge?

• Provide some lessons, activities and assessments utilizing technology

• Consider visuals - visual notetaking, visual story retell etc.

• Allow students safe ways to share their point of view, ideas, questions and thoughts

• Provide reference material and video lessons for students to refer back to when needed

• Create and provide tiered activities and assessments

How do we know if our strategies are working? Proper approaches to differentiation and assessment strategies are a crucial pillar in determining this.

Image source File:Four areas of differentiation.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

Often, we think of assessment and triangulation of data through a lens we are comfortable with. We may have prescribed ways in which we assess our learners. It makes sense that judging whether or not our strategies are successful lies in our assessments, but what if our assessments are creating barriers? An example that is seen often is phonemic awareness and decoding skills versus reading comprehension. Is text to speech technology employed as often as it should be? Are we using accessible content that allows this? “Students’ knowledge cannot be measured if it is not recognized when artificial barriers prevent them from demonstrating their knowledge and skill.” (Meeting the Needs of Special Education Students:) As educators, we need to be mindful that while our accommodation, modification, and differentiation strategies are aligned that our assessments reflect this properly. Using equitable assessments more frequently during the year will also help us determine if what we are doing is working. 

Taking into account instructional, environmental and assessment accommodations is one of the first steps in deciding if what you’re doing is working. For Senior (and all) students, we should not determine our success based solely on assessments. We need to work with our students and gain their feedback. After all, they are the experts! Fortunately, for students with exceptionalities, Secondary students should (and must, if 16 years of age or older) be a part of their IEP development. They have exercised agency over their learning, and we can extend this into frequent collaboration and check ins to decide if our methods are effective. Students should share:

• what works for them

• their strengths

• their learning style

• their interests

When we strategize our differentiation, we are also responsible for being familiar with Individual Education Plans and ensuring its accommodations and/or modifications are available to the student. The IEP is not ironclad; we do not need to restrict our strategies to its contents. It reflects Senior student agency and is an excellent resource in parsing if needs being met (or not). (Special Education in Ontario, Kindergarten to Grade 12: Policy and Resource Guide) If the strategies reflected in the document aren’t working or are proving ineffective, we can speak with the student and create new game plans. After all, the IEP is a “living” document; it can be adjusted at any time. Ensuring a relationship built on trust, transparency, and honesty is important to fulfill this goal.

In summary, how can we know if needs are being met? Here’s a checklist to inform your decision:

• Are you utilizing ongoing assessment that is appropriate for the student? 

• Are you taking into account a student’s readiness, interests, and learning style? 

• Is the learning environment safe?

• Are student interests reflected in the content and do they seem engaged and enthusiastic?

• Are learning preferences reflected in the classroom?

• Is the IEP being reflected in teaching and assessing?

• Are you having conversations with the student? With their parents or guardians?

Sources 

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Differentiated Instruction Strategies: Tiered Assignments - TeachHUB

A Practical Guide to Planning for Intentional Differentiation | Edutopia

Better Lessons: Meeting the Needs of All Learners