Therein lies the rub....

.... putting theory into practice.....

At this time of the term, teachers are frantically finishing off reports, marking exam papers, preparing for end of year performances, going on school trips and counting down the hours to the beginning of the holiday.

Within this, lessons continue and, with that, the whole concept of differentiation continues to play a part.

In the past week, I have identified in my own teaching that there are certain subjects where I either find it harder to differentiate, or I don't get round to doing it. Or rather, maybe I do in some lessons and am not recognising my teaching strategies as differentiation? It raises the question: what differentiation do we bring to our classes without giving it the 'Full On Capital Letters Label'?

I am aware that there are teachers within our current working party who are concerned that they have not looked at or completed the assignment from last week in enough detail, or enough to warrant coming to share ideas in tomorrow's session. The reasons are multifaceted, but mainly come down to time.

How can we differentiate when we are preparing for parents meetings? When we have to input grades into the system? When our week also has a long list of extra jobs that have to be completed outside of the teaching part of the day?

They are very real and very valid questions. 

What I would like to throw into the cauldron of ideas for us to reflect on is this:

Even when we are stressed, tired, out of routine and extra, extra busy, we should still be differentiating as a way of  every day teaching life.

Look at this quote: 'I would like to propose that differentiation is a way of life. It can be studied; it can be analyzed but in order to be a truly “differentiated” teacher, you have to completely jump into the role. You don’t just differentiate this lesson or this product. You live a differentiated life in the classroom. I bet you have experienced one of these teachers in your career.' 

 I propose that our goal as motivated and superb teachers is that we CAN get to a place where differentiation is intrinsic in our medium and short-term plans and that strategies such as grouping, tiered lessons, use of multiple intelligence concepts and the whole list of differentiation strategies that we have looked at (briefly) are used; without us feeling like they are an 'added extra.' 

This would then ease the stress of these incredibly intense periods of time when we feel like we are being stretched from Timbuktu to Delhi. How we get to that point is another matter! But one that we are all addressing. 

I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible tomorrow lunchtime and hearing your responses to this. 12.30 sharp and we'll try and be done as quickly as possible! :) 

Helena 

The Differentiation Jigsaw

'No, no that's definitely not differentiation'
'I disagree, I think that when a teacher........'

I look around the room and there are 6 teachers huddled over desks on a hot Thursday lunchtime. The activity revolves around sentences which have to be placed in Yes/No columns, divided by whether the meaning reflects differentiation or not. The conversation is constant as the teachers challenge themselves and each other as they make the decisions.

As facilitator, I pick out some of the more contentious of the statements and when each group has finished we pick them to pieces. Not all we agree with, some are open to interpretation, but the teacher talk is vibrant and energetic. The sentences are currently up in the staffroom.

3 weeks ago when I started preparing for the first differentiation session I thought it was going to be a breeze. 'I'll do a bit of this and a bit of that and we'll all be happy and ready to move onto something else.' I was terribly wrong. From my own teaching perspective, I thought that I pretty much had differentiation down pat - and I am happy to wear on my sleeve that I don't even know the half of it. I have spent hours reading and researching different theories, techniques and descriptions of the 'D' word and I am just beginning to put a logical picture together in my mind of the entire spectrum that differentiation embraces.

The flow chart that the group were working on and discussing is embedded below:

This provided the framework for us to look in  more detail at what the term 'differentiation' actually means to us as teachers.

In Session 2 we looked specifically at breaking down the flow chart. What does the terminology actually mean? Do we use any of it? There were a few that had us stumped - 'RAFT', complex instruction, 4MAT to name the key ones. We were also unsure of the difference between Affect and Learning Environment. If anyone can shed light, please share! 

The group ended by beginning to develop a flow chart to use as a practical guide for teachers. Where do we begin in the process of differentiation? In the classroom? At the planning stage? If at the planning stage, which planning stage? How can we use assessment as a guide to differentiation?

We shall work on this chart over the next few weeks to attempt to simplify and provide a simple structure for teachers to be able to use as planning/assessment (and therefore) differentiation tool.

During the intervening week teachers are looking at how they are currently using differentiation techniques in their classroom/lessons - feedback on Thursday lunchtime, March 8th. As facilitator, I shall also be coming around and asking how and if the team are managing to incorporate differentiation into their daily lessons.

I have also had a request to share some of the websites that I have been using as a basis for these training sessions. Can I encourage you all to open a Diigo account, if you do not already have one: www.diigo.com 

This site offers an easy method of bookmarking and sharing sites - I will help anyone on Thursday and then shall show you how to join my group which has all of the sites that I visit in terms of this professional development.

Thanks everyone for your continued enthusiasm,

Helena