03
Jul
2016
Jul
2016
Differentiation for Learning in STEM Teaching
categories: Professional Development, Professional Learning
Differentiation can be in terms of:
Task: How we allow appropriate access to the learning for the students.
Outcome: How students communicate their learning.
Intervention: The roles undertaken by the teacher and others doing the learning.
Route: Allowing students different journeys through the learning.
In a study by Steven Boyle and others, the following were identified as potential ‘good learning behaviours’ of students:
- Tells teacher when they don’t understand
- Asks teacher why they went wrong
- Tells teacher what they don’t understand
- Checks work against instruction, correcting errors and omissions
- When stuck, refers to earlier work before asking teacher
- Checks personal comprehension of instruction and material. Requests further information if needed
- Seeks reasons for aspects of the work at hand
- Anticipates and predicts possible outcomes
- Plans a general strategy before starting
- Explains purposes and results
- Checks teacher’s work for errors; offers corrections
- Seeks links between adjacent activities and ideas
- Seeks links between non-adjacent activities, ideas and between different topics
- Independently seeks further information, following up ideas raised in class
- Seeks links between different subjects
- Asks inquisitive but general questions
- Offers personal examples which are generally relevant
- Seeks specific links between schoolwork and personal life
- Searches for weaknesses in their own understanding; checks the consistency of their explanations across different situations
- Suggests new activities and alternative procedures
- Expresses disagreement
- Offers ideas, new insights and alternative explanations
- Justified opinions
- Reacts and refers to comments of other students
- Challenges the text or an answer the teacher sanctions as correct
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