Differentiation for Challenge - Eddie Fu

How do you accelerate the progress of learning / thinking across a lesson and a scheme of work?


Eddie Fu - SLE (Specialist Leader of Education) and Head of Faculty at Holmes Chapel School

Strategies to work smarter.

Differentiation for Challenge

Engagement only gets you so far, we have to challenge students.

Objectives:

• Close the progress gap between LA and peers
• Engage and support the disengaged and underachieving
• Raise attainment of the middle attainers
• Challenge all levels of ability in preparation for the next level

Techniques outlined have been great for value added measures at Holmes Chapel.

Moved away from classic linear lessons.

Classic Differentiation Strategies:

• Questioning
• Task
• Resources
• Roles within groups
• Skills ladder
• VAK
• Quantity speed
• Time
• Seating

Moved away from 'All / Most / Some' to 'Good' / 'Even better' / 'Excellent' or 'Essential' / 'Expert' / 'Advanced'

Q: How do you stop students not covering the 'Good' and 'Even Better' if they go for the 'Excellent' task? 

A: They regulate themselves. "EBI task was too hard so I moved down to the good one."

Slides are text heavy but students become used to looking at the category that they find best suits them.

Whole menu lessons - everything on one slide.

Change of mind set more than physical changes - resources can be easily adapted when you get your head around it.

Make student choice explicit

Why change?

• Caters better for learning preferences
• Closing the gap
• Targeted learning for sub-groups
• Stretch and challenge

eddie.fu@hccs.info

Our low prior attainers are not making the progress they should.


Ideas:

Key question is a typical question from the exam - tasks are then based on levels of the mark scheme.


A resource I adapted in light of the techniques outlined: