Effective Strategies for

Effective Strategies for

Accommodating Diverse Needs of Students in the

Secondary English Classroom

CDI, EDB June 2018

How far do you agree?

Learner diversity is mainly reflected in students’

target language proficiency.

All students should be expected to aim for the same level of achievement.

Catering for learner diversity requires more lesson planning and more materials design.

When catering for learner diversity, attention is often paid to the less-able students.

Aims

To enhance teachers’ understanding of learner diversity in the development of language skills in the secondary English classroom;

To introduce the use of effective strategies to cater for learner diversity; and

To provide hands-on activities on developing relevant learning, teaching and assessment activities/materials to cater for learner diversity

Outline

Part 1: Overview of key concepts

Part 2: Strategies to cater for learner diversity

Part 3: Application

What is Learner Diversity? In what ways do learners differ from each other?

interests

ability world

knowledge

motivation

learning parental pace

support learning

styles

Understanding student needs

“Teacher is telling me meaning but only one time.

It is go into my ears then fall out.

I try to pick up meaning but already fallen on floor.

I look under my chair, but teacher is punish me I don’t sitting.

Then I sitting and teacher is happy but my word falling on floor.

Maybe other student find it and pick up it and he can be happy but I never find it.

I think have many words messing in the floor.”

Common Student Opinions

Product

Process

Learning Environment

I can’t / don’t want to do this

task!!

I can’t / don’t want to do the task in this way!!

I can’t / don’t

want to work in

this atmosphere!!

C

A

R

Product

H

P

A

T

C

T

E

Classroom Variables

Classroom Variables

Match the classroom variables with their respective descriptions.

Discuss whether you have adopted these strategies in your classroom.

Part 1: Overview of key concepts

Part 2: Strategies to cater for learner diversity

Part 3: Application

Reading

Computer-assisted instruction

e.g. accelareader.com

What record did he break?

How did he travel?

How long did the journey take?

Who does “you” refer to in the last sentence?

Students learning at their own pace

Tiered materials

How are the two sets of text different from each other?

Organisation Density of

information Abstractness

Students engaged in texts of different levels of complexity

Colour coded reading

Take any 4 colours and use them to underline parts of your text. Write your colour code on the back of your paper

 Colour A: worried, concerned

 Colour B: cautious, sensible

 Colour C: excited, amazing

 Colour D: humble, modest

Swap texts with another group and try to work out their code.

Students engaged in a text at a level they are ready for

Pyramid reading

Answer the

questions in the pyramids.

If you can’t answer a question, write

another question to replace it in the

pyramid.

Create Evaluate

Analyse Apply

Understand Remember

Varying the activity

Transparency reading

Underline 3 key ideas in your text on the transparency and add some notes next to each idea.

Remove the transparency, turn over the text and rewrite/paraphrase the ideas you underlined.

Use your transparency as notes to tell others what you have learned from the text.

Students engaged with a different level of language in their work

Listening

Podcasting

The English We Speak

Elementary Podcasts by the British Council

Better at English

Culips

VOA

Students learning at their own pace

Prediction tasks – pre-watching

Look at the following expressions and predict what the video might be about.

Stop fighting!!

Definitely don’t try this.

We were

watching from behind the fence.

Providing support for less able students

Prediction tasks – sound off

Watch the video (0:00-1:00)

What did the expressions refer to?

Prediction –

Who is this man?

Where is he?

Why does he have this relationship with the lions?

Providing support for less able students

Physical response tasks

Divide your cards into positive, negative and neutral.

Looking at your cards, what do you think the rest of the video will tell us about?

Watch the video (0:00-2:16).

Put the cards in order while you watch.

You will be assigned three cards. Raise your hand when you hear your expressions.

Varying the support provided to students

Follow-up questions

1. Why are the lions so friendly with this man?

2. How does the reporter feel during this interview?

3. What is the man’s attitude towards the danger he is in?

4. Do you think it is a good idea to treat animals like this?

5. Would you like to have this kind of relationship with lions?

6. How do you think we could better protect the species?

Traffic light listening

How much do you know about the topics already? Colour the traffic light.

Listen to the audio (my weekend) and make notes. Then change the colour of your traffic lights if you want to.

Now answer the questions on the worksheet.

 I don’t know anything about this topic.

 I think I know something about this topic already.

 I know a fair bit about this topic already. Varying the activity

Differentiated support

Listen to the audio clip – My Hero (0:00 – 1:40)

Which language support cards were you given?

Key words from most sentences

Key verbs from some sentences

The people mentioned in the audio

Exact expressions you will hear in the listening but not the whole audio script

Compare your cards together and discuss how the different cards can support different

students.

Varying the support provided to students

Cooperative listening

difficulties, risks,

weaknesses facts, data creative ideas, solutions

benefits,

positives feelings,

emotions focus, summary

Thinking Hat (De Bono)

Students expected to engage with a different level in their work

facts, data

benefits, positives

How old was Mary Anning when she discovered the first dinosaur skeleton?

Why did Charles Dickens say Mary Anning has won a name for herself?

difficulties, risks, weaknesses

Name 2 difficulties Mary Anning

encountered on her road to fame.

Speaking

In the context of speaking, what learner diversity do you observe?

 Cooperative learning

Speaking Activities: Differentiated Support & Activities

Discuss how different abilities and learning styles can be accommodated in speaking activities:

 Visuals and creative tasks

 Missing information/picture hole task to generate curiosity

 Jigsaw picture (a picture cut into 4 pieces); one for each student in the group to describe without showing it and the whole group establish together what the whole picture is

Speaking Task:

Research and share findings on a place in a different country of your choice.

Geographical location

Attractions: cultural heritage, scenery, history, amusement

Adventures / Food / Cultural experience for tourists

Speaking Activity: Going Places

Research and share findings on an unusual place

Geographical location

Attractions: rich cultural heritage, natural scenery of wonder, history, impressive amusement

Adventures / Food / Cultural experience for tourists

Speaking Activity: Visiting Unusual Places

Adapt activities to include high-interest & authentic tasks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE82Pxo5dJg

1. Look at your picture. Where do you think it is? What do you think is in the hole?

2. How are the pictures connected?

3. What is each of the constructions made of?

4. Before watching the video of living bridges, guess what the numbers represent?

• 10 years

• 50 people

• 500 years

5. Watch the video and check your ideas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE82Pxo5dJg

6. Is the living bridge a good choice for an unusual place? Why/why not?

Speaking Activity: Visiting Unusual Places

Generating curiosity & tapping into prior knowledge

Picture hole task

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE82Pxo5dJg

Speaking Activity: “Three to Twelve” Activity

What comes to mind when thinking about these living tree bridges?

Provide justifications as a group if other groups consider the words not sufficiently related.

_ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

S u s t a i n a b l e R u r a l

Differentiating process: allowing student engagement at varied degrees of sophistication/with varied amount of peer support

Speaking Activity: Thinking Hats / Cooperative Controversy

focus, summary difficulties, risks,

weaknesses facts, data creative ideas, solutions

benefits,

positives feelings, emotions

Thinking Hat (De Bono)

Differentiating process: allowing student engagement at varied degrees of sophistication/with varied amount of peer support

Answering questions based on a video/

Preparing

questions for a tree expert

---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE82Pxo5dJg

Speaking Activity: Thinking Hats / Cooperative Controversy

difficulties, risks, weaknesses

benefits, positives

How might the environment benefit from this way of construction?

Why do you think there aren’t more living bridges around the world?

What risks do you think the local

community takes by using nature in this way?

How might the local community

benefit from using nature in this way?

---

facts, data

How big do you think a living tree bridge could be?

feelings, emotions

Do you think the people of Hong Kong would welcome an eco tour to Meghalaya, India?

Speaking Activity: Thinking Hats / Cooperative Controversy

What kind of trees do you think would make good living tree bridges?

How do you think the local community feel about their relationship with the environment?

---

What else do you think living trees could be used to construct?

creative ideas, solutions

Ask a question to someone else.

focus, summary

Speaking Activity: Thinking Hats / Cooperative Controversy

How do you think living tree bridges are actually “constructed”?

---

Tourism is developing at a rapid rate in many areas of the world. Some places build up urban cities with all sorts of tourist attractions and shopping outlets to cater for these tourists. Other places focus on attracting tourists to appreciate the natural beauty of their landscape. Eco-tourism is a type of tourism which aims to encourage tourists to visit natural areas, while causing minimal damage to the environment at the same time.

Write a letter to the Hong Kong Tourist Board, encouraging them to promote eco- tourism more in Hong Kong. Discuss what to include in your letter.

Speaking Activity: Language Map Activity

How to scaffold a speaking task through differentiating language support?

Write a letter to the Hong Kong Tourist Board, encouraging them to promote eco-tourism more in Hong Kong. Discuss what to include in your letter.

You might want to consider:

 what areas of natural beauty Hong Kong has

 what kinds of things eco-tourists would be able to do in Hong Kong

 why eco-tourism would be good for Hong Kong

Speaking Activity: Language Map Activity

Differentiating process: Engaging students with varied amount of language support

Use of a concept map to provide language/content support

signs, mapboards, information boards, mobile toilets, drinking machines

The Hong Kong Tourist Board (HKTB) should …

(what areas of natural beauty Hong Kong has)

(what kinds of things eco-tourists would be

able to do)

new green tourism attractions / cultural

tourism

… … … (why eco-tourism would

be good for Hong Kong) explain

suggest

revitalise remote countryside develop

tourism facilities

improve transport support HKTB can also propose to the Gov to

including / such as

and promote participation in eco-tourism by

enriching websites and mobile apps

for convenience

Speaking Activity: Language Map Activity

Writing

Writing Activity: A Biography for a Famous Person

Onion Ring Brainstorm

Differentiating Process: Design tasks to be completed in stages of re- drafting with content input, language support and feedback provided at each stage

Scaffolding …

• Visiting major events and milestones using flashback

• Identifying a major theme

• Building a chronological structure

• Developing opinions and thoughts about the person

• Creating a thesis

A way to gradually build understanding and knowledge visually throughout different stages of lesson

A task which enables students to work at their own pace

A task which promotes self-directed learning skills Writing Activity: A Biography for a Famous Person

Onion Ring Brainstorm

 A cooperative learning strategy

Brainstorm effective group work skills

Active participation of students in each stage of the jigsaw

Writing Activity: A Biography for a Famous Person

Use of Jigsaw Strategy

Jigsaw Classroom in Easy Steps

Divide students into jigsaw groups (home groups) – diverse in ability, interests, learning styles

 Appoint one student from each group as leader.

 Divide a short biography of a famous person into stand-alone segments on:

(1) Her childhood (e.g. JK Rowling) (2) Her family life

(3) Her attempts to write & publish novels

(4) Her life after the novels have gained popularity (5) Her life and work at present

 Students read the segment from home groups and move to expert groups.

 Students discuss main points of their segment in expert groups & rehearse the presentations they will make to their home group.

 Each student presents own segment at home group & members ask questions to clarify ideas.

 Each home group makes a presentation about the topic.

Writing Activity: Using Sentence Jigsaw to do an Oral Construction

During that period, she

considered herself a failure, and was diagnosed with…

• Arrange sentences into a logical order -- supporting construction of a coherent paragraph about JK Rowling.

• Stick the different paragraphs onto the wall. Work with another group to talk through the final version.

Writing Activity: Using Expression Jigsaw to do an Oral Construction

…was on a train when she first conceived the idea for ….

… submitted the book to twelve publishers, and was

rejected by all of them….

…recent talk given at Harvard University entitled The Fringe

Benefits of Failure...

… might be considered a success…

… publishing house finally agreed …

… was diagnosed with depression…

Evaluate an article. What makes a good article?

• Involve students in creating the assessment rubric

• Share expectations with practical examples

• Use the development of a rubric as a reflective process and development of self-directed learning skills

• Guide the use of the gradations on a rubric to identify strengths/weaknesses

• “Stretch" a rubric to reflect the work of more able students

Writing Activity: Improving a Model Text with a Rubric

Adapted from TeachersFirst:

http://www.teachersfirst.com/lessons/rubrics/pro-and-con.cfm

Writing Activity: Improving a Model Text

What do you think makes a good article?

suspenseful

informative engaging

?

persuasive

~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Use a student’s text as a model

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Famous Person

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Criteria / Teachers Teacher 1 Teacher 2 Teacher 3 Teacher 4

Suspenseful

for the reader There is not much in the narrative or

style that makes the reader want to

keep reading

There are occasional parts of the narrative and/or style that make the reader want to keep reading

There are some parts of the narrative and style that make the reader want to keep reading

There are good

examples of narrative and style used to

create suspense

Informative

for the reader There is not much information

about success and failure in her life.

There is some relevant information about success and failure in her life, but not enough details.

There is relevant

information including some interesting

details about success and failure in her life.

There are good

examples of relevant

& interesting information and details throughout the text.

Engaging for

the reader The style of the writing rarely engages the reader with emotions.

There are some uses of language which are engaging.

Language is often used to create an engaging style.

The style and

language of the text are engaging

throughout.

Persuasive for

the reader The style of the writing rarely persuades the reader to identify with the writer.

There are some uses of language which help persuade the reader to identify with the writer.

Language is often used to create a persuasive style.

The reader is easily persuaded to identify with the writer

throughout the text.

Writing Activity: Improving a Model Text

Compare the following paragraphs written by two students. What are the differences? Which do you think should be in the article? Why?

“When JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was finished in 1995, she submitted the book to twelve publishers, and was rejected by all of them. A year later, Bloomsbury, a London publishing house, finally agreed to print 1000 copies of the book, sending half of them straight to libraries instead of bookshops^{. “}

“JK Rowling finished her first Harry Potter book in 1995. She submitted the book to twelve publishers, who rejected it.

Bloomsbury, a London publishing house, printed 1000 copies of the book. It sent half of them to libraries.”

Guide the use of the gradations on a rubric to identify strengths/weaknesses

Choose 2 of the criteria from the rubric that you think are most important, and read the teacher comments below for the 2 criteria you chose.

(You can write your own criteria if you prefer.)

Use your 2 chosen criteria. Which teacher’s comments do you think are appropriate? Show your partner’s examples/evidence in the text for why you chose those comments.

Use 1 of your chosen criteria. Make 3 changes to the text to improve it based on this evaluation criterion.

Writing Activity: Improving a Model Text (An Extension)

Differentiating Process: Create varied discussion points

Applications …

To cater to different abilities, identify the different problems/areas for improvement in the model text, explain them and involve students in making improvement.

• In what way do the series of tasks scaffold the evaluation process?

• How can the tasks be modified to cater for learner diversity?

• How do we design different tasks for different groups?

Writing Activity: Improving a Model Text

Improving a Model Text

Differentiating Process: Create varied discussion points

(A) Plan Swap Activity Students…

 write own paragraph plan.

 swap plan with another student, and write one paragraph based on the plan from their neighbour, not their own plan.

 swap back and discuss to what extent they think their partner kept to their plan.

 make any improvements they want to their partner’s paragraph, and incorporate it into the rest of their essay.

Other Suggested Writing Activities

(B) Essay Completion

 Student A receives an essay with every second sentence blanked out.

Student B receives the same essay but with the other sentences blanked out – (Student A has all of B’s blanks; student B has all of A’s blanks).

 Each works alone to complete some gaps by creating own sentences.

 Students compare A and B texts together and discuss:

(Discussion only at this stage, not writing)

 WHAT is different

 WHAT ASPECTS of the model language/ ideas/ organisation make them more successful and WHY.

 Follow up: students go back alone and make improvements to their writing based on anything remembered from the discussion.

An opportunity to make improvements at a level each student is comfortable with rather than a memory task

Other Suggested Writing Activities

Differentiating Process: Expecting students to use language at varied levels in their work

(C) Stop N Start – 20 min

Give students 20 min to do an extended writing task. Stop them every 5 min to do a 3-min speaking activity: provide 1 question to discuss with someone nearby (keep changing the pair each 3 min).

What have you just written about in the last 5 min?

What changes did you make in the last 5 min?

What problems did you have in the last 5 min?

What are you going to do with the next 5 min?

Look at your plan. How far through are you? etc.

Other Suggested Writing Activities

Applications …

•

•

•

Suggested Writing Activities

(C) Stop N Start – 20 min

 This activity aims to

• break up a long writing task into manageable chunks

• provide varied discussion points

• enable various different pairings for more interaction

• enable peer teaching/learning

• support students to be more involved in thinking about ways to undertake the writing task

Other Extended Writing Activities

Designing tasks requiring several stages of re-drafting work to allow support, input and feedback to be provided at each stage.

Expecting students to complete a different task on the same topic

e.g. Student A produces a comic and Student B produces a poster to explain the same concept

Allowing students to create own homework assignments sometimes

(as long as the required elements are contained)

Expecting students to produce a different level of language in their work

e.g. Student A labels the diagram, and Student B explains it.

Product

Enabling some students to complete the task alone and others in pairs/groups

Designing tasks requiring several stages of re- drafting work, so that support, input and feedback can be provided appropriately at each stage.

Giving students specific roles each during a group task, e.g. Student A encourages participation, Student B oversees grammar, Student C keeps the pen

Process

Developing classroom routines that enable students to seek help when they want it, e.g. students write post-it notes on their desks through the lesson, and the teacher can come around at an appropriate time later, to help them

Encouraging reflective tasks, where students talk about what they have learned and how they have learned it

Designing hands-on activities, or activities which involve standing up, turning chairs around, moving seats, etc.

Creating a classroom atmosphere that encourages mistakes as an interesting learning point, not as a failure

Learning Environment

Part 1: Overview of key concepts

Part 2: Strategies to cater for learner diversity

Part 3: Application

Hands-on Activity

Read a textbook unit.

Have a class of students in mind.

Make adaptations to the design of 1 task.

• Reading activities: Text 1

• Reading activities: Text 2

• Listening activities

• Design an ad and write a letter of proposal, etc.

Apply the strategies for differentiating support to address student differences. Choose 2 classroom variables to work on.

Thank you