Classroom Differentiation- Joppenhof Style
Since my move to the Netherlands and exposure to alternate methods of teaching, one common thread connects my experience in education from Canada to that of the Netherlands; that being the concept of Differentiation in the Classroom. This post will comment on my observations while at the Joppenhof.
The WECDSB placed a large focus on the concept of differentiation in the classroom in during the fall of 2005, offering workshops to teachers as well as providing resources to support the idea in the classroom. To me, differentiation made a lot of sense. Differentiation can be defined as meeting the various learning needs of all students in the classroom whether they are performing in the high or low end of the grade level. Now working at the Joppenhof, I can see this phenomenon in action, not only in another country, but a unique educational setting as well. I will attempt to outline this delivery method as succinctly as possible below.
Step 1: All students who enter this international educational setting are tested by the special education needs teacher to determine prior knowledge and functioning level. The SEN uses age-level subject specific criterion based tests to see where the student falls on the normative curve. This information is provided to the receiving classroom teacher.
Step 2: Students in individual classrooms are placed into learning groups as a result. The groups identify the levels at which the students are performing at, and their prior knowledge in the subject areas of language arts and math. This can look like students arranged in groups low, medium, and high, or group 1, 2 or 3. It depends on the profile of the classroom in question.
Step 3: Teachers of the same grade level share programming for the different groups in their grade level. For example, teacher A might teach the higher end of students at the same grade level, while teacher B teachers the lower and middle level groups. Curriculum is delivered at the functioning level of the students in the groups. Students can be moved from group to group depending on results from diagnostic, formative, and summative assessment, and of course, teacher observation.
If there is only one class of a certain grade, then the classroom teacher plans for 3 levels of students in the classroom and implements via various teaching strategies, or varied coursework.
Step 4: Students are reassessed at the end of the school year using the appropriate age- level subject specific criterion based standardized tests that they experienced at the beginning of the school year. Of course, the children would take the next level of test than they completed at the beginning of the school year, as they aged over the course of the year.
Some specific supports that are in place for specific subjects include guided reading groups, and leveled books for the language curriculum. For math, each unit consists of diagnostic tests prior to commencing a unit, and summative testing following a unit’s completion to determine the knowledge a student acquired during the lessons.
Mrs. Harwood
The WECDSB placed a large focus on the concept of differentiation in the classroom in during the fall of 2005, offering workshops to teachers as well as providing resources to support the idea in the classroom. To me, differentiation made a lot of sense. Differentiation can be defined as meeting the various learning needs of all students in the classroom whether they are performing in the high or low end of the grade level. Now working at the Joppenhof, I can see this phenomenon in action, not only in another country, but a unique educational setting as well. I will attempt to outline this delivery method as succinctly as possible below.
Step 1: All students who enter this international educational setting are tested by the special education needs teacher to determine prior knowledge and functioning level. The SEN uses age-level subject specific criterion based tests to see where the student falls on the normative curve. This information is provided to the receiving classroom teacher.
Step 2: Students in individual classrooms are placed into learning groups as a result. The groups identify the levels at which the students are performing at, and their prior knowledge in the subject areas of language arts and math. This can look like students arranged in groups low, medium, and high, or group 1, 2 or 3. It depends on the profile of the classroom in question.
Step 3: Teachers of the same grade level share programming for the different groups in their grade level. For example, teacher A might teach the higher end of students at the same grade level, while teacher B teachers the lower and middle level groups. Curriculum is delivered at the functioning level of the students in the groups. Students can be moved from group to group depending on results from diagnostic, formative, and summative assessment, and of course, teacher observation.
If there is only one class of a certain grade, then the classroom teacher plans for 3 levels of students in the classroom and implements via various teaching strategies, or varied coursework.
Step 4: Students are reassessed at the end of the school year using the appropriate age- level subject specific criterion based standardized tests that they experienced at the beginning of the school year. Of course, the children would take the next level of test than they completed at the beginning of the school year, as they aged over the course of the year.
Some specific supports that are in place for specific subjects include guided reading groups, and leveled books for the language curriculum. For math, each unit consists of diagnostic tests prior to commencing a unit, and summative testing following a unit’s completion to determine the knowledge a student acquired during the lessons.
Mrs. Harwood
posted by Janet Harwood @ 3:27 p.m.
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