Differentiation

1. TEACHER EDUCATION COURSE
PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION
DIFFERENTIATION

2. Differentiation can be
implemented by modifying:
1. Content: What the children learn.
2. Process: How the children learn.
3. Product: How the children
demonstrate what they've learned.
4. Learning environment: Where and
with whom the children learn.

3. IDEAS FOR DIFFERENTIATING CONTENT
Vocabulary lists: Provide tiered vocabulary lists that range
from basic to advanced. For instance, while one child might
be working on basic color names, another might be ready to
learn different shades of those colors.
Visual supports: Use pictures and visual aids to support
understanding of new concepts for learners who are not yet
ready to grasp abstract ideas.

4. IDEAS FOR DIFFERENTIATING PROCESS
Group work: Arrange children in groups so they can work
together on tasks that are appropriately challenging. For
example, some students might focus on identifying objects in a
picture, while others might describe the picture using full
sentences.
Learning centers: Set up different learning centers with activities
that cater to various cognitive levels and learning preferences.
Children could choose activities that interest them, allowing them
to learn at their own pace.

5. IDEAS FOR DIFFERENTIATING PRODUCT
Choice boards: Create choice boards for projects or assignments where
children can pick the end product that best allows them to express what
they have learned. For example, one child might choose to draw a picture,
another might write a story, and a third might perform a role-play.
Adjustable criteria: Provide differentiated success criteria or rubrics that
take into account a child's level of language development when assessing
their work.

6. IDEAS FOR DIFFERENTIATING THE LEARNING
ENVIRONMENT
Seating arrangements: Seat children so that learners are paired
with supportive peers who can model language and engage
them in conversation.
Cultural inclusivity: Incorporate materials and resources that
reflect the diverse cultural backgrounds of the learners, making
the environment more inclusive and relatable.

7. WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN IMPLEMENTING DIFFERENTIATION
To implement differentiation effectively in an EAL pre-primary classroom:
Assess regularly: Use ongoing assessments to understand each child's current
level of English proficiency and learning needs.
Collaborate: Work with other teachers, support staff, and language specialists
to design and deliver differentiated instruction.
Engage parents: Communicate with parents about their children's progress
and suggest ways they can support learning at home.
Reflect and adapt: Continuously reflect on the effectiveness of the
differentiated approaches and be ready to adapt strategies as children’s needs
evolve.

8. GROUP WORK
Students are divided into groups to discuss what they observed
during the individual work, practicing their language skills
collaboratively.
Examples of what can be done:
Students talk in groups about their flowers, using sentences like, "My
flower is drinking blue water. What color is your flower drinking?"

9. EXPERIMENT LOG
After completing the experiment, each student (or group) records
their observations, results, and any other relevant information in a
simple log. This log can include drawings, dictated sentences,
photos, videos or written words depending on the students'
literacy levels.
Examples of what can be done:
The teacher provides a template with sections labeled "What I
did," "What I saw," and "What I learned." For pre-primary students,
this may involve drawing the flower before and after the
experiment, with the teacher helping to write down simple
observations the child dictates, such as "The flower was white.
Now it is blue." This reinforces the language used during the
experiment and solidifies the connection between the activity
and the language learning objectives.

10. GALLERY
The finished work or the process is displayed, and students can walk
around the 'gallery' to observe and discuss each other's experiments. The
teacher should also consider how students will take their experiments
home.
Examples of what can be done:
Each group's flower is placed on a table, and students walk around with
the teacher, discussing the changes observed in each flower, using the
target language.