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- In my role, I support schools
to use a whole-school approach
to differentiated teaching and learning,
to meet the learning needs of all students
in an increasingly personalised way.
When a school contacts the regions seeking advice
on providing extension or enrichment,
I guide them to explore ways to deepen and broaden learning
of their year level curriculum content.
This process enables schools to appropriately challenge
and meet the learning needs of students
performing above the C standard.
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I use the process
for differentiating unit planning document.
Starting at the bottom of the document,
I ask teachers to review student performance
in the summative assessment task they have just completed
and evaluate the differentiation strategies
that have been provided.
- We use the most recent assessment and reporting data
to identify students requiring additional support,
extension or enrichment.
With these students in mind,
we take a look at the next unit and pinpoint
where we might need to make adjustments.
- Recently, I sat down with the year six teachers
to look at the next English unit.
I asked the teachers to put in their mind
those students who exceeded the C standard
on the last summit of assessment task.
When looking at the next unit,
I asked the team to confirm
whether there were sufficient opportunities
for this group of students to continue to be challenged.
- I found the extension suggestions
in the C2C lesson plans and materials
would meet the needs of the majority of my students
requiring extension.
There's one student though, Grace,
who needs an additional layer of challenge
to broaden her understanding
of the year level curriculum content.
Grace has highly developed written and spoken skills.
Her nuance use of language is superior
to those of her peers
especially when writing and managing these texts.
She received an A
in her most recent English summative assessment task.
- Often, an SCP is considered for students like Grace
as a first response.
However, extending and enriching student understanding
of year level curriculum content
using the suggestions provided in C2C
or through the general capabilities
and cross curriculum priorities,
may be a much more suitable way
to deepen and broaden their learning.
- I looked at the align general capabilities
and cross curriculum priorities in the C2C unit outline.
I found additional detail from the organising element,
inquiring, identifying, exploring,
and organising information and ideas
in the creative and critical thinking learning continuum
on the Australian curriculum website.
The level four description
posing questions to clarify and interpret information
and probing for causes and consequences
had so much potential to enrich the content
we were about to engage with.
It aligned perfectly with the summative assessment task,
a panel discussion, analysing and evaluating
the style of an author
where students listened to discussion, clarify content
and challenge other's ideas.
I looked at the teaching sequence
and identified the lessons
I could provide Grace with opportunities
to broaden her learning by engaging with the critical
and creative thinking general capability.
In these lessons,
while the class use the question starters
and prompts resource
to support their learning about questioning,
Grace can access the internet to research
questioning techniques that pro for causes
relating to the analysis of language features
literary devices and all the strategies.
She can apply these techniques to construct
her own probing questions during the assessment task
rather than the provider question starters.
- There are many options for teachers to extend
and enrich student learning of year level curriculum content
by drawing on the general capabilities
and cross curriculum priorities
in a way that is responsive to the learner and the learning.
A whole school approach to differentiated teaching
and learning means we can meet the learning needs
of Grace and challenge her by deepening
and broadening her knowledge and understanding
without having to provide an ICP.
However, should the teaching team fond extension
and an enrichment of year level content
no longer meets the learning needs of a student,
that's when consultation will occur with the parents
and the student about the potential of providing an ICP.
Schools are supported to differentiate teaching and learning
through a range of departmental resources,
including the process for differentiating unit planning,
C2C, and the assessment and moderation hub.
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