Hannah has worked as a classroom teacher, English subject lead, and specialist leader in education, with over 11 years experience in the sector. Definitely not. But in setting the same ambitious goals for all students, I also provided differing levels of support depending on my students starting points and additional and different needs. Have a secure understanding of how a range of factors can inhibit pupils ability to learn and how best to overcome these. The model presents ageneric view of some elements of adaptive teaching. If you have heard me talk about teaching English to bottom set boys on a Friday afternoon, then know that John was one of those boys. A further strategy I deployed was to better understand my students lived experiences, which is to say that I got to know my students so I could ensure I built new abstract knowledge upon their existing concrete knowledge. Differentiation vs. Tracking. The difference between an individual support approach and a more universal approach is shown clearly in . For adaptive teaching to truly do what it says on the tin we must be continuously assessing (and I dont mean testing, I mean monitoring) what students know and understand. Specifically, adaptive teaching requires teachers to: Adaptive teaching also forms part of the new Early Career Framework (DfE, 2019). Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs. The Polesworth School ran a CPD session on Adaptive Teaching in October that sparked quite a few discussions. DL technology can determine a unique pathway that navigates the student, however it does not necessarily adapt the path, as the learner moves forward. As such, pupils physical, social, and emotional well-being, including their relationships with peers and trusted adults, are fundamental . In 2015, The EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) explained that "discussion in higher education has yet to settle on the relationship betweenor even the precise definitions ofpersonalized learning and concepts including differentiated instruction, adaptive learning, and individualized learning." In early 2017, the debate continues. Next, I made sure all my feedback was specific and challenging and that every time feedback was given, students were afforded lesson time to process it, question it, and act upon it. The problem with the former approach teaching up to 30 different lessons is that, as well as it being hugely time-consuming for the teacher, it can translate in practice as expecting less of some students than we do of others in other words, as dumbing down or reducing the curriculum on offer. The problem with the former approach teaching up to 30 different lessons is that, as well as it being hugely time-consuming for the teacher, it can translate in practice as expecting less of some students than we do of others in other words, as dumbing down or reducing the curriculum on offer. I made sure I modelled the very best work but, in so doing, I deconstructed examples of excellence live in front of students so they could see how to get from where they were to where they needed to be, rather than presenting them with heres one I made earlier. Early Career Framework, 2019 The term 'differentiation' is slowly being replaced with 'adaptive teaching' by many professionals working within education. How exactly do we adapt lessons? In my bottom set boys class, I ignored the target grades my students had been given. Choice of learning activity as well as choice in the assessment (how the student will demonstrate understanding). He wanted to update me on what hed been doing since I last taught him nearly a decade ago. Hannah Hawthorne is a Learning Designer with a primary focus on Education for High Speed Training. Weve shared the evidence, drafted definitions, sought feedback on them and have taken steps to develop amodel to help teachers think about adaptive teaching in more concrete terms.See our shared resource on adaptive teaching here: Is this the final outcome? All these scaffolds fell away over time though independence was always the aim. This is formatively assessing the learned curriculum before embarking upon the next planned chunk of new learning. Is there ashared understanding and shared language for adapting teaching? Then I set the bar high. So, what does it look like in practice? What is the right balance of new content to mastery of existing concepts?How are schools and Trusts tackling adaptive teaching?School leaders play avital role in helping staff achieve precision around exactly what particular practices, like adaptive teaching involve in classrooms and across the school (their active ingredients). Adaptive teaching strategies sit firmly at the heart of this: adapting planning prior to the lesson and adjusting practice during the lesson. Hold writing conferences with your students either individually or in small groups. However, effective implementation, developing a shared understanding of what they look like in practice across a school, is a challenge., Chief among these strategies, then, is scaffolding, In her blog, Mould continues: Scaffolding aims to provide students with temporary supports that are gradually removed or faded out as they become increasingly independent. Helps to cultivate a more inclusive classroom space, where each childs needs have been addressed. It is, in effect, the difference between teaching up to 30 different lessons at once, matching the pace and pitch to each individual student and providing different tasks and resources to different students, and teaching the same lesson to all 30 students, and doing so by teaching to the top while providing scaffolds to those who need additional initial support in order to access the same ambitious curriculum and meet our high expectations. So, what happened to John after he left school with his C in English? Helps to nurture a greater respect and admiration for education, ensuring pupils are motivated and engaged in their learning. The term ' adaptive teaching', especially as set out in the Early Career Framework, resets our expectations about what it means to differentiate, and it offers a more helpful and practical model. The first element of adaptive teaching lies in effective curriculum planning. The effects of scaffolding in the classroom: support contingency and student independent working time in relation to student achievement, task effort and appreciation of support, Organising Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning. Adaptive teaching is not differentiation by another name, with different resources, handouts, different learning objectives which automatically produce a glass ceiling for student achievement. According to the ECF, new teachers also need to learn how to: Develop an understanding of different pupil needs, including by identifying pupils who need new content further broken down, using formative assessment and working closely with the SENCO and others.Provide opportunity for all pupils to experience success, including by maintaining high expectations for all and making effective use of teaching assistants.Meet individual needs without creating unnecessary workload, including by planning to connect new content with pupils existing knowledge or providing additional pre-teaching; building in additional practice; reframing questions to provide greater scaffolding; and considering carefully whether intervening within lessons with individuals and small groups would be more efficient and effective than planning different lessons for different groups of pupils.Group pupils effectively, including by applying high expectations to all groups, changing groups regularly, and ensuring that any groups based on attainment are subject specific. What is the difference between Personalized Learning and Adaptive Learning? Her favourite article is How to Deal with Challenging Behaviour in the Classroom. Adaptive teaching is not revolutionary, it is high quality teaching for the students in our classes. Adaptive teaching happens before the lesson and during the lesson; it is adapting planning prior to the lesson & adjusting practice during the lesson (EEF, 2021) It is about planning for and teaching the learners in front of us in the classroom at that time. Firstly, a child who always receives the pink sheet labelled L will begin to see themselves as merely a lower ability learner who cannot make progress beyond their allocated grouping. This instructional slide deck is an engaging and interactive way to help your students differentiate between renewable and nonrenewable resources. The provision of unnecessarily elaborate approaches is not considered to support the learning and progress for the majority of pupils; this means that, for example, the practice of providing three levels of task for every lesson, with different worksheets etc, would not be appropriate. And I told my students to ignore them too. What diagnostic assessment procedures are commonly used in your school? https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/overview, http://classroom.synonym.com/problems-differentiated-instruction-5066080.html, http://blog.penningtonpublishing.com/reading/10-reasons-why-teachers-resist-differentiated-instruction/, Academic goals of all students are the same. It entails anything a teacher or program does to adjust to the student. This can help to decrease gaps in progress and attainment between learners. ). With considered and informed planning, teachers will feel more confident in their delivery as their planning will have anticipated any barriers learners may face. And yet, spoiler alert, they all came out with Cs and above. Prompting learners with key words, visuals, sound bites or other sensory stimuli. The questions to ask ourselves is Does everyone understand ? and How do I know that? Can everyone explain their understanding? What mechanisms have I put in place to check student understanding?. There was, I said, nothing to prevent them from achieving the very top grades if they worked hard enough. She says that high-quality teaching adjusting, adapting and assessing in the classroom is of course crucial for the progress of all pupils and goes on to say that while providing focused support to children who are not making progress is recommended, creating a multitude of differentiated resources is not. As a result, many went on to study A levels in the school sixth form and then onto university, despite having been previously written off by the system. Understanding more about assistive technology can help you push for the resources your child needs to succeed. 2023, Education Endowment Foundation, all rights reserved. 2023, Education Endowment Foundation, all rights reserved. This type of diversity inside the classroom has given rise to a new approach in . From a venture perspective, adaptive learning appears to have a ready market in both K-12 and post-secondary education, where there can be some variation in learning outcomes and students have years in order to complete their studies. AL technology takes prior learning into account, differentiates the pace for individuals, and accommodates different curriculum sequences. david perkins metacognition . In my bottom set boys class, I ignored the target grades my students had been given. By understanding prior learning, I was also able to identify the gaps that existed in my students existing knowledge as well as any misconceptions and misunderstandings they brought to the classroom which could then be unpacked. Adaptive teaching is less likely to be valuable if it causes the teacher to artificially create distinct tasks for different groups of pupils or to set lower expectations for particular pupils. And yet, spoiler alert, they all came out with Cs and above. There is still lots to explore around adaptive teaching: what it means for our pupils and teachers in school and what we share with parents and carers to support home learning. Similar to how Facebook uses analytics to fill our Newsfeeds with cat videos over dog videos, AL responds to the students strengths, weaknesses and learning goals, also using analytics. Over a series of 15 slides, students will examine images and informational text and participate in activities to uncover the differences between these types of natural resources. Assessment is also an essential aspect of adaptive teaching as it helps to steer teaching and learning to improve outcomes. The teachers role is to monitor each childs learning and to adjust instruction as necessary. One of my former students Ill call him John contacted me recently. The term adaptive teaching, especially as set out in the Early Career Framework, resets our expectations about what it means to differentiate, and it offers amore helpful and practical model.