EDPROFST 608B: Learning and Teaching in New Zealand

Assessment Task 3: Effective differentiated planning and teaching

PART A: Differentiated Action Plan template

Complete prior to the workshop session on Friday 6th September.

Worth 10 marks
NOTE: Requires in-class attendance and participation.

Critical considerations before you draft your Action Plan below:

1. Decisions to be made
 Based on YOUR selected group of learners’ profiles, what are their strengths and
learning needs?
 How can the CONTENT of your unit be differentiated to better meet your learners’
needs/abilities?
 How can the PROCESS of the unit be differentiated to better meet your learners’
needs/abilities?
 How can the PRODUCT be differentiated to better meet your learners’ needs/
abilities?
 How can the LEARNING ENVIRONMENT/ AFFECT be differentiated to better meet your
learners’ needs/abilities?
2. Actions to be taken
 Now present an outline of your intended changes to any FOUR learning experiences
within your series of lessons plan. (ONE differentiated learning experience with
a clear CONTENT focus, ONE with a clear PROCESS focus, and so on.)
 Justify your adapted/new differentiated learning experience with links to
theory/literature under each section below.

PEER FEEDBACK COMMENTS

DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING EXPERIENCE 1
FOCUS OF CHANGE: CONTENT Provided students the opportunity to critically
think and develop their knowledge and
Although the book hasn’t been changed, the original content focus
understanding. Great opportunity to students
has been changed from a group discussion focus about kindness to a
character analysis about the different characters in the book choosing their own story but still character
(WONDER). However, if students do not want to use the same analysing.
book they can choose their own book. The way in which students
will access the content has also been changed from a read aloud
session to read to self.

DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING EXPERIENCE 1

JUSTIFICATION FOR CHANGE: CONTENT

The reason for this change is that these students have been getting
bored with routine tasks (which are not challenging enough) as
they like to think outside the box and have already mastered certain
thinking/ writing strategies as that of their peers. They have the
ability to understand more in-depth and underlying concepts and
need to be challenged in their thinking. Hence the character analysis
will enable them to make abstract connections between various
ideas and allow for further development of their interests.

“For gifted and talented students, the content must move beyond the
basics to the complex, delving below the surface of facts and terms
to uncover the underlying meaning, more intricate details and
connections between ideas” (Moltzen, 2011, p. 287).

“Gifted and talented students are hungry for advanced,

sophisticated intellectual challenges” (Moltzen, 2011, p. 280).

“Provide opportunities for multidisciplinary and conceptual study.

In this way, a natural tendency to make intellectual leaps and
bounds, by way of quickly seeing patterns and relationships, is
enhanced” (Moltzen, 2011, p. 287-288).

PEER FEEDBACK COMMENTS

DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING EXPERIENCE 2
FOCUS OF CHANGE: PROCESS The graphic organiser acts as a guide to
enhance students writing.
The process that has been differentiated in this unit was changed
from getting the children to write answers to a set number of Good way of starting low by using picture
questions to understanding and exploring character development books to analyse a character and then
through picture books which can be applied to the novel. A graphic
applying the same to a novel (higher level).
organiser of a three element characterisation model, exploring
characters through adjectives and a 2 column character chart is used
as a template for students to develop ideas and concepts.

DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING EXPERIENCE 2

JUSTIFICATION FOR CHANGE: PROCESS

The reason for this change is that these students are keen writers.
However, they sometimes struggle with planning, decision-making
and certain skills which are necessary while they are pursuing their
development and production of knowledge. In order to be enable
them to write effective novels they have to be able to have a
plan/model that will guide them on how to analyse characters. By
providing a model to explore characters, it will help them develop
the necessary skills for character analysis in their writing.

“These skills lay the foundation for learning- analysis, synthesis,

evaluation, flexibility, fluency, originality and elaboration of
advanced, meaningful content.” (Moltzen, 2011, p. 290)

“For success in meeting their personalised, differentiated learning

goals, students need the skills of organisation, time management,
planning, decision-making and goal-setting” (Tomilinson et al.,
2002, p. 10).

PEER FEEDBACK COMMENTS

DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING EXPERIENCE 3
FOCUS OF CHANGE: PRODUCT The product is very challenging to cater to
students’ learning needs. It will also keep them
The product that has been differentiated in this unit is in session 5 engaged for a good duration.
from reflective writing to creating a character through the various
strategies and elements learnt throughout the week.

DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING EXPERIENCE 3

JUSTIFICATION FOR CHANGE: PRODUCT

The reason for this change is that, these children have a keen
interest in art and writing. Hence the goal is to expand them to a
myriad of possibilities by allowing them to create a character in
whatever way they choose (It combines writing plus art- 2 things
that these children excel in).

“Product development is an essential component in the gifted

education program that assists in meeting the complex and
advanced needs of gifted students as they become tomorrow’s
creative problem solvers and thinkers” (Karnes & Stephen, 2009, p.
182)

“Products can be differentiated into several categories: written,

visual, performance, oral and multi-categorical” (Karnes &
Stephen, 2000).

“The gifted student is able to solve problems with accuracy,

creativity and self-direction.” (Moltzen, 2001, p. 280).

PEER FEEDBACK COMMENTS

DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING EXPERIENCE 4
FOCUS OF CHANGE: LEARNING ENVIRONMENT Awesome. Again provided a learning
opportunity to challenge the more capable
The learning environment has been differentiated in session 2-5 students. Overall you have done really well to
where students will work independently first and then share ideas
create challenging learning opportunities for
rather than share ideas before working independently.
The learning environment has also been changed to more of student students to critically think and developing
independent environment rather than a teacher dependent them to think further.
environment where the teacher just guides the learning but allows
the students to take control of the learning.

DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING EXPERIENCE 4

JUSTIFICATION FOR CHANGE: LEARNING
ENVIRONMENT
Justification for this differentiated learning environment change is
that these students prefer working independently and have different
ideas that have to be expressed in different ways. However group
work is still important. Hence I have added this at the end when
students will share their work with the rest of the class. This way
students will be able to learn and use other ideas that they may have
not earlier thought of in their future work.

“Autonomy in learning, motivational drive and a questioning mind

mean many gifted and talented students will independently seek to
discover the why and how of things” (Ministry of Education, 2000,
p.18).

“Gifted students benefit from interactions with “intellectual

soulmates”, assisting in the development of their self- acceptance
and understanding, as well as their cognitive skills” (Moltzen,
2011, p. 280).

To ensure that the classroom responds to individual learning it is

characterised by a “Learner centered rather than teacher
centered” environment and is “Teacher independent rather than
teacher dependent for most tasks” (Marker & Neilson, 1995).

“ Environments are created which provide for comfort, autonomy

and opportunities gifted learners need for optimum growth and
development” (Hunt & Seney, 2009, p. 39).

MARKING RUBRIC –PEER FEEDBACK GROUP TO DETERMINE MARK OUT OF 10

A+ A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D D-
9-10 8.5 8 7.5 7 6.5 6 5.5 5 4.5 4 0-
3.5

Key criteria:
 Effective, responsive differentiation of CONTENT, PROCESS, PRODUCT and LEARNING
ENVIRONMENT/AFFECT evident for FOUR selected learning experiences

 Justification comments clearly linked to theory/literature, and demonstrate CLEAR understanding of the
key role of EACH of the FOUR PRINCIPLES of effective differentiated teaching practice.

TOTAL MARK OUT OF 10: 10 /10