Mastering Differentiation in Language classrooms

by Marnie Foster, Head of Languages, Teacher of Chinese

In my 25 years’ teaching Chinese in secondary schools around Australia, differentiating learning still consumes most of my preparation time. As a writer of the first Australian Curriculum: Chinese, trying to design a curriculum to distinguish between different learner groups was equally challenging and rewarding.

This process taught me that differentiation in the Language classroom is about so much more than just responding to a variety of academic learning needs and experiences.

The quote below from Orton & Scrimgeour (2019) captures this perfectly:

“The reality is that teachers are faced with what is best described as a ‘multi-level’ classroom, where ‘level’ relates not just to proficiency but also to identity, motivation and aspiration. (p128).”

Every student brings to their language learning a unique identity, motivation and aspiration. And to make our jobs harder, many students don’t even understand what that is. One of our key jobs as Language teachers is to help every student develop their linguistic and cultural identity. To achieve that, we need to differentiate learning for every single student.

Practical tips for differentiation

Learner diversity has kept me on my feet and led me on a path of continuous improvement. I’ve come to understand that differentiation in the language classroom is a challenge, but also an opportunity.

When we focus on every learner’s distinct learning needs, we’re able to make differentiation a natural part of our teaching practices. But how do we do this?

1. Provide students with choice in how they learn and how they demonstrate their learning
2. Focus on progress, not just achievement. Regardless of where each learner is in their language learning journey, they all have improvement areas
3. Prioritise feedback with exit tickets, peer feedback opportunities, and well-planned and deliberate formative assessments

Integrating EdTech into your classroom processes makes differentiation much easier. With personalised pathway features, real-time feedback and accessible data dashboards, EdTech platforms – like Education Perfect (EP) – helps us to differentiate teaching and learning. Some of my favourite ways to use EP for differentiation are: 

• Set individual tasks suited to each learner’s unique learning needs and language level
• Utilise formative assessments to pre-test learners and establish a base level for students
• Set tasks from the Skills Practice resources to extend more advanced learners
• Use ready-made or custom-built Smart Lessons to introduce new grammar, so students can learn at their own pace. This frees you up to spend time checking in with students and asking questions to see whether additional support is needed
• Create your own formative assessments or pre-tests so feedback can be personalised, ensuring they’re all well-prepared for summative assessments
• Let students choose which lists to study, based on their existing strengths and knowledge gaps 
• Go to the Discover tab. Choose the current topic of study and let students choose appropriate activities
• Ask students to create their own translation lists so they can practise the words they most need support with
• Enable the recommendations function when you set a task so students are provided with automated next-steps

Empowering every student

Many of us teachers like maintaining control over every aspect of the classroom. But by accepting assistance from EdTech, we’re empowering students to take ownership of their learning. They’re able to set goals for themselves that are challenging, realistic and, most importantly, personal. In this way, our learners become more engaged, and we’ll reduce our workload. It’s a WIN WIN for all!

In my teaching experience, students usually lose interest in languages because their learning paths are too easy, too hard, or not personally relevant. By differentiating learning for every student with the time-saving efficiency of EdTech tools, we can engage more learners with personal, interactive language tools.

Ready to transform your Language classroom?

Discover how EP can help you differentiate learning for every student with ease. Book a meeting with our Education Specialist and explore the powerful tools available to support you and your students’ needs.

Book a demo now

Reference:

 Orton, J., & Scrimgeour, A. (2019). Teaching Chinese as a Second Language: The Way of the Learner (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351206877