Rachael Roberts - Planning for differentiation

Differentiated Instruction: How to Make Lessons Accessible for All A Video Series When some teachers think of differentiating instruction, they imagine having to create a different lesson for every student in the room. “That insanity is not what differentiation is all about,” says veteran teacher and author Larry Ferlazzo. But what exactly is it? Differentiated Instruction for Writing What is differentiated instruction? Differentiated instruction, also called differentiation, is a process through which teachers enhance learning by matching student characteristics to instruction and assessment. Differentiated instruction allows all students to access the same classroom curriculum by providing entry points, learning tasks, and outcomes that are tailored to students' needs (Hall, Strangman, & Meyer, 2003). Differentiated instruction is not a single strategy, but rather an approach to instruction that incorporates a variety of strategies.

Netflix and learn – six ways to teach English language skills with television How can teachers of English create learning material with streaming services? Melissa Thomson, a British Council teacher and trainer based in Bilbao, describes her top six approaches. Last year I asked my teenage learners to list the five places they were most likely to encounter English online, and the top answer was Netflix. Over 37 per cent of the world's internet users subscribe to Netflix, a streaming service for movies and television series. Inclusive Teaching Checklist Daniel Sobel Daniel Sobel MA Ed (Psychology) FCMI FCIC FRSA is the Founder and Lead Consultant of Inclusion Expert. An internationally respected leader in inclusive education, he has advised the Department for Education, the European Union and governments abroad. Daniel is a well-known speaker, and has written...

Motivating pupils to read This article describes ways to generate initial motivation, the second one shows how to maintain this motivation. Motivation Creating the basic motivational conditions Generating initial motivation References Motivation Motivation is one of the key factors that determine the rate and success of L2 attainment. It provides the main incentive to initiate learning a foreign language and later the determination to persevere and sustain the long and often difficult learning process. Without sufficient motivation, even individuals with the best of abilities cannot accomplish long-term goals.

Can we learn a second language like we learned our first? Robert William McCaul, winner (with Marek Kiczkowiak) of the TeachingEnglish blog award, examines the influential ideas of linguist Stephen Krashen, and the implications they have for the language classroom. If you've ever doubted whether you're a good language learner, then bear in mind that you've already learned one language very well indeed – your first. But this raises an interesting question: can adults learn a second language in the same way they learned their first as children? And if so, what are the implications for the classroom? Creative activities for Language Learners at home Introduction The British Council is committed to supporting the use of technology for the continuation of education in a crisis. As many teachers find themselves in an unfamiliar situation of having to teach their classes online, with little or no experience, the British Council TeachingEnglish website is committed to providing as much support as possible to help you navigate your way through the world of online teaching. This is the seventh in our series of webinars aimed at supporting teachers working in an online context. It is also the first in a series of twelve webinars by winners of the British Council's English Language Teaching Research Awards (ELTRAs) About the webinar

Motivating speaking activities At this age, the learners aren't motivated by new language, they're motivated by an activity. It can be very difficult to get them to speak if they really don't see the point. You can approach this by focussing on the following. The function of the language and using an authentic or near authentic task (e.g. get them to sit back-to-back to practise speaking on the telephone).A motivating task, which uses the language you want them to practise (e.g. students write questions on small squares of paper using the target language, then form the papers into a board game to be played using dice and counters). Here are some possible examples, which apply to one or a combination of the above. A popular, well-known type of activity is the information gap.

Virtual Ice Breakers - Communication Skills From Mind Tools © iStockphotopniesen Break down the communication barriers caused by remote working. Virtual ice breakers are a great way of overcoming one of the biggest challenges of managing a remote team – that is the lack of opportunities for team bonding. It's no longer as simple as walking over to someone's desk for a quick catch up or having an informal chat round the "water cooler." Building rapport, developing lines of communication and simply getting to know your team mates takes effort when you all work from home. But this can have serious implications.

Online safety for teenagers This lesson addresses the topic of online safety in a motivating way, allowing students to discuss issues, share their opinions and ideas and then do some online activities to finish the lesson or as a homework task. Aims: To develop students’ spoken fluency and use of modals for advice. To develop higher level critical thinking skills by ranking a series of tips in order of importance. To encourage students to think about the importance of online safety. Getting teenagers to talk Keep the conversation peer centred: plenty of pair or small group collaboration.Avoid asking discussion questions around the class: this puts them in the spotlight and causes potential embarrassment in front of friends. You also risk dominating the talk.Give them a concrete list of statements or opinions: help them to choose their own ideas. Don’t expect them to have fully formed opinions on all things teenage!

The First Class Even experienced teachers often feel nervous on day one with a new group and many claim that the adrenaline actually helps the class go well. So, don’t panic if you feel a few butterflies in your stomach. There are several things you can do to help make the first day less daunting and ensure that the class goes smoothly. How to use ClassDojo with PBIS PBIS helps schools set consistent expectations across all classrooms, like "Helping others" and "Making good choices." Teachers can add these expectations to their classes in ClassDojo and then give specific, positive feedback to students PBIS helps schools set consistent expectations across all classrooms, like "Helping others" and "Making good choices." Teachers can add these expectations to their classes in ClassDojo and then give specific, positive feedback to students Teachers can give neutral feedback in ClassDojo to guide students toward classroom expectations.

Assessment for Learning What is Assessment for Learning? Assessment Reform Group (UK 2002):Assessment for Learning is the process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use by learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need to go and how best to get there. Assessment for Learning is also known as formative assessment. What is the difference between formative and summative assessment? Activities associated with summative assessment (Assessment of Learning) result in an evaluation of student achievement - for example, allocation to a level or standard or allocation of a letter or numerical grade, which might later appear in a report. Activities associated with formative assessment (Assessment for Learning) do not result in an evaluation.