Supporting boys at the top, middle and bottom in Year 5!
‘A differentiated classroom should still feel like a community. It shouldn’t be like we’re in 3 different classrooms’ – Nancy Anderson.
The way that teachers at Newington have looked at ‘differentiation’ this year is very different to the traditional methods of differentiation. ‘Differentiation’ means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs.
Gone is the method of putting students in groups that stay the same all term. Gone are the methods where students who are gifted or struggling in a particular area of the curriculum are removed from the classroom. Gone is the notion of having a Learning Enhancement teacher that is solely responsible for all students at both ends of the academic spectrum. As teachers, we are looking at more ways to engage our boys and support them in achieving individual success.
So . . . what is actually happening in the classrooms to support boys who are at the top, middle or bottom of the year group. Firstly the teachers are working with ALL their boys. As a staff, through Professional Development, we were privileged to create a model that would cater for ALL the boys at Lindfield. This new inclusive model is not only for those boys in each class who are at the top end of the academic spectrum or those who are struggling, but also those who are in the ‘middle’ who have a variety of strengths and weaknesses in many areas. To do this, we have to know our boys’ academic strengths, weaknesses, preferred learning styles, readiness and interests.
Through this differentiation model, each class has a member of the Learning Enhancement Team assigned to their class who attends three Maths lessons and three literacy lessons each week to help differentiate the learning. This person is also a qualified teacher who helps plan lessons, assess our boys, modify the curriculum and team teach within the class six times a week.
So what this looks like in Year 5 is this . . . Mr Edwards, Mr Weekes and Mr Watson, together, plan all Maths lessons and Literacy lessons on a weekly basis. At times throughout the week, all Year 5 students come together for a joint lesson where all three teachers are team teaching. Sometimes depending on the lesson, we will split the Year 5 boys into 2, 3, or 4 groups and teach the boys in small groups to target their areas of need. Obviously, we need to know our boys, so pre-assessing the boys is vital. Knowing where each boy’s point of need is and targeting this is our starting point. Our groupings are dynamic and continually changing. Sometimes we group academically, socially, based on interest groups or based on need for that skill being taught. Our focus has been to allow our Year 5 boys the opportunity to practise and come back together for a quick check. Repeating this multiple times and slowly building on the skill or idea gives the boys the opportunity to acquire new information, time to process and then share what they know.
It has been wonderful to see the growth in the boys as they take greater responsibility for their learning. They have the language from the Learner Profile and attitudes to help them set goals, think about and reflect on their learning. This, together with a transparent approach to learning, and a focus on independence and responsibility has helped to create a rich and authentic learning environment.
Joel Weekes
Year 5 Teacher/Teaching & Learning Team Leader
