View Content #20809

By Kathryn Carpenter, CASLS GTF/Curriculum Development Assistant

Differentiation, while commonly discussed in other learning contexts, is a relatively under-researched application in the language learning classroom. Manuel Jiménez Raya and Terry Lamb define it by saying, “differentiation implies the adjustment of the curriculum to learners’ needs, interests, and abilities, and demands from schools and teachers specific action to cater for the diversity which exists in classrooms” (Raya and Lamb, 2003, p. 14-15). Because learners in a language classroom potentially possess varying unique interests, reasons for learning, and wide-ranging target-language proficiencies, differentiation is especially applicable, and is a necessary consideration for world language educators.

Carol Ann Tomlinson, one of the experts in using differentiation (though not for language learning), lays out different bases for differentiation: readiness, interest, learning profile, and affect. She also describes the three ways in which teachers can differentiate: through content, process, and product (1999, p. 3-5). Terry Lamb (2003) states, “teachers and researchers recognize that some of the problems [with language learning] can be traced back to issues relating to individual differences, which results in language lessons often being inappropriate to many pupils,” including, as he lists, level of difficulty, content, and learning styles (p. 178). Applying the principles of differentiation provides a solution to this problem by allowing for some needs-based amendments for individuals. Teachers can ensure that they are personalizing instruction while still maintaining overall course goals and a cohesive classroom community.

In order to better understand what differentiation would look like in the language classroom, consider the following scenario. A Spanish teacher teaching high school intermediate Spanish has students who vary in level from novice high to advance low. Students have varied personal and academic interests, and some students interact with Spanish outside the class, while others don’t. Based on the variety described here, differentiation is a useful tactic to employ. When teaching a lesson, the teacher provides reading samples of varying levels, which students pick to read based on what they feel more comfortable with, or assigns different ones to different groups. During grammar or vocabulary instruction, the teacher varies the method of information delivery--implicit/explicit, teacher/learner centered, auditory, visual, kinesthetic, etc, based on student learning needs, with the goal being that everything is presented in a way that appeals to all learners. Students’ production activities are differentiated based on interest--students think about what their interests are, and pick what they would like to talk/write about. For example, if the final product is a student blog, students pick the topic based on their personal interests, though they still need to include the required grammar/vocabulary/discourse/pragmatics, and may need to stay within other parameters. This is opposed to giving students one version of input, method of instruction, and a specific topic that they have to write about/research. 

While research in the area of differentiation in the language classroom is very limited, we have a lot to learn from its success in other contexts. It has been shown that when teachers differentiate their teaching, students become more engaged (Anderson and Cook, 2014). Tomlinson (1995) claims that, in fact, teachers engaging all students is a fundamental piece of differentiated learning (p. 20). If students feel like instruction is tailored to their needs and interests, they will be more motivated to be involved and engaged in the learning process.

In a language learning context where learners may be more likely to have specific interests and there may be high variance in ability, differentiation could have even more implications for facilitating learner engagement. In my own experience, providing learners with individual ways to connect with what they are learning and adjusting processes based on ability and need results in engaged students who display inquiry, work hard, and ultimately attain their short-term learning goals. Students want to interact with things that are interesting and attainable for them; and the teacher has to become engaged in their students’ lives and understand students’ characteristics. When the teacher provides learning opportunities that reflect those aspects back, students respond.

References

Anderson, D., and Cook, T. (2014). Committed to differentiation and engagement: A case study of two American secondary social studies teachers. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 5(1), 1-19.

Lamb, T. (2003). Individualising learning: organizing a flexible learning environment. In M. J. Raya and T. Lamb (Eds.), Differentiation in the modern languages classroom. (177-194). Germany: Peter Lang GmbH Europäischer Verlag der Wissenschaften.

Raya, J. M., and Lamb, T. (2003). Dealing with diversity in the modern languages class. In M. J. Raya and T. Lamb (Eds.), Differentiation in the modern languages classroom. (13-20). Germany: Peter Lang GmbH Europäischer Verlag der Wissenschaften.

Tomlinson, C. A. (1995). How to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability classrooms. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Tomlinson, C. A. (1999). The differentiated classroom: responding to the needs of all learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.