​The reality of modern teaching is that within your class there will be a range of learning needs. Differentiating the lesson to make it accessible to all students is key to positive student engagement and success. It also saves you some serious stress having to manage behaviour! The other reality is that your time is a rare and valuable commodity, and we need to be savvy on our differentiation styles to save as much of it as we can. We are going to look at 2 main areas; ‘Differentiating by Task’ and ‘Differentiating by Outcome’.

Classrooms need to incorporate a range of methods to teach students a variety of skills. I'd like to point out that yes, hands-on and active learning experiences are still by far some of the best teaching strategies! However, there doesn't need to be a total ban (like I am seeing in some schools) on the traditional worksheet either. This post will outline the various reasons why balance is key and worksheets are not a total enemy!

​Every teacher enjoys a class where their pupils are engaged, having fun but most importantly, learning! To ensure learning has taken place, as teachers, we generally give our pupils an exam and grade their responses. But the best way to check their learning, is by having an immediate response. This can be completed in class through student responses, feedback and participation. A student who is struggling with the content of the lesson will not be able to take part in the learning, therefore a barrier is created, preventing the pupil from success. An effective way to measure the success of the lesson is by how involved the pupils are. Below are some tips to help student participation in class.