By Eunice Tang and Venus Kam

(Link to Part 1- In Theory: https://project.cle.hkust.edu.hk/dps/differentiated-instructions-fit-class-sections-diversified-learning-styles-increase-their-learning)

While there is no single approach to differentiation, some basic principles can guide lesson planning and in-the-moment instructional adjustments. Tomlinson and Imbeau (2010) define differentiation as balancing attention to individual learners and curricular objectives. At its core, differentiation involves customizing the "content (what to teach)," "process (how to practice)," and "product (how to assess)" based on students' readiness, interests, and preferences to ensure appropriate challenges. 

Joseph et al. (2013) examined differentiated instruction with university students. As shown in Table 1 below, they outlined strategies like: 

• Varying content complexity, abstractness, and style of presentation; 

• Using flexible grouping, tiered assignments, and different levels of scaffolding to differentiate process; and 

• Employing rubric choice, self-assessment, and portfolio-based assessments to differentiate products. 

Note. Retrieved from “The impact of differentiated instruction in a teacher education setting: Successes and challenges,” by Joseph, S., Thomas, M., Simonette, G., and Ramsook, L., 2013 International Journal of Higher Education, 2(3), p.31-32. Copyright 2013 by Sciedu Press. 

As we found the above strategies insightful, we tried to experiment with them by incorporating some of them into our EAP (LANG1402 and LANG1403) classes. 
 
 

Our experiences in EAP classrooms 

Venus: 

Progressive EAP writing activity with the incorporation of differentiated instructions  

In one lesson on paraphrasing and summarizing in LANG1402, students had a 10-minute task to rephrase the sentence "Tom is tall" to practice varying expressions and patterns. 

I differentiated content based on class profiles. With a section with more passive students, I first introduced possible modifications like vocabulary, structure, and techniques to provide more guidance and scaffolding before the task. However, for the higher-proficiency students, they were given more flexibility and room to create as many sentences as they could without the need of pre-task scaffolding.   

I also differentiated the process. For the quieter class, each group produced one sentence using only one technique, and strategies could not be repeated across groups. I provided support when needed, and taught them how to use ChatGPT to generate ideas. Meanwhile, the more active class strove to create at least six varied sentences employing different language skills. 

The products were also differentiated. Passive groups recapped paraphrasing strategies employed after the task in a more general and simple way, e.g. changing the vocabulary, sentence patterns, word order, etc. But active groups were required to delve deeper and be more technical and specific in explaining which strategies they applied to their constructed sentences, e.g. changing the vocabulary specifically by using synonyms. This addressed uneven needs and engagement levels through gradual release of responsibility and customized expectations.  

Writings produced in the section with more passive students: 

Writings produced in the section with more proficient students: 

Implementing differentiation strategies in my LANG1402 classes yielded some promising successes but also created challenges that point to opportunities for improvement. Scaffolding content and employing small groups for the quiet class boosted engagement and performance, as evidenced by their enhanced comfort level and participation. Additionally, pushing the active class to generate varied complex sentences stimulated and elevated their thinking. However, finding the right balance of support and independence for varied learners, and planning distinct approaches within one lesson proved more difficult and time-consuming than anticipated. Going forward, differentiating key elements like gradually building skills over time for the quiet class, and varying concepts between lessons for the active class, shows potential to better optimize student experiences and outcomes. Collectively, these strategies addressed diverse needs but also highlighted the nuanced nature of differentiation requiring refinement. Tweaking aspects such as content coverage, activity sequencing and use of exemplars will help strengthen my ability to meet all learners where they are. 

Eunice: 

Differentiated instructions for peer feedback incorporating multimodality  

I would like to share one example of peer feedback to student presentations that worked well in my LANG1403 that can also be used in other courses. 

One of the most common ways for peer feedback is inviting questions and comments from the peers in a Q&A session after the student presentations. This type of ‘consecutive feedback’ (happens right after the presentation) is timely and easy for instructors to administer but fails to consider students who are less vocal or need more time to organize their answers. It also tends to involve contributions from just a handful of students given the time limit. 

To cater for different communication styles among the students, I changed the format of the Q&A and turned the ‘consecutive feedback’ into ‘synchronous feedback’, in which the peers can start as early as the beginning of the presentation to give feedback. Additionally, ALL the peers can contribute with a choice of media -- instead of just a few students -- by writing down their feedback or speaking during the Q&A.  

In a video sharing session of LANG1403 with 9 students (half the class), you can see that ALL the students (8 in the audience) participated in the feedback session and gave sound advice to the presenting student. 

References: 

Joseph, S., Thomas, M., Simonette, G., & Ramsook, L. (2013). The impact of differentiated instruction in a teacher education setting: Successes and challenges. International Journal of Higher Education, 2(3). https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v2n3p28 

Tomlinson, C. A., & Imbeau, M. B. (2010). Leading and managing a differentiated classroom. ASCD. 

Eunice and I will share some more suggested interactive classroom activities in the next blog. Stay tuned!

T&F Pronunciation Project- Self-directed Learning Pathways

Project Title

Development and design of self-directed pronunciation learning pathways in an intelligibility-based approach

Project Members
Thomas Chan (Leader), Venus Kam and Mansurbek Kushnazarov

Introduction

We have designed the online pronunciation learning pathways to provide Hong Kong university students with self-accessed tools and guidance to enhance their English pronunciation intelligibility. Grounded in research demonstrating the importance of intelligible pronunciation for successful communication over native-like accent reproduction (Levis, 2005), the learning pathways adopt a scaffolded approach that supplements targeted instruction of problematic features for Cantonese speakers with rich and interactive listening and speaking exercises.

Beginning with individual speech sounds and segmentals, the learning pathways gradually build students' pronunciation skills through phrases, sentences, and longer stretches of discourse featuring diverse English accents. Audiovisual technology like speech recognition and instant feedback is utilized to optimize students' practice and learning experience.

The goal is to enable students to progress from an initial to an intelligible level of pronunciation competence that will allow them to communicate clearly and confidently in a variety of academic and professional contexts. It is hoped that the learning pathways could ultimately help foster students’ autonomy in learning and facilitate their success in improving their spoken English communication skills at their own pace according to their needs.

Please click the link below to learn how the project team adopted an intelligibility-based approach in developing and designing the pronunciation learning pathways:

2023 Summer DPS_Pronunciation Project Self-directed Learning Pathways.pdf