How can you differentiate your lessons with LessonUp?
Thomas Courtley
Education Specialist
With LessonUp, you can easily create multiple versions of engaging digital lessons to share with your students. The platform's lesson reports provide clear insights into students’ responses to specific lessons. With this information, you can customise lessons with targeted content.
There are many ways to differentiate your lessons:
- Differentiate instructions by using different teaching strategies and methods.
- Differentiate the learning content of the subject matter/s you teach.
- Differentiate by granting more or less time to complete an assignment.
- Differentiate learning objectives based on your students’ level/pace.
- Differentiate assessment methods and activities.
- Differentiate your review strategies.
3 examples of differentiating your lessons in LessonUp
1. Differentiate the pace of your lessons
Students learn at different paces, with some quickly grasping lessons and answering questions, while others require more time for reflection.
To accommodate varying learning speeds, adjust the number of activities per lesson. Assign more tasks to students who grasp concepts quickly and fewer to those who need more time. Using the student app, students can see different coloured sections of the lesson. You can assign specific colour-coded slides to each student, outlining what they need to complete.
This method provides a clear overview, ensuring each student understands their tasks and allowing you to effectively manage different learning paces in the classroom.
2. Differentiate a lesson's instructions
When introducing a new lesson, it's important to adjust the length and depth of your instructions to accommodate different student needs. Some students may thrive with concise directions, while others require more detailed explanations to grasp what is expected of them.
To address these varying needs, consider dividing the class into two or three groups. For example, Group One can begin working on the assignment independently, Group Two can receive a brief set of instructions, and Group Three can be provided with a more comprehensive explanation.
This approach ensures that each student receives instructions tailored to their learning preferences and readiness, promoting engagement and understanding across your class.
3. Differentiate the learning objectives
It's crucial for students to understand the learning objectives for each lesson. It can be beneficial to express these objectives in student-friendly language. This means tailoring how objectives are presented based on factors like students' proficiency levels, preferences, or other relevant criteria.
Colour coding can simplify this differentiation:
- Purple: You understand that…
- Yellow: You can explain…
- Blue: You can give another example of…
Using colour codes ensures clarity, making it easier for students to comprehend and engage with the objectives. It also adds an element of fun to the learning process!
How it works in LessonUp
Click on the orange Differentiate button in your My Lesson editor space. You can select more parts of your lesson for students who have to practice more or need an extra challenge. If you want to assign a colour to a specific slide, click on the differentiation icon next to that slide.
Now you can brief your students on which colours/ slides they are expected to work with.
