Differentiated Instruction with Alloprof

Today’s schools are moving away from traditional class lectures in favour of more modern alternatives. As driving forces for change in our society, they aim to foster inclusion, account for student diversity, and adapt teaching to individual needs. Here are a few reasons why differentiated instruction is important:

• It improves comprehension: By offering flexible teaching methods, resources, and assessments, teachers can better respond to students’ different learning styles. This approach can foster a deeper understanding of concepts, as students have the opportunity to explore and learn in the way that suits them best.
• It increases motivation and engagement: When students are taught lessons tailored to their individual needs, they are more likely to feel motivated and engaged. They feel valued and supported as they learn, which also boosts their self-esteem and confidence.
• It creates an inclusive learning environment: Differentiated instruction allows all students to keep pace, including those with learning disorders and special needs. It recognizes that students have different strengths and weaknesses and seeks to provide learning opportunities that are accessible to everyone.

Getting to know a student takes time. To ensure that each student gets the most out of differentiated instruction, you should observe your class, ask questions, and carry out diagnostic tests. The goal is to set a baseline for each student. Specifically, these first steps will help you identify what a student already knows and what tactics they use to solve problems so you can deliver personalized content.

By utilizing Alloprof’s many online resources, you can upgrade your lessons and, when possible, teach content adapted to your students’ needs. One of the ways to implement differentiated instruction in the classroom is by offering flexible learning options. You can do this across four areas:

• Content
• Process
• Environment
• Product

Here are just a few examples of how Alloprof’s resources can be used to promote flexible learning:

• With differentiated instruction, content may not be taught at the same time or speed to all students. To vary your content, you can ask your students to visit the Alloprof site and research a specific concept using keyword searches. Then, they can browse a variety of exercises, concept sheets, and videos on the topic, sorted by grade level. For example, a student who thoroughly understands the subject can complete exercises to brush up their knowledge. Conversely, a student who needs to deepen their understanding can watch an explanatory video or read one of our concept sheets. Students who are struggling can check out our Crash Lessons (French only). These videos may also appeal to advanced or highly motivated students.
• The process is the path students take to meet their learning objective. With differentiated instruction, teachers should provide different types of resources and allow students to choose which strategies work best for them. One way to differentiate processes is to use a variety of teaching and assessment methods to better support students and their diverse learning styles. Not all students respond to class lectures. For instance, a game or video may work better for some. Others may prefer to learn through books than by using devices. Giving students a range of choices allows them to meet their learning objectives in the way that works best for them.
• The learning environment is the classroom. To differentiate the environment, teachers can change physical elements, like how desks and furniture are arranged. You could also set up occasional learning or work stations that encourage specific skills, like independent learning, exploration, motor skills, or cooperative learning. On our website, in addition to many digital resources, you can find printable tools designed for individual and group work using different media.  
• When using a differentiated instruction method, the students’ products, or work, will also vary. Flexible learning allows students to demonstrate their understanding and progress in different ways. Browse our articles on Alloprof Teachers for inspiring resources that can help you vary your classroom tests and assignments. Differentiated products can take the following forms:
  • Written exams
  • Oral presentations
  • Art projects
  • Portfolios
  • Reports
  • Writing assignments
  • Journal entries
  • Etc.   

Many of Alloprof’s tools can be used for differentiated instruction:

• Exercises
  • In our interactive decimal operations exercise, the operations get more or less difficult depending on the student’s performance.
  • Our interactive French vocabulary exercise allows you to create custom review lists according to students’ specific needs.
  • No matter the subject, you are sure to find the exercises you need in our vast collection. Your students’ results will give you an idea of their level of understanding and reveal potential weaknesses.
• The Help Zone is a place where students can ask questions. It can help you identify their needs and what topics should be reviewed. The Help Zone is accessible at all times on our site. Students receive relevant, comprehensive, and personalized explanations.
• In all our games, applications, and exercises, students can select the level of difficulty. For example, in the game Book of Spells, the texts are divided into five difficulty levels, allowing students to play according to their skills. When playing the math games Fin Lapin 3 and Météormath (French only), students can choose the types of operations and equations they want to review, and how difficult they should be. If your students are learning French lexical categories, we recommend the game Potager en péril (French only), in which students choose a specific lexical category to review.