Using differentiated instruction and backward planning to cater for learner diversity in an ESL classroom

Abstract

Catering for learner diversity (LD) has been one of the major concerns in different education contexts, including Hong Kong. Due to numerous factors such as teachers’ readiness and willingness, teachers in Hong Kong tend to evade using differentiated instruction (DI), which involves employing a wide variety of strategies according to students’ readiness, learning styles and interests to address LD. To support teachers in conducting DI, a more macro-planning framework is necessary. This action research aims to achieve dual purposes. One is to understand whether DI could increase students’ achievement level and confidence in developing their English literacy skills, particularly reading and writing. The other is to understand whether backward planning (BP) framework can support teachers in constructing DI lessons. The study contained two intervention cycles involving one experimental class and one control class of secondary 2 students (aged 13-14). During the intervention, the researcher differentiated learning content, process and product including teaching approaches, teaching pace and learning materials so as to tap on students’ learning needs. Feedback from students were collected before and after each intervention cycle. Various methods such as questionnaires, multiple intelligence test, group interviews, reading and writing tests, and teacher journal were adopted to collect both quantitative and qualitative data for descriptive analysis and coding. These sources of data triangulated each other to enhance the validity and reliability of the research. When it comes to the effectiveness of DI, results showed that students made improvements in both reading and writing. In reading, students made obvious improvement in predicting main ideas and decoding the meaning of difficult words. In writing, they demonstrated better improvement in content and organization. Students also expressed higher confidence and motivation. They were more engaged in the lessons and willing to take up challenging tasks. In this research, some differentiated strategies such as collaborative learning, scaffolding and audio-visual support were particularly effective in addressing their learning needs. BP framework was also found to be a practical tool for teachers to develop DI lessons. Not only can it support teachers with selecting suitable DI practices, it can also enhance teachers’ repertoire in developing student-centered lessons. This study shows how DI could be effective in enhancing students’ English literacy skills and learning motivation. It also demonstrates that DI and BP are complementary with each other. While DI is seen as a theoretical model in catering for LD, BP serves as a pedagogical framework for teachers to actualize DI in classrooms. These complementary frameworks, together with some useful differentiated pedagogical strategies identified, have important implications for implementation of DI and teacher education to cater for learner diversity.