One activity, three different children: differentiation in practice

Differentiation is the heading teachers most often set aside with “I don't have time” — because it is mistaken for preparing a separate activity per child. In practice it is simpler: building one activity with several entry points.

One activity, three entries

Take pattern work. With the same beads and string, three entries are possible. First: a model is given and the child continues it. Second: the model is left half-finished and the child works out the rule. Third: the child invents a rule for a friend to find. Same material, same table, same teacher — only the question changes.

The strength of this approach is that it does not sort and label children by level. A child comes to the table and usually chooses their own entry. The teacher simply observes: who entered where, and who wanted to move up a step.

Three axes of differentiation

• Complexity: reduce or increase the number of steps in the same task.
• Support: leave the model visible, offer a verbal cue, or withdraw entirely.
• Mode of expression: let the child show what they know by drawing, telling, doing or demonstrating.

The third axis is the most overlooked. Before concluding that a child does not know a concept, ask whether they are struggling to express it in the form we asked for. A child who cannot explain in words may construct the same relationship flawlessly with materials.

Inclusion belongs to this frame too. Rather than setting up a separate corner for a child with different developmental characteristics, design the entries wide enough in the first place: it avoids separating that child from the group and opens room for everyone else. Good differentiation is invisible.

Differentiation is not a luxury but the reality of the room: the developmental range within one age group is already wide. The question is not “should I differentiate?” but “how many entries does this activity have?”