Core

Practice Date, year Details Links to class/references

level, time
Differentiation 30th My mentor has pre-chosen October 24th
August the groups that the students An introduction to
Period 2 are going to be working in for
Differentiation: Improving
Year 12 their next assessment. the educational outcomes
Drama She made sure these groups for all learners
are of mixed ability, and also
Ngaire Hoben & Carol
socially aware so that people Jarrett: The University of
who distract each other Auckland.
arent in the same group.
Differentiated by text, with
The students are given a the same end product. In
choice of three different this case, it is important
Brecht plays to do their that the students gain a
assessment on. wider knowledge and
understanding of Brecht.
So by providing three
different plays and allowing
students to choose which
play they do, the students
are exposed to more than
one play and are involved
in their learning choices.
7th Year 10 students are doing Leading and Managing a
September devising in small groups Differentiated Classroom
Period 3 about the suffragette Carol Ann Tomlinson &
Year 10 movement. Marcia B. Imbeau.
Drama My mentor chose these 2010
groups herself earlier in the
term based on social groups Students live in a world of
and abilities, ensuring a personalisation, so it
mixture in each. During the makes sense that all
class my mentor encourages feedback is personalised
me to go around the groups for each individual. This is
to provide individualised easier to do in a co-
feedback. Any groups who operative learning
are finished earlier than other environment as all groups
groups are extended through work at different paces.
the feedback from myself or
my mentor. Often my mentor
will ask questions such as
What is another way of
doing this to make it more
effective in this moment?
and challenging the girls to
 push their performances
further.
12 Students are working on their Mixed ability or mixed
September characters for their upcoming blessing? Marta Essinki
Period 3 performance for assessment. offers some practical help
Year 11 They are first encouraged to with differentiation.
Drama walk around the room and Marta Essinki (2009).
slowly introduce the
physicality of their character. Grouping students is a great
They are all in a larger group, opportunity for using
there is no pressure on differences to everyone's
individuals to perform. My advantage. (Essinki, 2009).
mentor gives provocations to
Putting students into the
help students develop their
groups with people who
characters physicality.
are the same role as them

will allow each student to
They are then put into
see how other students are
smaller groups with the other
interpreting their
people who are the same role
character. While the task
as them and tasked to come
has the same outcome (all
up with three gestures and
4 people playing a
physical movements for the
character have the same
characters. This allowed
gesture), the process
those who were uncertain
allows for all voices to be
about their gestures, to
heard to develop the
collaborate with others.
gestures.

th
19 Students are learning how to The Differentiated
September create a believable character. Classroom: Responding to
Period 2 Students are instructed to the Needs of All Learners
Year 9 spend silent time on their Carol Ann Tomlinson
Drama own to create a character (1999)
through explaining a
characters likes, fears, family, Allowing more confident
appearance, age, gender, job students to show their
and home life. characters to the class is
My mentor gives them some extending their synthesis of
guidelines. their knowledge of crafting
They are then encouraged to a character.
discuss their characters with For those who arent as
the people around them. confident, they get to do
In small groups of three-four, this in the group work.
they are told to experiment This caters to all levels in
interacting with each other as the classroom.
these characters for about 5
minutes. This allows the
 students to develop the
characters and gain peer
feedback.
We then play a game of Bus
Stop, where there are two
people at the bus stop at all
times and they have to
improvise a short scene of
their characters interacting.
This allows the more
confident students to
perform in front of the class.
th
25 Students are practicing their The Differentiated
September public speaking skills. Classroom: Responding to
Period 4 My mentor encourages them the Needs of All Learners
Year 9 to go up in small groups and Carol Ann Tomlinson
Drama share the speaking between (1999)
them.
This helped boost the By having a good
confidence of some students understanding of the
who would not normally get individuals in her
up and speak. But those who classroom, my mentor
felt confident could speak on caters the task to involve
their own. One student, who different ways of
has severe anxiety, was presenting so that all
instead encouraged to write a students get a chance to
speech and show my mentor. show off their strengths.
After each group or person Some students work better
spoke, my mentor would give in a group, others work
feedback so the whole class better alone.
can hear. This allows students
to learn from others
mistakes, or well-doings.
th
15 Starting the class with a circle Leading and Managing a
November encourages an open and Differentiated Classroom
Period 1 collaborative environment. Carol Ann Tomlinson &
Year 9 All drama classes start with a Marcia B. Imbeau.
Drama roll call with a question e.g. 2010
(Not my Whats your dream job?.
mentors The roll questioning Differentiation happens in
class) technique allows teachers to the feedback to groups.
check in with individuals, and For groups who finish early
allow them to feel included. the teacher gives feedback:
The class play the game Some students re-interpret
Lizard to warm up. Teacher the feedback for the other
makes her intentions clear students who are
behind the warm up game confused.
 We are warming our bodies The teacher encourages
and minds up, ready for them to add stuff to the
creating!. Teacher also scene, and extend what
encourages a positive they are doing.
environment at all times.
After this, students get into
their groups of 5 created
yesterday to start working on
their devised piece. All the
groups are of mixed ability;
this allows for peer-learning.
They are given 15 minutes to
work on their performances
to show us so we as teachers
can provide feedforward so
they can progress. This
encourages self-regulation
and self-motivation.
The feedforward is given to
each group. Ends on These
are the things I would like to
see next time Setting
expectations clearly. Teacher
explains to students why we
do feedback/feedforward, so
we can articulate what is
effective and why we do
things onstage.