In any classroom, no two pupils learn in exactly the same way. Differentiated instruction starts from that observation: everyone keeps the same goal, but the paths to reach it vary. Here is its definition, concrete examples, its benefits and limits, and what it can change for your child.
Differentiated instruction: definition
Differentiated instruction (also called differentiated teaching, differentiated learning or a differentiated approach) means adapting the way you teach to the differences between pupils. The goal stays the same for everyone: each pupil must master the same skills.
What changes are the means: explanations, exercises, materials, the time allowed or the way pupils show what they have learned. The French term « pédagogie différenciée » spread from the 1970s onwards, notably thanks to the French educationalist Louis Legrand.
The summary in three ideas
- Shared objectives: all pupils aim for the same learning goals.
- Different paths: the teacher offers several ways to get there.
- Formative assessment: the teacher regularly checks where each pupil stands, to adjust what comes next.
What is this approach based on?
Differentiated instruction rests on two simple ideas.
- We are all different. Pace, background, culture, interests, way of understanding: two pupils sitting side by side may struggle with very different difficulties.
- We are all able to learn. The French researcher Philippe Meirieu speaks of « éducabilité » (educability): the teacher assumes that every pupil can make progress, and looks for the way to get there with them.
If you are curious about how your child learns best, our article on the 8 types of intelligence offers ways to spot their strengths.
What do the rules say in Belgium?
In French-speaking education in Belgium (the Wallonia-Brussels Federation), differentiation is a legal requirement. The 1997 « Missions » decree already asked every school to « let each pupil progress at their own pace, using formative assessment and differentiated instruction ».
The Code of primary and secondary education, adopted as part of the « Pacte pour un enseignement d’excellence » (Pact for Excellence in Education), goes further in this direction. Schools in the common core (tronc commun) practise differentiation and formative assessment, and set aside time for personalised support in the pupils’ timetable.
For pupils with a diagnosed learning disorder, the decree of 7 December 2017 also provides for reasonable accommodations, agreed between the school, the parents and the PMS centre (the school psycho-medical-social service).
4 levers for differentiation
The American researcher Carol Ann Tomlinson, a leading authority on the subject, describes several elements a teacher can vary. You will find them under similar names in most books on the topic:
- Content: what the pupil learns (level of difficulty, longer or shorter texts, chosen examples).
- Process: how they learn (hands-on materials, diagrams, reading, oral explanation, working in pairs).
- Product: how they show what they have learned (presentation, written work, mind map, model).
- Structure: the learning setting (alone, in a small group, in workshops, time allowed).
Concrete classroom examples
How can differentiated instruction be applied in the classroom? A few common examples, from primary to secondary school:
- the same maths problem offered with or without hands-on materials;
- an instruction rephrased, broken into steps or read aloud for some pupils;
- rotating workshops where each group works on the same concept with different materials;
- core exercises for everyone, then practice or extension exercises depending on needs;
- extra time or a more readable font for a pupil with dyslexia;
- needs-based groups that change from one topic to the next, so that no pupil is locked into one level.
Pros and cons
The benefits
- each pupil moves forward at a pace that suits them, without falling behind or getting bored;
- they get to know themselves better: their strengths, their difficulties, their way of working;
- they become more independent, within a framework set by the teacher with clear instructions;
- pupils with learning disorders (dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia…) find their place more easily;
- pupils help each other more: others become allies rather than competitors.
The limits
- it takes the teacher a lot of preparation time;
- it is hard to set up in a class of 25 pupils or more, with little space and few materials;
- used badly, with fixed ability groups, it can widen gaps instead of narrowing them;
- the effects measured by research vary widely depending on how it is done: it is no recipe that works on its own.
Differentiated instruction is therefore no miracle method. It works best when the teacher keeps an ambitious shared goal and regularly tracks each pupil’s progress.
It often comes at the remediation stage
For lack of time in class, differentiation often happens later, once the pupil has already built up gaps. That is the role of remedial support and private tutoring: going over the material in another way, starting from the pupil’s profile.
In practice, a coach can:
- revisit concepts that have not been mastered, including missing ones from previous years;
- offer extra exercises, matched to the pupil’s actual level;
- switch materials or explanations when the first one does not land;
- work on the study method needed to learn the concept.
The ideal remains differentiation from the very start of learning, in class: fewer pupils would then need to catch up.
Advice for parents: avoid piling up methods
As a parent, you want to help. But your child already follows one method in class, and sometimes another with their coach. Introducing a third way of doing things may confuse them more than it helps.
The most useful thing is often to find out how the teacher or coach works, and to support that approach at home: encourage, organise study time, ask what they have understood. If difficulties persist, talk to the class teacher or the PMS centre.
Support that starts from your child
At My Sherpa, an educational adviser chooses a coach for your child who matches their profile and needs. With private tutoring in primary school or in secondary school, at home anywhere in Belgium or online, the coach adapts their explanations to the way your child learns, in line with the approach used in class.
