It’s fair to say that the term ‘differentiation’ has had its day in education (or at least in England). At one point, it was considered to be an integral element of lesson planning, design and delivery to ensure all learners were involved and could succeed.

Adaptive teaching has gained interest and attention within the profession, but with some teachers understandably asking: is this the new differentiation? Is adaptive teaching simply a new label for an old approach?

Whilst there is overlap between some key principles and practices, it is important to understand why the focus has shifted from differentiation to adaptive teaching.

The problems with ‘Differentiation’

Differentiation became vulnerable to ‘lethal mutation’. Despite being well-intentioned as a method to support students, differentiation for many had a negative impact on teacher workload and student outcomes. The issues with differentiation were highlighted by NASEN (2014), who stated:

“It is important to be clear that the use of differentiation does not mean having ‘low expectations’ which is how it has sometimes been interpreted, when differentiation has been misunderstood as only offering easier worksheets or tasks to some ‘low achieving’ pupils.”

Differentiation often required teachers to provide visible ‘evidence’ of support and challenge in the classroom, such as multiple worksheets, varied tasks or different learning objectives. These examples frequently lowered expectations and standards, sometimes even embarrassing or isolating learners who required additional support.

In practice, differentiation became different things for different people across the profession. If differentiation has been misunderstood and misapplied, what makes adaptive teaching different?

Is adaptive teaching the latest buzzword in education?

Asking how adaptive teaching differs from differentiation is a valid and important question for teachers. Both recognise that learners within a classroom can require additional support or challenge. However, adaptive teaching does not require teachers to create entirely different tasks for different learners, nor to reduce the level of challenge.

Instead, the teacher uses a range of formative assessment strategies, such as hinge questions, quizzes and exit tickets, to identify what learners understand, know and can recall, in addition to spotting gaps in knowledge. The teacher can then adapt the lesson or their future planning accordingly.

The learning intention remains the same for every individual in the class, but there is a range of strategies the teacher will adopt to ensure all learners get there. Moving away from the term ‘differentiation’ does not mean neglecting learners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) or English as an Additional Language (EAL).

Scaffolding, purposeful question design, high-quality feedback and applying principles from the science of learning can enhance teaching and learning for all students.

Adaptive teaching does not lower expectations or standards. It should not add excessively to teacher workload, but it should ensure that every student can thrive and make progress at a pace that is possible. As the Department for Education (2019) explains, adaptive teaching is about ‘responding to the strengths and needs of all pupils’. It’s at the heart of great teaching.

You can complete the Science of Learning Programme as part of the Great Teaching Toolkit.

References

NASEN (2014) *Explaining the SEND Code of Practice: Differentiation*. Available at: https://nasen.org.uk

Department for Education (2019) *Teachers’ standards: Guidance for school leaders, school staff and governing bodies*. London: Department for Education. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teachers-standards