World Bank Teacher Training for Inclusive Education Database
SECTION I: Training Manuals, Modules, Packages, Programs, etc. (Last updated on 1/2/2006)
Entry ID: INT 04-1
COUNTRY: UNESCO
Permission
YEAR: 2004
LANGUAGE: English
TITLE: Changing Teaching Practices Using Curriculum
Differentiation to Respond to Students’ Diversity
AUTHOR/DEVELOPER: UNESCO
CONTACTS/AVAILABILITY:
 Document available at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001365/136583e.pdf
 UNESCO
Inclusive Education
7, Place de Fontenoy
ED/BAS/EIE
75352 Paris 07 SP
FRANCE
Phone: +33 (0) 1 45 68 1000
E-mail: ie@unesco.org
[Adopted Definition/Focus of Inclusive Education]
Based on the concept outlined in the Salamanca Statement
[Overall Organization of the Material]
Table of Contents
Unit 1: Curriculum Differentiation and Our Students
Unit 2: Environmental Strategies
Unit 3: Instructional Learning Strategies
Unit 4: Assessment Strategies
Unit 5: Curriculum Differentiation: Putting it Together
Sample Lessons
Glossary of Terms
Venn Diagram Template
*After each unit, there is a section called For Facilitations, which offers summary of each unit
and some workshop activity suggestions for teachers to use in the classroom.
[Outlines/Excerpts]
Unit 1: Curriculum Differentiation and Our Students
 What is curriculum? (p. 13)
o What are you expected to cover in the curriculum?
o Why is curriculum one of the biggest challenges to inclusion?
o Why is it that some learners are not considered able enough to be using the
same curriculum?
o Is it appropriate to reduce the curriculum?
o How do you perceive curriculum and its transaction in the classroom?
o What factors influence curriculum?
 Curriculum Differentiation
“Curriculum differentiation, then, is the process of modifying or adapting the curriculum
according to the different ability levels of the students in one class” (p. 14).
 Components of Curriculum We Can Modify
o Content
o Methods of presentation (How new information is presented to students)
o Methods of practice and performance (Methods/Activities used by students to
understand the content9
o Methods of assessment
 To modify curriculum, you need to know the students
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World Bank Teacher Training for Inclusive Education Database
SECTION I: Training Manuals, Modules, Packages, Programs, etc. (Last updated on 1/2/2006)
o Background of experience
o Interests
o Learning profile
 Strategies to know students’ background experience (p. 21-)
o K-W-L
 Question 1 (K) – What do I know?
 Question 2 (W) – What do I want to know?
 Question 3 (L) – What did I learn?
o Word sorts (p. 23)
o Brainstorming
“In a ‘brainstorming’ activity students generate information they already know
about a specific topic. The teacher provides a key word, phrase, or topic to the
students. The students are then asked, either individually or in small groups, to
share and record all the words that come to mind when they think about the
given key word, phrase, or topic….This brainstorming activity helps the teacher
to assess the prior knowledge a student or group of students has about a
particular subject or topic” (p. 24).
o Summarizing a topic
 Strategies to know students’ interests (p. 25-)
o Partner interviews using a Venn Diagram
o Interest inventories
o Student search
o Baggy books – “Say something about your …(family, favourite school subject,
etc.)”
 Strategies to know about students’ learning profile (p. 30-)
o Teacher-made form
o Learning style inventory (see it on p. 32)
o Multiple intelligences
Unit 2: Environmental Strategies
 Creating a welcoming environment in a school
o School culture
o Respecting others and diversity
 How a welcoming environment can support academic success (p. 44-)
o Positive interdependence
 Facilitating positive interdependence in class (p. 46)
 Goal sharing
 Task sharing
 Resource sharing
 Reward sharing
o Individual accountability
 Ensure the tasks for each member is appealing, engaging, meaningful,
and complex enough to make all group members feel positively
challenges to contribute (p. 46)
o Co-operative skills
 Examples of the co-operative skills that need to be highlighted, learnt,
encouraged, reminded, and demonstrated for students.
 Listening
 Sharing materials
 Helping each other
 Taking turns
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World Bank Teacher Training for Inclusive Education Database
SECTION I: Training Manuals, Modules, Packages, Programs, etc. (Last updated on 1/2/2006)
o
Face-to-face interaction
 Create opportunities for group members to have direct communication
and interaction that can be a rich source of learning.
o Student reflection and goal setting
 Arrangements that foster positive learning environment
o Grouping strategies (p. 48-)
 Flexible
 Variety
 Choice
o Managing time (p. 50-)
 Selecting and limiting content
 Focusing on time on engaging/participatory activities
 Pacing of instruction – active & flexible
Unit 3: Instructional Learning Strategies
 Strategies to plan curriculum differentiation in lessons
o Varying the level of complexity in questions and tasks – Bloom’s taxonomy (p.
57-58)
 Strategies to accommodate the idea of different abilities (p. 60)
o Multi-level activities (p. 61)
o Multi-level learning centers/stations (p. 62)
o Learning agreements (p. 64)
 Tips on how to get it started - Starting new things or changing old practice is
challenging! (p. 67)
o Be clear and plan what you want to try and how you want to do it.
o Work with a colleague
o Ask for help
o Don’t be afraid of making mistakes
o Don’t be discouraged if something does not work out immediately
o Expect that it will take time
o Ask for feedback from students
o Teaching is learning – each opportunity to teach is a chance to learn something
and improve your teaching!
o Celebrate successes!
o Appreciate the work you do. You are working for the future!
Unit 4: Assessment Strategies


What is assessment? (p. 72)
o “Assessment, therefore, is a necessary component used for planning,
implementing, and evaluating instruction, and it is a fundamental tool for
teaching and learning” (p. 73).
Major types of informal assessment in the context of curriculum differentiation (p.
73)
o Observing students – watching students and recording relevant information to
answer questions about students such as who they are and how they are
learning. (see section on p. 74)
o Entry-level indicator – a point where a student should start in learning a
particular concept or skill. This point is identified based on student’s pervious
learning and knowledge of the content. (see section on p. 77)
o Error analysis – a systematic way to identify and analyse patterns of errors that
a student makes in his/her work. (see section on p. 80)
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World Bank Teacher Training for Inclusive Education Database
SECTION I: Training Manuals, Modules, Packages, Programs, etc. (Last updated on 1/2/2006)
o
o
o
Record keeping – systematic ways for the student and teacher to keep records
of the student’s entry levels and progress (see section on p. 79)
Performance assessments – a set of tasks performed by students to showl that
students understand a concept, skills, or behaviour. (see section on p. 81)
Portfolios – systematic ways to contain a collection of student’s work to help the
student and teacher monitor student progress. (see section on p. 79)
Unit 5: Curriculum Differentiation: Putting it Together
 More about Curriculum Differentiation and the Multi-Level Instruction Process (p. 87)
 More about Student Characteristics and Diversity (p. 91)
 More about Assessment (p. 91)
Relevant Literature/Resources:

Perner, D. & Ferreira, W. (2005). Changing Teaching Practices to Meet the Needs of All
Learners. Paper presented at ISEC 2005 conference. Available at:
http://www.isec2005.org.uk/isec/abstracts/papers_p/perner_d.doc
TARGET:  policy makers  school administrators  preschool teachers  primary ed
teachers  secondary ed teachers  higher ed teachers  sped teachers  pre-service
teachers  related service providers  families  students  community members
TOPIC:  introduction/philosophical understanding of inclusive education/getting started 
effective teaching/assessment strategies  challenging behaviors  team work, collaboration
 family/community involvement  networking  developing policy  dealing with change 
HIV/AIDS  advocacy/leadership skills  others
PHASE:  awareness raising/introduction/advocacy phase  on-going support/development
 follow-up/monitoring  others
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