Introduction

The purpose of this blog is to provide mainstream high school teachers who teach Visual Arts with a range of strategies for carrying out a differentiated unit of work. However, teachers from other subject areas may also find this blog useful and easily adaptable to their discipline. The suggested methodologies for differentiation aim to present the material in a variety of ways in order to engage and teach the different learners you might have in your classroom. This could range from students with special needs to high achieving gifted and talented students. Using evidence-based research, I will explain how you can differentiate for learners with special needs such as students with an intellectual disability, Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and students from an English as a second language (ESL) background. This will take into consideration some of their characteristics and challenges. However, this information resource does not focus on specific learners, but rather how teachers can differentiate for a wide spectrum of learners who may or may not have special needs.  

It is important to not only consider the teaching materials involved within a differentiated unit of work, but also how we can differentiate the assessment process. For example, giving students the choice to choose a question that suits their strengths or interests. For differentiation to be effective, you must take on board a holistic approach that takes into the account modifying the learning materials and nature of assessments.

The last section of this resource blog will focus on how to develop and structure a detailed student contract. Using a student contract can be helpful in assisting both the teacher and the learner through the course of a unit of study.