No two children are alike. Based on this principle differentiated teaching and learning is key to ensuring that children have multiple options for taking in information and making sense of concepts. To differentiate effectively and support individual and diverse students in the classroom, the teacher is required to be flexible in their approach in order to adjust:

 what the children will learn (content),

 how the children will learn (process) and,

 how they will demonstrate their learning (product).

Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs. Whether teachers differentiate content, process, products, or the learning environment, the use of ongoing assessment and flexible grouping makes this a successful approach to instruction. At its most basic level, differentiation consists of the efforts of teachers to respond to variance among learners in the classroom.

We know that children with language and learning issues benefit from having the information presented at a slower pace, with more time for repetition and preferably visually.

Differentiation doesn’t mean having low expectations, it means having high expectations but giving the child the means to achieve them.

Differentiation is a complex issue which requires teachers to think about the impact that their learning, teaching and assessment strategies have for children including those with SEN. An integral aspect of learning, teaching and assessment, is the need for teachers to modify and adapt their strategies to support the full range of children with SEN (Algozzine and Anderson, 2007).

Although these can at times become complex in their interpretation they all tend to be based around four central strands:

• Curriculum adaptation - Changing what is taught
• Instructional modifications - Changing how we teach
• Environmental considerations - Changing where we teach
• People resources - Looking at who teaches or supports teaching and learning?