Prince Ea stated, “Albert Einstein once said, everybody’s a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Our education system is based on a false assumption that children are all on a level playing field and that some are “meant” to fail. According to Tomlinson (and ErlyBirds), teachers can differentiate instruction in four ways: 1) content, 2) process, 3) product, and 4) learning environment. Differentiation allows students to approach learning in different ways creating opportunities for them to capitalise on their strengths and thus engage in their own learning more confidently.
The workshop focuses on active participation, where teachers collaborate on lesson-ideas for utilising their new insights into differentiated teaching and learning. Participants will be able to consciously apply Bloom’s levels of thinking to classroom activities and consider Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence when teaching and assessing to better suit all pupil’s learning styles. The PLC allows for intrinsic learning and reflection on one’s own pedagogy. New skills and knowledge are applied by the participants in a supportive environment.

This workshop is aimed at embedding the core policies of CAPS:
“Inclusivity should become a central part of the organisation, planning and teaching at each school. This can only happen if all teachers have a sound understanding of how to recognise and address barriers to learning, and how to plan for diversity” (DBE, 2012:4 & 5).
ErlyBirds is SACE accredited (SACE Provider No. PR13410) and all workshops offer 15 points.