General Introduction

This blog is part of my Differentiation and Adaptive Teaching Knowledge Base.

I use the terms differentiation and adaptive teaching synonymously. To me, they are the same, as genuine differentiation has always involved adapting your planning and your teaching to meet the needs of the learners in front of you.

For me, differentiation is all the practical strategies, activities and techniques teachers use to personalise learning.

For ease, we can break that down into my five categories of differentiation: Activities, Questioning, Words and Writing, Things the Teacher Can Do and Things You Can Ask Learners to Do or Use.

This blog falls into the category of words and writing.

Ostensive Definitions, or Point Out the Word

An ostensive definition involves explaining the meaning of a word by pointing out examples.

So, you and I might be walking down the road when you ask me: ‘What is this colour ‘red’ I’ve heard about?’

Clearly, it would be difficult for me to articulate the meaning of the word ‘red’.

I’d likely have to resort to giving examples of things that are red, making comparisons between red and other colours, or indicating the words and images red often signals (for example, blushing).

None of this would really be satisfactory.

What if you came from an area in which fire engines and post-boxes were blue?

What if you were unfamiliar with all colours?

And how accurate is it to explain the colour red by resorting to those things that it signals?

The best way in which I could answer your question is by pointing out examples of what ‘red’ means.

Let us imagine that, as we continued walking down the road, a ladybird flew past, then a can of Coca-Cola appeared and, finally, we came across a traffic light stuck on ‘stop’.

In each case I could point to the item and say to you: ‘There – that is red.’

Ostensive definitions are an extra tool teachers can call on in their quest to make things clear for learners and to help them develop their understanding of language.

They’ve been in use for millennia.

If you are introducing a word or phrase that is particularly difficult to come to terms with or which is hard to define through the use of other words, look for opportunities to point out examples that demonstrate the meaning of the word.

Here are five ways you can do this:

• Display one or more images on the board and point to these as examples of the word/phrase in question.
• Bring in objects that you can point to as definitions of the word or phrase. If possible, bring in enough so that they can be passed around the class, giving every learner the opportunity to touch and hold them.
• Point to examples of the word or phrase that are in the classroom.
• Take learners out of the classroom and find a place where you can point to a definition of the word or phrase. For example, if you were trying to teach the concept ‘frustration’, you might take learners onto the school field (if you have one), stand beneath a tree that is taller than you are, attempt to reach a branch nine feet off the ground and experience repeated failure. You could point to this whole process as an example of the word ‘frustration’.
• Show a video that contains examples of the word or phrase. Point these out while learners are watching. If appropriate, stop the film and discuss the examples with your class.

Sometimes, when a learner isn’t quite able to get their head round a new word or phrase, an ostensive definition is the key you can use to unlock it for them.

At other times, you might identify specific words or phrases while you are planning that would benefit particularly from ostensive definitions.

In this case, you can work out in advance how to do these definitions in class and have them ready to use when you are teaching.

How can you use ostensive definitions to differentiate?

A linguistic definition of a word is abstract. It relies on sound understanding and detailed knowledge of the meaning of other words (those used to give the definition).

An ostensive definition is concrete and empirical.

It is therefore often easier to grasp.

Giving concrete definitions of words through exemplification is a way of supporting less-able learners.

They can be given in conjunction with traditional definitions.

This helps learners to contextualise and come to terms with the latter.

Using media, objects or a journey outside the classroom is a good way of creating variety.

This increases motivation, enthusiasm and engagement.

Do the Word

For centuries, people have used physical demonstrations to illustrate the meanings of words.

Such exemplification is both multi-sensory and memorable.

I can still remember my Year 8 French teacher demonstrating the meaning of ‘les travaux manuels’ by using his hands.

And that was a fair few years ago.

You can take advantage of the benefits of this technique by having learners ‘do’ new words that they learn.

Here are five examples showing how it can work.

Example One: New Word – Satisfaction

The teacher stands at the front of the class and says the word ‘satisfaction’ out loud while displaying through their face and body what someone who is satisfied looks like.

The class then stand up and repeat what the teacher did – both the speaking of the word and the doing of the action.

A series of ever more exaggerated displays of satisfaction could then follow, building to a crescendo.

This element of increasing exaggeration can help to further fix meaning in learners’ minds by intensifying the memorability of the experience.

Example Two: New Word – Gravity

Learners work in pairs. Each pair is given a selection of small items of various weights.

The teacher explains to the class that they are now scientists who have been asked to demonstrate gravity on television.

First, the teacher does their own demonstration.

This involves dropping an item from a few feet, pointing at the area in which it fell and declaring ‘That’s gravity!’

Pairs then create their own demonstrations using their various items.

Example Three: New Word – Meander

The class line up behind the teacher, who then moves off, meandering around the room.

The line of learners follows the teacher, mimicking what they do.

The teacher might shout out lines like: ‘We’re going on a meander!’ or ‘This is a meander; we’re winding from side to side.’

Learners can then echo these lines in a game of call-and-response.

Example Four: New Word – Multinational

Learners are asked to congregate on one side of the room.

The teacher explains that every member of the class represents one employee of SuperBrains Incorporated, a multinational company.

They then read off a series of countries in which the company operates.

As each country is read off, a learner is sent to a certain part of the room that represents that country.

Learners write their country on a piece of SuperBrains Inc. branded paper and hold it up.

When all the learners have been distributed around the room, the teacher points to them and says: ‘This is what a multinational company looks like.’

(In a scenario like this, you can further intensify memorability by doing the same for the opposite word or phrase. Here, that would mean doing it for the phrase ‘national company’. This creates a strong contrast that aids recall.)

Example Five: New Word – Cephalopod

The teacher shows learners a video of a cephalopod and introduces the word.

Learners are then put into pairs and asked to play the part of a cephalopod by working together.

The ‘cephalopods’ then move around the room declaring that they are cephalopods and shouting out the different features that cephalopods possess.

Highly memorable for all involved.

Each of these examples tackles the concept of ‘doing’ new words slightly differently.

In each case, a means has been devised to allow learners to interact physically and verbally with one another to come to terms with the word in question.

Play is used throughout.

This gives learners the opportunity to explore the new words, to practise using them and to develop some strong memories of their first experiences of them.

How can doing this help you to differentiate?

Multi-sensory activities increase the likelihood that all learners in a class will be able to find a way of accessing the learning.

Acting out words is an additional means of understanding their meaning.

Some learners may find visual and verbal explanation difficult to comprehend; doing words offers another way of developing understanding.

Playing with new words gives learners a chance to manipulate and explore their meaning and usage.

All learners are included in such an activity because all learners know how to play.

It is also fun, which increases motivation and engagement.