Differentiation
Supporting All Students to Grow, Be Challenged, and Develop Their Exceptionalities
Respecting a student’s potential by way of built-in differentiation maximizes each student’s learning and academic achievement. From the get-go, AcadeCap educators recognize that no two students are the same nor do they learn the same. With differentiating, we ensure that students comprehensively learn and master the concepts, the core competencies and the knowledge to be successful. We also consider it essential for all students to have an understanding of their own capacities, so that they may be able to self-advocate independent learning skills within the PYP, PSSP, the OSSD, and beyond.
Teachers adapt the environment, the programme, the learning activities according to the individual’s abilities, ensuring each student is challenged accordingly and in-depth thinking is achieved.
Three key factors support AcadeCap’s approach to differentiation: low teacher-student ratios, educators with deep subject expertise, and a strong understanding of each student’s learning profile.
Differentiated Instruction Based on Learner
The Gifted Learner
Gifted and talented students from JK to Grade 6 benefit from the IB PYP’s concept-driven, inquiry-based, transdisciplinary curriculum. This approach deepens conceptual understanding and engages young learners’ capacity for sophisticated thinking. Students problem-solve and make connections across and beyond subjects.
In Grades 7-8 (PSSP) and Grades 9-12 (OSSD), students continue to explore deep conceptual understanding while making practical connections between subjects and the real world. They also focus on higher-order thinking skills and core competencies through AcadeCap’s proprietary 3-Tier 21st Century Learning Curriculum©.
The Learner on the Autism Spectrum
High-functioning learners on the Autism Spectrum thrive at AcadeCap through differentiated instruction and targeted educational practices.
The ESL and/or FLS Learner
Geographically mobile students, newly enrolled at AcadeCap, receive tailored support in English and/or French as a second language, focusing on academic success, integration into their new environment, and navigating different cultures.
The Visually Impaired and Blind Learner
Continuous collaboration among all teachers, alongside assistive technology, ensures that visually impaired or blind learners succeed at AcadeCap. Students are taught Braille by a specialized instructor, and subject teachers utilize AERO (Alternative Education Resources Ontario) to support both learning and the Ontario curriculum.
The Learner with Fine-Motor Differences
Students with fine-motor differences have access to assistive technology, which helps them express their thoughts through print or audio, and supports the completion of assignments.
The Learner who Moves
Students who need to move to learn are supported in doing so. AcadeCap fosters an environment where students can move freely, standing or pacing as necessary, without disrupting others’ learning.
The Learner who Learns Remotely
AcadeCap offers flexible schedules for students engaged in extracurricular competitive activities and sports. These students can continue learning while traveling, joining classmates via video conferencing. AcadeCap teachers are experts in this approach, having implemented it long before virtual learning became widespread.
The Learner who Benefits from Reach Ahead
In exceptional circumstances, a Grade 8 student may be permitted to "reach ahead" by enrolling in secondary school courses during the school year. Additionally, they may begin earning community involvement hours in the summer before entering Grade 9.
