Why differentiation matters
Every English classroom in Hong Kong contains a wide range of proficiency levels. Differentiation is not about preparing thirty different lesson plans — it is about designing one lesson with multiple entry points so every learner can engage with the same rich text.
Three practical strategies
1. Tiered questioning. Prepare questions at three levels: literal comprehension, inference, and evaluation. Students all read the same passage, but answer the tier that challenges them.
2. Flexible grouping. Rotate students between mixed-ability and similar-ability groups depending on the task. Mixed groups build peer teaching; similar groups let you target support.
3. Choice boards. Give students a menu of output options — a paragraph, a mind map, a short presentation. The learning objective stays constant; the demonstration varies.
The teacher's mindset
Differentiation fails when it becomes a paperwork exercise. Start small: one text, two question tiers, one choice. Build the habit before scaling the system.