Differentiated learning is an approach that offers opportunities for learners to customize a learning pathway to meet their learning needs, aspirations and preferences.

It can also empower learners to show what they know in different ways.

Learners are provided with multiple options for taking in information, making sense of ideas, and expressing what they learn.

Flexible learning is at the heart of differentiated instruction. Instructors design activities to meet the needs and capabilities of each learner or group of learners. If learners are working in groups, they might not be in the same group for every part of the lesson.

In differentiated instruction, instructors can support learner agency, confidence and independence by:

• scaffolding instruction so that all learners experience success.
• building on learner interests and skills to increase motivation.
• providing opportunities for appropriate learner choice and independent learning.
• helping learner to build a personalized repertoire of strategies to organize information, make sense of ideas, communicate clearly, and retain and retrieve information, concepts and ideas.
• providing frequent opportunities for learner to set goals, reflect on their own learning and develop self-monitoring and self-assessment skills.

Disinformation is false information or information that distorts reality. Disinformation is intended to manipulate public opinion. Most of the time, it is transmitted through mass media or social media. There are several causes for the spread of false information and these can have serious consequences. Disinformation can affect citizens of all ages and education levels. There are ways to reduce the spread of disinformation.

We often hear questions from literacy practitioners about how to embed digital skills in literacy learning when working with learners who have emergent literacy and/or digital skills. They are looking for ways to support learners who may find it challenging to “catch up”  on digital skills independently.

We recommend an integrated, blended learning approach. We recommend the learning cycle that we use to teach other literacy skills where making meaning is the primary goal.

When we refer to foundational digital skills or computer basics, we are not talking about skills people need to learn before they engage in technology-rich learning environments and blended learning but the skills and strategies that people might need at different places in the learning cycle in order to complete communication, collaboration and creative tasks and to access resources and services.

Download this resource to reflect on a digital-skills learning cycle and find a collection of places that support learners with beginner literacy skills who want to learn more about using digital devices and connectivity for learning.

After searching over 100 resources collections and lists from Canada, the U.S., U.K. and Australia, we have developed a fully vetted collection of workbooks, modules and activities that address a range of instructional topics in our Open Educational Resources and Instructional Materials Collection.

To build the collection, Christine and Guylaine assembled a group of instructors from school boards and community groups, representing urban and rural communities across the province. Members work in program areas ranging from workforce development to academic, with diverse learner groups. They provided guidance to ensure the materials are

• Free and ad-free
• Shareable and reproducible
• Mostly modifiable for use in different formats and to change content
• Ready-to-use with instructional activities
• Accompanied by tips, ideas and strategies for educators to implement.

Take some time to explore the collection. You’re sure to find some gems that you can use right away.

Happy December!

Here are some activities that you can do with learners before or after the winter break: Winter Break Activities from AlphaPlus

Plus one Christmassy activity for those who celebrate.

Winter Animals is made in Google Slides and gives learners a choice of stories or songs to listen to:

• Deer: A song called Deer Dancing Round a Broken Mirror by Bruce Cockburn and Rik Emmet.
• Owl: A TVO short about Kenojuak Ashevak and her painting, The Enchanted Owl.
• Raven: The Raven and the Owl, an Inuit legend put to song. There are two versions: one by The National Film Board of Canada and one by Becky Han.
• Fox: The Fox and the Whale, a 2016 Canadian animated short film directed by Robin Joseph.
• Skater: a 1980 animated film from the National Film Board of Canada narrated by the author of the story, Roch Carrier. There is a link to a 2023 riff on this story called the Hockey Jersey.

There are follow up activities in a Google Form and a Jamboard.

Winter Break is a drag-and-drop and Answer Garden conversation starter where learners can think about what they will do on the break.

Winter Poem is a poetry activity based on the poem Dust of Snow by Robert Frost. Learners can read and listen to the poem and then examine the rhyming pattern (ABAB). They can then compare that rhyming pattern with the rhyming pattern in Catch a Little Rhyme by Eve Merriam (AABB).

Christmas Songs is an advent calendar of Christmas songs. You can see the whole playlist and links to the lyrics or play the songs one by one and look them up. If you want to make your own calendar, contact Tracey.

• An evaluation done during the learning process.
• It informs the learner and the instructor about what has been learned or what needs to be improved.
• It generally targets specific learning.

In this short presentation, you will find:

• Information on the use of quiz tools for formative evaluation.
• A comparison table of the features of Kahoot and Quizizz tools.