Differentiated depth of learning
Sometimes, you as teacher have a class with students at vastly different levels of understanding. Some students might grasp the subject quickly and are ready for more complex concepts, while others are still struggling with basic concepts. As a teacher, you cannot simultaneously provide superficial overviews for some and deep, challenging content for others during the same lesson. But you want to be fair and equitable to every student and you want them all to have the same quality learning experience. There are different strategies by which Wise-Owl can help you.
Here are two:
The tiered exploration station (an example from a biology lesson)
Flow diagram: Teacher introduces topic (10 min) → Students self-assess readiness →
GROUP A (struggling): Tutor Mode (Conversation Starters + Magic Question)
GROUP B (progressing): Tutor Mode (Deep Dive + Assessor Mode - Applied Knowledge)
GROUP C (advanced): Simulator Mode (Role Play)
→ Whole class debrief (5 min)
What it achieved?:
This strategy allows students to work at their own depth level simultaneously during a single class period. As a teacher you will set up the topic, then students use different AI companion pathways based on their readiness. Advanced students engage in complex application while struggling students build foundational understanding—all exploring the same core concept but at appropriate cognitive levels.
Example prompting:
Teacher introduction (10 minutes)
Brief overview of cellular respiration: "Today we're exploring how cells produce energy. I'll give you the basic framework, then you'll use your AI companion to explore at your own level."
Explains the three groups and their AI pathways
Group A: Building foundation (Students struggling with basics)
Step 1: Tutor mode - Conversation Starters
Prompt: "Explain cellular respiration in simple terms"
Action: Hit "Conversation Starters" button
What happens: AI provides accessible questions like "What is the difference between breathing and cellular respiration?", "Where in the cell does this happen?", "What goes in and what comes out?"
Time: 8-10 minutes exploring 2-3 starter questions
Step 2: Tutor mode - Magic Question
Action: Hit "Magic Question" button after exploring one concept
AI suggests: "How does the food you eat connect to cellular respiration?"
Student explores this connection at their pace
Time: 5-7 minutes
Step 3: Tutor mode - Summarise
Action: Hit "Summarise" button
What happens: AI provides simple summary of what they've learned with 2-3 key takeaways
Time: 2-3 minutes
Group B: Deepening understanding (Students ready for complexity)
Step 1: Tutor mode - Deep Dive
Prompt: "I understand that cellular respiration produces ATP. Explain the three stages in detail."
Action: Hit "Deep Dive" button
What happens: AI provides detailed explanation of glycolysis, Krebs cycle, and electron transport chain with molecular details
Time: 10-12 minutes
Step 2: Assessor mode - Applied knowledge
Action: Hit "Applied Knowledge" button
What happens: AI generates a vignette like "A patient has a mitochondrial disorder affecting Complex I of the electron transport chain. What would you expect regarding their ATP production and cellular function? Explain your reasoning."
Student answers with rationale: AI provides detailed feedback
Time: 10-12 minutes
Group C: Advanced application (Students ready for expert-level thinking)
Step 1: Simulator mode - Role Play
Prompt: "I want to role-play as a biochemist explaining to a pharmaceutical company why their drug that targets mitochondrial function might have unexpected side effects on different tissue types"
Action: Use "Role Play" function
What happens: AI creates a scenario where the student must apply deep understanding of cellular respiration rates in different tissues (muscle vs. brain vs. liver) and explain metabolic consequences
Time: 15-18 minutes
Step 2: Quick reflection
Prompt: "Summarise the key metabolic principles that explain differential drug effects"
Time: 3-5 minutes
Whole class debrief (5 minutes)
Teacher asks: "What's one insight you gained today?"
Students from each group share (foundation group shares basic concept, middle group shares process detail, advanced group shares application)
This builds collective understanding without exposing who worked at which level
The progressive challenge pathway (an example from an English grammar lesson)
Flow diagram:
Teacher introduces topic (8 min) → ALL students start: Tutor Mode (Conversation Starters) → CHECKPOINT 1: Self-assess →
STRUGGLING: Tutor Mode (Deep Dive on basics)
PROGRESSING: Assessor Mode (Applied Knowledge)
ADVANCED: Continue forward → CHECKPOINT 2: Self-assess → READY: Assessor Mode (Critical Reasoning) → Simulator Mode (Study Group debate) →
Self-reflection (3 min)
What it achieved?:
This strategy creates a differentiated pathway where all students begin together but branch off at natural checkpoints based on their mastery. Students self-regulate their depth, and the AI companion provides appropriate next steps. As a teacher you circulate to support rather than directly teach multiple levels simultaneously.
Example prompting:
Example: Subordinate Clauses Lesson (50-minute class)
Teacher Introduction (8 minutes)
"Today we're mastering subordinate clauses. Everyone will start the same way, then your AI companion will help you progress at your own speed. Be honest about your understanding at each checkpoint."
Phase 1: Universal start - all students (8 minutes)
Tutor mode - Conversation starters
Teacher provides prompt: "Explain subordinate clauses to me"
Action: Everyone hits "Conversation Starters" button
What happens: AI provides foundational questions all students explore:
"What makes a clause 'subordinate' versus 'independent'?"
"What are subordinating conjunctions and how do they work?"
"Can you identify subordinate clauses in example sentences?"
Checkpoint 1: Self-assessment question (2 minutes)
Students answer to themselves: "Can I confidently identify and explain the function of subordinate clauses in complex sentences?"
NO → Path A
SOMEWHAT → Path B
YES → Continue to Checkpoint 2
Path A: Building mastery (Students who need foundation) - 20 minutes
Tutor mode - Deep Dive
Prompt: "I need more help understanding when and why to use subordinate clauses"
Action: Hit "Deep Dive" button
What happens: AI provides detailed explanation with multiple examples, breaking down different types (adverbial, relative, noun clauses)
Time: 10 minutes
Assessor mode - Applied Knowledge
Action: Hit "Applied Knowledge" button
What happens: AI generates practice questions like "Which sentence correctly uses a subordinate clause: [4 options]. Explain why the others are incorrect."
Student answers with rationale: AI provides corrective feedback
Time: 8-10 minutes
Path B: Applying understanding (Students with basic competence) - 20 minutes
Assessor Mode - Applied Knowledge
Action: Hit "Applied Knowledge" button
What happens: AI presents a paragraph with unclear relationships between ideas: "Rewrite this paragraph using subordinate clauses to clarify the logical relationships. Explain your choices."
Student completes task: AI provides feedback on effectiveness and grammar
Time: 12-15 minutes
Tutor mode - Magic Question
Action: Hit "Magic Question" button
AI suggests: "How does the placement of subordinate clauses affect sentence emphasis and reader focus?"
Student explores this stylistic dimension
Time: 5-7 minutes
Path C: Advanced analysis (Students ready for expert thinking)
checkpoint 2: Self-Assessment (1 minute)
"Can I manipulate subordinate clauses for stylistic effect and analyse their use in complex texts?"
NOT QUITE → Do Path B activities
YES → Continue Path C
Assessor mode - Critical Reasoning (15 minutes)
Action: Hit "Critical Reasoning" button
What happens: AI asks "Compare these two versions of the same passage—one by Hemingway with minimal subordination, one by Faulkner with extensive subordinate clauses. How does subordination choice affect tone, pacing, and meaning? What authorial purposes does each approach serve?"
Student writes analysis: AI provides sophisticated feedback on their literary and grammatical reasoning
Simulator mode - Study group (Optional if time, 10 minutes)
Prompt: "Create a study group debate on whether modern writers should embrace or avoid complex subordination"
Action: Use "Study Group" function
What happens: Virtual personas argue different perspectives:
One advocates for Hemingway-style simplicity
One defends complex subordination for nuanced thought
One discusses context-dependent choices
One addresses accessibility concerns
One examines genre conventions
Student engages with multiple perspectives
Final phase: Self-reflection - all students (3 minutes)
Coach mode - Study Notes
Teacher provides prompt: "Write 2-3 sentences about what you learned about subordinate clauses today and one thing you want to practice more"
Action: Students type their reflection and use "Study Notes" function
What happens: AI provides brief feedback on their self-assessment and suggests one specific practice activity
Implementation tips for classroom management
For both strategies:
Device setup: Ensure all students have devices with AI companion open before class
Normalise different paths: Emphasise that depth differentiation is about readiness, not ability—students may be at different levels for different topics
Teacher role: Circulate to monitor engagement, provide technical help, and offer encouragement rather than content delivery
Accountability: Have students screenshot or copy-paste one key AI exchange to submit at end of class showing their engagement
Avoid stigma: Use neutral group names (Station 1, 2, 3 or Path A, B, C) and emphasise that students may choose different paths for different topics
Preparation:
Pre-write the prompts and display them on board/slides so students can copy-paste quickly
Practice once with a simple topic so students understand the workflow
Set time expectations clearly for each phase
Benefits:
Teacher capacity: You facilitate 20-30 students at different levels without splitting yourself
Student agency: Learners self-regulate their depth and pace
Immediate feedback: AI provides instant responses that would take hours to deliver individually
Dignity: Differentiation happens privately through student-AI interaction rather than public grouping