What Is Adaptive Teaching? Explained for Teachers

You've heard "adaptive teaching" mentioned in staff meetings, seen it in Ofsted guidance, and maybe been told it's the new expectation. But what does it actually mean? And how are you supposed to do it with 30 students in front of you?

It's frustrating when educational buzzwords arrive without clear explanations. You're already juggling behaviour, marking, planning, and countless other demands.

Here's the good news: adaptive teaching isn't complicated. It's about teaching smarter, not harder. This guide explains exactly what it is and how to use it in your classroom—whether you teach Maths, English, Science, or any other subject.

Key Takeaways

• Adaptive teaching means adjusting your teaching in the moment based on how students respond

• It's different from differentiation—no separate worksheets for different groups needed

• Ofsted expects to see adaptive teaching during inspections

• Simple strategies like mini whiteboards and hinge questions count as adaptive teaching

• It works for all subjects and helps every student, including SEND and EAL learners

What Does Adaptive Teaching Mean?

Adaptive teaching is responding to your students' needs as the lesson unfolds. Instead of planning three different lessons for different groups, you teach one high-quality lesson and adjust based on what students understand.

Think of it like this: you're explaining photosynthesis and notice confused faces. Rather than continuing, you pause, check understanding, and re-explain differently. That's adaptive teaching.

The UK's Teachers' Standards (opens in a new tab) expect teachers to differentiate appropriately and teach effectively. Ofsted's framework (opens in a new tab) looks for evidence that teaching adapts to meet diverse learner needs.

Adaptive Teaching vs Differentiation: What's The Difference?

Traditional differentiation means creating different worksheets—"red," "amber," and "green"—or separate tasks for different ability groups.

Adaptive teaching is different. You provide the same ambitious curriculum for everyone and adapt how you teach it.

Traditional differentiation: Three separate activities. Group A gets extension questions. Group B gets the standard worksheet. Group C gets a simplified version.

Adaptive teaching: Everyone tackles the same challenging problem. You circulate, check understanding, and provide support where needed. Some students might need a worked example. Others might need a term explained. You adjust based on what you see.

Adaptive teaching focuses on high-quality teaching for all (opens in a new tab), rather than pre-determining what different groups can achieve. This essentially promotes equity of opportunities for all student learners. 

Why Adaptive Teaching Matters

When you set high expectations and adapt support, students surprise you. The Year 10 who struggles with reading can still access Shakespeare with vocabulary support. The EAL student can tackle complex Maths with visual representations.

Research shows that assessing understanding and responding appropriately benefits all learners (opens in a new tab), including those with SEND.

Adaptive teaching catches misconceptions early before they become embedded. It keeps students challenged appropriately because you're constantly adjusting, long-term producing agile and adaptable teachers in the process! 

Adaptive Teaching in Practice

Check understanding constantly. Use mini whiteboards where everyone shows their answer simultaneously. You see at a glance who gets it. In my role as a lecturer, we use a teaching style called Team Based Learning (opens in a new tab), which promotes team work, critical thinking and adaptive teaching very frequently to ensure all learners are engaged and no one is left behind.

Use hinge questions. Ask carefully designed questions at key lesson points. If students get it right, move forward. If not, re-teach.

Circulate and observe. Walk around during independent work. Look at what students write. This shows who needs support.

Exit tickets. End with a quick check: "Write one thing you learned and one thing you're unsure about."

Use wait time. After questions, pause for three seconds before taking answers. This gives everyone thinking time.

Subject-Specific Examples

Maths: Show a worked example for simultaneous equations. Check understanding with mini whiteboards. If students struggle, model another example with more steps. If confident, move to practice. When circulating, gather struggling students for a quick two-minute mini-lesson.

English: Pre-teach challenging Shakespeare vocabulary to everyone. Use sentence stems to scaffold writing: "Shakespeare presents Macbeth as ambitious because..." When analysing poetry, check understanding: "What's the mood? Show me on whiteboards."

Science: Use demonstrations and diagrams when explaining particle theory. Check by asking students to draw particles in solids, liquids, gases. During practicals, circulate and pause groups: "Before continuing, explain why we're heating this solution."

How to Get Started

Step 1: Choose one lesson this week. Plan one high-quality lesson for everyone—no separate tasks.

Step 2: Build in check-points. Decide where you'll pause to assess understanding.

Step 3: Prepare flexible responses. Think: "If students don't understand, I could re-explain using..." or "If they grasp it quickly, I'll extend with..."

Step 4: Teach and watch student responses carefully. When you check understanding, actually respond.

Step 5: Reflect. What worked? Where did you adjust?

Here is a quick checklist:

• Have I planned one ambitious lesson for all students?

• Have I identified 2-3 points where I'll check understanding?

• Do I have mini whiteboards or another quick assessment tool ready?

• Have I thought about common misconceptions students might have?

• Do I have alternative explanations, examples, or resources prepared?

• Am I ready to re-teach if needed, rather than pushing ahead?

• Will I observe students working to spot who needs support?

Check out this practical guide to adaptive teaching (opens in a new tab) for a useful resource you can download.

Common Pitfalls

Don't create three worksheets. That's not adaptive teaching—it's more work.

Don't only support struggling students. High attainers need stretching too.

Don't skip checking. You must assess understanding and respond.

Don't overcomplicate it. Simple strategies like "show me on your whiteboard" are powerful.

Adaptive Teaching and Ofsted

Ofsted's inspection framework (opens in a new tab) emphasises that teaching should be "adapted to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils."

Inspectors want to see you noticing student responses and adjusting accordingly.

How to demonstrate it:

• Check understanding frequently

• Explain when you've adjusted because students seemed confused

• Show how you use assessment to plan support

• Demonstrate all students access challenging content with appropriate scaffolding

Frequently Asked Questions

Is adaptive teaching the same as personalised learning? 

Not quite. Personalised learning means individual plans or students working on completely different things. Adaptive teaching means everyone accesses the same curriculum, but you adapt how you teach it.

How do I know if it's working? 

Look at student progress. Are more students getting it? Are misconceptions caught early? Are you responding to what you see rather than sticking rigidly to plans?

Can it work with large classes? 

Absolutely. It's more efficient than creating multiple resources. Mini whiteboards work brilliantly with 30 students—instant feedback from everyone.

How can I train my department? 

Try one strategy together and report back. Use peer observation to watch colleagues and discuss what works.

Final Thoughts

Adaptive teaching isn't complicated. It's watching your students, noticing what they need, and responding in the moment.

Start small. Pick one strategy and try it next lesson. Watch what happens. Adjust based on what you learn.

You won't get it perfect every time—and that's fine. The point is staying alert to student needs and being willing to adapt.

Your students deserve teaching that meets them where they are and helps them reach ambitious goals. Adaptive teaching does exactly that.

References

1. Teachers' standards - (opens in a new tab)GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)

2. Education inspection framework (EIF) - (opens in a new tab)GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)

3. Theory - Support for early career teachers - (opens in a new tab)GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)

4. Teacher Responsiveness in Inclusive Education: A Participatory Study of Pedagogical Practice, Well-Being, and Sustainability (opens in a new tab)

5. Home - Team-Based Learning Collaborative (opens in a new tab)