Differentiated learning: from policy to classroom

Mills, Martin; Monk, Sue; Keddie, Amanda; Renshaw, Peter; Christie, Pam; Geelan, David; Gowlett, Christina

doi:10.1080/03054985.2014.911725

Cited by 78 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…The systematic evaluation of children was also an issue that raised much opposition towards teachers, in alignment with other studies (Mills et al, 2014;Smit & Humpert, 2012;Tobin & Tippett, 2014). Seemingly, teachers need additional support with specific tools and guidelines in order to make the evaluation procedure briefer and more applicable, as it is possible that they are not quite experienced or familiar with the systematic evaluation techniques.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although, DI is considered as an effective and promising teaching and learning approach that should be included in teachers' everyday practice, the related literature indicates that teachers tend to avoid DI's application (Mills et al, 2014;Wan, 2017;Suprayogi, Vackle, & Godwin, 2017;Tobin & Tippett, 2014;Tomlinson et al, 2003), as they perceive differentiation as a difficult and time-consuming procedure (Danzi, Reul, & Smith, 2008). Furthermore, in the study of Mills et al (2014), teachers confused DI with individualized instruction and believed they had to prepare as many activities as the students in their classroom. In addition, evaluation of children's initial ideas and abilities did not precede the decisions regarding the grouping arrangements, along with the application of flexible grouping, so the differentiation was at least defective.…”

Section: Differentiated Instructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The systematic evaluation of children is perceived as a constraint by teachers (Mills et al, 2014;Smit & Humpert, 2012;Tobin & Tippett, 2014), due to their difficulty to manage appropriately the collected information (Cha & Ahn, 2014).…”

Section: Differentiated Instructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Teachers’ Experiences of a Professional Development Program for Differentiated Instruction

Mavidou¹,

Κακανά²

2019

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Differentiated Instruction (DI) is considered as the teaching approach that builds upon children's differences in order to address them and consequently lead each and every child to academic success. Although DI seems to be an effective teaching approach, teachers' perceptions and/or misconceptions, as well as unsuccessful attempts of implementation, constrain its inclusion in everyday practice. Therefore, the need for appropriate and effective Professional Development programs (PDp) is emerging in order to clearly define the concept of DI and facilitate the application of related practices. The aim of the current study is to shed light onto teachers' experiences with DI, through a PDp, which was developed to provide effective support to teachers to change their perceptions and teaching practices and apply successfully DI. The participants were 7 in-service kindergarten teachers. The program lasted 8 months and included deepening on theoretical and practical levels. Multiple tools were used for data collection, such as open-ended questionnaires, personal diary of the researcher and individual semi-structured interviews. Content Analysis showed that teachers initially had misconceptions about the concept of DI and doubts regarding its applicability, while during the program they realized its positive impact on children, which encouraged them to continue their differentiating practice. According to teachers, the successful elements of the program, which contributed to the revision of their personal theories and generally their professional development, were the cooperation with colleagues in a warm and welcoming climate during the meetings, the long-lasting duration and the constant feedback and reflection. To conclude, the PDps provide the necessary context for the teacher to experiment with DI, though the prediction of future application is not yet sufficiently studied.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Differentiated Instructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Teachers’ Experiences of a Professional Development Program for Differentiated Instruction

Mavidou¹,

Κακανά²

2019

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“…This requires the teacher to know their students' levels, interests and preferred modes of learning. Mills et al (2014) [36] identified the need for teachers to take into account their students' cultural identities and plan programs and learning activities, which allow their students to make connections with others and with the content. Differentiated learning takes into account the fact that students are all individuals with different backgrounds, learning styles, passions, strengths and weaknesses.…”

Section: Differentiated Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Making Mathematics Learning More Engaging for Students in Health Schools through the Use of Apps

Willacy

Calder

2017

Education Sciences

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This paper reports on an aspect of a case study of four 11-to-13-year-old students of a Regional Health School (RHS) in New Zealand, using apps on their own mobile devices as part of their mathematics programs. It considers the issue of engaging students in mathematical learning when they are recovering from significant health issues. The paper examines the influence of apps on these students' engagement with mathematical learning through the facilitation of differentiated learning programs. The research design was a case study with semi-structured interviews, questionnaires and observation used to generate the data. A number of themes arose from the data including both the positive and negative influences of apps on student engagement and the influence of apps on facilitating differentiated learning programs. The results indicated that using apps for mathematics had a positive influence on student engagement for most students. The positive student engagement seemed to be partly due to the apps' ability to support differentiated learning.

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“…However, it should be noted that the same child also experienced difficulties related to allergies which also seemed difficult to accommodate within the school environment, this may imply differences of any type are obstacles. This is supported by Mills et al (2014) who undertook an audit exploring the impact of teaching and learning in all government schools in Queensland, Australia, with focus on the extent to which classroom learning is differentiated to meet the needs of each individual student.…”

Section: Phase Twomentioning

confidence: 99%

The Social-Emotional Well-Being of The Gifted Child and Perceptions of Parent and Teacher Social Support

Wright-Scott¹

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Research suggests that social-emotional well-being (SEWB) is a fundamental building block for the healthy development of all children (Colangelo & Davis, 2003;Durlak, Dymnicki, Taylor, Weissberg & Schellinger, 2011;Peterson & Morris, 2010;Schonert-Reichl & Hymel, 2007;Shechtman & Silektor, 2012;Silverman & Golon, 2008). As such, educational policy within Australia calls for a whole school approach to meet the educational and social-emotional needs of all students (Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs, 2008).However, research comparing intellectually gifted children to their chronological age peers as well as their mental age peers note differences in functioning, but the results are inconsistent. Gifted children may behave similarly to either their chronological age or mental age peers in specific domains yet entirely differently to either in others (Lehman & Erdwins, 2004). In light of this inconclusiveness, it is difficult to determine whether gifted children are hindered or helped by their giftedness, and indeed individual differences are likely to be experienced by individual children.However, it can be concluded that gifted children as a group may experience unique social-emotional challenges related to their giftedness which could thwart their optimal development and require support from their parents and teachers in coping with stressors.Despite research that highlights the needs of gifted children, Australian empirical research has focused mainly on the cognitive needs of gifted primary school children and differentiation of the curriculum, as has the majority of international research (Cross, 2011;Kennedy, 1995;Lamont, 2012;Moon, Kelly, & Feldhusen, 1997;Tieso, 2007). However, as humans, we are both thinking and feeling beings; empirical research is therefore needed to explore the social-emotional needs of gifted primary school-aged children. Due to the limited contexts in which primary school-aged children find themselves, the unique social-emotional needs of gifted children are predominantly supported by parents and teachers (Wellisch, Brown, & Knight, 2012). As a result, this study explored the factors which influence a child's social-emotional well-being, and the social support parents and teachers provide to foster the social-emotional needs of gifted children both individually and iii through their partnership, through exploration of the perspectives of the parent, teacher, and gifted child.This study used a mixed methods approach, comprised of two phases, to achieve these outcomes. A sample of 76 parents, 32 primary school aged children, and 19 teachers participated in phase one. Children in this study were considered gifted if they had been assessed as such through psycho-educational assessment, were performing in the top 10% of similar age peers or were engaged in extension opportunities. Furthermore, gifted children who were underachieving were also considered. Parents and teachers within Australia completed a demographic form as well as the Strength...

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Differentiated learning: from policy to classroom

Cited by 78 publications

References 29 publications

Teachers’ Experiences of a Professional Development Program for Differentiated Instruction

Teachers’ Experiences of a Professional Development Program for Differentiated Instruction

Making Mathematics Learning More Engaging for Students in Health Schools through the Use of Apps

The Social-Emotional Well-Being of The Gifted Child and Perceptions of Parent and Teacher Social Support

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