Differentiated Literacy Instruction: Boondoggle or Best Practice?

Puzio, Kelly; Colby, Glenn T.; Algeo-Nichols, Dana

doi:10.3102/0034654320933536

Cited by 40 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 59 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The findings of this review are important for researchers, teachers, and policymakers, in influencing their decisions regarding the promotion of high-achieving students. Based on theoretical concepts (Kaplan, 1986; Vygotsky, 1978), previous research (Barbier et al, 2022; Bondie et al, 2019; Deunk et al, 2018; Puzio et al, 2020; Smale-Jacobse et al, 2019), and the current systematic mixed-methods review, it can be summarized that matching learning with students’ ability levels through DI is a promising approach for the promotion of high-achieving students in mixed-ability classrooms. The criticism that special education for high-achieving students is elitist and unfair does not hold for DI, as DI also positively impacted not-as-high-achieving identified students (Deunk et al, 2018; Puzio et al, 2020; Smale-Jacobse et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…DI covers various instructional practices such as tiered tasks, scaffolds, and adaptive learning materials. The organizational aspect contains structures for DI, such as within-class grouping arrangements (Deunk et al, 2018; Puzio et al, 2020; Smale-Jacobse et al, 2019; Tomlinson, 2014). Another construct that considers the needs of individual students and provides corresponding learning opportunities for each student is individualization.…”

Section: Theoretical Framework Of DI and Its Role For High-achieving ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Promoting High-Achieving Students Through Differentiated Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms—A Systematic Review

Ziernwald

Hillmayr

Holzberger

2022

Journal of Advanced Academics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Promoting high-achieving students plays an important role in the school context. Hence, one promising support measure within the mixed-ability classroom is differentiated instruction (DI). The current systematic review examined (1) the impact of DI on high-achieving students’ outcomes, (2) to what extent DI is used, (3) how useful teachers and high-achieving students perceive DI, and (4) which barriers and facilitators are encountered in DI’s implementation. Forty-nine studies from 2000 to 2019 were included. Differentiated instruction impacted high-achieving students’ academic achievement and motivational-affective characteristics predominantly positive. However, there was considerable heterogeneity between and within studies. Teachers typically did not use DI for high-achieving students proactively nor on a regular basis. However, teachers and high-achieving students perceived DI as valuable for encouraging high-achieving students. The barriers found might help to explain discrepancies between the extent of usage and the perceived utility, whereas the identified facilitators suggest how to overcome these barriers.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theoretical Framework Of DI and Its Role For High-achieving ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting High-Achieving Students Through Differentiated Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms—A Systematic Review

Ziernwald

Hillmayr

Holzberger

2022

Journal of Advanced Academics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This indicates that just under 40% of preservice teachers believed they were exposed to hands-on literacy teaching approaches. The strategies for literacy teaching need to be varied in order for the teaching to be inclusive of all students' learning needs (Louden, 2005; Puzio, 2020). The inconsistency in responses suggests that mentor teachers need to review their own approaches to teaching literacy, or that preservice teachers require further experience to identify the strategies being incorporated by their mentor teachers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Primary preservice teachers' perspectives of their literacy mentoring experiences during professional placement

James

Hudson

Cutcher

2021

IJMCE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

PurposeBeing literate can change the lives of Australian students. Therefore, graduating effective teachers of literacy is an imperative for Australian schools. Professional experience provides an opportunity for preservice teachers to refine their skills for teaching literacy under the guidance of a mentor teacher. This study investigates from the perspective of preservice teachers, the attributes and practices primary mentor teachers demonstrate when mentoring literacy teaching during professional experience.Design/methodology/approachThis investigation utilised survey design to gather data from primary preservice teachers (n = 402) from seven Australian universities. The 34 survey items were underpinned by the Five Factor Model of Mentoring and literacy practices prescribed by the Australian curriculum. Preservice teachers self-reported their responses about their literacy mentoring experiences on a five-point Likert scale. The Five Factor Model of Mentoring provided a framework to analyse and present the data using descriptive statistics.FindingsFindings revealed 70% or more of preservice teachers agreed or strongly agreed mentor teachers had the personal attributes, shared the pedagogical knowledge, modelled best practice and provided feedback for effective literacy teaching. Conversely, only 58.7% of the participants reported their mentor teachers shared the system requirements for effective literacy teaching.Research limitations/implicationsThe preservice teachers self-reported their experiences, and although this may be their experience, it does not necessarily mean the mentor teachers did not demonstrate the attributes and practices reported, it may mean they were not identified by the preservice teachers. While there were 402 participants in this study, the viewpoints of these preservice teachers' may or may not be indicative of the entire population of preservice teachers across Australia. This study included primary preservice teachers, so the experiences of secondary and early childhood teachers have not been reported. An extended study would include secondary and early childhood contexts.Practical implicationsThis research highlighted that not all mentor teachers shared the system requirements for literacy teaching with their mentee. This finding prompts a need to undertake further research to investigate the confidence of mentor teachers in their own ability to teach literacy in the primary school. Teaching literacy is complex, and the curriculum is continually evolving. Providing professional learning in teaching literacy will position mentor teachers to better support preservice teachers during professional experience. Ultimately, the goal is to sustain high quality literacy teaching in schools to promote positive outcomes for all Australian school students.Originality/valueWhile the role of mentor teacher is well recognised, there is a dearth of research that explores the mentoring of literacy during professional experience. The preservice teachers in this study self-reported inconsistencies in mentor teachers' attributes and practices for mentoring literacy prompting a need for further professional learning in this vital learning area.

show abstract

“…We can only observe the aggregate trends. Specifically, we did not assess how various interventions designed to foster the growth of high-achieving students (e.g., differentiation or academic acceleration, see Puzio, Colby, &Algeo-Nichols, 2020 andSteenbergen-Hu, Makel, &Olszewski-Kubilius, 2016, respectively) influence their growth rates relative to typical students. How much the presence or absence of such interventions contributed to the results presented here is unknown.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential return on investment: Academic growth in mathematics and reading based on initial performance

Rambo‐Hernandez

Makel

Peters

et al. 2021

Brit J of Edu Psychol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background. Students vary in their initial achievement when they enter school and their rate of academic growth as they move through school. These differences have implications for classroom instruction and educational policy. Although previous research has examined initial achievement and growth differences, a gap remains in understanding how initial level of achievement interacts with subsequent growth as children move through school.Aim. Using Vygotsky's zone of proximal development (ZPD) and return on investment as theoretical grounding, this registered report examined how students' initial academic performance relative to their school predicts their subsequent academic achievement. The stage 1 accepted registered report is available at https://osf.io/9zmak/. Specifically, we tracked the achievement of a cohort of students who started at or above their school's mean at the beginning of third grade and tested a range of hypotheses regarding their achievement and growth as well as which students showed the greatest gains from their time in school.Sample. Using a large database of student academic achievement in the United States, this registered report included de-identified data from all students from fall 2014 to spring 2017 in grades three through five from the ten US states with the highest participation for the Northwest Evaluation Association's Measures of Academic Progress (MAP ® )a computer adaptive test of academic achievement in mathematics and reading. Because the MAP is taken at least twice per school year, up to six scores were included on mathematics and reading achievement for effective samples of approximately 220,000 students.Method. We built separate reading and mathematics three-level piecewise longitudinal hierarchical linear models (student repeated measures, nested within students, nested within schools) to model student growth from the beginning of third grade to the end of fifth grade (i.e., three academic years and two summers).Results. For both mathematics and reading, average student achievement growth slowed as they progressed from third through fifth grade. From there, the findings

show abstract

Differentiated Literacy Instruction: Boondoggle or Best Practice?

Cited by 40 publications

References 59 publications

Promoting High-Achieving Students Through Differentiated Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms—A Systematic Review

Promoting High-Achieving Students Through Differentiated Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms—A Systematic Review

Primary preservice teachers' perspectives of their literacy mentoring experiences during professional placement

Differential return on investment: Academic growth in mathematics and reading based on initial performance

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About