DIGITAL LIBRARY
TEACHERS’ BELIEFS AS THE DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION STARTING POINT
University of Bucharest (ROMANIA)
About this paper:
Appears in: ICERI2013 Proceedings
Publication year: 2013
Pages: 2235-2240
ISBN: 978-84-616-3847-5
ISSN: 2340-1095
Conference name: 6th International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation
Dates: 18-20 November, 2013
Location: Seville, Spain
Abstract:
Today’s school, now compulsory for all children, creates more classroom diversity than ever before. Teachers’ beliefs towards differentiated instruction fundamentally influences the way students become products of profound and continuing societal changes.
In this context, the purpose of this paper is to trace the beliefs of primary school teachers regarding the differentiated approach to teaching and learning. Moreover, the paper is attempted to identify the reasons why teachers use or not differentiated strategies, their frequency and impact on student achievement.

Teachers’ misinterpretations need to be removed so they can develop a clear understanding of the key functions in a differentiated classroom. Even if the the national educational policies affiliated to EU recommendations invoke the need for the gradual, but constant development of the teachers’ skills, abilities, and competencies, in reality many teachers are unwilling or unable to teach adaptively, developing lessons based on students’ readiness, interests, and learning profile. In most cases, given the actual conditions of Romanian Educational System, teachers think of the consolations of their profession, emphasizing the impediments they confront. A significant number of teachers have doubts about the successful implementation of differentiation because of the classroom size, lack of resources, lack of time, ever-rising demands, not to mention low payment.

Nevertheless, there are teachers who face and accept the imperative status of differentiation in classroom. Teachers recognize and understand the need to take into consideration the way the students learn best. Teachers are opened to differentiation but they are not skilled yet (or not enough). Teachers think they are using differentiation strategies but are not.

The method used for this investigative approach is the focus group.

The findings of this paper are meant to build the foundation for further research studies
on how teachers’ beliefs about differentiating instruction are translated into daily activities, instructional procedures and classroom interactions. This study highlights the necessity of mapping teachers’ educational needs in the field of differentiated instruction and demands an appropriate approach. Furthermore, it is very important to develop teachers' positive attitudes towards differentiation and to train teachers’ self-efficiency in differentiated educational practices.