ABSTRACT

It is well accepted that not only the ability but also the positive disposition of teachers towards implementing differentiated teaching for various student groups can be traced back to their initial education. Therefore, differentiated practices of future teachers for high-achieving students are worth exploring. Based on the above, the purpose of the current study is to explore the practices and reflection of future teachers on differentiated teaching for high-achieving students. The participants (N = 142) were undergraduate students of a Greek university, who, during a six-month compulsory practicum course, planned and implemented in schools a two-hour-long differentiated course. In particular, their differentiated teaching strategies used for high-achieving students were investigated, as well as their reflection on the effectiveness of these strategies. Data were collected through the participants’ responses to the course’s open-ended evaluation form. Data were analysed on a mixed-methods basis (quantitative and qualitative) by two independent raters. Main findings have shown that the participants differentiated mainly the process of teaching according to their students’ learning readiness. Specifically, they provided less or lack of support for their high-achieving students, creating activities with a higher level of difficulty as well as activities that activated higher-order thinking skills. Finally, they believe that their strategies mostly affected their students’ learning/cognitive domain.

摘要

众所周知，教师对不同学生群体实施差异化教学的能力和积极性不仅可以追溯到他们的早期教育。因此，未来教师对优秀学生的差异化实践值得探索。基于上述，本研究的目的是探索未来教师对高成就学生差异化教学的实践和反思。参与者（N= 142) 是希腊大学的本科生，他们在为期六个月的必修实习课程中，在学校计划并实施了两小时的差异化课程。特别是，调查了他们针对优秀学生的差异化教学策略，以及他们对这些策略有效性的反思。数据是通过参与者对课程开放式评估表的回应收集的。数据由两个独立的评估者在混合方法（定量和定性）的基础上进行分析。主要发现表明，参与者主要根据学生的学习准备情况来区分教学过程。具体来说，他们为成绩优异的学生提供的支持较少或缺乏，创造具有更高难度的活动以及激活高阶思维技能的活动。最后，他们认为他们的策略主要影响学生的学习/认知领域。