Lessons from Alison: A Narrative Study of Differentiation in Classroom Teaching

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Accepted Manuscript (AM)
Author(s)
Geelan, David
Christie, Pam
Mills, Martin
Keddie, Amanda
Renshaw, Peter
Monk, Sue
Year published
2015
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Teaching is challenging in part because, although school structures are to some extent modelled on industrial approaches in which the 'raw materials' are assumed to be very similar, human beings are endlessly diverse. Understanding the many differences among students, and treating these differences as teaching resources rather than deficits, is a powerful approach. This paper draws on teacher interviews and classroom observations collected during a two year study of two regional Queensland schools to explore issues of 'recognition', 'distribution' and social justice. It uses narrative vignettes from a single classroom to ...
View more >Teaching is challenging in part because, although school structures are to some extent modelled on industrial approaches in which the 'raw materials' are assumed to be very similar, human beings are endlessly diverse. Understanding the many differences among students, and treating these differences as teaching resources rather than deficits, is a powerful approach. This paper draws on teacher interviews and classroom observations collected during a two year study of two regional Queensland schools to explore issues of 'recognition', 'distribution' and social justice. It uses narrative vignettes from a single classroom to provide an occasion for reflection on the part of the reader on how schooling can better meet the needs of students, and outlines six pedagogical practices for effective classroom teaching.
View less >
View more >Teaching is challenging in part because, although school structures are to some extent modelled on industrial approaches in which the 'raw materials' are assumed to be very similar, human beings are endlessly diverse. Understanding the many differences among students, and treating these differences as teaching resources rather than deficits, is a powerful approach. This paper draws on teacher interviews and classroom observations collected during a two year study of two regional Queensland schools to explore issues of 'recognition', 'distribution' and social justice. It uses narrative vignettes from a single classroom to provide an occasion for reflection on the part of the reader on how schooling can better meet the needs of students, and outlines six pedagogical practices for effective classroom teaching.
View less >
Journal Title
International Journal of Pedagogies and Learning
Volume
10
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© 2015 Taylor & Francis (Routledge). This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in International Journal of Pedagogies & Learning on 06 Oct 2015, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/22040552.2015.1084673
Subject
Secondary education