Preparing Novice Teachers to Differentiate Instruction: Implications of a Longitudinal Study

Abstract

This longitudinal multi-case study explored four early career teachers’ attempts to differentiate instruction in schools that varied in their level of support for this pedagogical approach. It offered an in-depth examination of the experiences of novices who learned about the pedagogical tools of differentiation with depth and fidelity through the same preservice instruction, developed similar commitments to implementing them, and attempted to implement them in contrasting inservice settings. A large and rich data corpus collected across 4 years included participant interviews, observations of participants’ teaching practices, classroom artifacts, and interviews with participants’ mentors. Findings illustrated novices’ contrasting multi-year learning trajectories related to differentiation embedded within varied school settings. They also revealed the substantive role novices’ shifting visions of the enactment of practice played in appropriating differentiation’s pedagogical tools during their early careers. Recommendations for teacher educators who prepare teacher candidates to differentiate are provided.