Differentiated curriculum

‘A teacher can be effective, efficient, inclusive, and strategic. Still, unless they are professionally kind along with these things, the learners suffer.’ In today’s reader submission, Professor Nan Bahr argues kindness is an essential general trait for all people, but it is also applied expertise for the teacher and should be a professional standard.

How might teachers best support struggling learners in the classroom? In our latest reader submission, teacher educators Dr Bryan Matera and Dr Joel Traver suggest five principles that can increase results when supporting struggling learners in the primary years.

'Targeted teaching is characterised by an unrelenting focus on "big ideas", without which students’ progress in mathematics will be seriously impacted.' Professor Di Siemon discusses how targeted teaching in relation to six ‘big ideas’ in number can lift student achievement in mathematics.

What is differentiated instruction? What are the main challenges for teachers wishing to use it in their classroom? Peter Westwood discusses in this Teacher Q&A.