The Misnomers of Differentiating Instruction in Large Classes

With increasing class sizes of diverse students, instructional options for those who teach large classes in higher education are limited. While whole-class instruction is an integral part of many classrooms and often the instructional practice of choice, this teacher-centered strategy is less effect...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe journal of effective teaching Vol. 17; no. 3; pp. 64 - 76
Main Authors Turner, Windi D, Solis, Oscar J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Journal of Effective Teaching 2017
Subjects
Class Size
College Faculty
College Instruction
Individualized Instruction
Large Group Instruction
Qualitative Research
Statistical Analysis
Teacher Attitudes
Teacher Surveys
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Summary:With increasing class sizes of diverse students, instructional options for those who teach large classes in higher education are limited. While whole-class instruction is an integral part of many classrooms and often the instructional practice of choice, this teacher-centered strategy is less effective in promoting a greater level of growth and academic success with college students. This study examined instructors' understanding of differentiated instruction and their perceptions of the challenges to implement differentiation in large classes. Themes emerging from this study highlight the misnomers of differentiated instruction, further solidifying the need for adequate training and professional development on differentiation. Although a glimpse into the perceptions of one campus' faculty, the results contribute to the conflicting discourse on differentiated instruction in higher education.
ISSN:1935-7869