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Differentiation and Diversity in the Primary School EVE BEARNE (Ed.), 1996 London, Routledge
ix + 270 pp., 12.99 paperback
Differentiation has been an educational buzzword for many years, yet there is no clear agreement about either its meaning or implications. This book sets out to unpick the notion of differentiation, answering the question what is differentiation and how is it done, thereby revealing the complexity of the term and encouraging the reader to think critically about it.
The book interweaves advice and ideas from leading contributors to teacher education, mostly based at Homerton College, Cambridge, with case study research and classroom experiences of practising teachers.
The thread running through the book is that diversity and difference are to be welcomed in the classroom. While there are different abilities, aptitudes and interests, pupils themselves are of equal value. Differentiation should not be a means of grading children; rather, a differentiated curriculum and differing teaching and learning styles are positive means of promoting the progress of...