Differentiated Instruction Insights: Successes and Obstacles Faced by Singapore Educators
OER 02/17 HTT - Exploratory Study of Singapore Teachers’ Implementations and Experiences of Differentiated Instruction
Project Team
Co-PI: Associate Professor Tan Heng Kiat Kelvin, LSA, NIE
Collaborator: Ms Foong Poh Yi, CPDD, MOE
Research Associate: Ms Lynn Song, PCL, NIE
Project Description
The growing recognition and appreciation of diversity in our classroom corresponds with the increasing diversity in Singapore’s societal fabric. Differentiated instruction (DI), a systematic educational approach in which teachers modify content, teaching and learning activities to honour learner differences has been identified as a way to help students level up. This study focuses on how Singapore teachers implement DI in their classrooms—the successes and obstacles they face in implementation, and how their implementations and experiences change over time.
Using a qualitative research design, the research team worked with ten participants teaching different levels and subjects across five primary and five secondary schools between 2018 to 2019. Participants were involved in three semi-structured interviews, a background questionnaire and four observation cycles. Findings showed that participants displayed strength in building a foundation of quality curriculum, creating environments that promote learning, and leading students and managing routines. They displayed weakness in using assessment to drive teaching and learning, and tailoring instruction to learner variance. In addition, participants faced technological (large class size and student diversity, and time constraints), sociocultural (shifting from teacher-centred to student-centred perspectives, and reconciling sociocultural preference for the collective with DI’s focus on the individual), and political (navigating expectations of good teaching, and negotiating uncertainty of impact of students’ academic achievement with stakeholders) challenges.
More details from this study can be found at the practitioner-friendly website: SingTeach, Knowledge Resource Bank, Differentiated Instruction: https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2022/05/24/differentiated_instruction/
Project Implications
Findings from the study highlighted that DI is not just a teaching strategy, but is an educational approach based on certain philosophies and principles where teachers need to rethink perspectives about learners, learning, as well as teaching and assessment.
Recommendations for Schools:
- Recognise how technological, sociocultural, and political factors shape the applicability of educational approaches to the Singapore context.
- Create sustained professional development focused on reculturing teachers’ views.
Recommendation for Teachers:
- Understand that DI is not just a teaching strategy but an educational approach.
Resources
Practitioner-friendly resources:
- SingTeach, Issue 71 Dec 2019 “Differentiated Instruction: Perspectives from Singapore”
- Research Brief Series 21-010 based on project OER 02/17 HTT: Differentiated Instruction: Ten Teachers’ Implementation in Singapore
- OER Knowledge Bites, Volume 12 Mar 2020, “Exploring the Link Between Assessment and Differentiated Instruction”
- A differentiated primary six Math unit on percentage (with sample lesson plan)
- Principles and Philosophy in a Differentiated Classroom
Selected research articles:
- Heng, T. T. (2023). Lessons on educational borrowing and change: Teachers’ implementation of differentiated instruction in Singapore. Pedagogy, Culture & Society. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2023.2166094 (Updated on 13 March 2023)
- Heng, T. T. Song, L. (2021). At the intersection of educational change and borrowing: teachers implementing learner-centred education in Singapore. COMPARE: A Journal of Comparative and International Education. doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2021.1874248
- Heng, T.T. Song, L. Tan, K.H.K. (2021). Understanding the interaction of assessment, learning and context: Insights from Singapore. Educational Research, 63(1), 65-79.
- Heng, T. T., & Song, L. (2020). A proposed framework for understanding educational change and transfer: Insights from Singapore teachers’ perceptions of differentiated instruction. Journal of Educational Change, 21(4), 595-622.
- Heng, M.A. & Fernandez, L. (2017). Re-examining differentiation: Big ideas and misguided notions. In (Eds.) Tan, K.H.K., Heng, M.A., Ratnam-Lim, C., Curriculum leadership by middle leaders (pp.104-124), Oxon, UK: Routledge.
Feel free to use this research article as teaser as it talks about teachers’ implementation of DI in SG: Heng, T. T. (2023). Lessons on educational borrowing and change: Teachers’ implementation of differentiated instruction in Singapore. Pedagogy, Culture & Society. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2023.2166094 (Updated on 13 March 2023)
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