For decades, differentiated instruction (DI) has been utilised as a generalist teaching approach and an inclusive practice in order to enhance the participation of all learners in the mainstream classroom, including learners with special educational needs. The extensive use of differentiation in mainstream classrooms as the gateway to inclusive education denotes the academic and social participation of all learners in a diverse environment. However, the lack of consensus on the specific implementation of DI has the potential for exclusionary tendencies based on nuances in its implementation and approach. While several educational systems prescribe differentiation in their policies as the main way of inclusive practice, it comes with minimal guidance or training on how it should actually be implemented. In the case of Bahrain, differentiated instruction is infused through pre-service and in-service education programmes, as well as advised and expected by the main quality assurance agency in the kingdom. This paper will discuss the dichotomy of differentiated instruction and how the undermining dualism to its execution can actually have a counterproductive impact on students’ academic and social inclusion. The research questions pertaining to this study are therefore: how is differentiated instruction conceptualised and implemented in primary classrooms in Bahrain? How does this version of DI contribute or hinder the academic and social inclusion of diverse learners? What influences the inclusionary or exclusionary implementation of DI?

Authors:
Hanin Bukamal, University of Bahrain, Bahrain

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Hanin Bukamal is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at University of Bahrain in Bahrain

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