Research aim

The aim of the research is to investigate the attitudes and opinions of pre-service students regarding Differentiated Instruction as a characteristic of Quality Teaching (QΤ) in the Greek Primary School.

Theoretical framework

Research on QΤ is intensifying, especially in recent years, due to the challenges of the modern school where students coexist in classrooms that are differentiated on the basis of a combination of parameters such as cultural and ethnic background, etc.

QΤ is a complex conceptual construct and therefore researchers have developed a variety of frameworks and models to observe and investigate QΤ, such as the lesson observation form for assessing QΤ by researcher W. van de Grift which includes a variety of dimensions such as Differentiated Instruction, etc.

From the literature review it is found that there are not enough studies where the research subjects investigating QΤ are external observers such as future teachers.

Methods

The research was conducted among students of the Department of Primary Education at the University of Ioannina (Greece). During the Teaching Practice in Primary Schools they observed the teachers' teaching for 2 weeks.

They were then asked to complete a structured questionnaire with 42 "closed" type five-point Likert-type questions (1=not at all and 5=Extremely) exploring QΤ. This study analyses the questions related to Differentiated Instruction.

The sample of the study consists of 222 students. Convenience sampling was used to select the sample.

Findings

From the processing and analysis of the responses, it is clear that the statements of pre-service students in all the questions, regarding Differentiated Instruction as a characteristic of QΤ in Greek Primary Schools, are neutral and tend to be positive since the average ranges between 2.5 and 3 (3=moderate).

Relevance to the Conference theme and specific strand

Abstract is relevant the sub-theme: Characteristics of QΤ

This study examines how teachers navigate and redefine their roles during two crises: the COVID-19 pandemic (in alternative schools) and the Iron Swords war in Israel (in evacuee schools). We aim to broaden understanding of teachers' roles, characteristics, work, and tensions, focusing on the interplay between teachers' perspectives, community expectations, and adherence to governmental instructions.

Employing Tyack and Tobin's (1994) "grammar of schooling" framework—which describes persistent organizational, curricular and relationship patterns in schooling—we analyze how educational structures are challenged and reshaped during crises. This approach reveals hidden structures and work (Bowker & Star, 1999) in emergency educational settings.

Our multiple case study incorporates data from four evacuee schools during the Iron Swords war (2024) and twelve alternative schools during the COVID-19 pandemic (2021-2022). Methods include semi-structured interviews with 65 educators, on-site observations, and thematic analysis.

Preliminary results expose hidden aspects of teachers' roles, uncovering three main tensions:

1. Holistic student well-being versus academic achievement
2. Trauma-informed pedagogy versus normalcy and resilience
3. Maintaining community obligation and routines versus academic instruction

We propose a triangular model of the teacher-educator role—parental work, therapeutic perspective, and academic teaching—which maps onto these tensions. The first tension lies mainly on the parent-academic axis, while the second tension aligns with the therapeutic corner. SEL lessons represent the therapeutic-academic side. This model has implications for educational practice and policy.

This research addresses the conference theme by exploring how teachers reconcile work-related tensions and suggesting a model that manifests tensions between established norms and crisis-driven necessities. It illuminates the process of negotiating a new social contract in education, where teachers' roles expand beyond traditional boundaries. Future research could explore the applicability of this model in non-crisis educational settings.

The passive learning phenomenon, common in teacher-centred classrooms, persists in classrooms globally despite continuous calls for learner-centred pedagogies. The educational landscape is in dire need of a shift to not only promote learner-centredness but also to move towards autonomy-supportive pedagogical approaches. This paper aims to elucidate and explore the potential of the ‘Altered Flipped Classroom Pedagogy’, a context-specific active learning intervention, to enhance learner engagement and participation in an everyday high school classroom. It originates from Bergman and Sams’ seminal work on the topic. It was, however, ‘altered’ to meet the needs of the South African context, where only an estimated 20,35% of the public high schools in the country have access to technology for teaching and learning purposes. The Flipped classroom was selected as instructional pedagogy as it is founded on socio-constructivist theories of learning that increase the potential for active engagement. Additionally, the research is situated within Self-Determination Theory, as the design of the intervention addresses learners' need for autonomy, relatedness and competence. Using volunteer sampling, high school teachers attended an online training session and received a training manual before implementing the intervention. Data was primarily collected via semi-structured interviews and triangulated using three alternative qualitative methods after undergoing the process of thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The primary findings demonstrate the potential of the AFCP to increase learner engagement, participation, and motivation. Further findings also highlight the positive effect on learner autonomy and the activation of learners’ self-determined behaviours thereby increasing the richness of learners’ learning experiences. When learners become more autonomous, they grow their ability to think independently, to problem solve and to take greater ownership of their learning. This intervention directly speaks to curriculum design for equitable teaching as it was developed to suit various educational contexts within the diverse South African educational landscape.

Research Aim

Presenting several long-term projects in cities in Israel, enabling school clusters (10 schools and more) to experience deeper learning and teaching in specific subject matter or generally in all the schools' teaching through the use of Attentive Teaching mode of instruction.

Theoretical framework

The need for Deeper Learning in American schools is emphasized in Mehta and Fine (2019). The pedagogy is the goal of the exceptional schools that they analyze, looking for the combination of: mastery, identity and creativity. Attentive Teaching (Schur & Guberman, 2023) cultivates the individual nature of the understanding that students experience in the classroom allowing the students to connect their knowledge, identity and creativity with observations and understanding of environments or texts or concepts in any subject matter and any age.

Methods

Implementation of Attentive Teaching in schools, starts with enabling leading teachers to get two years of training in Attentive Teaching, and then lead the school implementation of the teaching and learning method for two or three more years.

Findings

Three Long term projects of implementations of Attentive Teaching will be described:

1. in Arab East Jerusalem 15 primary schools

2. English Attentive Teaching in 12 high-schools in Arab East Jerusalem

3. Intervention in 10 primary and high-schools in Kiryat Shemona, the northern part of Israel

The leading teachers experience mediated interactions where they draw and explain their points of view of the learnt topic. Products from their experiences will be presented.

Relevance to the Conference theme and specific strand

As the conference deals with quality teaching and influencing equity in society, the presentation relates to an implementation of innovative teaching and learning in areas of low socio-economical populations, with the aim of influencing whole areas in long term projects.