This paper reports on an investigation into the belief patterns of music teachers with regard to the nature and significance of factors of individual difference and in the context of secondary school classroom music teaching. Belief patterns were collected in the form of Personal Construct models, drawing on Kelly's Theory of Personal Constructs.…

Teacher-educators' conceptions of teaching may influence their teaching practice in a variety of ways. The concept of dilemma may provide an adequate framework to disclose how teacher-educators realise their conceptions of teaching in actual teaching practice. In our view, dilemmas constitute a powerful conceptualisation to find out about the…

Although it is widely agreed that teacher sensitivity to individual learning differences (ILDs) is an integral component of effective teaching, little research has focused on how to develop this sensitivity in teachers. This study describes the reported effects of a year-long professional development course designed to sensitize 14 teachers to…

The aim of the paper is to explore teachers' methods of delivering an ethos of tolerance, respect and mutual understanding in one integrated secondary school in Northern Ireland. Drawing on interviews with 18 teachers in the school, it is argued that most teachers make 'critical choices' which both reflect and reinforce a 'culture of avoidance',…

The number of minority students in the schools is rapidly increasing. Simultaneously, the number of minority teachers is decreasing. Achievement gaps by minority students exists across the nation. Due to the lack of culturally responsive pedagogy and practice in their preparation programs, teachers have resorted to less effective measures in…

This paper reports a case study of how junior secondary geography teachers in Changchun, China, planned and delivered their lessons. From the observation and interview data, it was found that teachers in the China mainland were strongly influenced by a compliance culture and uncertainty avoidance stance. It is argued that these cultural traits…

Classroom teachers' beliefs and attitudes regarding the role and significance of individual differences have received relatively little attention in the literature to date, notwithstanding the well-documented importance both of teachers' beliefs and factors of individual difference for the learning and teaching process. The purpose of this study…

The social studies teacher should assist pupils in developing meaningful learnings. A teacher can achieve such a goal by building on interests that students already have in the social studies. It also is necessary to provide for individual differences among elementary school children. The learner must perceive a purpose and must be able to…

Research supported by OEC-5-10-297 and by National Science Foundation Grant No. GP-5114.

Fourteen studies were reviewed whose findings indicate that learner control of certain presentation characteristics interacts with certain learner characteristics. Thus, learner control is not a panacea for accomodating individual differences. Instead, some kinds of individual differences probably should be taken into account by teachers and…

The two-phase study compared two methods of adapting self-instructional materials to individual differences among learners. The methods were compared with each other and with a control condition involving only minimal adaptation. The first adaptation procedure was based on subjects' performances on a learning task in Phase I of the study; the…

The objectives of this study were to determine the effect post-adjunct questions exert on: learning from oral and written instruction, learning by high and low ability readers, and learning material which requires different levels of intellectual processing. No significant main effects occurred between question and no-question groups. Post-adjunct…

The author proposes methods and content for science instruction in the middle years and comments on teacher qualifications and pupil differences which need consideration. (SJL)

Describes a range of alternative organizational patterns which are possible in mixed ability situations and attempts to make explicit their underlying values and assumptions. (Author/RK)