Language and Education · 2012 · 85 citations · 20 references
EducationSpecial EducationTeachingInclusive EducationLanguage EducationPedagogyInclusive Classroom EnvironmentsInclusive Classroom PracticesInclusive PracticeInclusive TeachingInstructional DifferentiationSpecial Educational NeedsCase Study MethodologyDifferentiated Language InstructionDifferentiated Learning EnvironmentEducational DifferentiationInclusive InstructionInclusive Learning EnvironmentsLesson DifferentiationPhysical Classroom Environment
The study investigates how Finnish CLIL teachers differentiate instruction, particularly to support pupils with special needs. Using a mixed‑methods design, the authors conducted a qualitative case study in an inclusive CLIL school and a quantitative survey of 51 teachers to examine perceptions, practices, and challenges of differentiation. Teachers reported varied, language‑focused differentiation strategies that aligned with their perceptions, but faced major challenges of time, materials, and classroom environment, suggesting a need for more systematic differentiation and structural reforms such as co‑teaching and smaller class sizes.
The present study investigates differentiation in content and language integrated learning (CLIL) in Finland and addresses the issue of how to support the pupils with special needs in it. Specifically, this combination of a qualitative case study and quantitative survey examines (1) primary teachers' perceptions of differentiation, (2) the differentiation methods the teachers use in CLIL education and (3) the challenges of differentiation they identify. The qualitative phase was conducted in a school which offers CLIL education also to pupils with special needs following the principles of inclusive education. The results revealed that the teachers (n = 51) perceived differentiation in somewhat different ways. In general, the teachers differentiated their CLIL education in a fairly versatile manner with various teaching arrangements and methods and focused on the differentiation of the language. In addition, the teachers' perceptions of differentiation correlated with the differentiation practices they used. The greatest challenges of differentiation involved time, material and physical classroom environment. The study indicates that teachers should be more conscious of the nature of differentiation for it to be more purposeful and systematic. Schools should critically re-examine their structures and for instance co-teaching, class-size reduction or remedial teaching could be used more effectively.
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