The Politics of Differentiation in Schools

In many English-speaking countries, teachers are encouraged to differentiate their classrooms, and in some cases, through various policy mechanisms. This encouragement is often accompanied by threats and sanctions for not making the grade. By exploring the ways in which one education system in Australia has mandated differentiation through an audit of teacher practices, this book provides a timely engagement with the relationship between differentiated classrooms and social justice. It covers tensions, for instance, between providing culturally-appropriate classrooms, including constructing engaging and relevant curricula, and lowering expectations for students who have traditionally been marginalised by schooling. The data for this book has been collected from the same group of teachers over a period of three years, and offers detailed insights into how a particular politics of differentiation has played itself out in the context of a ‘global reform movement’ that has focused on improving student outcomes.

1. The Politics of Differentiation 2. A Politics of Differentiation and Pedagogy 3. A Politics of Differentiation and Teacher Expectations 4. A Politics of Differentiation and Care 5. A Politics of Differentiation and Curriculum 6. A Politics of Differentiation and Culture 7. A Politics of Differentiation towards Social Justice

Martin Mills is a Research Professor in the School of Education at The University of Queensland. Amanda Keddie is a Fellow in the School of Education at The University of Queensland. Peter Renshaw is a Professor and Head of School in the School of Education at The University of Queensland. Sue Monk is a Research Fellow in the School of Education at The University of Queensland.