Preparing teachers for diversity

Abstract

This paper reports the insights into the process of preparing teachers for responding to pupil diversity, based on the evaluation of the process of a three-year (2004-07) Comenius 2.1 project among teacher educators from seven EU countries. The paper is contextualized within the author’s move towards a social constructivist approach to education. It then describes the evaluation of the piloting of the DTMp project (Differentiated Teaching Module, primary) materials with groups of pre- and ins-service teachers in seven different countries in online and face-to-face courses in each of the seven partner institutions. A qualitative analysis of post-course evaluation data, collected from course participants and tutors, highlighted the following key processes for teacher educators: (1) Develop own openness todiversity; (2) Focus on the learner; (3) Build a safe, inclusive learning community; (4) Focus on learner reflection; (5) Focus on learner reflectionin- action; (6) Challenge assumptions; and (7) Use social interactive rather than individual learning.