Differentiated instruction:A review of teacher education practices for Canadian pre-service elementary school teachers

Differentiated instruction has been identified as the most effective means of addressing the various learning, cultural, ethnic, and socio-economic differences within inclusive classrooms. The purpose of this study is to review and evaluate the professional preparation that Canadian elementary school teachers are offered in their university programmes regarding inclusive education and differentiated instruction, and to compare that level of preparation with individual provincial policies regarding inclusive education. All the Canadian university programmes that offer a bachelor degree in education in elementary education were reviewed (N = 53) for the number of courses and course credits they include regarding education in differentiated instruction or inclusive education practices and the programmes were compared within and between provinces. The results indicate that the majority of elementary school pre-service teachers receive an introduction to inclusive teaching practices. On average, 7.2% of the course credits in Canadian bachelor of education programmes are dedicated to introducing pre-service teachers to inclusive or differentiated teaching practices. Pre-service teachers entering the workforce will likely require additional professional development and support to effectively differentiate their instruction to meet the needs of diverse student populations. The results of this review have implications for universities, school administrators, teachers, and other education professionals.