A DIFFERENTIATED APPROACH IN PRIMARY EDUCATION: WORKING WITH PUPILS OF DIFFERENT ATTAINMENT LEVELS

The article analyses the theoretical foundations and practical methodology of the differentiated approach in primary education. The problem lies in the fact that the attainment levels of same-age pupils in a single class differ markedly, while the traditional frontal lesson is geared towards the “average pupil”. The aim of the study is to develop a practical methodological model for working with pupils of different levels and to test it in a pedagogical experiment. The methods applied were theoretical analysis, comparison and a three-stage pedagogical experiment (ascertaining, formative and control); the principal techniques were multi-level tasks, differentiated cards, flexible grouping and the gradual reduction of support. The illustrative results show a decrease in the share of low attainment and an increase in high attainment in the experimental group. Conclusion: differentiation provides greater scope for the development of every pupil than frontal teaching, yet it requires accurate diagnostics on the part of the teacher and pre-prepared multi-level materials.