Guidelines to assist the implementation of differentiated learning activities in South African secondary schools

Despite previous research and recommendations in South Africa, secondary-school teachers still encounter economic, social and cultural challenges in implementing differentiated learning activities in the classroom. The diversity of learners with learning barriers inevitably leads to an increase in workload for the teachers. This article draws on data generated from the research conducted in South Africa and from questionnaires completed by secondary-school teachers who identified existing challenges to implementing differentiated learning activities, as well as on student teachers who implemented three differentiated learning activities (for the slow, average and gifted learners), and reflects on their experiences of good and bad practices. The literature review and specialists' views were integrated to determine how to overcome the challenges that the implementation of differentiated learning faces. Several challenges to the implementation of differentiated learning were highlighted by the research. The research indicated that a total of 97% of teachers never or seldom use a flexible curriculum and extra time to accommodate the diverse learning needs of learners. This article provides guidelines on how to implement differentiated learning activities in secondary-school classes and offers ideas on how to start with differentiated teaching.