Duration
24h Th
Number of credits
Lecturer
Coordinator
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the second semester
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
Wyss et al. (2023) identified five professional gestures likely to promote academic success and well-being for all students: differentiating pedagogical practices, developing students' socio-emotional competencies, supporting executive functions and attentional capacities, assessing and providing feedback, and fostering the transfer of learning. While these professional gestures span all levels of education, their implementation takes on particular characteristics in primary school settings, where heterogeneity manifests primarily in the varying rates at which students acquire disciplinary knowledge, in the diversity of learner profiles, and in the extent of competency gaps between students. It is within this perspective that the course on Pedagogical Management of Learner Heterogeneity - Practicum Workshop (Primary) is situated, offering an exploration of several of these dimensions through both a research-informed lens and their concrete implementation in the classroom.
- A first part, dedicated to conceptual foundations, will aim to enable students to understand and analyse heterogeneity as it manifests in primary school classrooms, across its cognitive, linguistic, socio-economic and cultural dimensions. Students will be invited to critically examine the assumptions underlying differentiation practices and to distinguish between pedagogical differentiation and structural differentiation. Particular attention will be paid to the teacher's ethical stance towards heterogeneity, by exploring the tension between a compensatory logic - aimed at reducing gaps between students, and an emancipatory logic, aimed at enabling each student to progress from their own resources. The legal framework in force in the French-speaking Community of Belgium will also be presented as the institutional grounding for expected practices, including the right to enrolment in mainstream schools, the concept of reasonable accommodations, the common curriculum framework from the first year of early childhood education through to the sixth year of primary school as enshrined in the Pact for Excellence in Education and the Code of Fundamental and Secondary Education, as well as inclusive classroom arrangements and school-family transitions.
- A second part will serve as the bridge between conceptual foundations and their operationalisation in the classroom. It will focus on observation as a fundamental professional gesture: observing interactions, students' productions and behaviours in order to identify their needs, adjust scaffolding strategies and regulate teaching practices. Students will be introduced to structured observation tools designed to assess the dimensions of emotional support, classroom organisation and instructional support. Oral and written language, as a transversal driver of disciplinary learning throughout primary school, will occupy a central place in this section: students will be guided in identifying the language practices of teachers that are likely to support the development of competencies in reading, written production and text comprehension, for all learners, including those with specific needs or growing up in multilingual contexts. This part is closely articulated with the course on Management of Learner Heterogeneity: Didactic Aspects (French Language). Attention will also be given to students' metacognitive processes, insofar as students' awareness of their own learning strategies constitutes an essential lever for teachers seeking to adapt their practices to identified needs.
- The third part of the course will be devoted to the progressive professionalisation of students in the implementation of differentiated practices. Drawing on the analysis of their own practice as observed during teaching placements, students will be invited to engage in a process of self-confrontation, enabling them to identify necessary adjustments and to regulate their professional gestures. This reflective approach will be enriched by a consideration of interprofessional collaboration as a lever for managing heterogeneity: in primary school settings, addressing the diversity of students' needs requires close coordination between the classroom teacher, multidisciplinary teams - notably psycho-medical-social centres, the various professionals involved in supporting the student, and specialised assistance services - and families. The aim is to progressively guide students towards autonomy in the design and implementation of differentiated practices suited to the realities of the primary school classroom.
Dimensions related to executive functions and attentional capacities will not be addressed specifically in this course, as these aspects are covered in greater depth in other more specialised courses within the programme.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
The course aims primarily to enable students to design differentiated activities adapted to the cognitive, linguistic and disciplinary needs of primary school students, in accordance with the specific characteristics of this level of schooling.
By the end of the course, students will be able to formulate a reasoned and argued reflection on the issues associated with the pedagogical management of learner heterogeneity in primary school settings and with pedagogical differentiation. To this end, concepts related to observation, assessment, oral and written language support, metacognition and interprofessional collaboration will be mobilised throughout the course.
Students will be able to analyse their classroom practices using observation frameworks and models of pedagogical differentiation, with a view to adjusting these practices in light of the findings identified.
In accordance with the decree defining initial teacher education (D. 07-02-2019, M.B. 11-08-2022), these learning outcomes contribute in particular to the development of the following competencies:
- The design and use of observation and assessment tools, the latter being specifically oriented towards a comprehensive and formative approach, promoting student accountability and active participation in their own learning (3eiii) ;
- The design and implementation of pedagogical differentiation practices (3eiv) ;
- Conducting, both individually and collaboratively with peers, a critical and rigorous observation and analysis of one's own teaching practices and their impact on students, with the aim of regulating and improving one's teaching (4b).
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
...
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
As Professional Training Workshops (PTW), active student participation is at the core of the pedagogical approach. The course is built on a close articulation between theoretical input, practical activities, and dedicated time for analysis and reflection, in order to foster the development of knowledge that is directly applicable to the professional situations encountered in primary school classrooms.
Sessions will alternate between structured learning and knowledge consolidation phases led by the instructor, and phases of knowledge mobilisation and collaborative discussion. During each session, group work will allow students to reinvest the notions and concepts addressed in order to analyse situations drawn from their own field experience in primary school settings, to confront different perspectives, and to collectively develop possible courses of action in response to the challenges posed by learner heterogeneity.
Students will thus be invited to engage in the various activities proposed, both individually and collectively, within a dynamic of knowledge construction, critical confrontation and perspective-taking. The ongoing alternation between theory, situational analysis and reflection on field experience aims to foster an active and contextualised appropriation of learning, by consistently connecting scientific knowledge to the professional realities of the primary school classroom.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Further information:
The course will be delivered in face-to-face format only.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus
Further information:
Course materials will include working documents (exercises, readings and observation frameworks) provided to students during class sessions. These documents, together with the various resources used by the instructor, will be made available to students via the eCampus platform.
The following readings related to pedagogical differentiation and language support in primary education are additionally recommended to students:
- The synthesis report of the Consensus Conference of the Centre national d'étude des systèmes scolaires (CNESCO, France), published in 2017 and entitled "Différenciation pédagogique". Available at: https://www.cnesco.fr/fr/differenciation-pedagogique/
- The volume entitled "Comment favoriser les apprentissages scolaires", by Anouchka Wyss, Katarina Gvozdic, Edouard Gentaz and Emmanuel Sander, published in 2023 by Dunod.
- The Code of Fundamental and Secondary Education and the texts of the Pact for Excellence in Education relating to inclusion and the common curriculum framework. Available at: https://gallilex.cfwb.be/textes-normatifs/53604
- Estaiteyeh, M. (2023). Planning for differentiated instruction: Empowering teacher candidates to use various differentiation strategies in STEM education. Frontiers in Education, 8, 1172682. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1172682
- Gheyssens, E., Griful-Freixenet, J., & Struyven, K. (2023). Differentiated instruction as an approach to establish effective teaching in inclusive classrooms: Developing and validating the DI-Quest model. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 38(4), 597-613. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2023.2210737
- Langelaan, B. N., van der Veen, I., & Volman, M. (2024). Differentiating instruction: Understanding the key elements for successful teacher preparation and development. Teaching and Teacher Education, 140, 104464. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104464
- Spyropoulou, E. (2025). Differentiated education using technology in junior and secondary education. Education Sciences, 15(2), 71. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15020071
- Goyibova, N., Muslimov, N., Sabirova, G., Kadirova, N., & Samatova, B. (2025). Differentiation approach in education: Tailoring instruction for diverse learner needs. MethodsX. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2025.103163
Written work / report
Further information:
Assessment will consist of a written assignment to be submitted at the beginning of the examination session, the precise modalities of which will be specified during the course. The instructor reserves the right to adapt these modalities according to the number of students enrolled.
As Professional Training Workshops (PTW), attendance at all course sessions is compulsory. Unless exceptional circumstances are recognised as such by the course coordinators, two unjustified absences will result in a grade of absence for the PTW.
Work placement(s)
None. However, the competencies and learning outcomes developed throughout this course may be transferred to and applied during subsequent teaching placements.
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
As learning activities may draw upon lesson plans previously developed by students as part of their initial teacher education, as well as placement reports, written feedback following teaching placements, or any other records enabling them to recall field experiences in primary school classrooms, students are strongly encouraged, wherever possible, to bring a laptop or tablet containing these documents or providing access to them.
Contacts
Edith El Kouba
email: edith.elkouba@uliege.be