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Providing a guide to functional differentiation in the classroom, Anssi Roiha and Jerker Polso share their arsenal of concrete tips to help support teachers in differentiation without adding to their workload. The authors approach differentiation through their five-dimensional (5D) model which covers teaching arrangements, learning environment, teaching methods, support materials and assessment. In the book, the authors provide a plethora of practical differentiation methods in all the above dimensions. Originally published in their home country of Finland, the two educators reflect on Finnish education and their effective methods to help ensure students are learning according to their own strengths.

About the Authors

Anssi Roiha (PhD) works as a lecturer at HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht in the Netherlands where he trains pre-service English teachers. Before his career in tertiary education, Roiha worked many years in primary education. He has worked as a student support specialist at an International Baccalaureate school in the Netherlands and as a special education teacher in Finland. In addition to differentiation, his other research interests are CLIL education and intercultural education.

Jerker Polso (MEd, MBA) is a principal and special education teacher who has worked as a teacher and trainer in all levels of education in Finland. He has mostly worked in primary school as a classroom teacher and a special education needs teacher. Polso has also worked in in-service training for teachers and principals internationally. He is the principal of an international Finnish comprehensive and upper secondary school. Alongside work, he writes his doctoral dissertation in in-service teacher training and education exports.