Sporadic, disconnected professional learning does not change practice long term, whereas well-structured programs can build differentiation skills with positive student outcomes¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · designr1·q2
Currency · newest study 2021 · checked against its sources 2026-10-15 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q2 i? Citing earlier research, the article reports that conferences and short workshops can help teachers develop skills and knowledge, but that professional learning that is sporadic and disconnected is ineffective in the long term; it reports Valiandes and Neophytou (2018), not a study of its own, as finding that teachers in a well-planned and systematic program connected theory with practice and differentiated instruction successfully. → Marks 2021
q2 i? Through a well-structured training program the skills and knowledge required to differentiate instruction could be learned, established and developed, with positive effects on student outcomes (Valiandes & Neophytou, 2018). → Marks 2021 (2)
Evidence¶
Marks 2021¶
Marks, A., Woolcott, G., & Markopoulos, C. (2021). Differentiating Instruction: Development of a Practice Framework for and with Secondary Mathematics Classroom Teachers. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 16(3), em0657. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/11198
q2 · i? · design · r1
Narrative review attribution: the article, which develops a practice framework and evaluates no program itself, reports that traditional forms such as conferences and short workshops "can assist teachers in developing their PCK and efficacy", but that professional learning that is "sporadic and disconnected is known to be ineffective in the long term", citing Boyle et al. (2005), Darling-Hammond et al. (2017) and Koellner & Jacobs (2015). No effect size printed.
"professional learning that is sporadic and disconnected is known to be ineffective in the long term, resulting in little change in teachers' beliefs and practices or improvements in student achievement (Boyle et al., 2005; Darling-Hammond et al., 2017; Koellner & Jacobs, 2015)."
Marks 2021 (2)¶
Marks, A., Woolcott, G., & Markopoulos, C. (2021). Differentiating Instruction: Development of a Practice Framework for and with Secondary Mathematics Classroom Teachers. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 16(3), em0657. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/11198
q2 · i? · design · r1
Narrative review attribution: the article reports the Valiandes and Neophytou (2018) study of a professional learning program focussed on designing and applying differentiated instruction, finding skills "could be learned, established, and developed" with positive student outcomes. No effect size printed.
"The study revealed that, through a well-structured training program, the skills and knowledge required to differentiate instruction could be learned, established, and developed, with consequent positive effects on student outcomes."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Teachers who used the Kit & Kaboodle science curriculum daily saw a larger test-score gain than teachers who used it sporadically — related
- Prompting strategies for activating deep learning alone are insufficient for preserving a long-term learning advantage — related
- Professional development needs roughly 50 hours in a specific area, and long-term content-specific support outperforms one-shot sessions — related
- Passive dissemination approaches are generally ineffective and unlikely to result in professional behavior change — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
structured-professional-learning-builds-differentiation-skills |
title |
Sporadic, disconnected professional learning does not change practice long term, whereas well-structured programs can build differentiation skills with positive student outcomes |
description |
Sporadic, disconnected professional learning does not change practice long term, whereas well-structured programs can build differentiation skills with positive student outcomes |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
weak |
newest_evidence |
2021 |
source_checked |
2026-10-15 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-07 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
2 — marks-2021, marks-2021-2 |
Frontmatter is the page's machine-readable record — see the Schema & Guide.