THE ROLE OF A COMPETENT TEACHER IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DIFFERENTIAL STRATEGIES IN THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS
Student-centered educational approaches that emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries emphasized the importance of considering individual differences. The American educator John Dewey argued that education should not be limited to the transmission of knowledge, but should also focus on learners’ development through experience and active participation. The psychologist Lev Vygotsky explained differentiation in education from various perspectives and introduced the “zone of proximal development,” highlighting the need to consider students’ current knowledge levels and support their potential growth through individualized approaches. In the second half of the 20th century, with the development of cognitive psychology, ideas of differentiated instruction expanded further. The American psychologist Howard Gardner proposed the theory of multiple intelligences, suggesting that individuals possess different learning abilities, and therefore teachers should use diverse methods and strategies to address these differences. In contemporary education, the model developed by Carol Ann Tomlinson plays a significant role. She systematically analyzed the theoretical and practical foundations of differentiated instruction, emphasizing that teachers are not only knowledge transmitters but also facilitators of the learning process.