Abstract
Differentiated instruction is key to implementing inclusive education and addressing the individual needs of all students. This study explores the pedagogical tensions related to differentiation in Eritrean elementary and middle school mathematics teachers’ thinking and instruction practices. The research data consist of 8 teacher interviews and video recordings of their teaching in 10 mathematics lessons. The findings from a thematic analysis reveal three tensions: adapting instruction to students’ individual needs versus carrying out whole-class frontal teaching; providing individual tasks versus abstract content-laden teaching; and utilising peer learning versus emphasising individual-oriented competition. The study highlights the need to increase Eritrean mathematics teachers’ awareness of the contradictory discourses surrounding classroom practices. Teachers require both material and professional support and training on research-based differentiated instruction practices to foster the inclusion of all students.