Supporting Differentiated Instruction

Examine how PLCs provide the decision-making platform for the rigorous work of differentiated classroom instruction. A practical guide to implementing differentiation in the classroom, this book offers a road map to effective teaching that responds to diverse learning needs. Takeaway objectives at the beginning of each chapter guide discussion, and each chapter ends with action options of highly interactive strategies.

We now recognize that a one-size-fits-all instructional approach is unlikely to maximize achievement for all learners. Indeed, the goal of helping all students achieve high standards demands instruction that is responsive to their varied nature and needs. Supporting Differentiated Instruction: A Professional Learning Communities Approach pragmatically approaches the collaborative spirit of professional learning communities (PLCs) and the rigorous work of differentiated classroom instruction. This method combines the teaching decisions for professional staff and the learning decisions for students. As the discussion unfolds, this teaching-learning equation is examined in the practical light of how PLCs provide the decision-making platform for differentiated classroom instruction. Differentiated instruction logically extends from a straightforward propositionthat learners differ in their prior knowledge and experience, their interests, and their preferred ways of learning. Accordingly, the most effective teaching responds to these differences by adjusting (differentiating) how content is presented, how learners are able to process it, and how they are allowed to demonstrate their learning. Teachers need plausible methods to put the profound theories of collaboration and differentiation into classroom practice. In short, teachers need a roadmap to guide them in fostering differentiated instruction from the PLC to the K12 classroom; Supporting Differentiated Instruction: A Professional Learning Community Approach is that roadmap. Ridden with teacher tools and techniques for reflective dialogue, this book will shape schools into a professional learning community that supports differentiated instruction. The discussion offers ideas to support meaningful decisions with plain talk about accessible, ongoing data and the instructional tools needed for robust differentiation in classroom instruction. Using the PLC approach to differentiate instruction, educators can achieve their target concernstudent success. The chapters can either stand alone or create a comprehensive view of differentiated instruction through a PLC approach. Each chapter begins with a Take Away objective that guides the discussion and ends with Action Options of highly interactive strategies. These tools are designed for teams to utilize as they unpack the complex process of supporting and facilitating differentiated instruction. At the end of the day, the goal is to help PLC teams manage the complexity of the instructional arena in ways that personalize instruction for the success of each and every student.

We now recognize that a one-size-fits-all instructional approach is unlikely to maximize achievement for all learners. Indeed, the goal of helping all students achieve high standards demands instruction that is responsive to their varied nature and needs. Supporting Differentiated Instruction: A Professional Learning Communities Approach pragmatically approaches the collaborative spirit of professional learning communities (PLCs) and the rigorous work of differentiated classroom instruction. This method combines the teaching decisions for professional staff and the learning decisions for students. As the discussion unfolds, this teaching-learning equation is examined in the practical light of how PLCs provide the decision-making platform for differentiated classroom instruction. Differentiated instruction logically extends from a straightforward proposition that learners differ in their prior knowledge and experience, their interests, and their preferred ways of learning. Accordingly, the most effective teaching responds to these differences by adjusting (differentiating) how content is presented, how learners are able to process it, and how they are allowed to demonstrate their learning. Teachers need plausible methods to put the profound theories of collaboration and differentiation into classroom practice. In short, teachers need a roadmap to guide them in fostering differentiated instruction from the PLC to the K 12 classroom; Supporting Differentiated Instruction: A Professional Learning Community Approach is that roadmap. Ridden with teacher tools and techniques for reflective dialogue, this book will shape schools into a professional learning community that supports differentiated instruction. The discussion offers ideas to support meaningful decisions with plain talk about accessible, ongoing data and the instructional tools needed for robust differentiation in classroom instruction. Using the PLC approach to differentiate instruction, educators can achieve their target concern student success. The chapters can either stand alone or create a comprehensive view of differentiated instruction through a PLC approach. Each chapter begins with a Take Away objective that guides the discussion and ends with Action Options of highly interactive strategies. These tools are designed for teams to utilize as they unpack the complex process of supporting and facilitating differentiated instruction. At the end of the day, the goal is to help PLC teams manage the complexity of the instructional arena in ways that personalize instruction for the success of each and every student.

First published in 1995 as How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms, this new edition reflects evolving best practices, practitioners' experience, and Tomlinson's ongoing thinking about how to help all students access high-quality curriculum; engage in meaningful learning experiences; and feel safe and valued in their school. Written as a practical guide for teachers, this expanded 3rd edition of Carol Ann Tomlinson's groundbreaking work covers the fundamentals of differentiation and provides additional guidelines and new strategies for how to go about it. You'll learn What differentiation is and why it's essential How to set up the flexible and supportive learning environment that promotes success How to manage a differentiated classroom How to plan lessons differentiated by readiness, interest, and learning profile How to differentiate content, process, and products How to prepare students, parents, and yourself for the challenge of differentiation We differentiate instruction to honor the reality of the students we teach. They are energetic and outgoing. They are quiet and curious. They are confident and self-doubting. They are interested in a thousand things and deeply immersed in a particular topic. They are academically advanced and "kids in the middle" and struggling due to cognitive, emotional, economic, or sociological challenges. More of them than ever speak a different language at home. They learn at different rates and in different ways. And they all come together in our academically diverse classrooms.

Although much has changed in schools in recent years, the power of differentiated instruction remains the same—and the need for it has only increased. Today's classroom is more diverse, more inclusive, and more plugged into technology than ever before. And it's led by teachers under enormous pressure to help decidedly unstandardized students meet an expanding set of rigorous, standardized learning targets. In this updated second edition of her best-selling classic work, Carol Ann Tomlinson offers these teachers a powerful and practical way to meet a challenge that is both very modern and completely timeless: how to divide their time, resources, and efforts to effectively instruct so many students of various backgrounds, readiness and skill levels, and interests. With a perspective informed by advances in research and deepened by more than 15 years of implementation feedback in all types of schools, Tomlinson explains the theoretical basis of differentiated instruction, explores the variables of curriculum and learning environment, shares dozens of instructional strategies, and then goes inside elementary and secondary classrooms in nearly all subject areas to illustrate how real teachers are applying differentiation principles and strategies to respond to the needs of all learners. This book's insightful guidance on what to differentiate, how to differentiate, and why lays the groundwork for bringing differentiated instruction into your own classroom or refining the work you already do to help each of your wonderfully unique learners move toward greater knowledge, more advanced skills, and expanded understanding. Today more than ever, The Differentiated Classroom is a must-have staple for every teacher's shelf and every school's professional development collection.

Offers a definition of differentiated instruction, and provides principles and strategies designed to help teachers create learning environments that address the different learning styles, interests, and readiness levels found in a typical mixed-ability classroom.

Carol Ann Tomlinson and Tonya R. Moon take an in-depth look at assessment and show how differentiation can improve the process in all grade levels and subject areas. After discussing differentiation in general, the authors focus on how differentiation applies to various forms of assessment--pre-assessment, formative assessment, and summative assessment--and to grading and report cards. Readers learn how differentiation can --Capture student interest and increase motivation --Clarify teachers' understanding about what is most important to teach --Enhance students' and teachers' belief in student learning capacity; and --Help teachers understand their students' individual similarities and differences so they can reach more students, more effectively Throughout, Tomlinson and Moon emphasize the importance of maintaining a consistent focus on the essential knowledge, understandings, and skills that all students must acquire, no matter what their starting point. Detailed scenarios illustrate how assessment differentiation can occur in three realms (student readiness, interest, and learning style or preference) and how it can improve assessment validity and reliability and decrease errors and teacher bias. Grounded in research and the authors' teaching experience, Assessment and Student Success in a Differentiated Classroom outlines a common-sense approach that is both thoughtful and practical, and that empowers teachers and students to discover, strive for, and achieve their true potential. This is PDF Format E-book: ISBN 978-1-4166-1773-0

Need to decide when, why, and how to differentiate instruction in the classroom? Differentiated Instruction Made Practical introduces teachers to All Learners Learning Every Day (ALL-ED), an easy-to-use framework that enables tailored instruction for every learner. These unique, self-regulated learning routines were developed by an experienced K-12 teacher and researcher in collaboration with an educational psychology scholar. Filled with useful classroom examples, evaluation procedures, self-reflection activities, and relevant background information, this essential guide will help classroom teachers think on their feet and promote success for all students—not just the middle of the pack.