The differentiated classroom : responding to the needs of all learners

It's an age-old challenge: How can teachers divide their time, resources, and efforts to effectively instruct students of diverse backgrounds and interests, as well as skill and readiness levels? The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners offers a powerful, practical solution. Drawing on nearly three decades of experience, author Carol Ann Tomlinson describes a way of thinking about teaching and learning that will change all aspects of how you approach students and your classroom. She looks to the latest research on learning, education, and change for the theoretical basis of differentiated instruction and why it's so important to today's children. Yet she offers much more than theory, filling the pages with real-life examples of teachers and students using-and benefitting from-differentiated instruction. At the core of the book, three chapters describe actual lessons, units, and classrooms with differentiated instruction in action. Tomlinson looks at elementary and secondary classrooms in nearly all subject areas to show how real teachers turn the challenge of differentiation into a reality. Her insightful analysis of how, what, and why teachers differentiate lays the groundwork for you to bring differentiation to your own classroom. Tomlinson's commonsense, classroom-tested advice speaks to experienced and novice teachers as well as educational leaders who want to foster differentiation in their schools. Using a "think versus sink approach," Tomlinson guides all readers through small changes, then even larger ones, until differentiation becomes a way of life that enriches both teachers and students. This book offers a solution to teachers who work with students of diverse backgrounds, readiness and skill levels, and interests. The book describes a way of thinking about teaching and learning called differentiated instruction. Differentiated instruction means that teachers begin where students are rather than the front of a curriculum guide, and they accept and build upon the premise that learners differ in important ways. The 10 chapters focus on the following: (1) "What is a Differentiated Classroom?" (2) "Elements of Differentiation," (3) "Rethinking How We Do School--and for Whom," (4) "Learning Environments that Support Differentiated Instruction," (5) "Good Instruction as a Basis for Differentiated Teaching," (6) "Teachers at Work Building Differentiated Classrooms," (7)"Instructional Strategies that Support Differentiation," (8) "More Instructional Strategies to Support Differentiation," (9) "How Do Teachers Make it all Work?" and (10) "When Educational Leaders Seek Differentiated Classrooms." Three of the chapters describe actual lessons, units, and classrooms with differentiated instruction in action, examining elementary and secondary classrooms in nearly all subject areas to show how real teachers turn the challenge of differentiation into a reality. An appendix presents two models to guide differentiated instruction. (Contains 84 references.) (SM) Foreword 6 What Is a Differentiated Classroom? 8 Elements of Differentaition 16 Rethinking How We Do School—and for Whom 24 Learning Environments That Support Differentiated Instruction 32 Good Instruction as a Basis for Differentiated Teaching 43 Teachers at Work Building Differentiated Classrooms 54 Instructional Strategies That Support Differentiation 68 More Instructional Strategies to Support Differentiation 82 How Do Teachers Make It All Work? 102 When Educational Leaders Seek Differentiated Classrooms 115 A Final Thought 126 Appendix 127 Bibliography 132 Index 135 About the Author 139 What Is A Differentiated Classroom? -- Elements Of Differentiation -- Rethinking How We Do School-and For Whom -- Learning Environments That Support Differentiated Instruction -- Good Instruction As A Basis For Differentiated Teaching -- Teachers At Work Building Differentiated Classrooms -- Instructional Strategies That Support Differentiation -- More Instructional Strategies To Support Differentiation -- How Do Teachers Make It All Work? -- When Educational Leaders Seek Differentiated Classrooms. Carol Ann Tomlinson. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 125-127) And Index. Professional inquiry kit, "Differentiating instruction for mixed-ability classrooms : a professional inquiry kit", includes eight folders of material and a 20-minute videotape targeting educators of preK-adult students. It is especially helpful to school- and district-based study groups, school improvement teams, site-based management councils, and others interested in studying differentiated instruction together. Designed to help school study groups improve their understanding of differentiated instruction Explains instructional approaches that meet the needs and interests of every student. Includes principles that guide a differentiated classroom; instructional strategies that make it easier to provide multiple learning paths for students; practical ways to give students options about how they learn required curriculum; and steps to get started with differentiation or take it to a higher level.