Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom
Carol Ann Tomlinson Ann Tomlinson, Marcia B. Imbeau
- 187 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom
Carol Ann Tomlinson Ann Tomlinson, Marcia B. Imbeau
About This Book
Today's teachers are responsible for a greater variety of learners with a greater diversity of needs than ever before. When you add in the ever-changing dynamics of technology and current events, the complexity of both students' and teachers' lives grows exponentially. Far too few teachers, however, successfully teach the whole class with the individual student in mind.
In Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom, Carol Ann Tomlinson and Marcia B. Imbeau tackle the issue of how to address student differences thoughtfully and proactively. The first half of the book focuses on what it means for a teacher to effectively lead a differentiated classroom. Readers will learn how to be more confident and effective leaders for and in student-focused and responsive classrooms.
The second half of the book focuses on the mechanics of managing a differentiated classroom. A teacher who has the best intentions, a dynamic curriculum, and plans for differentiation cannotâand will notâmove forward unless he or she is at ease with translating those ideas into classroom practice. In other words, teachers who are uncomfortable with flexible classroom management will not differentiate instruction, even if they understand it, accept the need for it, and can plan for it.
Tomlinson and Imbeau argue that the inherent interdependence of leading and managing a differentiated classroom is at the very heart of 21st-century education. This essential guide to differentiation also includes a helpful teacher's toolkit of activities and teaching strategies that will help any teacher expand his or her capacity to make room for and work tirelessly on behalf of every student.
Frequently asked questions
Information
Part 1
Leading a Differentiated Classroom
The teacher's overriding moral purpose is to meet the needs of students, even when it conflicts with personal preferences.
âLorna Earle, Assessment as Learning
Some expectations for new teachers
- Designs instruction appropriate to students' stages of development, learning styles, strengths, and needs.
- Selects approaches that provide opportunities for different performance modes.
- Accesses appropriate services or resources to meet exceptional learning needs when needed.
- Adjusts instruction to accommodate the learning differences or needs of students (time and circumstance of work, tasks assigned, communication and response modes).
- Uses knowledge of different cultural contexts within the community (socio-economic, ethnic, cultural) and connects with the learner through types of interaction and assignments.
- Creates a learning community that respects individual differences.
- Assumes different roles in the instructional process (instructor, facilitator, coach, audience) to accommodate content, purpose, and learner needs. (INTASC, 1992)
Some criteria for recognition as a National Board Certified Teacher
- National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) are dedicated to making knowledge accessible to all students. They believe all students can learn.
- They treat students equitably. They recognize the individual differences that distinguish their students from one another and they take account of these differences in their practice.
- They respect the cultural and family differences students bring to their classroom.
- NBCTs know how to assess the progress of individual students as well as the class as a whole. (National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, 2010)
Some expectations for early childhood educators
- Development and learning proceed at varying rates from child to child, as well as at uneven rates across different areas of a child's individual functioning. Individual variation has at least two dimensions: the inevitable variability around the typical or normative course of development and the uniqueness of each child as an individual. Children's development follows individual patterns and timing; children also vary in temperament, personality, and aptitudes, as well as in what they learn in their family and within the social and cultural context or contexts that shape their experience.
- All children have their own strengths, needs, and interests. Given the enormous variation among children of the same chronological age, a child's age is only a crude index of developmental abilities and interests. For children who have special learning needs or abilities, additional efforts and resources may be necessary to optimize their development and learning. The same is true when children's prior experiences do not give them the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in a specific learning environment. Given this normal range of variation, decisions about curriculum, teaching, and interactions with children should be as individualized as possible. Rigid expectations of group norms do not reflect what is known about real differences in development and learning. At the same time, having high expectations for all children is essential, as is using the strategies and providing the resources necessary to help them meet these expectations.
- To be effective, teachers must get to know each child in the group well. They do this using a variety of methodsâsuch as observation, clinical interview (an extended dialogue in which the adult seeks to discern the child's concepts or strategies), examination of children's work, individual child assessments, and talking with families. From the information and insights gathered, teachers make plans and adjustments to promote each child's individual development and learning as fully as possible. Developmental variation among children is the norm, and any one child's progress also will vary across domains and disciplines, contexts, and time.
- Children differ in many other respects, tooâincluding in their strengths, interests, and preferences; personalities and approaches to learning; and knowledge, skills, and abilities based on prior experiences. Children may also have special learning needs; sometimes these have been diagnosed and sometimes they have not. Among the factors that teachers need to consider as they seek to optimize a child's school adjustment and learning are circumstances such as living in poverty or homelessness, having to move frequently, and other challenging situations. Responding to each child as an individual is fundamental to developmentally appropriate practice. (National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2009)
Some descriptors of quality middle school teachers
- Teaching and learning approaches should accommodate the diverse skills, abilities, and prior knowledge of young adolescents; cultivate multiple intelligences; draw upon students' individual learning styles; and utilize digital tools. When learning experiences capitalize on students' cultural, experiential, and personal backgrounds, new concepts are built on knowledge students already possess.
- Continuous, authentic, and appropriate assessment measures, including both formative and summative ones, provide evidence about every student's learning progress. Such information helps students, teachers, and family members select immediate learning goals and plan further education. (National Middle School Association, 2010)
Some guidelines for high school teachers
- Many reports have been issued in the past few years that reveal deep problems with the achievement levels of U.S. high school students as compared to international students. There is also a significant achievement gap along race and income lines as well as low graduation and college attendance rates for low income and minorities. More often than not, these low rates can be traced back to the large numbers of students entering high schools reading below grade level. The vast majority of high schools, to a great degree, have a climate of anonymity where little focus is placed on identifying the personal learning needs of individual students and using such information to foster improved teaching and learning.
- To be fully committed to high school reform, we must systemically reculture and improve the high school. The historical structure and purpose of the U.S. high school is no longer adequate to serve the needs of all of the nation's youth and provide them with the skills necessary to compete in the global marketplace of the 21st century. Significant improvement is needed, but such improvement can only be attained through a substantial change in the structure and culture of the high school. We recommend this be accomplished through support for
- Increased academic rigor that reflects the integration of curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
- Personalized instruction and learning that is based on the academic needs of individual students.
- Schoolwide initiatives to improve reading and writing literacy skills. (National Association of Secondary School Principals, 2005)
Classroom Teachers as Leaders for Change
- Work from and aspire to an objective that is an improvement over the status quo.
- Articulate this vision so that those who are asked to follow have a compelling reason to do so.
- Move knowledgeably toward this vision while simultaneously attending to the voices and needs of those who will necessarily help enact it.
- Be patient with and supportive of followers, yet impatient with artificial barriers to progress.
- Maintain a pace that consistently ensures visible progress without pushing the system beyond its capacity to change.
- Monitor outcomes of the change and be willing to adapt, when necessary, to achieve desirable outcomes and eliminate undesirable outcomes.
Teacher Leadership for Differentiated Classrooms
Chapter 1
Understanding Differentiation in Order to Lead: Aiming for Fidelity to a Model
Few would argue that opportunity in life is strongly connected with educational opportunity. However, we have often misconstrued the notion of equal access to education to mean that all students should receive precisely the same pacing, resources, and instruction. The result is a one-size-fits-all educ...