Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom, Carol Ann Tomlinson and Marcia B
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EDUCATION Leading Carol Ann Tomlinson Marcia B. Imbeau Leading and Managing and A Differentiated Managing a Classroom 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 cur- Differentiated Classroom rent 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. Im- beau 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 differenti- ated 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 ofmanaging a differentiated classroom. A teacher who has the best intentions, a dynamic curriculum, and plans for differentiation cannot—and will not—move forward unless he or she is at ease with translating those ideas into classroom practice. In other words, teachers who are uncomfortable with flexible class- room management will not differentiate instruction, even if they understand it, accept the need for it, and can plan for it. Tomlinson • Imbeau Tomlinson 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. Leading and Managing A Differentiated $27.95 U.S. Alexandria, Virginia USA Browse excerpts from ASCD books: STUDY Classroom GUIDE www.ascd.org/books ONLINE Leading and Managing A Differentiated Classroom Leading and Managing A Differentiated Classroom Carol Ann Tomlinson Marcia B. Imbeau Alexandria, Virginia USA 1703 N. Beauregard St. • Alexandria, VA 22311 1714 USA Phone: 800-933-2723 or 703-578-9600 • Fax: 703-575-5400 Website: www.ascd.org • E-mail: [email protected] Author guidelines: www.ascd.org/write Gene R. Carter, Executive Director; Judy Zimny, Chief Program Development Offi cer; Nancy Modrak, Publisher; Scott Willis, Director, Book Acquisitions & Development; Julie Houtz, Director, Book Editing & Production; Jamie Greene, Editor; Catherine Guyer, Senior Graphic Designer; Mike Kalyan, Production Manager; Sarah Plumb, Production Specialist © 2010 by ASCD. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitt ed in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from ASCD. Readers who wish to duplicate material copyrighted by ASCD may do so for a small fee by contacting the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, MA 01923, USA (phone: 978-750-8400; fax: 978-646-8600; web: www.copyright.com). For requests to reprint rather than photocopy, contact ASCD’s permissions offi ce: 703-575-5749 or [email protected]. Translation inquiries: [email protected]. Printed in the United States of America. Cover art © 2010 by ASCD. ASCD publications present a variety of view- points. Th e views expressed or implied in this book should not be interpreted as offi cial positions of the Association. All web links in this book are correct as of the publication date below but may have become inactive or otherwise modi- fi ed since that time. If you notice a deactivated or changed link, please e-mail [email protected] with the words “Link Update” in the subject line. In your message, please specify the web link, the book title, and the page number on which the link appears. Figure 2.1 on page 32 is used with permission from Diff erentiation and the Brain: How Neuroscience Supports the Learner- Friendly Classroom by David A. Sousa and Carol Ann Tomlinson. Solution Tree Press, 555 North Morton Street, Bloom- ington, IN 47404, 800.733.6786. All rights reserved. Solution Tree is a leading provider of educational strategies and tools that improve staff and student performance. Visit solution-tree.com for more information. ASCD Member Book, No. FY11-2 (Nov 2010, PSI+). ASCD Member Books mail to Premium (P), Select (S), and In- stitutional Plus (I+) members on this schedule: Jan., PSI+; Feb., P; Apr., PSI+; May, P; July, PSI+; Aug., P; Sept., PSI+; Nov., PSI+; Dec., P. Select membership was formerly known as Comprehensive membership. PAPERBACK ISBN: 978-1-4166-1074-8 ASCD product #108011 Also available as an e-book (see Books in Print for the ISBNs). Quantity discounts for the paperback edition only: 10–49 copies, 10%; 50+ copies, 15%; for 1,000 or more copies, call 800-93 3-2723, ext. 5634, or 703-575-5634. For desk copies: [email protected]. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Tomlinson, Carol A. Leading and managing a diff erentiated classroom / Carol Ann Tomlinson & Marcia B. Imbeau. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4166-1074-8 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Individualized instruction—United States. 2. Inclusive education— United States. 3. Classroom management—United States. I. Imbeau, Marcia B. II. Title. LB1031.T67 2011 371.39'4—dc22 2010027600 _______________________________________________________ 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 For the teachers who didn’t give up on us, whose aspirations helped us fi nd something bett er in ourselves than we had seen before, who fi rst helped us fi nd ourselves, and then, by example and experience, taught us the enlivening power of learning. And to the people who fr om the beginning until now whose steady love compels us each day to ask the question as we enter classrooms, “Which person in this place is not in need of the same sense of possibility they have given us?” Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom Preface . ix Part I: Leading a Differentiated Classroom . 1 Chapter 1: Understanding Differentiation in Order to Lead: Aiming for Fidelity to a Model . 12 Chapter 2: Teaching What You Believe: A Philosophy to Guide Teachers Who Lead for Differentiation . 25 Chapter 3: The Invitation to Be Part of a Vision: Talking with Students, Parents, and Other Educators About Differentiation . 43 Part II: Managing a Differentiated Classroom . 69 Chapter 4: Learning Environment: Setting the Stage for Academic Success . 74 Chapter 5: Classroom Routines: Preparing for the Work Ahead . 99 Chapter 6: Routines in a Differentiated Classroom: Once the Work Begins . 115 Chapter 7: Yes, But . Common Sticking Points About Differentiation . 136 Teacher’s Toolkit . 151 References . 176 Index . 180 About the Authors . 185 Preface Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead. —Louisa May Alcott I couldn’t tell you in much detail about my sixth year of teaching, or my tenth, or any other specific year in the 21 years I spent in high school, preschool, and middle school classrooms except my first and fourth years. There are memories from each of the years I taught in public school that will always reside in me, of course, but no other particular years exist in my mind with the sharp detail of those two. It was in those two years that I established my compass as a teacher. During my teenage years, I vowed never to be a teacher. My mother was a teacher (and immensely proud of her work), which was fine with me—until she and I ended up in the same school during my 6th grade year. It was a hard year for me. Not only was I entering adolescence with an impressive case of self-consciousness, but I was attending a new school in a new town. We had just moved away from the town where I’d spent the entire 11 years of my life to a new ix x Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom city where, on principle, I didn’t want to like anything. My mom was a devoted mother. My teacher that year was one of the best I ever had. Nonetheless, it was clear to me that my mother came home with knowledge of things I had said or done during the day. I felt spied on, and that nourished my self-consciousness. With the lack of logic that is adolescence, I concluded that I did not want to be one of those “spy people” who watched kids and told on them. (Forget that my teacher was supportive and kind and tried to make my life better; she was a spy and I was the one spied upon.) So, I declared, I would do anything but teach when I grew up. I persisted with that declaration at appropriate points in the 10 years that followed—including when my mother explained that I should take education courses in college, “just in case.” I explained with disdain that it was pointless for me to take education courses. Perhaps, I said, she didn’t recall that I had long declared I would never, under any circumstances, teach. She told me she would support any college major I chose, as long as I took enough education courses on the side to become certified, “just in case.” I explained with louder disdain that I was a young adult who had earned the right to make her own decisions.