Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom

by Carol Ann Tomlinson, Marcia B. Imbeau

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 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 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.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction, School

278 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 15, 2010

Reviews

[عبدالمنعم الهوسه · Rating 4 out of 5]

أنتهيت من قراءة هذا الكتاب المتين في محتوى الجميل في طرحه ..

كتاب قيادة و إدارة صف مميز.
ترجمة : مكتب التربية العربي لدول الخليج
يقع في ٢٨٦ صفحة

كتاب يساعد المعلم .. أيا كانت خبرته ؛ لمعرفة بعض المعلومات عن القيادة و الإدارة .. معزز بالعديد من التجارب الميدانية و الأنشطة ..

#اقتباس لابد من ذكره هنا ..
( عندما يقرع جرس المدرسة ويجلس الجميع على مقاعدهم فإننا نكون قد أمسكنا بمستقبل هذه الأمة .. كل ما تفعله داخل البيئة التعليمية يؤثر )

الكتاب في قسمه الأوائل قد يكون مليئ بالحشو .. لكنه جدير بالقراءة - حشو لابد منهم -
القسم الثاني أكثر متعة خاصة الفصل السابع ..


مما أستفدته من الكتاب :
كتاب قيادة و إدارة صف متميز

١- وأنت تدرس الطلاب ضمن مجموعة الصف .. تذكر أن هناك طالب متميز عطش لمعلومات وتجارب أكثر و أن هناك طالب يحتاج التأني في الشرح و الصبر على وصول المعلومة

٢ - معرفة واقع طلابك يساعدك على فهمهم و بالتالي استخدام الطريقة الأمثل للنضج بهم و إشعال دافعيتهم نحو التعلم.

٣ - عندما ينشغل الطلبة ، لايكون لديهم أي دافع لإساءة السلوك. ( إذا أشغلهم ، ولكن بذكاء وبهدف تعليمهم )

٤ - إذا فهم الطلبة أن المعلم ينظر إليهم كأشخاص جديرين بالاحترام ، فإن كافة أبواب التعلّم سيتم فتحتها.

٥ - المعلم المؤثر ليس شخص يكتفي بتدريس المحتوى ، إن المعلم عبارة عن شخص يتولى تدريس المحتوى للبشر ، ويجب أن يعمل في الصف على نحو يكون لكل فرد فيه فرصة مشروعة للنمو بقدر أكبر .

٦ - المعلم المتميز هو الذي يدرك أن الطلبة ليسو سواء .. ويقدم مادته ويقوم يشرحه وفق هذا الأساس.

٧- ليست القضية أن أقوم بنشاط تعليمي جديد أو مثير. القضية أن تعرف المبدء الذي يقوم عليه هذا النشاط.

٨ - إذا اكتفينا بتعلم الطرق - أي الطرق التعليمية- ؛ فإننا نصبح مقيدين لتلك الطرق ..تعلم المبادئ يساعد في أداء الطرق التي نريدها.

٩ - عندما يقرع جرس المدرسة ويجلس الجميع على مقاعدهم فإننا نكون قد أمسكنا بمستقبل هذه الأمة .. كل ما تفعله داخل البيئة التعليمية يؤثر ..

١٠ - التدريس باختصار هو بناء حياة ..

١١ - الكتاب في ثناياه أحتوى العديد من الأنشطة و التجارب في إدارة الصف وقيادته ؛ وفي نهاية الكتاب عقد فصل خاص بها مع شرح و أوراق تطبيقيه.

١٢ - لا تتأثر أكثر مما ينبغي بسجل الطالب في السنوات الدراسية السابقة .. أو تعليقات المعلمين عه طالب معين .. اترك لذهنك المجال لأن يعطي الطالب فرصة للتحسن و التغيير ( هذه من صمن قواعدي في التعليم )

١٣ - تأكد ان تفعم طلابك واحتياجاتهم ..

١٤ - المعلم المتميز .. الذي يعتقد أن التدريس لايكون مكتملا حتى يحدث التعلّم ، و أن التعلّم يستند على فهم المعلّم التام للمحتوى ولطلبته.


١٥ - العلاقة الطيبة بينك وبين الطلاب ، سؤالك عن صحتهم. نومهم. ملابسهم الجميلة. كلها ذات تأثير .. وتشعرهم أنهم مرئيين. ( بتصرف + منهج في تعليمي )

١٦ - الإجراءات و الاعمال الروتينية التي نقوم بها نحن المعلمين ينبغي أن تكون ذات هدف واضح لكل من المعلم و الطالب .. فهي توجد لتساعده على التعلم بفعالية أكبر.

١٧ - توقعات البداية : وضّح للطلاب كل ما تربد في بداية الفصل
الكتب - الطاولات - مراجعة إعلانات - الاستعداد المسبق - دفاتر - هل تكون جاهزة على الطاولة أم لا - إشارة بداية الحصة .. إشارة للصمت.
( بمعنى ضع قوانينك الخاصة .. ليفهمك طلابك وترتاح أنت أيضاً )

١٨ - من المهم السيطرة على الإزعاج .. ولكن مهم أيضاً إعضاء الطلاب وقتا للحديث مع بعضهم .. ليس الهدف من الفصل المميز عدم وجود ضوضاء بل الضوضاء المنتجة مطلب أيضاً بحيث تكون في صالح التعلم ( عند الجواب - عند التشاور - عند مجموعات التعلم .... )

١٩ - المعلم المتميز ينظر إلى نفسه كمتعلم.

٢٠ ❤️ أجمل فصل - الفصل السابع
لا أستطيع نقله كاملا

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book separates from the traditional here's how to "do" differentiation by explaining that differentiation is a philosophy or approach to educating children. The foundation is set and clearly explained, and then the authors provide ways of implementing a differentiated classroom. Great read that I will use in future courses!

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction to differentiation and overview of all aspects of a differentiated classroom. Many ideas which can be implemented easily and reassurance to proceed with change at a pace which allows the teacher to be successful rather than overwhelmed.

[Katherine Hebert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good stuff. Differentiating is approachable when equipped with ideas and practices from here. Using this as one of the texts for the junior general methods course at Salve this fall.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tomlinson & Imbeau provide a great framework for teachers who want to create meaningful classrooms for their students to succeed. No student is alike and student strengths differ across topics, practices, and strategies. Leading and managing a differentiated classroom involves seeing and getting to know every student and providing them with the opportunities necessary for success. All students and teachers are capable of learning and change. If you do not believe this, then this book can help you get there. If you do believe this, this book will help you examine your practice and encourage you as you strive to make changes and improve for the sake of your students. "There are many reasons to succumb, and thirty reasons five times a day to succeed. Most decisions about my job are removed from me. Except the ones that matter most."

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, not great. The first 70 pages make the case for differentiation, which is akin to writing a book about fitness with a preface on the benefits of oxygen. People looking to differentiate don’t need the sales pitch. The section on learning environment (p. 70-100) is fine, but heavily geared toward elementary. Page 99-174 is where all the stars are earned. Excellent recommendations for routines, procedures, activities, thinking protocols, and room setup, with a helping of philosophy sprinkled throughout.

If you’re looking for Tomlinson in more concentrated form, I recommend her 2001 (mixed ability), 2004 (tools for responsive teaching) and especially her collaboration w McTighe from 2006 (differentiation + backward design). Careful w the last one though; you’ll be tempted to throw out your curriculum.

[Beks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is a fine introduction to the subject; however, if you are looking for concrete examples of units, lessons, or even activities that demonstrate this idea in practice, you won't find them here. When l got to the “Yes, but…” chapter l came away still holding on to all of the same issues I had coming in to the book and found I still agreed with several of the counterclaims the author had presented with the intention of refuting them. Although I have taught ELA in a similar model for 3 years, l still feel like I have an incomplete recipe for success. There were several salient points in this book, but l guess I just expected more from it.

[Kevin McShane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The case is made well. Hoped for more specifics on running multiple activities at once

[Nicole Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good review, but I was hoping for some specific schedule/routine options as far as samples from other teachers in various subject areas.

[Anahita · Rating 4 out of 5]

MA research, don't mind me. also good to know

[Sunday · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, reader friendly, neatly organized. Tomlinson & Imbeau make clear that differentiation is a "philosophy of instruction" - not an activity or strategy. So it's not about planning for teaching and then planning for differentiating. You plan with differentiation in mind.

I think many of us know what differentiation is in mind, but this is a nice book to have on your shelf to help you articulate for yourself and others what is involved in a classroom where differentiated instruction is in action and children are moving forward in their learning. In this text, there is the discourse of differentiation commonly associated with Tomlinson's work - differentiation entails modification of four curriculum related elements - content, process, product and affect - and these are based on 3 categories of student need and variance - readiness, interest, and learning profile. If you are new to Tomlinson's work - there's enough detail to help you understand what she means; if you are familiar with her work, there's just enough to re-familiarize yourself or review.

Favorite quote about essentials of differentiated instruction - "Teachers should continually ask..."What does THIS student need at THIS moment in order to be able to progress with THIS key content, and what do I need to do to make that happen?" And this is what I like most about this book - if a child is not learning in our classroom, we need to look back at ourselves (are you the blind spot?) and ask - what do I need to do differently to help this child succeed?

After discussing the essentials of and other related big ideas, the core of the text includes a chapter on creating a learning environment for differentiated instruction, classroom routines/procedures when students/teachers are preparing for learning, classroom routines/procedures during learning. Lots of practical ideas.

Audiences -
Great for new teachers - the basics in detail, enough to start to work at embedding this philosophy in your practice, but not so much that you are overwhelmed

Good reminder for seasoned teachers - I found myself jotting down notes and thinking about grouping of students differently and how I might evaluate the tasks I design for students as far as rigor and meaning; I also found myself taking notes on language to articulate what I mean by differentiation in clearer terms

Excellent resource for coaches/professional learning providers - will help you articulate for others what you mean by differentiation as previously noted

Missing? Tomlinson and Imbeau - give you the basics in detail. The nitty gritty of making it happen, the day to day, the long-term - well, that's the next five books you should read or the one you write for yourself, huh?

[Alabama Best Practices Center · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an outstanding book written by two experts – one with secondary expertise and the other with elementary expertise. The book is divided into two parts. The first part makes the case for the use of differentiated instruction. It is one of the most powerful sections of the book and made a deep impression on me.

The authors suggest a philosophy comprised of 6 beliefs:
Belief 1: Every student is worthy of dignity and respect.
Belief 2: Diversity is both inevitable and positive.
Belief 3: The classroom should mirror the kind of society in which we want our students to live and lead
Belief 4: Most students can learn most things that are essential to a given area of study.
Belief 5: Each student should have equity of access to excellent learning opportunities.
Belief 6: A central goal of teaching is to maximize the capacity of each learner.

The second part of the book covers the "how to" of differentiated instruction. Great suggestions, tools, and protocols are included. The book culminates by addressing all the excuses used to avoid differentiated instruction, ranging from "you don't know my kids" to "I have 28 students in my class."

Highly recommended. ASCD created a study guide for its use. There is also a ten minute audio interview with the authors available on the ASCD site, but the quality is not very good.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for a book/discussion group at my school. I'm a big fan of differentiated instruction and use layered curriculum (a way of formatting differentiation) in my classroom. While this book has a lot of really great advice and information in it, there are also some shortcomings. The book itself is quite short and for a new teachers probably does not give enough guidance to actually begin differentiating well in the classroom. This book seemed to focus more on trying to sell the philosophy rather than putting it into practice in the classroom (although it does provide some good examples, they are sporadic). It does provide a lot of great explanation in this area (ex: differentiation is not just a list of various activities, but an educational philosophy and approach to teaching), but fell a bit short on some of the practical applications of differentiated instruction.
I'm glad I read this book and would definitely recommend it to other teachers. I would also suggest it be read in conjunction with Kathy Nunley's "Layered Curriculum" which focuses less on selling an educator on the philosophy of differentiated education and more on putting it into place and managing it in the classroom.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book pitches the philosophy of differentiated instruction and provides some excellent reminders from Classroom Management 101.

I read this book hoping to learn how to actually differentiate my classroom, but I was provided limited examples and ideas. I guess my disappointment stems from the fact that I have been to several “workshops” and read several books on differentiated instruction and have yet to actually learn how to put it into practice in a meaningful way in my classroom.

[Woodrós · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wise, practical, practicable book! When I found myself thinking, "Yeah, but what about..." they'd address it. When I began hyperventilating about how to apply all the brilliance in this book, as I reached the end of it, they had a paragraph aimed at new teachers advising us exactly how to take one piece at a time. Give ourselves permission to grow.

I found myself refreshed and rejuvenated and improving my practice and my thoughtfulness about differentiation the very next day.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is worth reading; there are many practical suggestions that could be implemented immediately. I read this with four colleagues as part of a learning circle, and we all agreed that our teaching has changed as a result.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great inspirational, this is why differentiation is right type of book with some good ideas for establishing a culture/community in your room. Not much in terms of what it actually looks like in a classroom.

[Michael Schafer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tomlinson's latest book on differentiating instruction refocuses the issue how to differentiate and not what you need to do to differentiate.

[Georgeann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend for readability, practical ideas for implementation of differentiation in the classroom. 1st K-12 Professional Book Club title. Discussion on 11/4/11.

[Nadiene · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very useful guide on using differentiation in the classroom. Helps you to see your students from a new angle and breaks down simple ways to help each individual in your classroom.