Theorist

Former middle school, high school, history, and English teacher

Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Virginia

Principal Investigator of the National Research Center of the Gifted and Talented.

Primary interest was gifted and talented education and special education.

She then developed into the differentiated instruction philosophy.

The students’ needs come first.

We think and learn in different ways. We learn more effectively when information

is chunked together and has personal meaning.

We learn best when we are appropriately challenged.

Focusing on the essentials Attending to student differences Melding assessment and instruction Modifying content, process, and products Having all students participate in respectful

work Collaborating with students in their learning Balancing group and individual norms Working flexibly with students

Teachers can differentiate content, product and process by assessing students’ aptitude, interests and learning style.

Some Strategies for Differentiating Instruction - independent study, flexible grouping, guided instruction, curriculum compacting, literature circles, 4-MAT, learning contracts, etc.

Students will learn best when they can make a connection between the curriculum and their interests and life experiences.

Students will learn best when learning opportunities are natural.

Students are more effective learners when classrooms and schools create a sense of community in which students feel significant and respected.

The central job of schools is to maximize the capacity of each student.

But a philosophy based on a set of beliefs that: Students who are the same age differ in their

readiness to learn, their interests, their styles of learning, their experiences, and their life circumstances.

The differences in students are significant enough to make a major impact on what students need to learn, the pace at which they need to learn it, and the support they need from teachers and others to learn it well.

Students will learn best when supportive adults push them slightly beyond where they can work without assistance.

KUDs What do we want children to know? What do we want children to understand? What do we want children to do? Encourages the use of learning inventories

and learning surveys

Tomlinson states that:

A good curriculum is a key principle of differentiated instruction.

Remember: This is a philosophy, not a curriculum.

However, differentiated Instruction will be most effective when complimented by any good curriculum.