The Common Sense of Differentiation PDF

CommonSenseDI Title&Tabs
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Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

Alexandria, Virginia USA
About the Developers

This guide was developed by Carol Ann Tomlinson, professor of educational leadership,
foundations, and policy at Curry School of Education, University of Virginia; Jessica Hockett,
a doctoral student at Curry School of Education, University of Virginia; and Leslie J. Kiernan,
video producer and program manager, ASCD.
The video program was produced by ASCD.
We gratefully acknowledge the support and participation of Conway Elementary School,
LaDue School District, St. Louis, Missouri; Albert Leonard Middle School, Isaac E. Young
Middle School, and New Rochelle High School, City School District of New Rochelle, New
York; Crestview Middle School and Marquette High School, Rockwood School District,
Eureka, Missouri; and Riverside Elementary School and Walt Whitman Middle School, Fairfax
County Public Schools, Fairfax, Virginia.
ASCD Staff
Video Production
Leslie J. Kiernan, Producer
Ann Cunningham-Morris, Team Member
Deborah Perkins-Gough, Team Member
Perry Katz, Project Assistant
Manual Production
Gary Bloom, Director, Design and Production Services
Mary Beth Nielsen, Manager, Editorial Services
Kimberly Pifer, Copy Editor
Tracey A. Franklin, Production Manager
Dina Murray Seamon, Production Specialist
Georgia Park, Senior Graphic Designer
Cynthia Stock, Desktop Publisher
ASCD is a community of educators, advocating sound policies and sharing best practices to
achieve the success of each learner. Founded in 1943, ASCD is a nonpartisan education
association with headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, USA.
ASCD publications present a variety of viewpoints. The views expressed or implied in the
video program and manual should not be interpreted as official positions of the Association.
Copyright 2005 by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1703
North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311-1714 USA. All rights reserved. Materials in
the Handouts and Overheads and the Readings and Resources sections of this manual are
intended for use in face-to-face workshops designed as part of this video staff development
program. For this purpose, materials in these sections of the guide may be reproduced. Any
other use of these materials is prohibited, unless written permission is granted by ASCD.
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

Telephone: 1-800-933-2723, or 1-703-578-9600
Fax: 1-703-575-5400
E-mail: member@ascd.org
Internet: www.ascd.org
ASCD Stock Nos.: Entire Setin videotape format (Programs 13 and Facilitators Guide),
405138; Entire Setin DVD format (Programs 13), 605138; Facilitators Guide, 405138FG;
Individual programs in videotape format only: Program 1, 405139; Program 2, 405140;
Program 3, 405141
ISBN 1-4166-0213-5, The Common Sense of Differentiation: Meeting Specific Learner Needs
in the Regular Classroom Seriesin videotape format (Programs 13 and Facilitators Guide);
ISBN 1-4166-0218-6, The Common Sense of Differentiation: Meeting Specific Learner Needs
in the Regular Classroom Seriesin DVD format (Programs 13 and Facilitators Guide);
ISBN 1-4166-0214-3, Facilitators Guide; Individual program in videotape format only:
ISBN1-4166-0215-1, Program 1, Discovering Learner Needs; 1-4166-0216-X, Program 2,
Techniques for Adjusting Instruction; ISBN 1-4166-0217-8, Program 3, Classroom Routines
____________________________________________________________________________
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Introduction
The Common Sense of Differentiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Assumptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Purpose of the Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
About the Series. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Series Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Role of the Workshop Facilitator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Workshops
Preface to Workshops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
A Special Note About Differentiating the Workshops. . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Program 1: Discovering Learner Needs
Workshop 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Workshop 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Program 2: Techniques for Adjusting Instruction
Workshop 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Workshop 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Program 3: Classroom Routines
Workshop 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Workshop 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Handouts and Overheads

Handout 1
Handout 2
Handout 3
Handout 4
Handout 5
Handout 6
Handout 7
Handout 8
Handout 9
Handout 10
Handout 11
Handout 12
Handout 13
Handout 14
Handout 15
Handout 16
Handout 17
Handout 18
Handout 19
The Common Sense of DifferentiationProgram 1 . . . . 51

Explaining Differentiation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
The Common Sense of Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Video Reflection SheetProgram 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Prerequisite Skills Assessment Station . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Pre-Assessment Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Ongoing Assessment Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Learning Profile Assessment Station . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Interest Assessment Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
The Common Sense of DifferentiationProgram 2 . . . . 93
Adjusting for Human Variability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Techniques for Adjusting Instruction . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Adjusting Instruction to Benefit Clusters of Learners . . . 101
Individualizing Rubrics Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Providing Organizational Scaffolding Station . . . . . . . 109
Adapting Graphic Organizers Station . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Modifying Tests Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
The Common Sense of DifferentiationProgram 3. . . . 133
The Nature of Routines and Differentiation . . . . . . . . 137
THE COMMON
SENSE OF
DIFFERENTIATION:
MEETING SPECIFIC
LEARNER NEEDS
IN THE REGULAR
CLASSROOM
Handout 20
Video Reflection SheetProgram 3 . . . . . . . . . . 139
Handout 21
My Classroom Routine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Handout 22
Adjusting Classroom Routines . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Overhead 1
Objectives of Workshop 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Overhead 2
Some Uses of Assessment to Discover

Learner Needs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Overhead 3
Reflecting on the VideoProgram 1 . . . . . . . . . . 147
Overhead 4
Overhead 5a
Two Definitions of DifferentiationPart 1 . . . . . . . 149
Overhead 5b
Two Definitions of DifferentiationPart 2 . . . . . . . 150
Overhead 6
Explanations of Differentiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Overhead 7
Commonsense Themes of Differentiation . . . . . . . 152
Overhead 8
The Common Sense of Assessment. . . . . . . . . . . 153
Overhead 9
The Logic of Assessing to Discover Learner Needs . . 154
Overhead 10
Overhead 11
Insights and Puzzlements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Overhead 12
Overhead 13
Some Techniques That Address Learner Needs . . . . 158
Overhead 14
Overhead 15
Overhead 16
A Commonsense Idea of Differentiation

Respectful Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Overhead 17
Thinking About Human Variability in

Commonsense Ways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Overhead 18
Adapting to Student Variability in the Classroom . . . 164
Overhead 19
The Voices in My Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Overhead 20
Overhead 21a
Managing Routines in the Differentiated

ClassroomPart 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Overhead 21b
Managing Routines in the Differentiated

ClassroomPart 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Overhead 22
Overhead 23
Overhead 24
Painting a Portrait of the Differentiated Classroom. . . 171
Overhead 25
Classroom Routines and Differentiation . . . . . . . . 172
Overhead 26
Characteristics of Classroom Routines

That Support Differentiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Overhead 27
Overhead 28
Components of a Routine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Overhead 29a
Overhead 29b
Overhead 30
Overhead 31
Considerations in Adapting a RoutinePart 1.

Considerations in Adapting a RoutinePart 2.
More Examples of Routines That Support
Differentiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
From There to Here. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . 176
. . . . . 177
. . . . . 178
. . . . . 179
Readings and Resources

Reading 1
Reading 2
Reading 3
Reading 4
Reading 5
Deciding to Teach Them All by C. A. Tomlinson .

Celebrating Diverse Minds by M. Levine . . . . .
Beyond the Gifted Stereotype by C. M. Callahan .
Reading Supports for All by J. Fitzgerald and
M. F. Graves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fragile Brains by E. Jensen . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . 183
. . 187
. . 193
. . 198
. . 203
Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
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hen confronted with a contemporary classroom, teachers typically

face the challenge of structuring opportunities for learning in ways
that can meet students wide range of needs. A single classroom likely
contains students with strong passions for particular subjects and high
skill levels in those subjects sitting beside students who lack the fundamental background knowledge and skills required for success in the
same subjects. Or students identified as having special learning needs
seated beside students with no particular identification but whose learning needs are nonetheless unique and profound. Students differ in gender,
culture, language, opportunity, personal interest, and mode of learning.
Their motivation to succeed in school will vary, as will their support
systems for doing so.
The Common
Sense of
Differentiation
How can a professional educator approach this array of backgrounds,

readiness levels, interests, and learning profiles with some sense of
optimism and confidence? This basic question lies at the heart of the
approach to teaching and learning known as differentiation. This
video-based staff development series offers foundations and strategies
for teachers to enhance the understandings and skills necessary for developing classrooms effective in addressing a wide range of learner needs.
Differentiation is not a particular instructional strategy or formula but is
instead a way of thinking about and shaping teaching and learning. It
suggests that instructional planning should be shaped by who we teach as
well as what we teach. It suggests that crafting learning environments
that both affirm and challenge each student matters, just as planning
teacher presentations, student tasks, and assessments of student growth
matters. It suggests that flexible use of classroom elementstime, space,
materials, student groupings, and so onserves more students more
effectively than does rigid use of those elements. It also reminds us that
both quality of curriculum and quality of instruction are important for
student success.
This video series is designed to encourage teachers to think of differentiation not as something new or additional, but rather as the common sense
of quality teaching. At its core, differentiation is simply high-quality,
thoughtful teaching that builds on our best understanding of how students learn and what teachers can do to maximize each students learning.
In other words, the series stresses the common sense of differentiation:
thinking about and applying the logic of understanding learning destinations; checking to see where students are in relation to learning goals at
varied points along a learning journey; using what we learn about student
progress to adapt instructional plans to enhance learner success; and
developing classroom routines that help both teacher and student maximize the capacity of each person in the classroom.
Assumptions
This series is based on the following assumptions:

1. Students differ as learners. Students of the same age are variously
shaped by background, particular strengths and weaknesses,
language, culture, gender, interests, dreams, ways of processing
ideas, and level of maturity, along with a host of other variables.
2. Student differences affect learning. All students come to the
classroom able to learnbut able to learn in different ways.
The factors that shape students, for better or worse, also shape
their learning.
3. The most effective teachers seek to know and understand their
students as learners. Teachers who persist in developing insights
about particular learners are better positioned to respond to learner
needs than those who do not.
4. It is critical for teachers to develop and maintain clarity about
essential learning goals. Essential learning goals are the roadmap
for the learning journey in the classroom. When the goals are
ambiguous, the learning destination more uncertain, learning will
likely diminish.
5. It is necessary to persistently assess where students are in regard
to essential learning goals. Awareness of a students position
relative to critical outcomes provides insight about the instructional
adjustments necessary to support that students continual progress
toward essential goals.
6. Students with varied exceptionalities often share common needs.
For example, many kinds, or categories, of learners need support in
becoming more competent readers.
7. Teachers who utilize powerful instructional techniques to benefit
one kind of student will likely find that other students benefit
from the same strategy. Students who are learning English need
support in developing critical vocabularybut so do many students
with learning disabilities, students from economically disadvantaged
backgrounds, students with general vocabulary difficulties, and so on.
8. Attending to a variety of learner needs requires teachers to

develop classroom routines that invite instructional flexibility.
Teachers need to develop classroom routines in order to manage the
myriad demands of the classroom. But some kinds of routines are
more likely than others to support flexible teachingan imperative
in responding to diverse learner needs.
9. Teachers who persistently assess students to determine their
status relative to key learning goals, adapt instructional plans
in response to evolving knowledge of student learning needs,
and develop classroom routines that invite flexibility are more
likely to help greater numbers of learners succeed than teachers
who do not. The perfect classroom, the perfect lesson, the perfect
teacherthese do not exist. Nonetheless, teachers who persist in
learning about students and teaching for the success of each student
are likely to promote increased achievement for greater numbers
of students.
he Common Sense of Differentiation: Meeting Specific Learner

Needs in the Regular Classroom is designed for use by classroom
teachers, teaching specialists, curriculum developers, curriculum coordinators, and other educators who have an interest in designing classrooms
that maximize the potential of a full range of learners. The video series
takes viewers into a variety of classrooms at different grade levels and
across different subject areas to observe how teachers uncover learner
needs, plan instruction that responds to those needs, and develop classroom routines that allow for attention to a range of learner needs. The
series stresses the common sense undergirding what we call differentiated instruction and suggests that by applying key principles of assessment, instructional planning, and classroom management, it is possible to
enhance the learning of many students.
Purpose of
the Series
This video series builds on the philosophy, key understandings, and practices examined in the ASCD video programs Differentiating Instruction
and At Work in the Differentiated Classroom. Workshops in this facilitators guide provide opportunities for additional exploration, application,
and sharing related to some of the key principles and practices of effective differentiation for diverse learners. Ideally, by using the video programs to observe effective practices and by engaging in the workshop
activities, participants will reflect upon the practices that they themselves
use and will explore new practices they can implement in their classroom
to more effectively respond to the needs of their students. The workshops

are also designed to promote collaborative, collegial conversations
amongst teachers, promoting further refinement of their philosophical
beliefs and the development of ideas for working together to meet
students needs.
About the
Series
his video-based professional development series consists of three

video programs and a facilitators guide. Program 1 examines the
importance and logic of effective and ongoing assessment to understand
the learning needs of students relative to key learning goals throughout a
learning cycle. Program 2 focuses on instructional adjustments teachers
can use in response to learners needs, as revealed through ongoing
assessments. Program 3 emphasizes classroom routines that help both
teachers and students structure learning for increased success.
Two workshop formats are provided for each video program. The first is
a short session (approximately 60100 minutes) designed to give participants an opportunity to view the video program and to share their observations and reactions. The second workshop format is a full-day session
(approximately six hours) with activities designed to deepen participants
understanding of a specific topic. The session activities introduce ways
to apply key principles and practices in the classroom and assist teachers
in teaching more responsively in an academically diverse classroom.
Differentiation is not a particular instructional strategy or template of
teaching but rather is a way of thinking about the classroom. A teacher
who embraces differentiation as an approach to teaching continuously
uses knowledge about students and their learning styles, their interests,
and their prior knowledge and skills to adjust curriculum and instruction
so that she can help each student learn as much as possible as efficiently
as possible.
In a differentiated or responsive classroom, the teacher provides a variety

of ways to learn so that students from different cultures, of different genders, and with different learning styles and intelligence strengths can
work efficiently. Additionally, the teacher takes into consideration what
Vygotsky (1978) calls the zone of proximal development, attempting
to ensure that a student works at a level of moderate challenge and
acknowledging that what constitutes moderate challenge will differ from
student to student. In addition, such teachers attempt to link a students
interests to important content, thereby engaging students and activating
their intrinsic motivation to learn.
The workshop activities in the facilitators guide serve as a starting point

for you as a workshop facilitator. As such, your question and activity
selections need not be limited to those contained in this guide. Participants are asked to analyze observations from the videos or processes outlined in a strategy and to determine the rationale for the differentiation
elements. Each full-length (six-hour) workshop also provides time for
participants to develop a plan or a classroom application based on ideas
and approaches highlighted in a particular program.
Successful differentiation requires that a teacher begin with clear learning goals. A teacher must be able to clearly state what students should
know, understand, and be able to do as the result of a task, lesson, or
unit. Only then is the teacher ready to begin developing a range of
approaches to ensure that diverse learners achieve the essential goals.
The programs and activities in this series emphasize this important point.
This guide contains four sections for each workshop:
The Introduction presents an overview of the philosophy, principles,

and research pertaining to teaching in a differentiated classroom, as
well as a description of the video programs.
The Workshops section provides agendas, materials, and information needed for the facilitator to plan and conduct two different
workshops for each video program in the series.
The Handouts and Overheads section lists the materials to be

duplicated and distributed to participants in each workshop. They
include camera-ready masters for overhead transparencies that are
incorporated within the various workshop sessions.
The Readings and Resources section includes a select collection

of readings. These articles may be duplicated and distributed to
workshop participants for independent reading or incorporated
within the workshop formats. In addition, this section includes a
list of resources on differentiating instruction and managing the
differentiated classroom.
fter viewing the videos and participating in the workshops, participants should be able to
Analyze and discuss the reasoning behind the key principles and
practices of differentiation.
Series
Objectives
Role of the
Workshop
Facilitator
Identify and explain key assessment elements that are effective in

informing instructional planning for diverse learners.
Identify and explain ways of meeting diverse learners needs in an

effectively differentiated classroom.
Adapt and plan to apply one or more instructional, assessment, or

management techniques to support differentiated instruction for
diverse learners.
Reflect on instructional and curricular decisions to determine when

particular principles and practices of differentiation are important
for particular learners in their classes.
his video series is designed to be flexible. On a basic level, participants can view and discuss the videos using the guiding questions
provided for each program. On a deeper level, the workshops help the
facilitator lead participants through discussions and activities that expand
their understandings and extend their practice. The facilitator does not
need to be an expert in differentiating instruction, but preparation for the
workshops will enhance their effectiveness for participants. It is important, therefore, that you become comfortable with the materials prior to
the sessions so that you have a foundation for directing activities and
discussions. To prepare for a session, you should
Read and View the Materials.
Review this facilitators guide and other reference materials.
View the video programs. If you are using videotapes, you may wish
to record the tape counter numbers for the beginning of each section
or example so that you can easily reference them and return to particular sections during the workshops.
Prepare the Program Activities.
Determine the workshop format that is most appropriate for your

audience.
Plan the agenda for your workshop, including the workshop objectives. Allot time for activities and include time for breaks. Suggested
agendas and objectives are included in this guide.
Duplicate any handouts and readings from this guide that you intend
to distribute to participants.
Make transparencies from the overhead masters and make copies of

any overheads you want to use as additional handouts.
Prepare the Room.
Reserve a room large enough to accommodate the group, taking into

consideration small- and large-group discussions and a seating
arrangement that allows for comfortable video viewing.
Reserve necessary equipment: DVD or VCR player and monitor

(a 23- to 25-inch monitor will suffice for up to 25 participants);
overhead projector; projection screen; writing surface or flip chart;
and microphone or sound projection system, if needed.
Make general arrangements:

Do you need a sign-in reception table?
How will lunch be handled?
Where are the restrooms, telephones, light switches, and
electrical outlets located?

Can temperature adjustments be made to the room and,
if so, how?
Prepare Materials and Equipment.
Set up the DVD or VCR player, overhead projector, and projection

screen. Check the equipment to make sure it is in good working
order. Be sure you have any necessary extension cords or adapters. If
the workshop has more than 30 participants, set up sound projection
for the VCR or DVD player and a microphone for the facilitator.
Gather supplies that may be used in group discussions and debriefing: chart paper, masking tape or tacks for posting chart paper on
walls, markers for chart paper, blank overhead transparencies and
transparency pens, and sticky notes or scrap paper for tables.
Prepare sign-in sheets, handout packets, and evaluation forms

(if appropriate).
Announce the Workshop.
10
Announce the workshop to participants, via flyer or electronic

announcement (or both), being sure to indicate the location, time,
and date for the workshop. You might also consider including the
workshop agenda and objectives.
For full-day workshops, remind participants to bring lesson materials

they can use to develop plans for differentiation.
Contact those whom you wish to assist you with the workshop. If
appropriate to your situation, consider inviting parents, community
members, and school board members.
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his video series emphasizes important principles and practices for

teachers who want to provide appropriate and effective instruction
for students with diverse learning needs. This may include students with
learning disabilities, students learning English as a second language,
academically gifted students, and other students whose needs require
detailed Individual Education Plans (IEPs), as well as students who
have no particular identification but who nonetheless have specific
learning needs.
Preface to
Workshops
The series as a whole takes viewers inside classes at the primary,

elementary, middle, and high school levels. It engages participants in
discussions, observations, and tasks designed to emphasize the common
sense of differentiation. In other words, the series explores the reality
that differentiation is largely rooted in the basic elements of high-quality
classroom practice: clarifying important learning goals, consistently
attempting to understand needs that affect the learners achievement of
those goals, and adapting instructional plans to maximize success for
each learner.
Program 1 examines the role that pre-assessments and ongoing assessments play in helping teachers understand their students needs. Program
2 looks at useful techniques for addressing the learning needs of many
kinds of students. Program 3 explores classroom routines that enable
teachers to consistently address a range of learner needs in ways that
are comfortable and predictable for both teacher and students.
13
A Special
Note About
Differentiating
the Workshops
he following workshops are designed to engage teachers in a series of

carefully crafted discussions, reflections, and activities based on the
three program topics. When engaging in the workshop activities, some
participants may prefer working alone and some with colleagues. Some
might like the chance to talk with peers from schools, grades, or subjects
other than their own, whereas others will want to work with peers who
teach the same subject and grade or at the same school.
Some participants may even find it more beneficial to use workshop time
to differentiate instruction based on an approach or strategy they already
employ in their teaching. This is entirely appropriate, because teachers
are more likely to understand and use differentiation if they learn how to
tailor instructional plans to content, practices, and tasks that are important for students in their particular classrooms. Further, in a series of
workshops on differentiation, it is important to differentiate in response
to teachers varying learning needs, just as we ask them to differentiate
for the learning needs of their students. As facilitator, part of your
responsibility is to enable participants to work in ways that meet their
particular needs and to remind participants that in so doing, you are
modeling approaches they might want to use in their classrooms.
14
Workshop 1
Discovering Learner Needs

This session is designed for use with Program 1. It explores how teachers
can use various forms of assessment to better understand the range of
learning needs their students bring to the classroom. Participants will
see teachers assess student status relative to the experiences, knowledge,
understandings, and skills that are prerequisite for success in the class as
a whole; pre-assess student knowledge, understanding, and skills that
form the focus of an upcoming unit; use ongoing assessment to understand learner progress toward essential goals; and assess for insights
about student interest and learning profile. Use the following agenda
for this session, or vary it to suit the particular needs of your setting
and participants.
Agenda and Time Guide

Activity
Minutes
Introduction
30
View Video Program 1
40
Reflection
20
Wrap-Up
Total Approximate Workshop Time:
95 minutes
Workshop Materials
For this workshop, you will need
Handout 1 and copies of Overheads 2 and 3 for each participant.
Overheads 13 for your own use.
Flip chart and paper, masking tape, blank transparencies, and

markers for possible use during activities and to record participant responses.
You may also wish to provide copies of the readings suggested in the
Readings and Resources section of the guide. Although the readings
are intended for the longer workshops, they can be used as follow-up
material for this workshop. Choose readings to share based on the
experience and needs of your participants.
Facilitators Note
Providing folders with all
materials inside is an efficient
way to distribute handouts and
other resources. You may also
want to provide name tags.
Before participants arrive, write
the objectives for the session on
the flip chart, or display
Overhead 1, Objectives of
Workshop 1.
15
Introduction (30 minutes)

1. Welcome all participants. Introduce yourself and explain your role
as workshop facilitator. As the facilitator, you will guide the group
through the workshop to help them meet the workshop objectives.
2. Depending on the size of the group and whether the participants
know one another, you may want to include time for participants
to introduce themselves individually or in small groups.
3. You may find it useful at this point to poll the group to determine
the degree to which participants are familiar with the principles and
practices of differentiation. For example, you may ask participants
to raise their hands if they (a) are just beginning to learn about
differentiation, (b) have a general understanding of the concept and
use it sometimes in their classrooms, or (c) feel very comfortable
with the principles of differentiation and use them consistently in
their classrooms.
4. Display Overhead 1, Objectives of Workshop 1, or use the flip chart
to present the objectives for the workshop to the group.
5. Tell participants that one goal of this workshop is to help them
reflect on connections between what teachers know to be good
practice in the classroom and key principles of differentiation. In
other words, its helpful to see differentiation as a way of applying
the common sense of effective teaching.
6. Distribute Handout 1, The Common Sense of Differentiation
Program 1. Explain that the handout will help participants reflect on
this commonsense aspect of differentiation. Ask participants to work
independently to complete Part 1 of the handout. Tell them they will
have 7 minutes to do this. Then ask participants to form groups of
two or three to share their responses to Part 1. Allow about 5 minutes
for sharing.
7. Next, ask participants to work independently to complete Part 2
of Handout 1. Tell them they will have 7 minutes to do this. Once
again, ask them to form groups of two or three to share their
responses to Part 2. Allow about 8 minutes for sharing.
16
View Video Program 1, Discovering Learner Needs

(40 minutes)
1. Tell participants that as they view the program, they will likely see
some of their own thoughts about differentiation reflected in the
classroom scenarios, but that they should also see some new ideas
about the common sense of differentiation demonstrated
particularly as it relates to the use of assessment to understand
learner needs.
2. Display Overhead 2, Some Uses of Assessment to Discover Learner
Needs, and tell participants they may want to use the information it
provides to help them identify categories of learner needs they will
see in the program. Encourage them to compare the practices they
see in the video with the ones they currently use throughout
instructional cycles to identify the learning needs of their students.
3. Show Program 1, Discovering Learner Needs (approximately 35
minutes).
Reflection (20 minutes)

1. Invite participants to reflect on the video. Display Overhead 3,
Reflecting on the VideoProgram 1, and use the questions it
presents to guide the reflection and discussion about the ideas
presented in the video program. Write participant responses on chart
paper or a blank overhead transparency. Alternatively, you might
consider asking one or two participants to record responses for you
so that you can concentrate on the discussion. Allow 1215 minutes
for this activity.
2. Ask participants to share with a colleague a strategy related to
assessing prerequisite skills, assessment of interest, assessment of
learning profile, or ongoing assessment of student progress that they
could use in an upcoming unit. Ask them to share what sorts of
information they hope the strategy would provide for them. Allow
58 minutes for discussion.
17
Facilitators Note
If there will be a full-day
workshop on Program 1,
announce those plans. If
workshops are scheduled for the
other programs in this series,
announce when they will take
place. Mention that Program 2
explores techniques for adjusting
instruction to meet diverse learning needs and that Program 3
examines classroom routines that
support differentiation.
18
Wrap-Up (5 minutes)
1. Display Overhead 1, Objectives of Workshop 1. Review the
workshop objectives, and invite participants to ask any remaining questions they might have about the objectives or the
workshop content.
2. If you have provided copies of readings from the Readings and
Resources section, point them out to participants and encourage
them to use the readings to extend their thinking on the topic of
assessing to understand learner needs.
3. Thank participants for their attendance and contributions to
the workshop.
Workshop 2
Discovering Learner Needs

This session is designed for use with Program 1. Its purpose is to guide
participants in thinking about the relationship between what makes sense
in teaching and learning and the principles and practices of differentiation. Specifically, it focuses on helping teachers explore the common
sense of differentiation rather than looking at it as something they must
implement in addition to effective classroom practice. In this workshop,
participants examine the logic of using assessment to better understand
the needs of diverse learners in order to better inform instructional plans
for those learners. Use the following agenda for this session, or vary it to
suit the particular needs of your setting and participants.

Activity
Minutes
Introduction
15
The Common Sense of Differentiation
25
The Common Sense of Assessing to Discover Learner Needs
25
Break
15
40
Reflection on the Video
20
Lunch
60
Assessment Stations
Conclusion
120
25
5 hours, 45 minutes
Workshop Materials
Handouts 29 and copies of Overheads 5a, 5b, 6, and 9 for each

participant.

markers for possible use during activities and to record participant
responses.
Readings and Resources section of the guide. Choose readings to
share based on the experience and needs of your participants.
Facilitators Note
Workshop 2.
19

1. At the door, have a sign-in sheet for participants.
2. Welcome participants. Introduce yourself and explain your role as
workshop facilitator. As the facilitator, you will guide the group
3. Depending on the size of the group and whether participants already
know one another, you may want to include time for participants to
introduce themselves individually or in small groups.
4. You may find it useful at this point to poll the group to determine the
degree to which participants are familiar with the principles and
practices of differentiation. For example, you might ask participants
their classrooms.
The Common Sense of Differentiation (25 minutes)

explore the commonsense ideas at the core of differentiated
instruction. In other words, the workshop is designed to help them
think about the logic behind differentiation. Note that just because an
idea reflects common sense does not mean it is easy to implement,
but keeping the common sense in mind can provide a worthy guide
for instructional decision making.
2. Remind participants of the difference between a definition and an
explanation. A definition uses formal language to provide precise
information. An explanation uses more conversational language to
make sure an idea is clearly conveyed.
3. Display Overhead 5a, Two Definitions of DifferentiationPart 1.
Tell participants that this first definition is a visual definitiona
concept map that visually clarifies the key elements of differentiation. It can be read like a sentence from top to bottom. Have
a participant read the concept map aloud for the group, or read
it yourself.
20
Then display Overhead 5b and tell participants that the second

definition is verbal. Read it aloud as well. Note for the group that
both definitions sound as though they came from a dictionarythat
is, they sound scholarly and help us formulate precise language
related to differentiation.
4. Now display Overhead 6, Explanations of Differentiation. It includes
one explanation of differentiationshaking up the classroom so its
a better fit for more students. This explanation doesnt sound so
scholarly, but it helps us understand the intent of differentiation in
language likely to make sense to most people who know something
about classrooms.
5. Distribute Handout 2, Explaining Differentiation. Ask participants
to use it to develop at least three explanations (not definitions) of
differentiation. Ask them also to use the back of the handout to note
common themes (for example, student needs or flexibility) that they
identify in their explanations. Give participants about 10 minutes for
this portion of the task.
6. Next, ask participants to form a group with two or three colleagues
to share their explanations. Give participants 10 minutes for this
portion of the task.
7. Ask participants to share three or four explanations with the large
group, using Overhead 6 to record the examples.
Facilitators Note
It may be useful for participants
to form groups with colleagues
who work with similar subjects
or grade levels.
8. Display Overhead 7, Commonsense Themes of Differentiation, and

ask participants to discuss patterns or themes they saw in their
explanations. Record their observations on the overhead.
9. Tell participants that in todays workshop, they will particularly
focus on the common sense that lies at the core of assessing to
discover the needs of diverse learners. This facet of differentiation,
like most of its other facets, is based on ideas that make sense when
we think about effective instruction.
The Common Sense of Assessing to Discover Learner

Needs (25 minutes)
1. Tell participants that this activity will help them to start thinking
about using assessment in a differentiated classroom as a key to
revealing how to design and adjust instruction in ways that support
their students success as learners.
21
2. Distribute Handout 3, The Common Sense of Assessment. Ask

participants to think about each of the elements of effective
assessment listed in the left column of the handout and to jot down
their thoughts about why each element is critical to supporting
learner success. Have participants work individually on this part of
the activity. Allow about 68 minutes for this individual work.
3. After participants have individually completed the task, direct them
to form groups of three or four to share their responses about each
element of assessment. Ask them to develop a single response for
each assessment element that best represents their thinking about
how the element contributes to learner success. Allow about 10
minutes for this group work.
4. Reconvene the whole group and ask participants to share some of
their small-group responses. Display Overhead 8, The Common
Sense of Assessment. Discuss participants answers and record them
or key phrases from them on the overhead.
Break (15 minutes)

View Video Program 1, Discovering Learner Needs
(40 minutes)
1. Tell participants theyll be watching a video in which teachers
explore how and why they work consistently to gain insights about
the learning needs of their students. Much of the teacher thinking is
based on a practical or commonsense way of thinking about the
classroom. Display Overhead 9, The Logic of Assessing to Discover
Learner Needs, and go over it with participants.
2. Tell participants that the video program presents a variety of
assessment techniques, but that these are only a sample. They will
have a chance after viewing the video to note additional techniques
they have found to be beneficial for identifying the specific learning
needs of their students.
3. Distribute Handout 4, Video Reflection SheetProgram 1. Tell
participants that they can use this handout to jot down their
observations, insights, and questions about assessing specific learner
needs as they watch the video program. If they would prefer to wait
to jot down their ideas, tell them you will give them time to do so
after the video program has ended.
22
4. Show Program 1, Discovering Learner Needs (approximately 35

minutes).
Reflection on the Video (20 minutes)

1. Give participants about 3 or 4 minutes to write or to complete
their notes on Handout 4. Then, ask them to share some of the
observations, insights, and questions they had as they watched the
program. Display Overhead 10, Reflecting on the Video
Program 1, and use it to record participants thoughts, questions,
or comments.
2. Next, ask participants to share their observations about the
assessment techniques shown in the video. Use the following
questions and prompts to elicit participants reactions:
Which assessment practices are you most familiar with?
Share what you know about particular assessment techniques

in relation to addressing students learning needs.
Which practices are less familiar to you? Which ones are new
to you? What questions do you have about these techniques?
What more would you like to know about these assessment

practices?
Does the video address any practices that are questionable

or about which you have doubts as to their practicality
or usefulness?
3. Tell participants that they will have the opportunity after lunch to
work on designing some assessments they can use to discover the
specific learning needs of their students.
4. Thank participants for their contributions to the workshop up to
this point.
Lunch (60 minutes)
23
Before the Next Activity
NOTE: Set up the five stations around the room. Because each station must be able to comfortably
accommodate participants while they work, you may need to have duplicate stations (e.g., two
pre-assessment stations), depending on the number of workshop participants.
Provide enough copies of each stations handout for all participants. Place the handout copies for
each station at that station. Or, if you prefer, include the handouts for all of the stations in each
participants folder.
The handouts for the stations are
Handout 5, Prerequisite Skills Assessment Station
Handout 6, Pre-Assessment Station
Handout 7, Ongoing Assessment Station
Handout 8, Learning Profile Assessment Station
Handout 9, Interest Assessment Station
Remember to take into consideration participants transitions from station to station. For example,
if a participant finishes with the Pre-Assessment station and wants to go the Interest Assessment
station, but all of the spaces at Interest Assessment are taken, an alternate space should be made
available where the participant can work on the Interest Assessment activities.
Alternatively, you can give participants all five handouts at once, allowing them to work on the
station tasks in a workspace of their choosing.
Assessment Stations (2 hours)

1. Welcome participants back from lunch and tell them the afternoon
portion of the workshop will provide them with an opportunity to
think more deeply about ways they might discover and respond to
learner needs in their classroom.
2. Explain that they will work in stations set up around the room to
learn about and apply particular assessment strategies that will help
them gather information about their students readiness levels,
interests, learning preferences, and prior skills and knowledge.
3. Tell participants about the five stations: Prerequisite Skills Assessment, Pre-Assessment, Ongoing Assessment, Learning Profile
Assessment, and Interest Assessment. They will have two hours total
24
to visit the stations. Although they should try to visit two or three
stations, they may want to spend more time at one station and less at
another. Tell them you will announce the time in 30-minute intervals.
Explain, however, that this is not a signal for them to move to
another station, but simply a way to help them monitor their time.
4. Before dismissing the participants to their stations, tell them they
should bring a writing utensil, their KUDswhat they want students
to Know, Understand, and be able to Doand their unit materials
with them.
5. Dismiss the participants to the stations.
6. Monitor the time in 30-minute intervals. Let participants know how
much time has passed and how much time remains.
7. Alert participants when 10 minutes remain in the two-hour session.
Facilitators Note
Over the next two hours, it will
be important for you to circulate
among the stations, closely
monitoring the participants
progress and answering
questions. You may want to do
some ongoing assessment of
your own. For example, ask
participants to fill out exit cards
as they leave a station. In
addition, following the prompts
provided on the handouts for
some stations, participants may
give you their staff development
interest or learning style
assessments during this time.
Put them aside for later review.
Conclusion (25 minutes)

1. Have participants form groups of three or four in which they will
share one example of their work from the afternoon. Ask each
group to appoint one facilitator who will monitor the time and
make certain everyone has an opportunity to share a piece of their
work. Encourage group members to point out the strengths of their
colleagues work and to make suggestions for additional things the
assessment designer might consider when he implements the ideas in
the classroom. Allow about 1517 minutes for the group sharing.
Facilitators Note
to form groups with colleagues
who work with similar subjects
or grade levels.
2. Ask participants to reflect on ideas they may take away from the
workshop. Display Overhead 11, Insights and Puzzlements, and use
it to record their thoughts. In the Aha! column, record participant
insights about assessment to discover learner needs. In the Huh?
column, record questions or uncertainties they still have regarding
assessment to discover learner needs.
3. Encourage participants to continue thinking and learning about
approaches they can use to discover the learning needs of students in
their classrooms. Distribute any readings from the Readings and
Resources section of this guide that you think would be beneficial
for participants to review following the workshop. Choose readings
to share based on the experience and needs of your participants.
4. Thank participants for their contributions to the workshop.
Facilitators Note
It may be useful to compile
all of the notes from the
days session and share them
with participants.
25
Workshop 3
Techniques for Adjusting Instruction

This session is designed for use with Program 2. It explores techniques
classroom teachers can use to support the success of a variety of learners
in their classrooms. Participants will see teachers determine clusters of
learning needs in their classroom and employ a range of techniques to
help students draw on their strengths and overcome learning problems. In
this way, each student has strong support for achieving specified learning
goals. Use the following agenda for this session, or vary it to suit the particular needs of your setting and participants.

Activity
Introduction
35
45
Reflection
20
Wrap-Up
Facilitators Note
Overhead 12, Objectives
of Workshop 3.
Minutes
100105 minutes
Workshop Materials
Handout 10 and a copy of Overhead 13 for each participant.


1. Welcome all participants. Introduce yourself and explain your role as
26

their classrooms.
Program 2. Ask participants to work independently to complete Part 1
of the handout. Tell them they will have 7 minutes to do so. Then ask
participants to form groups of two or three to share their responses to
Part 1. Allow another 7 minutes for participants to share.
7. Next, ask participants to work independently to complete Part 2
of Handout 10. As with Part 1, tell them they will have 7 minutes
to complete this task. Once again, ask them to form groups of two
or three to share their responses to Part 2. Allow about 8 minutes
for sharing.
View Video Program 2, Techniques for Adjusting

Instruction (45 minutes)
classroom scenarios, but that they should also gain some new
thoughts about the common sense of differentiationparticularly as
it relates to the use of teaching and learning techniques designed to
address the learning needs of diverse students. Mention that teachers
in the classrooms on the video find that when they discover and
address a learning need for one group of students, it is often the case
27
that some other learners benefit from the technique as well. The
teachers think in terms of clusters of student needs rather than the
totally distinct needs of 30 individuals. Thinking and planning in this
way makes the teachers work less daunting and more manageable.
2. Display Overhead 13, Some Techniques That Address Learner
Needs, to help participants identify clusters of student needs they
will see in the program and illustrations of the kinds of strategies
teachers find useful in addressing these clusters. Tell participants that
in the left-hand column of the chart, they will see some needs that
are common to a variety of students in many classrooms. In the
center column are techniques teachers can use to address these
needs. The right-hand column suggests types of students who might
benefit from the technique.
Reiterate that when teachers think in terms of common student
needs, it is often the case that an adjustment made to benefit one kind
of learner benefits others as well. Thinking in terms of clusters of
needs in the classroom makes the work of differentiation more
manageable. It also reduces the teachers inclination to think about
students in terms of labels, focusing instead on student needs and
appropriate responses to those needs.
3. Encourage participants to compare the techniques they see in the
video with the ones they currently use to address the learning needs
of the students they teach.
4. Show Program 2, Techniques for Adjusting Instruction
(approximately 40 minutes).

1. Invite participants to reflect on the video. Display Overhead 14,
Reflecting on the VideoProgram 2, and use the questions it presents to guide the reflection and discussion. You may want to record
responses on a flip chart. Alternatively, you might consider asking
one or two participants to record responses for you so that you can
concentrate on the discussion. Allow 1215 minutes for the discussion.
2. Ask participants to share with a colleague a technique they saw in
the video that they could use in an upcoming unit to adjust teaching
and learning to benefit a cluster of learners. Ask them to discuss the
kinds of learners they feel the technique would benefit and why.
Allow approximately 5 minutes for this discussion.
28
Wrap-Up (5 minutes)
workshop content.
Facilitators Note
workshops are scheduled for the
other programs in this series,
announce when they will take
place. Mention that Program 3
examines classroom routines
that support differentiation.

the workshop.
29
Workshop 4
Techniques for Adjusting Instruction

This session is designed for use with Program 2, and is intended to guide
participants in thinking about the relationship between what makes sense
in teaching and learning and the principles and practices of differentiation. Its focus is helping teachers explore the common sense of differentiation rather than looking at it as something they must implement in
addition to effective classroom practice. Specifically, the emphasis in this
workshop falls on: (1) exploring the logic behind determining clusters of
learning needs in classrooms and (2) employing a range of techniques to
help students draw on their strengths and overcome learning problems. In
this way, each student has strong support for achieving specified learning
goals. Use the following agenda for this session, or vary it to suit the
particular needs of your setting and participants.

Activity
Introduction
15
20
The Common Sense of Adjusting for Human Variability
30
Break
15
45
20
Lunch
60
Instruction Technique Work Stations

Conclusion
Facilitators Note
Before participants arrive,
write the objectives for the
session on the flip chart, or
display Overhead 15,
Objectives of Workshop 4.
30
Minutes
120
25
5 hours, 50 minutes
Workshop Materials
Handouts 1117 for each participant.
Flip chart and paper, masking tape, blank transparencies,

and markers for possible use during activities and to record
participant responses.

workshop facilitator. As facilitator, you will guide the group through
the workshop to help them meet the workshop objectives.
know one another, you might want to include time for participants to
4. You may find it useful at this point to poll the group about the degree
to which they are comfortable with the principles and practices of
differentiation. For example, you might ask participants to raise their
hands if they (a) are just beginning to learn about differentiation, (b)
have a general understanding of the concept and use it sometimes in
their classrooms, or (c) feel very comfortable with the principles of
differentiation and use them consistently in their classrooms.

2. Display the first page of Overhead 16, A Commonsense Idea of
DifferentiationRespectful Tasks, to help participants think about
the common sense behind the idea of respectful tasks, a key
principle of differentiated instruction. Ask participants to form
groups of three or four to discuss the benefits of ensuring respectful
tasks, as well as the problems that can result if tasks are not
respectful of students. Allow about 10 minutes for the groups to
generate ideas.
31
3. Ask the groups to share the ideas they discussed. Record these ideas
in the chart on the second page of Overhead 16. Allow about 10
minutes for this activity.
The Common Sense of Adjusting for Human Variance

(30 minutes)
1. Following the whole-group discussion, tell participants that one
premise underlying the concept of differentiation is that human
variance is not only normal, but also desirable. In the classroom,
learning differences can certainly be challenging for teachers, but
they are inevitable and can serve to enrich a classroom if a teacher
chooses to see them as positives rather than as inconveniences.
2. Distribute Handout 11, Adjusting for Human Variability. Explain
that participants will use the handout to first think about effective
ways society deals with human variability and then about effective
ways schools deal with human variability.
3. Display Overhead 17, Thinking About Human Variability in
Commonsense Ways, which includes an example of one area of
human variabilityappetite and taste. Introduce the overhead by
explaining that society makes adjustments for many forms of human
variability, with the result that these variances generally do not cause
serious problems.
Highlight a few ways in which society makes adjustments to account
for the variability. For example, society accommodates height variations in a number of ways: pants with different leg lengths, beds of
different lengths, sports where height is a plus (basketball), and
sports where it is not (horse racing). Variability in height is
considered normal and is generally dealt with in positive ways.
Review the completed matrix row and then ask participants to
suggest other adaptations society makes for appetite and taste
variability. (Leave the other rows empty for now.) Ask participants to
continue with this line of thinking using Handout 11. Tell them they
will have 5 minutes to complete Part 1 of the handout, after which
they will share their ideas with their colleagues.
4. When time is up, ask participants to form a group of two or three
colleagues to share their examples about how society accommodates
human variance. Allow about 5 minutes for the sharing.
32
5. Following the small-group sharing, ask participants to share with

the large group examples of human variance and their explanations
of positive ways society allows for those variations. Use the
uncompleted portion of Overhead 17 to record their observations.
Be sure to also discuss with the group what would happen if society
dealt with these variations as though they were unimportant or were
a problem. For example, if everyone had to eat the same amount in
order to be socially accepted, the consequences would be obvious:
smaller people would be ill from overeating and larger people would
be malnourished.
6. Now ask participants to complete Part 2 of Handout 11 with their
small groups. Give them about 57 minutes to complete the task.
7. Display Overhead 18, Adapting to Student Variability in the
Classroom. Use it to record participant examples from Part 2 of
Handout 11. Be sure to have participants discuss whether society in
general or the society we call the classroom is more likely to make
adaptations for the routine differences of its members.
focus on the common sense that lies at the core of adjusting
classroom instruction in positive ways to address the learning needs
of academically varying students. This facet of differentiation, like
most of its other facets, is based on ideas that make sense when we
think about effective instruction.
Break (15 minutes)

View Video Program 2, Techniques for Adjusting
Instruction (45 minutes)
1. Tell participants theyll be watching a video in which teachers use a
variety of techniques to adjust instruction for predictable and
inevitable learner variance.
2. Distribute Handout 12, Techniques for Adjusting Instruction.
Explain to participants that they can use the handout to take notes
about the techniques depicted in the video. If they would prefer to
wait to jot down their ideas, tell them you will give them time to do
so after the video program has ended.
3. Show Program 2, Techniques for Adjusting Instruction
(approximately 40 minutes).
33

1. Ask participants to talk about any techniques depicted in the video
that they currently use to adjust instruction in response to learner
variability. Encourage them to illustrate how they use the technique
and to offer hints for using it effectively. Also ask them to note any
techniques depicted in the video that they do not currently use in the
classroom, but which seem interesting to them.
2. Distribute Handout 13, Adjusting Instruction to Benefit Clusters
of Learners. Point out that in the video, teachers often made
instructional adjustments for individual students or a small group of
students and found that other students with similar needs benefited
from the adjustment as well. Note that when teachers think about
adjustments that would benefit clusters of students, it makes their
planning more manageable.
Lunch (60 minutes)

Before the Next Activity
NOTE: Set up the four stations around the room. Because each station must be able to comfortably
accommodate participants while they work, you may need to have duplicate stations (e.g., two Individualizing Rubrics stations), depending on the number of workshop participants.
Provide enough copies of each stations handout for all participants. Place the handout copies for
each station at that station. Or, if you prefer, include the handouts for all of the stations in each
participants folder.
The handouts for the stations are
Handout 14, Individualizing Rubrics Station
Handout 15, Providing Organizational Scaffolding Station
Handout 16, Adapting Graphic Organizers Station
Handout 17, Modifying Tests Station
Remember to consider participants transitions from station to station. For example, if a participant is
finished with Providing Organizational Scaffolding and wants to go to Adapting Graphic Organizers,
but all the spaces at Adapting Graphic Organizers are taken, make an alternate space available where
the participant can work on the Adapting Graphic Organizers activities. Alternatively, you can give
participants all of the handouts at once, allowing them to work on the four station activities in a
workspace of their choosing.
If participants took part in Workshop 2, you may want to continue to model assessment (and gather
useful information) by asking them to fill out exit cards as they leave a station.
34
Instructional Technique Work Stations (2 hours)

portion of the workshop will provide them with an opportunity to
think more deeply about ways they might address clusters of learner
needs in their classrooms.
2. Explain that they will work in stations set up around the room
to learn about and plan for the use of instructional techniques
that will help them scaffold success for clusters of learners in
their classrooms.
3. Tell participants about the four stations: Individualizing Rubrics,
Providing Organizational Scaffolding, Adapting Graphic Organizers,
and Modifying Tests. They will have two hours total to visit the
stations. Although they should try to visit two or three stations, they
may want to spend more time at one station and less at another. Tell
them you will announce the time in 30-minute intervals. Explain,
however, that this is not a signal for them to move to another station,
but simply a way to help them monitor their time.
4. Before dismissing the participants to their stations, tell them they
should bring a writing utensil, their KUDswhat they want students
to Know, Understand, and be able to Doand their unit materials
with them.
5. Dismiss the participants to the stations.
6. Monitor the time in 30-minute intervals. Let participants know how
much time has passed and how much time remains.
Facilitators Note
Over the next two hours, it will be
important for you to move among
the stations, closely monitoring
the participants progress and
answering questions.
7. Alert participants when 10 minutes remain of the two-hour session.

share one example of their work from the afternoon. Ask each group
to appoint one facilitator who will watch the time and make certain
everyone has an opportunity to share an example of their work.
Encourage group members to point out the strengths of their
colleagues work and to make suggestions for additional things to
think about when implementing their instructional strategies in the
classroom. Allow about 1517 minutes for the group sharing.
Facilitators Note
to form groups whose members
work with similar subjects or
grade levels.
35
workshop. Display Overhead 19, The Voices in My Head, offering it
as an organizer for their thinking and responses. Give participants
34 minutes to jot down notes prompted by the overhead illustration.
Then spend 34 minutes with participants sharing their thoughts and
questions with the group.
Facilitators Note
It maybe useful to compile
days session and share them
with participants.
36
3. Encourage participants to continue thinking and learning about

approaches they can use to discover and respond to the learning
needs of students in their classrooms. Distribute any readings from
the Readings and Resources section of this guide that you think
would be beneficial for participants to review following the
workshop. Choose readings to share based on the experience
and needs of your participants.
Workshop 5
Classroom Routines
This session is designed for use with Program 3. It explores how teachers classroom routines can support differentiation. Participants will see a
variety of routines that teachers have instituted in their elementary and
secondary classrooms; hear teachers talk about how and why they have
implemented particular routines; and learn how these teachers taught the
routines to their students. Use the following agenda for this session, or
vary it to suit the particular needs of your setting and participants.

Activity
Minutes
Introduction
35
40
Reflection
20
Wrap-Up
100 minutes
Workshop Materials
Handout 18 and copies of Overheads 21a, 21b, and 22 for each

participant.

Facilitators Note
Workshop 5.

1. Welcome all participants. Introduce yourself and explain your role as
37

their classrooms.
Program 3. Ask participants to work independently to complete
Part 1 of the handout. Tell them they will have 7 minutes to do so.
Then ask participants to form groups of two or three to share their
responses to Part 1. Allow about 8 minutes for sharing.
7. Next, ask participants to work independently to complete Part 2 of
Handout 18. As with Part 1, tell them they will have 7 minutes to
complete this task. Once again, ask them to form groups of two
or three to share their responses to Part 2. Allow about 8 minutes
for sharing.
View Program 3, Classroom Routines (40 minutes)

classroom scenarios, but that they should also gain some new
thoughts about the common sense of differentiationparticularly as
it relates to classroom routines. Note that the teachers depicted in the
video understand that differentiation is a way of life in a classroom
that recognizes and attends to learner variance. Accordingly, they
have made differentiation a part of their routines by building it into
38
what they do every day, including assigning homework, delivering

instruction, and administering assessments.
2. Display Overheads 21a and 21b, Managing Routines in the
Differentiated Classroom, to help participants identify characteristics
of classroom routines that support differentiated instruction, as well
as ways of adapting routines to support varied learner needs, as
depicted in the program. Encourage them to compare the classroom
routines they see in the video with those they currently use in their
own classrooms.
3. Show Program 3, Classroom Routines (approximately 35 minutes).

1. Ask participants to reflect on the video. Display Overhead 22,
Reflecting on the VideoProgram 3, and use the questions it
presents to guide the reflection and discussion. Write participant
responses on chart paper or a blank overhead transparency.
Alternatively, you might consider asking one or two participants to
record responses for you so that you can concentrate on the
discussion. Allow 1215 minutes for the discussion.
2. Ask participants to share with a colleague a classroom routine they
saw in the video that they could use in their own routine to adjust
teaching and learning to the benefit of their students. Ask them to
share how their students would benefit from this change in the
routine. Allow 58 minutes for discussion.
Wrap-Up (5 minutes)
workshop content.
the workshop.
Facilitators Note
workshops are scheduled for
the other programs in this
series, announce when they
will take place.
39
Workshop 6
Classroom Routines
This session is designed for use with Program 3. It explores how teachers classroom routines can support differentiation. Participants will see a
variety of routines that teachers have instituted in their elementary and
secondary classrooms; hear teachers talk about how and why they have
implemented particular routines; and learn how these teachers taught the
routines to their students. In addition, participants will learn the characteristics of classroom routines that anticipate and address variance in
learner needs and will apply this understanding to a classroom routine of
their own as a way of adopting a differentiated classroom lifestyle. Use
the following agenda for this session, or vary it to suit the particular
needs of your setting and participants.

Activity
Introduction
15
25
The Common Sense of Classroom Routines That

Support Differentiation
30
Break
15
40
20
Lunch
60
Adjusting Classroom Routines

Conclusion
Facilitators Note
Workshop 6.
40
Minutes
100
25
5 hours, 30 minutes
Workshop Materials
Handouts 1922 and copies of Overheads 2831 for each participant.

markers for possible use during activities and to record participant
responses.

workshop facilitator. As facilitator, you will guide the group through
the workshop to help them meet the workshop objectives.
4. You may find it useful at this point to poll the group about the degree
to which they are comfortable with the principles and practices of
differentiation. For example, you might ask participants to raise their
hands if they (a) are just beginning to learn about differentiation, (b)
have a general understanding of the concept and use it sometimes in
their classrooms, or (c) feel very comfortable with the principles of
differentiation and use them consistently in their classrooms.

1. Tell participants that one goal of todays workshop is to help them
2. Ask participants to form groups of two to four, depending on the
number of participants in the session. Give each group a sheet of
chart paper and some markers. Display Overhead 24, Painting a
Portrait of the Differentiated Classroom. Explain that participants
will copy and use the picture-frame organizer depicted on the
overhead to envision what the ideally differentiated classroom looks
likewhat the students are doing, what the teacher is doing, how
students and teachers feel, what the learning activities are like, and
41
how the room itself might look. They may use words, symbols, and
pictures to do this. Encourage them to modify the structure of the
organizer or create their own, if they desire. Tell them they will have
15 minutes for this activity.
3. Next, reconvene the participants and allow groups to share
their portraits. Use Overhead 24 to consolidate the responses.
Alternatively, you might consider asking a participant to consolidate
the responses so that you can probe the presenters about their work.
4. After the presentations, refer to the compiled responses on Overhead
24. Tell the participants that a differentiated classroom represents a
lifestylea way of thinking, acting, and learning in the classroom.
Just as there is a difference between going on a crash diet and
adopting a healthier lifestyle, so is there a difference between using a
few differentiation strategies a month (e.g., a learning contract one
week or tiered assignments, if time permits) and creating a classroom
where learner needs are at the heart of every stage of curriculum and
instruction, from development to implementation to evaluation.
Because this isnt an overnight process, it makes sense to see where
differentiation can fit into our current patterns and ways of doing
things in the classroom. In so doing, we know the chance is greater
that differentiation will become a way of life for us over time, and
that, as a result, learner needs will be recognized and accounted for
on a regular basis.
The Common Sense of Classroom Routines

That Support Differentiation (30 minutes)
1. Tell participants that this activity will help them to start thinking
about the common sense of classroom routines in a differentiated
classroom. When we talk about classroom routines, were referring
to the way a teacher decides to manage the flow of the instructional
cycle. For example, teachers might have routines for beginning a
lesson or unit; teaching lesson or unit material; assessing students;
giving students opportunities for practice; or asking students to
demonstrate understanding or apply learning. Note that all
teachers have routines, and those routines determine how and if
differentiation is going to become a way of life in the classroom.
2. Distribute Handout 19, The Nature of Routines and Differentiation.
Ask participants to use the handout to think (1) about what routines
are and (2) about how routines can have characteristics that either
compliment or conflict with differentiation. Tell them you will give
42
them 10 minutes to work on the handout, after which they will be

asked to share their ideas with their colleagues.
3. When time is up, ask participants to form groups of two or three to
share their ideas about the classroom routines and how they relate to
differentiation. Give participants about 10 minutes to share ideas.
4. Bring participants back together and display Overhead 25, Classroom
Routines and Differentiation. Ask participants to use the overhead
to synthesize what they shared in their small groups. Record the
participants responses on the overhead. (If you have a large group,
it might be better to use chart paper to write the sentence starters
and record participants responses.) Make sure you emphasize the
importance of having routines that are flexible and based on students
learning needs (as opposed to the teachers needs).
5. Display Overhead 26, Characteristics of Classroom Routines That
Support Differentiation. Discuss the traits by soliciting examples and
nonexamples of what each one might look like in a classroom
routine that accounts for learner variance.
focus on the common sense that lies at the core of using flexible
classroom routines to anticipate and meet learner needs. This facet
of differentiation, like most of its other facets, is based on ideas that
make sense when we think about effective instruction.
Break (15 minutes)

View Video Program 3, Classroom Routines
(40 minutes)
1. Tell participants theyll be watching a video in which teachers
demonstrate how theyve introduced differentiation through their
classroom routines. The approach these teachers take is based on a
practical or commonsense way of thinking about the classroom.
2. Explain that the video program presents a variety of ways classroom
routines can support differentiation, but that these are only a sample.
Participants will have a chance after viewing the video to note
additional classroom routines that create opportunities for meeting
learner needs.
3. Suggest that participants view the video with flexible classroom
routines in mind, as well as their own questions and issues.
43
Distribute Handout 20, Video Reflection SheetProgram 3.

Tell participants that they can use this handout to jot down their
observations, insights, and questions about classroom routines that
support differentiation as they watch the video program. If they
would prefer to wait to jot down their ideas, tell them you will give
them time to do so after the video program has ended.
4. Show Program 3, Classroom Routines (approximately 35 minutes).

1. Give participants 3 or 4 minutes to write or to complete their notes
on Handout 20. Then, ask them to share some of the observations,
insights, and questions they had as they watched the video program.
Display Overhead 27, Reflecting on the VideoProgram 3, and use
the space it provides to record participants ideas and questions.
2. Next, ask participants to share their observations about the classroom
routines shown in the video. Use the following questions and
prompts to elicit participants reactions:
Which kinds of adaptations to classroom routines were the most

familiar to you?
Share what you know about classroom routines in relation to

addressing students learning needs.
Which routines in the video are most applicable or transferable

to your classroom, and why? Which routines seemed the least
applicable or transferable to your classroom, and why?
What more would you like to know about using classroom routines to support differentiation?
3. Tell participants that they will have the opportunity after lunch to
map their own classroom routines and to look for ways they can
adapt them to support differentiation.
4. Thank participants for their contributions to the workshop to
this point.
44
Lunch (60 minutes)

Adjusting Classroom Routines (100 minutes)
portion of the workshop will provide them with an opportunity
to evaluate and adapt a classroom routine that will facilitate
differentiation.
2. Distribute Handout 21, My Classroom Routine. Ask participants to
think about a classroom routine they currently employ; they will be
mapping and adapting this routine. Direct them to use the handout to
help them think about how the way they run their classroom can
create opportunities for all learners to succeed.
Facilitators Note
Participants may find it helpful
to work in pairs or teams,
especially if they share common
or agreed-upon ways of
managing instruction.
3. Before letting participants begin working with Handout 21, display

Overhead 28, Components of a Routine, which shows a map of a
math teachers basic instructional routine. Show participants how
they can similarly map their routines. Then, ask participants to
comment on the potential of the routine to provide differentiated
learning experiences. Show them a few ways this routine might be
modified. (At this point, modification techniques are not the focus.
The purpose is to show how routines can look when differentiation is
anticipated. Some participants may have routines that are already
pretty flexible or that accommodate learner variance well. Therefore,
you want to show them how their routine could be conceptualized for
the mapping.)
4. Allow 1015 minutes for the participants to complete their work
with Handout 21.
5. Next, ask participants to share some of their responses with the
whole group. As facilitator, listen for opportunities to answer
questions, offer encouragement, clarify misconceptions, and provide
direction.
6. Display Overhead 29a, Considerations in Adapting a Routine
Part 1. Walk participants through Ms. Armstrongs routine by using
the bulleted questions. Then, have participants sketch a revised
routine for Ms. Armstrong. Ask for two or three volunteers to draw
their versions on Overhead 29b, Considerations in Adapting a
RoutinePart 2.
7. Display Overhead 30, More Examples of Routines That Support
Differentiation, which offers several more examples of routines.
45
Direct participants attention to the fact that the overhead represents

different subject areas and routine complexity levels.
Facilitators Note
You may find it helpful to create
an overhead of Handout 22 and
display it during this activity as
a point of reference.
8. Next, give each participant, pair, or group two pieces of chart paper
and some markers. Distribute Handout 22, Adjusting Classroom
Routines, and explain that they will use the handout to modify their
routines in ways similar to the examples they just saw, but with
modifications that take into account their and their students needs.
9. Tell the participants they will have 2530 minutes to complete their
work. Assure them that you will circulate around the room to
monitor their progress and answer questions.
10. Alert participants when 10 minutes remain for them to finish
the activity.
11. When time is up, ask participants to reconvene.
12. Solicit two or three volunteers to share their work with the whole
group. They may need to tape their draft and final version to the wall
or an easel for easy display. Have the participants walk the group
through their process, relating their rationales, challenges, and
questions. As facilitator, look for the particular strengths of each
example and praise the participants progress.

share one example of their work from the afternoon. It may be useful
for participants to form groups whose members work with similar
subjects or grade levels. Ask each group to appoint one facilitator
who will watch the time and make certain everyone has an
opportunity to share an example of their work. Encourage group
members to point out the strengths of their colleagues work and to
make suggestions for additional things to think about when
implementing their adapted routines in the classroom. Allow about
1517 minutes for the group sharing.
workshop. Display Overhead 31, From There to Here, offering it as
an organizer for their thinking and responses. Give participants 34
minutes to jot down any thoughts and reflections prompted by the
overhead. Then, spend 34 minutes with participants sharing their
thoughts and questions with the group.
46
3. Encourage participants to continue thinking and learning about ways

to create classroom routines that support differentiation. Distribute
any readings from the Readings and Resources section of this guide
that you think would be beneficial for participants to review
following the workshop. Choose readings to share based on the
Facilitators Note
It may be useful to compile
days session and share
them with participants.
47
6/21/05
10:21 AM
Page 1
HANDOUT 1
Part 1The Common Sense Behind Differentiation
as a Concept
To begin our consideration of the common sense of differentiation,
please respond to the following and be ready to share your responses
with your colleagues.
The Common
Sense of
Differentiation
Program 1
1. Give examples from your own experience as a teacher of how

students differ as learners. Be specific about how students of the
same age or grade differ.
2. Tell about a time when it was clear to you that student learning
differences were affecting how those students were learning.
3. What evidence do you have that students work harder when what
theyre asked to do connects to something theyre interested in?
Association for Supervision

and Curriculum Development
51
Handout 1Continued
4. Provide an illustration of a time when you were able to do something

to help a particular student or small group of students learn better
than they would have if you had not provided that opportunity.
5. Think about a time in your own life (or the life of your child, sibling,
spouse, or friend) when a learning situation was really uncomfortable
because the work was either too easy or too hard for you (or the person you care about). What were the short-term consequences of the
misfit? What were the longer-term consequences (or what might they
have been) of the situation continuing?
52

Handout 1Continued
Part 2The Common Sense of Assessing to Discover

Specific Learner Needs
Now think about the logic of using a variety of ways of assessing learners to find out more about them in order to teach them more effectively.
To help you do that, please respond to the following questions and be
ready to share your thoughts with your colleagues.
1. What should be the degree of match between instructional goals and
assessments we develop for students? Why do you feel thats the case?
2. Which has more value for instructional planning: grading a paper or

studying the paper to determine what a student knows and where he
still needs help?
3. Which of those (grading a paper or studying the paper) do we appear

to value more, as reflected by our practice in schools?

53
Handout 1Continued
4. What instructional use might you find for an accurate list of the top
two or three interests of each of your students?
5. How might it help you teach more effectively if you understood

what makes learning more efficient for students and what makes it
more cumbersome?
6. What benefits might be gained for students and for instructional

planning if, at key points, students had more than one way to show
what they have learned?
54

HANDOUT 2
pend a few minutes jotting down some explanations of differentiation as you understand it. Use clear, common language to make sure
someone who is not familiar with differentiation would begin to see
what its like and why as a result of your explanations.
Explaining
Differentiation

55
Handout 2Continued
Use this page to jot down themes common to your explanations and those of your colleagues.
56

HANDOUT 3
hink about each of the following elements of effective assessment

in a differentiated classroom. Next to each element write down your
thoughts about why it is a critical aspect of identifying students specific
learning needs to help them succeed as learners in your class.
Elements of Effective Assessment
The Common
Sense of
Assessment
Critical to Supporting Student

Success Because . . .
Clearly identified learning goalswhat you

want students to know, understand, and be able
to do (KUD) as a result of the learning
experience.
Prerequisite skills identifiedskills, attitudes,

ways of working that students bring to the
learning experienceand students proficiency
with those skills determined.
Pre-assessment of students existing knowledge,

understandings, and skillswhere students are
in relation to the learning goals for the unit or
lesson.
Interests of students determined relative to the

topic being studied or tasks to be completed.
Students preferred ways of learning identified.
Ongoing assessmentchecking in on where

students are in their learning.

57
HANDOUT 4
ot down the various assessment techniques you see the teachers

using in the video program in the left column and how the information they provide can be used in designing and adjusting instruction in
the middle column. Also, write any thoughts, insights, or questions you
have about assessing students learning needs in the right column.
Assessment
Technique
How the Data

Can Be Used
Video
Reflection
Sheet
Program 1
Insights or Questions
About the Technique

59
Handout 4Continued
Assessment
Technique
60

How the Data

Can Be Used
About the Technique
HANDOUT 5
Prerequisite Skills Assessment Station

In any unit of study, students must have certain skills and ways of working in order to complete activities
successfully. Teachers often make assumptions about prerequisite skills, that is, what skills students
already have. For example, in designing a unit, a teacher might assume that all students can read on
grade level, compose a paragraph, and participate in a small-group discussion. If a student is reading
below grade level, has difficulty composing sentences, or has never participated in a small-group discussion, however, his potential for success in the unit is limited before it even begins. But if the teacher can
identify the courses prerequisite skills and ways of working, she can design ways to differentiate the unit
both for the student with skill deficiencies and the student whose skills are advanced.
At this station, you will consider the skills and ways of working that your students will need to have
before beginning the unit. (Remember, this is different from the skills and ways of working they will
learn during the unit.) If the students are working on a project that requires research, then they will
need to know how to conduct that research. Do they know how to use the library and Internet to locate
resources? Do they know how to take notes from a source? The answers may require you to differentiate
using individual or small-group strategies or even teach a lesson on these skills to the whole class prior to
or during the unit.
Step 1
Review the learning goals, or KUD (what you want students to Know, Understand, and be able to Do).
Put particular focus on what students should be able to do. One be able to do might require several prerequisite skills. For example, if you want your students to be able to share their experiment results with
the class in a clear, concise way, they need to be able to identify the most relevant parts of the results and
organize those into a presentation. In addition, the students will need adequate public speaking skills or
other skills for communicating their results.
On the chart that follows, list those things you want students to be able to do in the left column. Write the
corresponding prerequisite skill(s) the students will need in the right column.

61
Handout 5Continued
Be Able to Do
Prerequisite Skills Needed
Step 2
Once youve identified the necessary prerequisite skills, you can assess, formally or informally, the students level of proficiency. For example, if the prerequisite skill involves finding resources in the library,
you could assign students the task of locating a source for homework. For some skills, you might ask students to indicate their level of comfort, experience, or familiarity with the skillin writing or orally. For
students who are not proficient, you will need to decide how you will approach their needs. Depending on
the skill, the unit goals, the learner, and even the number of learners exhibiting similar skill deficiencies,
you have three options: remediate the skill, work with the students current skill level, work around the
students current skill level.
Remediate the skill.
When a student lacks prerequisite skills, you might need to teach or remediate these skills in order to give
him opportunities to gain proficiency and complete the units tasks. The following example demonstrates
a situation in which remediation might be an appropriate course of action:
Mr. Johnson assigns a science project that requires students to design and conduct their own
experiments. In presenting their projects to the class, the students must use a computer
slideshow. The quality of the presentation will be graded, including the effectiveness of the
slideshow. Todd has completed his project, but he has never used the slideshow software. He
thinks he can learn the basics in time to create something, but he is a slow typist and doesnt
have a computer at home.
62

Handout 5Continued
Should Mr. Johnson remediate the skill? He can use the following questions to guide his decision:
Is the student lacking the prerequisite skill due to lack of exposure or opportunity? Todd has not been
taught how to use the software. Not having a computer at home and his poor typing skills have
inhibited his proficiency.
Will the student be able to gain adequate proficiency with a reasonable amount of instruction? Teaching Todd how to use the software in a way that showcases his results is achievable. He can use the
lab at school and Mr. Johnson can focus on teaching him the most critical aspects of the program,
as well as a few of the bells and whistles.
Does the student exhibit an interest in learning the prerequisite skill? Todd wants to learn how to use
the software.
Will the student be able to gain adequate proficiency through practice? If Todds typing skills are the
primary inhibitor of being able to use the program, Mr. Johnson can expose him to a self-guided
typing program. As Todd gains confidence in his typing skills, he will likely gain confidence using
the slideshow software.
Will the student need to gain adequate proficiency in the skill at some point? Beyond the presentation for science class, Todd needs to become familiar with basic computer skills, including typing,
to increase his chances for success in other academic and real-world settings.
Work with the students existing prerequisite skill level.
Sometimes, the students prerequisite skills are insufficient to approach the unit task or product, but the
teacher can make accommodations according to the skill level of the student. The following example
demonstrates a situation in which working with the students current skill level might be an appropriate
course of action:
Ms. Juarez wants her students to participate in a simulation of Ellis Island. Part of their preparation includes researching the immigration process. Rachel and Josh are reading significantly
below grade level. Alex, a second language learner, reads on grade level, but struggles with
content area vocabulary. His science and social studies textbooks can be particularly challenging. Examining the resources shes gleaned from the library and the Internet, Ms. Juarez knows
these three students do not have the reading skills required to process their content.
Should Ms. Juarez work with the skill level of her students? She can use the following questions to guide
her decision:
Can the student accomplish the same goal, through the same process, but with different resources or
with the prerequisite skill level he does have? Ms. Juarez can identify books on immigration written
at an appropriate grade level for her students. For Alex, she might locate resources written in his
native language. The class could watch a video on immigration. This would be useful to all students, and Rachel, Josh, and Alex could use it as a major resource for their research.

63
Handout 5Continued
Is skill remediation possible, given the timeframe and the nature of the students skill level or interest
level? Developing the skills to read on grade level (or in Alexs case, to master a second language)
is a gradual process, not one Ms. Juarez can teach in a matter of days.
Can you provide a support that will allow the student to accomplish the task? Ms. Juarez can excerpt
portions of the grade-level resources, identify terms or phrases she knows Rachel, Josh, and Alex
have not yet learned, and provide them with a glossary to support their reading.
Work around the prerequisite skill.
It may be necessary for you to work around a students prerequisite skill level if she completely lacks the
skill. Unlike a student you might remediate, this student might be inhibited by a physical, cognitive, or
emotional trait, or she might be able to better demonstrate understanding and skill through different
means or using different skills. The following example demonstrates a situation in which working around
the students skill level might be an appropriate course of action:
Mrs. Faber has designed a unit on autobiography for her 6th graders. She wants her students to
be able to tell their personal stories in writing. Lauren has struggled significantly with writing
since kindergarten, and isnt yet able to compose a coherent paragraph.
Should Mrs. Faber work with the skill level of her student? She can use the following questions to guide
her decision:
Is the student lacking the skill due to a physical, cognitive, or emotional trait? The goal of telling an
autobiographical story, which requires the students to use paragraphing, will not be possible for
Lauren, given her limited writing skills.
Can the student demonstrate understanding in an alternative way? Mrs. Faber can explore alternative
ways for Lauren to tell her personal story. For example, if she discovers Lauren is a talented photographer who enjoys scrap booking, then perhaps Lauren can tell her story using her skills in
those areas. Depending on her KUD, Mrs. Faber might even revise what she wants her students to
be able to do by offering multiple ways that students can create their autobiographies (e.g., making
a video documentary, staging a dramatic portrayal).
Step 3
The previous scenarios provided examples of strategies for addressing variance in students prerequisite
skill levels. Other ways to attend to these needs include using small-group instruction, homework assignments, personalized rubrics, learning stations, software tutorials, instruction from other specialists (e.g.,
the media specialist), and skill-building exercises.
You may anticipate that individuals and small groups of students will have these needs, but keep in mind
that your assessment of prerequisite skills may uncover large groups or entire classes of students who lack
a skill your unit requires. How will you meet this need? For example, will you teach the prerequisite skill
prior to beginning the unit, or will you integrate the instruction into the unit?
64

Handout 5Continued
As you continue to identify and assess prerequisite skills that students will need to succeed in a unit of
study, you will not only improve the quality of your curricular and instructional design, but also improve
the quality of your students work.
Step 4
Complete this exercise in planning prerequisite assessment.
Review the list of prerequisite skills you identified in Step 1. Choose one prerequisite skill that is most
likely to influence a students success or failure in achieving the goals you have established for the unit.
Create the profile of a student who is deficient in this skill. You might want to think of a student you
teach now or have taught in the past.
Decide if you should remediate the prerequisite skill, work with the skill, or work around the skill.

65
Handout 5Continued
Should you remediate the prerequisite skill?
Is the student lacking the prerequisite skill due to lack of exposure or opportunity?
Will the student be able to gain adequate proficiency with a reasonable amount of instruction?
Does the student exhibit an interest in learning the prerequisite skill?
Will the student be able to gain adequate proficiency through practice?
Will the student need to gain adequate proficiency in the skill at some point?
Should you work with the students existing prerequisite skill level?
Can the student accomplish the same goal, through the same process, but with different
resources or by using the skills he does have?
Is skill remediation possible, given the available timeframe, the nature of the students skill level,
or the students interest level?
Can you provide a support that will allow the student to accomplish the task?
Should you work around the students prerequisite skill level?
Is the student lacking the skill due to a physical, cognitive, or emotional trait?
Can the student demonstrate understanding in an alternative way?
66

Handout 5Continued
Determine what strategies you will use to meet the students prerequisite skill level.
How would you change or adapt your strategies if three or four students exhibited a prerequisite
skill level similar to this student?
How would you change or adapt your strategies if the majority of the class lacked this
prerequisite skill?

67
HANDOUT 6
Pre-Assessment Station
Step 1
Complete the survey below.
1. If a group of students is on grade level academically, it is safe to assume they all have a similar
level of general knowledge about a topic.
Agree
Somewhat Agree
Neutral/Not Sure
Somewhat Disagree
Disagree
2. Before beginning a unit, I determine what the students already know about the unit topic.
All the Time
Most of the Time
Some of the Time
Never
3. If someone asked me to pre-assess my students, I would know how to go about doing so.
Agree
Somewhat Agree
Neutral/Not Sure
Somewhat Disagree
Disagree
4. I think three goals of pre-assessment are

a.
b.
c.
5. If you have used pre-assessments in the past, describe their type and purpose.
6. What are some benefits of pre-assessing students knowledge, understanding, and skills related
to the learning goals of the unit?
7. How does a teacher know what to pre-assess?

69
Handout 6Continued
Step 2
You just completed a pre-assessment on pre-assessment! If you felt comfortable answering the questions
and have had previous experience using pre-assessment to differentiate instruction, skip to Step 5. If you
were sure how to answer only some of the questions in the survey, or you have had limited experience
with pre-assessment, continue reading.
Step 3
In any classroom, teachers can anticipate discernible variance among students in terms of what knowledge and experience they have with a certain subject or topic. When beginning a study of decimals, for
example, some students may already be familiar with place value and conversion to fractions, whereas
others will be confused about why there is a period in the middle of a group of numbers. A traditional
approach is to disregard the variance, teaching both groups of studentsand everyone in betweenthe
same concepts at the same time in the same way.
Pre-assessment is a way of discovering learner differencesnamely, what students do and dont know
about a topicand using this information to adjust curriculum and instruction to better meet individual
student needs. Teachers maximize their time and resources by pre-assessing students, and students benefit
because they arent forced to learn things they already know or, conversely, can be given appropriate
assistance to enhance their success in learning. Pre-assessment can also be used to group students for
instruction, find patterns, individualize curriculum, help students find connections, and offer enrichment
opportunities.
It may be easy to agree with the rationale for pre-assessing students, but how do teachers know what to
pre-assess? Knowing what to pre-assess depends on what you want students to know, understand, and be
able to do as a result of the unit of study. If you have not previously identified these goals, take a moment
to do so now.
70

Handout 6Continued
Subject and Topic:
Subtopics:
General Learning GoalsAs a result of this unit of study, students should

KNOW:
UNDERSTAND:
BE ABLE TO DO:

71
Handout 6Continued
Step 4
Next, think about what learning goals you want to measure before the unit begins and why you want to
measure them. Looking at the goals, what variance could exist among students? For example, in a unit on
the U.S. Constitution, one learning goal might be for students to know the three branches of government
and their roles in the legislative process. The instructor has a lesson planned for this purpose, but he anticipates that some students wont know what the terms branches of government and legislative process
mean, whereas others will know those terms and more. He can redesign his lesson based on the results of
a pre-assessmenta simple fill-in-the-blank chart.
Pre-assessment doesnt have to involve a formal pre-test. Other strategies exist for this kind of formative
assessment, including the following:
KWL chart or other graphic organizer

These can be completed as a class, in small groups, or individually.
Small-group or whole-class discussion

Ask questions, solicit a show of hands, or have students make predictions.
Interviews
Talk to students individually about what they know, understand, and are able to do.
Writing prompts
Ask students to write about a certain topic. The prompt could be general (e.g., Tell me everything
you know about the Revolutionary War.) or specific (e.g., Explain how you know when to use a
comma. Write example sentences, if possible.).
Student products and work samples

Evaluating students past performance may be a good way to determine their knowledge and
skill level.
Demonstrations
Have students demonstrate their knowledge through specific tasks.
Self-evaluation
Ask students to evaluate how they feel about learning about a specific topic, what success theyve had
with the topic in the past, and how they would rate their own readiness or knowledge level in relation
to the topic.
Drawings
Have students draw what they know.
72

Handout 6Continued
Step 5
Read the example below and answer the questions that follow.
Mr. Nelson teaches an 8th grade elective in public speaking. On the first day of class, he asks students to fill out a questionnaire on their experience with and feelings about speaking in front of
groups. Then, he partners the students and has them prepare a one-minute speech to introduce their
partner for the next days class. Unbeknownst to the students, Mr. Nelson makes brief notes during
the speeches about students eye contact, volume, preparedness, anxiety level, and speed.
What makes the pre-assessments Mr. Nelson has chosen appropriate for his class?
How could Mr. Nelson use the information he gathers from his pre-assessments?
Think of two alternative pre-assessments Mr. Nelson could use.
Step 6
Create your own plan for pre-assessing your students using the chart below.
What knowledge, understandings, and skills from the upcoming unit will you pre-assess for?

73
Handout 6Continued
Why these particular KUDs?
How will you pre-assess for these KUDs?
Write down the questions, projects, tasks, and so on that you plan to use for this pre-assessment.
What will you do with the results of this pre-assessment?
74

HANDOUT 7
Ongoing Assessment Station

When teachers think of assessment, they often think of summative assessmentsfinal projects, tests,
research papers. Just as important in addressing learner needs, however, is ongoing assessment, because
it allows the teacher and the student to check in with one another about the students current understanding and progress. Teachers can also use ongoing assessment to measure student growth over time.
Like pre-assessment, ongoing assessment can be formal or informal, planned or spontaneous.
The following examples illustrate some techniques for ongoing assessment.
Homework assignments
Although homework assignments can be used for purposes other than ongoing assessment, they can
also be designed more informally, as a way for students to show what they know, ask questions, and
self-assess, so that the teacher can meet individual or group needs. Mr. Shamsi uses homework with
his 3rd graders to assess their independent reading habits and growth. Every month, the students turn
in a list of all the new books they can remember reading at school and at home. They answer questions about why they chose the books they did, where they got the books, how challenging they
remember certain books being, and what books they plan to read next.
Quizzes/Pre-tests
Although administering quizzes to assess students is common, a significant difference exists between
using a quiz as a summative assignment and using it in a more formative way. An ongoing assessment
quiz might not be graded or announcedit informs instructional practice and prompts the teacher to
attend to students needs, be they remedial or advanced. Ms. Butler uses quizzes to design her history
test study guides. The ungraded assessments ask the students questions about important concepts,
events, and people from the historical period theyve been studying. Ms. Butler can better focus the
study guides if she knows what students have already mastered and where they are still unsure.
Weekly letters
Ask students to write you a letter as a weekly recap. They can share what theyve learned, whats
working or not working for them in the unit, and what questions and needs they have. Use the assessments to meet individual or class needs. Keep the letters as a record of students progress, and ask
them to review their letters at the end of the unit (grading period, school year) to reflect on their
growth. Mr. Fredricks uses weekly letters in his 5th grade class. Sometimes he asks students to focus
on a specific subject, and other times he asks them to write about their 5th grade experience in general. The students responses help Mr. Fredricks better attend to his students needs. He returns the
letters, along with his comments and questions. At the end of each grading period, the students reread
their letters and write a self-assessment of their learning that quarter.

75
Handout 7Continued
Journals
Much as they would with weekly letters, students can maintain journal entries as a record of their
progress. Teachers can ask focused questions or give predetermined prompts for journal topics
related to specific concepts in a unit, skill development, or task progress. Mrs. Buricks advanced
French class uses ongoing assessment journals to demonstrate their proficiency in using the weekly
grammar concept. They also ask any questions they still have and self-assess their strengths and
weaknesses in other foreign language development areas, such as speaking and reading.
Exit cards
Exit cards can be used to check students understanding about a specific lesson or concept so that
immediate instructional adjustments can be made, if necessary. For example, after a lesson on
quoting sources in newspaper articles, Mr. Beasley distributes index cards to his journalism class.
He asks the students to write three things they learned about using quotes, two ways they are
going to use quotes in their articles, and at least one question they still have about using quotes.
Mr. Beasley can use this information to reteach, clarify misunderstandings, or address specific
needs in the next days class.
Checklists
Checklists can be used to monitor students skill development and task progress. Ms. Flores has a list
of skills she wants her students to master before they play a full-court game of basketball in her
physical education class, so she creates a checklist for each student. When she sees that a student
can, for example, dribble with his left hand, she puts an x next to that skill. Mr. Hopkins uses
checklists to track his students progress on a long-term physics project. As students reach
benchmarks in their progress, Mr. Hopkins crosses that benchmark, or goal, off the checklist.
Clipboard notes
Clipboard notes are similar to checklists but are more open-ended and use narrative comments to
describe the status of student learning. Every Friday, students in Mrs. Clementes senior English
class work on their semester projects. Mrs. Clemente circles the room with a clipboard, jotting
down students progress, questions, and plans. She also makes notes to herself about ways she can
remediate, guide, and challenge individual students.
Small-group or individual discussion

Ongoing assessment can be as simple as having a conversation with students. Mrs. Evans uses this
kind of ongoing assessment in her writing workshops. She maintains a list of students writing
strengths and weaknesses, some of which have been assessed by the student. She schedules individual conferences with students during the workshops and dialogues with them about their lists as well
as about their progress in the current workshop.
76

Handout 7Continued
Step 1
Briefly describe how you envision being able to use the following ongoing assessments in your classroom
(or on your team or in your academic department).
Homework assignments:
Quizzes/Pre-tests:
Weekly letters:
Journals:
Exit cards:
Checklists:
Clipboard notes:
Small-group or individual discussion:
What other kinds of ongoing assessments can you think of?

77
Handout 7Continued
Step 2
Review your unit materials and determine what specific ongoing assessments you can use, how you
can use them, when you will use them, and why you will use them. Record that information on the
form below.
I will use. . .
in this way. . .
78

at this point. . .
in order to. . .
HANDOUT 8
Learning Profile Assessment Station

Learning profile refers to how students learn best. These preferences can be shaped and influenced by
learning style, intelligence preference, culture, gender, and prior experience.
Step 1
Complete the Personal Learning Profile Assessment below. (Note: Consider giving this assessment to
your facilitator at the break so that he or she can use it to prepare for future sessions.)
Personal Learning Profile Assessment

Directions: Below are some phrases describing things people might do in a professional development session. Look at the list and decide which tasks DO help you learn. Put those in the column on
the left. Now, look at the list again. Select the tasks that DONT help you learn. Put those in the column on the right. Some phrases wont go in either column because they only apply to you somewhat, or because you are neutral about them. Also in the I learn best column, write down any
other ways you learn best in a professional development session that arent on the list.
Act in a drama or skit
Ask questions
Be artistic
Be a leader
Doodle
Do something with my hands (e.g., knit)
Engage in hands-on activities
Get out of my seat frequently
Have something to eat or drink
Listen to ambient music
I learn best in a professional development

session when I can . . .
Listen to lectures
Make connections to educational philosophy
Make connections to my own classroom
Participate in a small-group discussion
Speak in front of a large group
Role play
Take notes
Work with a partner
Work in groups
Watch videos
But I dont learn as well when Im

asked to . . .

79
Handout 8Continued
Step 2
What do you think is the purpose of an assessment like this? How could it be used?
Step 3
In the same way you benefit from professional development sessions that are adapted to your learning
profile, so do students profit from flexible curriculum and instruction that considers how they learn
best. One way to assess students learning profiles is to administer a learning profile inventory, survey,
or checklist.
Inventories, surveys, and checklists arent the only means of assessing students learning profiles,
however. Interviewing students and keeping logs of preferences and traits you discover anecdotally,
through observation, or in assessing student work can also provide valuable information about how
they learn best.
On the following pages, you will see an example of a learning profile assessment. Read it and answer
the questions that follow.
Learning Style Inventory Sample

1. I learn best when I _______________ something. (circle one or more)
Hear
Experience
See
Touch
Feel
Other:_________________________
2. If given a choice, I prefer to work (circle one)

Alone
With one other person
With a group
3. In a group (check one)
I prefer to lead because _________________________.

I prefer to follow because ________________________.
It depends on _________________________ because _____________________________.
4. When I study for a test, I usually (check all that apply)
Ask someone to quiz me

Create a study guide
Draw pictures
Memorize
Read
Take/re-copy notes
Talk out loud
Study with a partner
Study alone
Study with a group
Use graphic organizers
Other:______________
5. On a separate sheet of paper, draw a picture of your ideal study environment.

6. The subject on which I spend the most time per week is _____________________________
because ___________________________________________________________________.
80

Handout 8Continued
7. The subject on which I spend the least time per week is _____________________________
because ___________________________________________________________________.
8. How do you usually keep track of your assignments?
9. Lets say a project in this class is assigned on Monday the 11th and is due on Friday the 22nd.
Using the calendar below, indicate the days and times you are most likely to work on the project.
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
10
11
Project
assigned
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
Project due
23
10. This is an after-school timetable. Fill in the times with your typical activities.
3:00
School ends
4:30
6:00
7:30
9:00
3:30
5:00
6:30
8:00
9:30
4:00
5:30
7:00
8:30
After 9:30

81
Handout 8Continued
Why might a teacher give a student this assessment? What might she be trying to find out,
specifically?
Look at the specific questions or tasks on the assessment. Choose several to evaluate. How might
the teacher use the students response to these questions? Consider multiple possibilities.
What do you like about this inventory (e.g., its design, its intent, a specific question)?
How might you alter, append, or enhance this inventory to better fit your students?
82

Handout 8Continued
Step 4
Complete the following plan for using this learning profile assessment with your students.
How will this assessment assist me and benefit my students?
What alterations will I make to this assessment to best serve my needs and the needs of my
students? (Make these now, if you can.)
When do I plan to use this assessment?
How I will introduce and explain this assessment to the students?
In what ways, specifically, will I use the information I gather from this assessment?

83
Handout 8Continued
Step 5
Complete the following exercise.
Accommodating Differences in Students Learning Profiles
Directions:
Review the unit materials you brought with you today, consider a unit you will be doing in the
near future, or think about your classroom in general.
Read the sample traits from students learning profiles in the left column. Then, think of two
learning profile traits exhibited by one or more of your students. Write the traits in the spaces
provided at the bottom of the column.
How can you accommodate differences in students learning profiles? Where can you build
those accommodations into your unit or into your classroom? Write your possibilities in the
right column.
Student Learning Profile Trait
Tim will work in a group if he is required to, but

in general he prefers independent tasks.
Judy appreciates explicit directions and isnt
afraid to ask questions when she doesnt
understand something.
Chris keeps a meticulous calendar of
assignment due dates.
Kayla cant listen to her teachers lecture
without doodling on a piece of paper.
Jeremy wont share ideas in front of the whole
group, but he opens up in small-group
discussions.
Patti likes to study for tests by reading the
textbook chapter three or four times.
Tracy wants the teacher to write the lesson
objectives on the board at the beginning of
class.
Andy likes open-ended projects that allow him
to use the computer.
84

Possible Accommodation
Handout 8Continued
Student Learning Profile Trait
Possible Accommodation
1.
2.
Additional resources for learning styles inventories:

Kolb, D. A. (1999). Learning styles inventory. Boston: Hay/McBer.
Renzulli, J. S. (2002). The learning styles inventoryVersion III. Mansfield, CT: Creative
Learning Press.
Memletics Learning Style Questionnaire. Available: www.learning-styles-online.com/inventory

85
HANDOUT 9
Interest Assessment Station

An interest is a topic or pursuit that stimulates curiosity and passion in the learner. Since learners want
to invest their time and energy in their interest areas, it makes sense that teachers should not only help
students develop existing interests and discover new ones, but also use those interests to help students
connect to the curriculum. Drawing on student interest to modify instruction can be a way of increasing
motivation, productivity, and achievement (Amabile, 1996; Torrance, 1995).
Discovering students interests, then, is critical to effective teaching and learning. At this station, you will
explore the rationale for interest assessment, analyze interest assessments, and begin to design your own
interest assessment.
Step 1
Complete the interest inventory below. (Note: Consider giving this assessment to your facilitator at the
break so that he or she can use it to prepare for future sessions.)
Profession Development Interest Inventory
How many professional development sessions or other professional growth opportunities do you
participate in/attend in a typical school year? __________
Estimate what percentage of your attendance at those sessions is mandatory and what percentage
is voluntary.
_____ mandatory
_____ voluntary
What professional development topics interest you most? (Check all that apply.)
Assessment
Brain-based teaching and learning
Classroom management
Curriculum design
Differentiating instruction
Educational research
Grade-level-related topics
Instructional practices
Literacy
Parent involvement
School improvement
Service learning
Standards
Student motivation
Students with special needs
Subject-specific topics
Technology
Other (please list)________________
If you were asked to design and lead a professional development session, what topic would you choose?
How could a professional development facilitator or conference presenter make his session more
interesting and relevant to you?

87
Handout 9Continued
Step 2
What do you think the purpose of giving an interest inventory like this would be? How could it be used?
Step 3
Just as knowing your interests would help a professional development facilitator attend to your learning
needs, so does knowing your students interests give you insight about their learning needs. One way to
assess students interests is to administer an interest inventory, survey, or checklist. The assessment can be
focused on uncovering students general interests or on determining their interests relative to a specific
unit of study. Maybe you want to know how the students feel about themselves as readers, or perhaps you
want to assess their interest in science. At the beginning of the year, you might ask them about their passions and goals. You can also use an interest survey to focus or individualize curricular content. What
aspects of the Civil War are your students most interested in exploring, for example? The majority of the
class is interested in President Lincolns role in the war, whereas Lindsay reveals a deep interest in and
strong prior knowledge of the Reconstruction period.
Following is an example of an open-ended interest survey. Read it and answer the questions that follow.
Open-Ended Interest Survey
Use these x and y axes to make a bar graph of your interests. Along the horizontal axis, write what interests you and use the vertical axis to indicate your level of interest for each interest you identified.
88

Handout 9Continued
Why might a teacher give a student this assessment? What might she be trying to find out,
specifically?
Look at the specific questions or tasks on the assessment. How might the teacher use the students
response? Consider multiple possibilities.
What do you like about this inventory (e.g., its design, its intent, a specific question)?
How might you alter, append, or enhance this inventory to better fit your students, a specific subject,
or a certain grade level?
Inventories, surveys, and checklists arent the only means of assessing students interests. Interviewing
students, keeping logs of things you discover anecdotally (e.g., extra-curricular activities the student is
involved in), or looking for clues and themes in their previous work are additional examples of ways to
discover their preferences.
Step 4
Look at the unit materials you brought with you today, consider a unit you will be doing in the near future,
or think about a general interest survey. How could knowing a students individual interests extend, enrich,
or alter the unit (or future units) for that student? How could it influence your instructional strategies?

89
Handout 9Continued
Step 5
Read the sample student interest profiles. Consider how you could capitalize on the students interests in
your unit or class. In addition to the specific interest (e.g., playing competitive chess), think about more
implicit connections (e.g., the student enjoys strategizing).
Student interest profile
Jen loves to read. On average, she consumes
three books a week. She belongs to a library book
club as well as one at the local bookstore. Her
favorite genre is fantasy. Not surprisingly, she
says shes working on her own fantasy novel.
Sharon collects two things: dead spiders and
soda cans. She uses both to decorate her room,
in which she sometimes spends hours arranging
and rearranging her displays.
Kevin has dreams of becoming a professional
cartoonist. Hes invented a character loosely
modeled on himself called Junior. Kevin keeps
a personal journal that details his school and
social life, not in words, but through Junior
comic strips.
David has a passion for World War II planes,
especially their design. He craves feature films
and documentaries depicting aerial battles from
the war, and spends most of his free time building
model planes.
Write 34 sentences describing the interest profile
of one of your students:
90

I can capitalize on this

students interests by . . .
Handout 9Continued
Step 6
Now, you will begin designing an interest assessment of your own.
What is the purpose of the assessment you want to design? (Be specific. You want to discover
students interests, but why? What will discovering their interests allow both you and them to do in
this unit or in your class?)
Indicate specific student interests (dispositions, preferences, and so on) you want to discover. How
does knowing about that particular interest accomplish the purpose of the assessment?
Interest
Students favorite books
Why I want to know
So I can put them in book club groups with

students who enjoy similar books.
The form your assessment takes will depend on the grade level and subject(s) you teach, as well as
on the purpose of your assessment and the specific interests you want to discover.
Consider structures you want to use to design your assessment. Possibilities include open-ended
questions, multiple-choice questions, rating scales, checklists, pictorial representations, oral
responses, and artistic tasks. The structures and form itself should be designed to stimulate thought,
not inhibit or limit responses. For example, you wouldnt use a multiple-choice question to ask a
student what his favorite books are. Also, each question or task should have a purpose.

91
Handout 9Continued
Ideas for form and structure of the interest assessment:
When do I plan to use this assessment?
How will I introduce and explain this assessment to the students?
In what ways, specifically, will I use the information I gather from this assessment?
92

HANDOUT 10
as a Concept
Even if teachers have never heard of differentiation, chances are
pretty good theyre familiar with many of the beliefs and principles
on which it is based. To begin our consideration of the common
sense of differentiation, please respond to the following and be
ready to share your responses with your colleagues.
The Common
Sense of
Differentiation
Program 2
1. Provide an example of a time when you expected students to be

able to complete a task, only to discover that some students
lacked the prerequisite skills or experiences necessary to succeed with the task.
2. What are the options for a teacher when that occurs? What are
the likely effects of each option for the students in question? For
the teacher?
3. Describe a time when one or more students knew much more

than you expected them to know about a unit, topic, or task.
What happened for you? For the student(s)?

93
Handout 10Continued
4. What teacher responses to that situation are less than ideal? Why are
those responses lacking? What teacher response to that situation
would be more effective? Why do you think it would be more
effective?
5. Think about a time in your life, the life of someone close to you, or
of one of your students when a learner balked at a teachers plans,
and the teacher adjusted the requirements or specifications in a way
that caused the learner to engage with the work. What difference
would it likely have made if the teacher had insisted that his way was
the only way?
94

Handout 10Continued
Part 2The Common Sense of Adjusting Instruction

to Address Learner Needs
Now think about the logic of using a variety of techniques to teach more
learners more effectively than is possible when they are given only one
way to accomplish goals. To help you do that, please respond to the following and be ready to share your thoughts with your colleagues.
1. In a class where a number of students have difficulty reading text
materials, what are the implications for the students, the teacher, and
the class if the problem continues without help being provided for
those students?
2. What are some ways teachers could support student improvement in

reading without becoming reading specialists?
3. What is the connection between student success with learning and

student motivation to learn?

95
Handout 10Continued
4. Which of the following statements do you find most appropriately

describes the role of the teacher? Why?
Fair means treating everyone alike.
Fair means trying to provide what each student needs to succeed.
5. Describe two student learning needs in your classroom that involve

clusters of students and that youd most like to be able to address.
Why do they matter? What might improve if you became more comfortable in addressing them?
96

HANDOUT 11
Part 1Adjusting for Human Variability
Continue thinking about categories of human variability for which society makes adjustments because the variability is seen as normal rather
than problematic. Complete the matrix below with your ideas and be
ready to share your ideas with your colleagues.
Category
of Human
Variability
Examples of
Societys
Adjustments for
the Variability
Benefits of
the Adjustments
Adjusting
for Human
Variability
Potential
Consequences
of Not Adjusting
for the Variability

97
Handout 11Continued
Part 2Adjusting for Learner Variability in a Classroom

Now think about learning variability that you see in students of a similar
age and the adaptations made for these variances in classrooms, indicating that the variations are perceived as normal rather than problematic.
Work with a small group of colleagues to complete the matrix below. Use
categories of variability you believe make a difference in learningfor
example, height does not make a significant difference in learning in
most settings, but pace of learning does.
Areas of
Learner Ability
98

Techniques
to Adjust
Instruction for
the Variability
Benefits of
Making the
Adjustments
Potential
Consequences
If Adjustments
Are Not Made
HANDOUT 12
s you watch the video, jot down notes on the techniques teachers are
using to adjust their instruction to ensure greater success for more
of their students. The matrix below provides a place for the name and
description of the technique and the students who might benefit from
its use.
Name and Description of the Technique
Techniques
for Adjusting
Instruction
Students Who Might

Benefit from Its Use

99
Handout 12Continued
Name and Description of the Technique
100

Students Who Might

Benefit from Its Use
HANDOUT 13
Adjusting Instruction to Benefit Clusters of Learners

Some Common Student
Learning Needs
Need for reading support
Sample Ways to
Adjust Instruction to
Meet the Need
Students Who Might

Benefit from at Least One of
the Sample Approaches
Allowing option of reading

partners/reading buddies when
introducing new text
Students with learning disabilities

Students learning English
Using a highlighter to mark

essential passages in text and
making marked texts readily
available
Students with auditory

preferences
Systematically using teacher

read alouds to explore
complex passages of text
Providing excerpts of readings
on tape
Need for vocabulary

building
Students who prefer learning with

a peer
Students with attention problems
Students who have difficulty
reading nonfiction material
Providing key vocabulary lists

with clear explanations (versus
definitions)
English language learners
Pinpointing essential
vocabulary (versus long lists)
Students who do not experience

rich use of vocabulary at home
Having students hunt for key

vocabulary in editorial
cartoons, on TV, in comic
books, in songs, or in other
sources
Visual learners
Using word walls or

vocabulary posters with words
and icons
Difficulty paying attention

in class
Students with low reading skills
Students for whom vocabulary

and spelling patterns are difficult
Students who benefit from

contextual application of words
Students with cognitive
processing problems
Using Think-Pair-Share groups
Providing choices of tasks or

modes of working
Students who enjoy variety
Using multiple modes of

teacher presentation
Shifting activities during a
class period
Using graphic organizers
designed to match the flow of
ideas
Students at different readiness

levels
Students with varied learning
preferences
Students with attention deficit
disorder or hyperactivity

101
Handout 13Continued
Some Common Student

Learning Needs
Need to address individual
strengths in an area of study
Sample Ways to
Adjust Instruction to
Meet the Need
Using jigsaw, interest groups,
interest centers, or expert
groups
Students Who Might

Benefit from at Least One of
the Sample Approaches
Students identified as gifted
Providing advanced materials
Students who experience a

disconnect between school and
their interests
Encouraging independent
studies
Students with a keen interest in

the topic
Using learning contracts or

learning agendas to personalize
content
Students who need/want to spend

more time on a topic
Students who like to share what
they learn with others
Students for whom choice is a
motivator
Need for targeted instruction

and practice
Routinely meeting with

students in small groups
Students who struggle to learn
Assigning homework targeted

to student need at key points
Students advanced in learning

Students who learn best in
small-group settings
Students with extended absences
Source: From Understanding by Design and Differentiated Instruction: Two Models for Student Success, by C. A. Tomlinson &
J. McTighe, (in press), Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Adapted with permission.
102

HANDOUT 14
Individualizing Rubrics Station

Teachers use rubrics to convey product or performance expectations to students and to assess student
work. A typical rubric might be organized into four columns describing varied levels of competency
related to the performance or product criteria. Rubrics might describe competency levels that are too
challenging or not challenging enough for some students. Ideally, each student would have a rubric
tailor-made to his needs. Using rubrics to differentiate expectations and assessment rather than to assign
point values is a meaningful way to attend to clusters of students with common learning needs.
Step 1
Read the following example of how a teacher individualized rubrics for his students.
Mr. Gable created a rubric for assessing student performance in delivering dramatic monologues. Students may chose their monologues from among those Mr. Gable has selectedwhich represent a range of
lengths, time periods, genres, and challenge levelsor they are free to chose their own. Looking at the
learning goals in his unit, Mr. Gable determined four criteria for assessment on four different levels. Each
student will choose a fifth criterion.
Criterion
Level A
Level B
Level C
Level D
Line Memorization
The actor delivers

lines with the
assistance of a
script.
The actor delivers

lines with the
assistance of an
index card for
reference.
The actor delivers

lines with
occasional
assistance from a
prompter.
The actor delivers

lines without
assistance.
Line Delivery
The actors
delivery shows
evidence of
practice. The
lines are audible,
the tempo is
steady, and the
tone is varied.
The actors
delivery is
smooth. He varies
the volume,
tempo, and tone
at expected
moments.
The actors
delivery is
smooth and
confident. He
experiments with
the volume,
tempo, and tone
at predictable
moments.
The actors
delivery is
seamless and
bold. The
volume, tempo,
and tone are
dynamic,
creative, and
entertaining.

103
Handout 14Continued
Criterion
Level A
Level B
Level C
Level D
Character
Interpretation
The actors
verbal and
nonverbal
interpretation
identifies the
characters
emotions and
thoughts.
The actors
verbal and
nonverbal
interpretation
demonstrates
understanding of
the range of the
characters
emotions and
thoughts.
The actors
verbal and
nonverbal
interpretation
demonstrates
insight about the
range of the
characters
explicit and
implicit emotions
and thoughts.
The actors
verbal and
nonverbal
interpretation is
an original and
innovative
exploration of
the range of the
characters
explicit and
implicit emotions
and thoughts,
making the
character more
human.
Blocking (the way an

actor moves on stage)
The actor does

not stay in the
same position
for the duration
of the monologue.
The actor attempts
several gestures.
The actors
movements and
gestures are
purposeful.
They reflect and
support what the
character is
saying.
The actors
movements and
gestures
implicitly
interpret the
characters
words.
The actors
movements and
gestures give life
to the character,
create context,
and suggest new
interpretations
of the character.
Student-Chosen
Criterion:
104

Handout 14Continued
Rather than give the same rubric to all of his students, Mr. Gable can create individual rubrics that show
each student the two or three levels most appropriate for them. For example, English is Natalias second
language. Although her oral reading and conversational language have improved since the beginning of
the semester, Mr. Gable knows that delivering her lines with the assistance of a script or index card would
be appropriate. However, Natalia has shown a talent for character interpretation. Her rubric, then, might
show Levels A, B, and C for line memorization and Levels C and D for character interpretation.
Similarly, Mr. Gable could distribute the full rubric to all students and direct them to circle the competency toward which they will work, creating a checkerboard rubric. In his assessment of how well a student performed at a given level, Mr. Gable could weight criteria differently according to learner need.
Another way to modify rubrics is to leave one or two rows or columns blank and allow the student to determine additional criteria she wants assessed or the levels toward which she will work. Mr. Gable has
done this for all of his students by allowing them to determine the rubrics fifth criterion. He might give
them options for the criterion (e.g., point of view, props, costume) or he might allow a student to add another row or column. Jose, for example, wants to create a set and use a costume and props, and Marlene is
incorporating a dance element.
Step 2
Using the chart on the next page, practice the strategies for individualizing rubrics according to
learner need.
Directions:
1. Review your KUD (what you want students to Know, Understand, and be able to Do as the
result of a unit).
2. Think of a product or performance directly related to the KUD that will allow students to
demonstrate their learning. Identify five criteria to evaluate. Put each one in a different box
under the Criterion column.
3. Determine the attributes of each criterion, with Level A being the foundational level and Level D
the advanced level. Begin with Level D, considering what the highest competency level would
look like.

105
Handout 14Continued
Criterion
Level A
106

Level B
Level C
Level D
Handout 14Continued
4. Think of three or four students in your class with different learning needs. The needs could be
related to cognitive functioning, skill mastery, learning styles or preferences, or general strengths
and weaknesses. In the space below, write brief profiles of these students.
5. How could you meet these students needs by having them determine their own goal
competencies (i.e., creating a checkerboard rubric)?
6. How could you meet these students needs by inserting blank rows or columns?
7. How could you meet these students needs by weighting criteria?

107
HANDOUT 15
Providing Organizational Scaffolding Station

Learners vary in their need for support in organizing and completing tasks and projects. Some students
can read directions for a long-term assignment and know exactly when and how to complete their work.
Other students need benchmark goals and step-by-step instructions before they can start. Such differences
call for providing organizational scaffolding to support planning and tracking.
Organizational scaffolding might include
Providing different ways for students to organize themselves and to see both the big picture and
the details of a task or project.
Breaking tasks or projects into smaller steps with structured guidance for some students and
combining steps and allowing for self-direction with other students.
Helping students to sequence their thinking and processes and to create and follow through
with plans.
Giving students explicit or flexible criteria as needed, not only for long-term tasks and projects,
but also for knowing when and how to move to the next step.
Step 1
Read the scenario below and answer the questions that follow.
Ms. Owens has assigned a research-based video project in her technology class. Her students
display varying abilities to organize and track their progress in completing long-term assignments.
Therefore, she is providing different kinds of time lines to her students.
Time Line A Directions
Using the blank calendar provided, create a time line you will follow to ensure success on your
project. Be sure you include on the time line all parts/elements of the video, including
Parts/requirements of the video
Steps youll take in completing each of the parts/requirements of the video
Quality checks (peer, teacher, self, mentor)
Check-in dates
Optional seminars you will attend
Time Line B Directions
Using the blank calendar provided, create a time line you will follow to ensure success on your project.
1. Put on a due date.
2. Next add check-in dates.

109
Handout 15Continued
3. Then add targets to the check-in dates.

Video plan complete
Research and evidence of research complete
Research digest complete
Storyboard complete
Rough cut complete
Peer review day with rubric
Revisions complete
Final video due
4. You may also want to add attendance at the following workshops:
Brainstorming session
Workshop on research/resources
Goal-setting seminar
Video format seminar
Editing seminar
Time Line C Directions
Using the blank calendar provided, create a time line you will follow to ensure success on your project.
1. Copy the project due date.
2. Choose due dates for your targets between the range of dates given.
During the third week in MarchTeacher planning conference
Between March 2628Video plan due
Between March 31April 2Research matrix due
Between April 35Storyboards due
Between April 69Footage due
Between April 811Rough cut #1 due
Between April 1012Peer review (Rough cut #2 due)
Between April 913Revised and edited video due
Between April 1015Teacher Conference
Between April 1116Presentation plan due
On April 20Video project due. Present in class.
3. You may also want to add attendance at the following workshops:
Idea factoryMarch 25
Research seminarMarch 30
Goal-setting seminarApril 1
Product format seminarApril 5
Storyboarding workshopApril 7
Editing seminarApril 9
110

Handout 15Continued
What differences do you see between the three types of directions?
Each set of directions is appropriate for learners with different traits. What traits might these
students have?
Step 2
Read the following checklist for creating an illustration based on a poem, short story, or other text for a
school literary magazine and respond to the questions that follow.
Illustration Checklist
Read over the poem/short story/text carefully. Think about your audience.
Jot down ideas and images that come to mind as you read the text.
Create at least three sketches of different illustration possibilities.
Collect feedback from your peers, and then reflect on these ideas (are you communicating
your ideas effectively?).
Decide how/if you will incorporate the text into the design.
What can you do to make your design original and creative?
How are you using the space? Have you considered the principles of design (emphasis,
contrast, unity, movement, balance, repetition)?
Decide on a style of shading (cross-hatching, stippling, contour of object).
Practice the chosen shading technique.
Sketch the final design very lightly in pencil. (Remember to keep the original very neat. The literary magazine staff will copy directly from the original.)
Craftsmanship is very important. Once the ink is completely dry, very carefully erase any extra
pencil marks. Be gentle with the paper so it doesnt crunch up, wrinkle, or tear.
Sign your work and checklist.
Evaluate your work below.
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Turn in this checklist and your completed piece to me.

Your Name ____________________________________ Class Period __________________
Source: Created by Melissa Valentine, art teacher, R.D. and Euzelle P. Smith Middle School, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Reprinted with permission.

111
Handout 15Continued
In what ways does this checklist provide organizational scaffolding?
What traits do you think the kinds of learners who would benefit from this checklist might have?
How could you take this checklist (or this kind of checklist) and scaffold it for a different cluster
of learners?
112

Handout 15Continued
Step 3
Review your unit materials. Identify a performance task or product for which you can give clusters of
learners different organizational scaffolding.
How will you provide different ways for students to organize themselves and to see both the big
picture and the details?
How will you break this task or product into smaller steps and provide structured guidance for a
cluster of learners? How will you combine steps and allow for self-direction for other clusters
of learners?
How will you help students sequence their thinking and processes to create and follow through
with plans?
How will you give students explicit or flexible criteria as needed, not only for long-term tasks and
projects, but also for knowing when and how to move to the next step?

113
HANDOUT 16
Adapting Graphic Organizers Station

Teachers use graphic organizers to help students plan projects or papers, stimulate their thinking (e.g.,
brainstorm), organize or distill ideas, and see connections and relationships. Sometimes, teachers view
graphic organizers as tools that are beneficial for struggling learners, but inappropriate or unnecessary for
advanced learners. Similarly, teachers might not think of graphic organizers as tools that can and should
be modified to meet a variety of learner needs. However, graphic organizers can range greatly in complexity, from very simple to extremely complex. At this station, you will learn how to modify graphic organizers for a cluster of learners.
Step 1
Read about how one teacher goes through the process of adapting a graphic organizer.
Mr. Chao, a social studies teacher, is using a graphic organizer to have students organize and evaluate a
political campaign speech. The organizer he planned to use is appropriate for most of his students; however, he has identified a cluster of students who are more advanced in either their interest/understanding
of politics or in their analytical thinking skills. Therefore, he wants to adapt the graphic organizer to better
fit their needs.
He begins by reviewing what he wants students to know, understand, and be able to do as a result of these
lessons on political campaign speeches.
Know
What kinds of political and social issues comprise a campaign speech
Types of persuasive speaking techniques
How political candidates use persuasive speaking techniques to sway potential voters
How a campaign speech is organized
The position of a political candidate on issues she addresses in the speech
Understand
A campaign speech is organized around a variety of political and social issues
Political candidates may or may not support their positions with logical reasons or evidence
Political candidates use a variety of persuasive speaking techniques in campaign speeches to

communicate their ideas and secure voters

115
Handout 16Continued
Be Able to Do
Identify persuasive speaking techniques
Follow the structure of a campaign speech
Determine a candidates position on a variety of issues as well as the support he offers for
the positions
Analyze the logic and support a candidate uses to strengthen her position
Justify agreement or disagreement with the candidates position
116

Handout 16Continued
Organizer 1

117
Handout 16Continued
The organizer clearly reflects what Mr. Chao wants his students to be able to do. In modifying it for his
more advanced cluster, he considers how the students might accomplish the same tasksuse the same
analysisbut at a more complex level. He looks at each component of the organizer, seeing if he can add
another dimension or alter a component to elicit deeper meaning or understanding. All students will
accomplish the same learning goals, but in different ways.
Accordingly, Mr. Chao decides to make the following changes:
Add a box for identifying the type of evidence the candidate offers. Categorizing the kind of evidence a candidate offers in support of a position (e.g., facts and figures, quotes, anecdotes, historical
evidence) allows the student to more deeply analyze the validity of the position.
Change the Do you agree? YES/NO triangle to a block arrow enclosing This argument is
logically SOUND/UNSOUND, and change the Why or why not? callout to a box prompting
Because . . . These changes move the student from judging how she personally feels about a candidates position and support to judging the validity of the position and support on its logical merits.
At the bottom, add the task of choosing one of the candidates positions and writing the opposing viewpoint on the backside of the sheet. Mr. Chao is amending the be able to do list for his
more advanced students by asking them to refute the candidates position, whether or not they agree
or disagree with it themselves. This adds another layer to the analysis for these students
118

Handout 16Continued
Organizer 2

119
Handout 16Continued
Can you think of additional or alternate ways Mr. Chao could modify the organizer for his
advanced learners?
Look at Mr. Chaos original graphic organizer. Revisiting the KUD for guidance, identify two ways the
organizer could be modified for a cluster of students who need a more simplified version. Write or
sketch your ideas below and explain why you made the changes you did.
120

Handout 16Continued
Organizer 3
Here is an example of how the original graphic organizer could be adjusted for students who need a more
simplified version.

121
Handout 16Continued
Step 2
Below are two copies of the same graphic organizer. Feel free to change, amend, or rearrange the template
to better fit your purpose. Review your KUD (what you want students to Know, Understand, and be able
to Do as the result of a lesson or unit). Identify how your students could use this graphic organizer, or
sketch a graphic organizer of your own. Then, create two versions: one that many of your students will
use, and one that is modified for a group of more advanced learners.
Some general principles for adjusting a graphic organizer for more advanced learners include modifying
the organizer so that students have to
Offer more support (e.g., detail, reasons, explanations)
Explore a component more deeply
Explore a component more widely
Consider alternate possibilities or viewpoints
Analyze in a more expert-like way
Make connections
Make or extend an application
Apply a skill or concept in a different way or to a different situation
Nonmodified version
Modified version
122

Handout 16Continued
Step 3
Explain your modifications using the following chart.
What changes did you make?
Why did you make each change?

123
HANDOUT 17
Modifying Tests Station

A test is a common way for teachers to assess students learning during the instructional cycle. Traditionally, tests are tailor-made for one kind of studentthe student who thinks like the test. Because learners
vary in the way they think, a role reversal is needed: The test should think like the student. The need to
adjust for predictable and inevitable learner variance, then, includes modifying tests. Fortunately, a
teacher need not be a specialist in specific learner needs to use the commonsense strategies described
below to help all students feel they can successfully demonstrate what theyve learned.
Step 1
Read about how teachers use commonsense strategies for modifying tests. Notice that these modifications
do not change what all students are expected to know, understand, and be able to do.
Use word banks.
Mr. Walters is testing his students on their ability to identify the parts of several organisms theyve
recently dissected. He has drawn sketches of each organism and numbered blank lines next to each part
the students will name. Learners in several sections of Mr. Walters classes struggle with retaining new
vocabulary. For these students, he supplies a word bank of the parts they will name.
Mrs. Hinton uses word banks in a different way. Her 5th grade social studies tests feature a page of
open-ended response questions for which students write 34 sentences. She modifies this section for her
students who have trouble deciding what to include in written responses by inserting key words in the
margin next to a question that the students should include in their response.
How else could a word bank be used to modify a test?
What additional kinds of learners might benefit from having a word bank on a test?

125
Handout 17Continued
Ms. Cobbs 4th graders are taking a test on which they will identify the 50 U.S. states by postal abbreviation on a map that shows only the outlines of the states. Because trying to memorize the shapes of states
can be challenging, especially for those who lack appropriate context for the map (e.g., students who do
not have maps or globes at home; students who have not traveled widely; students from other countries),
Ms. Cobb is giving all of her students two ways they can modify the test themselves. The day prior to the
test, they may lightly color their maps or they may draw a small picture or symbol inside each state. Ms.
Cobb uses these maps the next day as the tests themselves, allowing each student to fill out his own map
with the appropriate abbreviations.
How else could symbols or pictures be used to modify a test?
What additional kinds of learners might benefit from having symbols or pictures on a test?
Modify questions.
Mr. Trent employs a variety of techniques for modifying questions on his 6th grade history tests to support learner needs. He rewrites open-ended response questions as multiple-choice questions for students
who might not recall information readily in a test situation. Or he might underline key words in questions
or write a follow-up question that helps the student focus her response. Sometimes a test question is too
easy for an individual learner or cluster of learners. In these cases, Mr. Trent rewrites the question to make
it more challenging.
126

Handout 17Continued
How else could questions be modified on a test?
What additional kinds of learners might benefit from having modified questions on a test?
Revise language.
Ms. Moore, an elementary teacher, has found that she needs to revise the language on her tests for students who struggle with reading or need simpler directions. If her students need to read a passage on a
science test, she might write an alternate version for students who understand the concepts and the key
vocabulary, but might be confused by sentence structure or unfamiliar words.
How else could language on a test be revised?
What additional kinds of learners might benefit from having revised language on a test?

127
Handout 17Continued
Use model/guided responses.
Mr. Schmidt is testing the students in his art class on their ability to analyze a painting. He expects them
to write in paragraph form and represent all the evaluation elements they have explored, practiced, and
reviewed in class. To modify the test for several students with writing difficulties, he has provided a
model response for them to mimic, underlining the key elements and offering specific steps to follow
during the test.
How else could guided responses be used to modify a test?
What additional kinds of learners might benefit from having model/guided responses on a test?
Restructure the delivery.
During math tests, Sammy works slowly and steadily, but is sometimes sidetracked by looking through
the test to see which problems he thinks he does and doesnt know how to solve. This, in turn, makes him
anxious and impedes his ability to finish on time. Ms. Holsinger, his teacher, decides to divide the test
into more manageable sections for Sammy. She literally cuts his test into pieces, giving him one section
of three or four problems at a time. When Sammy finishes with one section, he turns it in and receives the
next one.
Mrs. Butcher, a Spanish teacher, uses a textbook-company-generated test that asks students to do three
things: read, write, and listen. Typically, she first administers the listening part, which is on a prerecorded
tape, to the whole class. Then, the students complete the reading and writing sections. Lauren tests well
on the reading and writing sections, but poorly on listening, due to auditory processing difficulties. Mrs.
Butcher sets up a tape recorder and headphones at a table where Lauren can replay the tape as often as
necessary and on a slower speed.
128

Handout 17Continued
How else could a test be modified by restructuring its delivery?
What additional kinds of learners might benefit from having restructured tests or delivery?
Offer multiple test forms.
Mr. Mulvaney gives his sophomore English classes scaffolded essay tests. He writes four or five essay
questions, each with a different focus. All require the same essay response components (i.e., thesis, support from the text, direct quotes from the text). The questions vary by difficultythough all are respectful, challenging questionsand by their appeal to specific interests. The students preview the questions,
not knowing which one they will be asked to answer on the day of the test. Should a student want to propose her own question, she may do so. The students turn in their top two preferences to Mr. Mulvaney,
who uses both the students choices and his insight about individual learner needs to assign the most
appropriate question for each student.
How else could multiple test forms be used to meet the needs of clusters of learners?

129
Handout 17Continued
Step 2
Look at a test or quiz from the unit materials you brought with you, or take a few minutes to write several
questions for the kind of test or quiz you typically give. Consider modifications you could make to the
assessment for a cluster of learners. Several types of these clusters have been identified below, and charts
are provided to help you organize your thinking.
Cluster: Students who are advanced in the subject area.
Type of modification
Reason for making this modification

(i.e., how will it attend to the
learners needs?)
Example of how you will

use the modification
Cluster: Students who need reading support.
130


learners needs?)

Handout 17Continued
Cluster: Students who have difficulty retrieving information during tests.

learners needs?)

Cluster: Students who have difficulty maintaining focus during a test.

learners needs?)


131
HANDOUT 18
as a Concept
Chances are good that even if teachers have never heard of differentiation, theyre still familiar with many of the beliefs and principles on
which it is based. To begin our consideration of the common sense of
differentiation, please respond to the following and be ready to share
your responses with your colleagues.
The Common
Sense of
Differentiation
Program 3
1. Describe a lesson or unit you taught that seemed to go well for some
students, but not so well for other students.
2. What factors do you think contributed to the differences in the

effectiveness of that lesson or unit for students?

133
Handout 18Continued
3. Describe a time when you had different students working on different tasks simultaneously. How did you decide which students would
be doing what tasks?
4. What was that experience like for your students? For you?
5. Think about what a classroom based on students needs would look

and feel like for the students. What kinds of things might they be
doing? How would it look and feel for the teacher? What kinds of
things might she be doing?
134

Handout 18Continued
Part 2The Common Sense of Classroom Routines

That Support Differentiation
Now think about the logic of using classroom routines to support differentiated instruction. To help you do so, please respond to the following
questions, and be ready to share your thoughts with your colleagues.
1. Describe the most satisfying class you ever experienced as a student.
Be specific about why and how it was so rewarding.
2. How did the teacher of the class you described above run the class?
What kinds of opportunities and experiences did you come to expect
and look forward to?

135
Handout 18Continued
3. What are the differences between the classroom of a teacher who is

flexible with her instructional routines and the classroom of a teacher
who is inflexible with her instructional routines, especially with
regard to the experiences of the students?
4. How might flexibility in the way a classroom runs and how it is set
up help a teacher better address individual student learning needs,
preferences, and interests?
5. Which of your current classroom routines are the most flexible, and
why? Which of your current classroom routines are the least flexible,
and why?
136

HANDOUT 19
The Nature of Routines and Differentiation

Think of some synonyms for the word routine.
Something that is routine can be described as . . .
What general or specific classroom routines do teachers have for teaching and assessing students?

137
Handout 19Continued
What kinds of assumptions do general/specific classroom routines make? These could be positive,
negative, or neutral assumptions, and might be about students, teachers, instruction, learning,
assessment, or another facet of the classroom.
How do the meanings and implications of routines seem to compliment what you know
about differentiation?
How do the meanings and implications of routines seem to conflict with what you know
about differentiation?
138

HANDOUT 20
s you watch the video, jot down notes on classroom routines teachers
are using to support the varied learning needs of their students. The
matrix below provides spaces for the type of classroom routine, how the
teacher used it to support differentiation, and any insights or questions
you might have.
Type of Classroom Routine
How the Teacher Uses the

Routine to Support
Differentiation
Video
Reflection
Sheet
Program 3
Insights or Questions About
the Teachers Routine

139
HANDOUT 21
1. Imagine you are a student in your own classroom. What could you
come to expect about the way the class period or day will proceed?
What might you look forward to? What might you dread?
My Classroom
Routine
2. Choose a routine to focus on for the rest of the session. It could be

a routine you discussed in the previous question; a routine you use
every day or every week; a routine you use within a unit or lesson;
or another routine you use for instruction. Sketch it below.
3. Describe the characteristics of your students who seem to experience

the most success within the structure of this routine. How and why
does the routine encourage their success?

141
Handout 21Continued
4. Describe the characteristics of your students who seem to experience

the least success within the structure of this routine. How and why
does the routine limit their success?
5. What are the general strengths and weaknesses of this routine?
6. List the strategies for attending to learner needs with which you are
most comfortable or familiar, or are most willing to try (e.g., preassessment, varied homework, reteaching, cluster grouping, compacting, tiered assignments).
142

HANDOUT 22
1. Transfer the map of your routine to chart paper by drawing it large
enough and dark enough for others to see.
2. Assess where you do and dont provide support for different learning
needs. Ask the following questions:
At what point(s) can I anticipate variance in learner needs?
Why can I anticipate variance at that point?
What will be the nature of the variance (e.g., difference in writing/reading ability, self-regulation skills, interests, preferences,
learning styles)?
What does the anticipated variance in learner needs require me to

do at this point?
How can I meet that requirement? (What strategies can I use?)
Adjusting
Classroom
Routines
3. You can make three types of adjustment to your map.

Horizontal adjustments
Horizontal adjustments include those that add a component of the
instructional cycle that was not there before. For example, building
in ongoing assessments.
Vertical adjustments
Vertical adjustments are those that acknowledge differences in readiness, learning style, or interest. Sometimes, they can be split even
further. For example, if a teacher is going to have graphic organizers
for students who need them to take notes, she may have two different
types of graphic organizers.
Trajectory adjustments
These kinds of adjustments allow students to take different paths to
similar destinations. For example, all students will design and conduct their own experiment, but some students may be ready to move
to the planning stage right away, whereas other students first need to
review the elements of an experiment design.
You do not have to make all three kinds of adjustments to your routine. Predictably, a combination of horizontal, vertical, and trajectory
adjustments yields a complex routine structure. Start with simple
adjustments to the routine by addressing readiness levels, replacing

143
Handout 22Continued
inflexible strategies, creating alternative paths, and allowing student

choice. When those routines become second nature, you will readily
consider new possibilities.
4. Experiment with mapping the adjustments. Drawing lines, arrows,
boxes, and brackets, as well as adding or crossing off words, is part
of this drafting stage. You might want to use a different color marker
to make the changes so that you and others can clearly see your
thought process.
5. When you are finished, keep the draft version of your map, but
redraw it on the second piece of chart paper you have been given,
creating a final version. If you have time, make annotations explaining why you made the adjustments that you did or offering more
detail about a specific adjustment.
144

OVERHEAD 1
Objectives of Workshop 1
As a result of the workshop, participants should
1. Reflect on some of the common sense principles of
differentiated instruction.
2. Identify common sense uses of assessment to identify
learning needs of students.
3. Observe some uses of assessment in a variety of
classrooms.
4. Analyze uses of assessment to inform instruction.
5. Plan for the application of at least one assessment
strategy to gain information about student readiness,
interest, or learning profile.

145
OVERHEAD 2
Some Uses of Assessment

to Discover Learner Needs
Purpose of the Assessment
Sample Assessment Strategies
To determine prerequisite knowledge,

understandings, and skills for success in a
unit or course.
Oral reading comprehension check

Silent reading comprehension check
Spelling inventory
Writing sample
Skills survey (e.g., of math skills)
To better understand students backgrounds

and interests.
Student interest checklist or inventory

Letter to the teacher
Parent checklist of student interests
Teacher notes
To better understand students learning

preferences.
Classroom observation notes or checklist

Student learning preference checklist
Parent checklist of student learning
preferences
To get a basic picture of student

proficiencies in relation to a units key
knowledge, understandings, and skills.
Pre-assessment
3,2,1 survey
Frayer Diagram
Quick quiz
Journal entry
To follow student progress in mastering the

essential knowledge, understandings, and
skills of a unit.
Ongoing or formative assessment

3,2,1 card
Exit card
Frayer Diagram
Case analysis
Problem to solve
Journal entry
Student self-reflection
Portfolio of student work
146

OVERHEAD 3
Reflecting on the VideoProgram 1

1. What kinds or categories of students in your classes might
have difficulty with reading at least some of the time?
2. How might it help you in your instructional planning to
know at the outset of the year which students will need
support with reading text material?
3. What are some ways you might use information from an
interest survey to more effectively connect important
ideas from content with your students interests?
4. Assume that assessment data reveal that some of your
students strongly prefer working alone, some strongly
prefer working with peers, and some are OK either way.
How might that information be useful to you as you plan
your next unit?
5. Youve just given a pre-assessment of student proficiency
related to the key knowledge, understandings, and skills
of your next unit and discovered that two students already
have an advanced understanding of the topic. What do you
think you should do in planning for those students? What
do you want to avoid doing in planning for them?
6. What kinds of information about your students
strengths, readiness needs, learning preferences,
interests, and other attributes would be most useful to
you in instructional planning? Why?
7. What kinds of assessment mechanisms might you use to
determine that information?

147
OVERHEAD 4
2. Identify common sense uses of assessment to identify
learning needs of students.
3. Observe some uses of assessment in a variety of
classrooms.
4. Analyze uses of assessment to inform instruction.
5. Develop materials and plans for the application of at
least two or three assessment strategies for gaining
information about student readiness, interest, or
learning profile.
148

OVERHEAD 5a
Two Definitions of DifferentiationPart 1

A definition uses precise language to present distinguishing
elements or characteristics of a word or idea.
A Visual Definition of Differentiation

Differentiated Instruction
is
a teachers response to a learners needs
guided by general principles of

differentiation, such as
ongoing assessment
and adjustment
respectful tasks
flexible grouping
clear learning goals
positive learning environment

Teachers can differentiate
Content
Product
Process
based on students
Readiness
Interest
Learning Profile
through a range of instructional strategies
Multiple intelligences
Jigsaw
Taped materials
Anchor activities
Varying organizers
Varied texts
Varied supplemental materials
Literature circles
Tiered lessons
Tiered centers
Tiered products
Learning contracts
Small-group instruction
Group investigation
Orbitals
Independent study
4-MAT
Varied questioning strategies
Interest centers
Interest groups
Varied homework
Compacting
Varied journal prompts
Complex instruction

149
OVERHEAD 5b
Two Definitions of DifferentiationPart 2

A Verbal Definition of Differentiation
Differentiated instruction employs flexible teaching
routines to respond to a diversity of student
readiness levels, interests, and preferred modes of
learning in order to enhance access to academic
success for a full range of learners in academically
diverse settings.
150

OVERHEAD 6
Explanations of Differentiation
An explanation uses easily understood language to make
sure important ideas are clear to an audience.
1. Differentiation is shaking up the classroom so its a
better fit for more learners.
2. Differentiation does what it takes to make sure students
who learn in very different ways accomplish important
learning goals.
3. Differentiation emphasizes flexibility in all aspects of
teaching and learning to make sure more kids succeed.
4.
5.
6.
7.

151
OVERHEAD 7
Commonsense Themes of Differentiation

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
152

OVERHEAD 8
The Common Sense of Assessment

Elements of Effective
Assessment
Critical to Supporting
Student Success Because . . .
Clearly identified learning goals

what you want students to know,
understand, and be able to do
(KUD) as a result of the learning
experience.
Prerequisite skills identifiedskills,
attitudes, ways of working that students
bring to the learning experienceand
students proficiency with those skills
determined.
Pre-assessment of students existing
knowledge, understanding, and
skillswhere students are in
relation to the learning goals for
the unit or lesson.
Interests of students determined
relative to the topic being studied
or tasks to be performed.
Students preferred ways of learning

identified.
Ongoing assessmentchecking in on
where students are in their learning.

153
OVERHEAD 9
The Logic of Assessing to Discover

Learner Needs
1. All my students need to achieve certain important
learning goals.
2. My students have important strengths I could tap into to
enhance their success.
3. They also have deficits in knowledge, understandings,
skills, and experiences that can impede their success if
not addressed.
4. Some ways of learning are efficient for some students
and inefficient for others.
5. If I dont support students in understanding how they
learn best and in making use of that understanding, their
learning will be less efficient than it needs to be for
maximum student growth.
6. The more I know about my students learning needs, the
more effectively I can plan instruction to support their
success.
7. I cannot know all that I would like to know about each
students learning needs.
8. I can learn more about those learning needs if I
systematically attempt to discover them.
9. Therefore, I will consistently use multiple formal and
informal opportunities to gather as much useful
information as is feasible about my students learning
needs in order to make instructional plans that support
the academic success of each student.
154

OVERHEAD 10

Assessment
Technique
How the Data

Can Be Used
About the Technique

155
OVERHEAD 11
Insights and Puzzlements

AHA!
156

HUH?
OVERHEAD 12
2. Identify classroom techniques that support the
achievement of clusters of learners.
3. Observe the use of techniques that support student
success in a variety of classrooms.
4. Analyze ways in which various techniques support
learner achievement.
5. Plan for the application of at least one technique to
enhance the learning of a cluster of students in the
classroom.

157
OVERHEAD 13
Some Techniques That Address

Learner Needs
Some Common
Learning Needs
Some Techniques for

Addressing the Needs
Difficulty with
reading required
materials
Students use reading
Need for vocabulary

building
Teacher provides up-front
buddies/reading partners
Teacher highlights critical passages
in the text
Teacher uses read alouds or
think alouds to explore key
passages
Student uses taped excerpts
vocabulary lists with clear

explanations (versus definitions)
Some students work with pinpointed
vocabulary versus long lists
Teacher uses word walls or
vocabulary posters with words and
icons
Teacher meets regularly with small
groups of students who need extra
vocabulary study
Students hunt for key vocabulary in
print ads, on TV, in novels, or in
other sources
Teacher uses Think-Pair-Share
Difficulty staying
on task
groups
Teacher provides choices of modes
of working
Teacher presents information in
multiple modes
Teacher shifts activities in each
class period
Teacher uses graphic organizers to
trace the flow of ideas
Teacher uses student movement to
make points, illustrate ideas
Students Who Might Benefit

from These Techniques

Students learning English
Students with low reading skills
Students with auditory preferences
Students who learn better with a peer
Students who have difficulty reading
nonfiction material

Students for whom spelling and
vocabulary patterns are difficult
Students who do not experience rich

use of vocabulary at home
Students with visual learning
preferences
Students who benefit from contextual
application of words
Students with cognitive processing
problems
Students who struggle with reading

Students who enjoy variety
Students at different readiness levels
Students with varied learning
preferences
Students with attention deficits or
hyperactivity
Source: From Understanding by Design and Differentiated Instruction: Two Models for Student Success,
by C. A. Tomlinson & J. McTighe, (in press), Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development. Adapted with permission.
158

OVERHEAD 14

1. What kinds or categories of students in your classes
might have difficulty being motivated to learn school
subjects at least some of the time?
2. What techniques might you use that could benefit such
clusters of students?
might have difficulty staying organized during longer
assignments and over time in general?
4. What techniques might you use that could benefit such
clusters of students?
5. Lets assume assessment data reveal that some of your
students have strong preferences for working alone,
some have strong preferences for working with peers,
and some are OK either way. What techniques might you
use in planning your next unit to benefit each of these
student clusters?
6. What might the benefits be for students if we thought
about addressing needs versus labeling students?
7. What might the benefits be for teachers if we thought in
terms of clusters of needs we could address in the
classroom versus thinking in terms of multiple, distinct
needs for each individual?

159
OVERHEAD 15
2. Identify common sense classroom techniques to
address learner variability.
3. Observe some techniques for addressing learner
variability in a variety of classrooms.
4. Analyze the positives and negatives of particular
techniques for addressing learner variability in
the classroom.
5. Develop materials and plans for the application of at
least two or three techniques for making the classroom
a better fit for clusters of students with common
learning needs.
160

OVERHEAD 16

Respectful Tasks
When we hear about a classroom idea with a specific
namesuch as differentiated instructionits easy to
think of it as something extra, or beyond the scope of
normal classroom practice. But differentiation, like most
worthwhile classroom practices, stems from what we
already know about effective teaching and learning. Simply
put, its principles make sense in light of what we know
about humans, learning, and high-quality instruction.
One key principle of differentiation is that all learners
should have respectful tasks. Respectful tasks ensure that
although students may not always have identical tasks,
every students work
Is equally interesting.
Is equally important (i.e., based squarely on the
essential understandings and skills for the unit).
Requires the student to think at high levels to make
meaning of enduring ideas and apply essential skills.
The principle of respectful tasks is not arbitrary; rather,

it is necessary to ensure positive results for each student.
To see why respectful tasks make common sense, and
why they are so important, well examine the benefits of
ensuring respectful tasks and the negatives that can occur
if the work students are given is not respectful.

161
Overhead 16Continued

Respectful Tasks
Benefits of Ensuring Respectful Tasks
in a Differentiated Class
162

Problems That Result If Tasks Are Not

Respectful in a Differentiated Class
OVERHEAD 17
Thinking About Human Variability

in Commonsense Ways
The following matrix provides an opportunity to think about
forms of human variability that are accepted as normal and
accommodated accordingly.
Area of Variability
Differences in appetite and
taste preferences
Accommodations in Society
Regular and small portions available in restaurants
Varied levels of baby food
Food can be ordered spicy or not spicy

Varied size of food packages in grocery stores
Many kinds of ethnic restaurants
Availability of range of foods (i.e., junk food
to gourmet food)

163
OVERHEAD 18
Adapting to Student Variability

in the Classroom
Area of Learner
Variability
164

Techniques to
Adjust Instruction
for the Variability
Benefits of
Making the
Adjustments
Potential
Consequences If
Adjustments Are
Not Made
OVERHEAD 19
The Voices in My Head

Take a few minutes to jot down some thoughts about the
ideas presented in todays workshop. Use the icons below
to prompt your thinking. In a few minutes, youll have a
chance to share some of your thoughts with the group.

165
OVERHEAD 20
2. Identify ways classroom routines can support
3. Observe some ways teachers use classroom routines to
facilitate differentiation.
4. Analyze classroom routines that support differentiated
instruction.
5. Plan for the adaptation of at least one classroom routine
to meet varied learner needs.
166

OVERHEAD 21a
Managing Routines in the

Differentiated ClassroomPart 1
Characteristics of Classroom
Routines That LIMIT
Characteristics of Classroom
Routines That SUPPORT
Determined by time or schedules
Determined by learning outcomes
Organized around a lock-step,

one-size-fits-all curriculum
Organized around a flexible

curriculum that anticipates and
accounts for learner variance
Based on the teachers learning

style, interests, and readiness
Based on the students learning styles,

interests, and readiness
Influenced by a narrow conception

of how students learn best
Influenced by a broadened conception

of how students learn best
Discourages changes or deviations
Open to changes and deviations
Gives students the same tasks, at

the same times, in the same ways
Varies the tasks and timelines for

completing those tasks according to
learner need

167
OVERHEAD 21b
Managing Routines in the

Differentiated ClassroomPart 2
Basis of Routine
Homework
Ways of Managing the Routine

to Support Differentiation
Use homework checkers
Students choose between two or more types of
assignments
Students design their own homework
Assessment
Pre-assess students skills, knowledge, learning

style, and interests at the beginning of a unit or
lesson
Build ongoing assessments into the routine
Use pre-assessments and ongoing assessments to
group students or vary learning activities
Assess students in different ways and at different
times
Grouping
Alternate small-group or individual instruction with

whole-group instruction
Learning activities
Guide students toward a common goal using

different activities
Offer different activities based on readiness,
interest, or learning style
Student
self-regulation
168

Use learning contracts, checklists, calendars,

anchoring activities, stations
OVERHEAD 22

1. Explain what barriers you think exist to teachers
structuring their classroom routine around a commitment to differentiate instruction. How could these
barriers be overcome?
2. What are the characteristics of your current classroom
routine? How do these characteristics impede or
encourage differentiated instruction?
seem to experience the least success with one or more
of your current classroom routines? Why do you think
this is the case? What kinds or categories of students in
your classes seem to experience the most success with
one or more of your current classroom routines? Why do
you think this is the case?
4. Think of an instructional strategy that supports
differentiation that you want to use more regularly
(e.g., pre-assessment, tiered assignments, scaffolding
homework). How could you incorporate this strategy
into your classroom routine?
5. In what ways would your students benefit from this
change to the classroom routine?
6. Lets say youre going to introduce this change to the
classroom routine to your students next week. How
will you explain it to them?

169
OVERHEAD 23
1. Reflect on some of the commonsense principles of
2. Identify ways classroom routines can support
3. Observe some ways teachers use classroom routines
to facilitate differentiation.
4. Analyze classroom routines that support differentiated
instruction.
5. Plan for the adaptation at least one classroom routine
to meet varied learner needs.
170

OVERHEAD 24
Painting a Portrait of the

Differentiated Classroom

171
OVERHEAD 25
Classroom Routines and Differentiation

1. A routine is . . .
2. Examples of routines in the classroom include . . .
3. A routine facilitates differentiation when . . .
4. A routine prohibits differentiation when . . .
172

OVERHEAD 26
Characteristics of Classroom Routines

That Support Differentiation
Determined by learning outcomes

Organized around a flexible curriculum that anticipates
and accounts for learner variance
Based on the students learning styles, interests, and
readiness
Influenced by a broadened conception of how students
learn best
Open to changes and deviations
Vary the type of tasks and the timeline for completing
those tasks according to learner need

173
OVERHEAD 27

Type of
Classroom
Routine
174

How the Teacher Uses

the Routine to Support
Differentiation
About the Teachers
Routine
Introduce and
teach concept
Provide sample
problems to
illustrate
concepts
Allow for
in-class
practice
Sample Math Class Routine
Components of a Routine
Assign
homework
OVERHEAD 28

175
OVERHEAD 29a
Considerations in Adapting
a RoutinePart 1
Routine for Ms. Armstrongs Social Studies Lesson
Chapter read aloud
with teacher lecture
Whole-group
discussion
(students take notes)
Do end-ofchapter
questions
(with a partner)
In covering a chapter in the social studies textbook, Ms. Armstrong

has the students take turns reading the chapter aloud to the class.
She punctuates the reading with her own lecture material and
questions. All students are required to take notes, copying her outline
from the overhead. After the formal note taking and reading, Ms.
Armstrong poses two or three discussion questions that relate the
history the class has just read about to current events. After the
whole-group discussion, she assigns the end-of-chapter questions for
homework. The students may begin their work with a partner in class.
Ms. Armstrong can modify her routine to better meet students
learning needs.
At what point(s) can she anticipate variance in learner needs?

Why can she anticipate variance at that point?
What will be the nature of the variance (e.g., difference
in writing/reading ability, self-regulation skills, interests,
preferences, learning styles)?
What does the anticipated variance in learner needs require
her to do at this point?
How can she meet that requirement? (What strategies
can she use?)
176

OVERHEAD 29b
Considerations in Adapting
a RoutinePart 2
Ms. Armstrong's new routine might look like this:

177
More Examples of Routines That Support Differentiation
OVERHEAD 30
178

OVERHEAD 31
From There to Here

179
6/21/05
10:22 AM
Page 1
READING 1
Deciding to Teach Them All

Carol Ann Tomlinson
Asking the right questions has an enormous impact on how we pursue equity and excellence
in our classrooms.
everal years ago, I was talking

with a colleague who was
teaching in a center-based school
for students whose IQ scores registered above 140. She thought
deeply about how to stretch her
students, whose ceilings of possibility often go unexplored in
hetero-geneous classrooms. She
was a good teacher in that setting.
She knew it. Her students knew
it. Their parents knew it. So I
was surprised by what she said
that day.
I want to go back to a general
education classroom next year,
she began.
themthe high-challenge curriculum that she had been using with

her class of very advanced learners.
To say that no problems
emerged and that everyone rose
fairy-tale-like to the challenge
would be satisfying. But it would
not be honest.
The truth is that my friend had to
make many adaptations in her new
classroom that were not necessary
in her former setting. She had to
find time to work intensively with
students who were not yet literate to
ensure their growth in the gatekeeper skills of reading and writing.
She had to find ways to support
some students whose caregivers
I want to see what would
could not provide transportation,
happen if I tried teaching
Internet access, or project materials.
this curriculum to a varied
She had to teach inquiry skills to
group of students. I believe I
many students who had not previcould make it work, and its
ously encountered them. She even
important to me to know
had to figure out new ways to
whether I can.
extend the advanced curriculum
She got her wish. Her new group for students whose reach already
exceeded its parameters when the
of 5th graders in a different school
year began.
the following year was certainly
In many ways, this veteran
diverse. She had students with identeacher felt like a novice. She
tified special education needs, students who could not yet read in any wasnt always sure how to arrange
meaningful way, students who were time to work with small groups of
learning to speak English, students students with particular needs. She
often wasnt certain how to express
who were working at grade level,
abstract ideas so that the concrete
and students who were more capathinkers could confidently
ble than many in her previous
approach them. But from the
school. She taught themall of
beginning of the year, one fact was

clear: Her classroom was a magnet
for each student who spent 5th
grade with her.
Discovery was a given. Doing
was a way of life. Students learned
to do better than what they perceived to be their best. Skills had
an identifiable purpose. School was
the place to be. Learning was the
thing to do. No one wanted the
year to end.We could say that this
teacher decided to differentiate
instruction in a mixed-ability classroomthat she decided to teach
them all in a heterogeneous setting. It would be tempting to say
that she was a poster teacher for
differentiation of instruction.
But I learned something more
important from her and her students. As I watched their journey, I
realized that she was asking a set of
questions about teaching different
from those we often aska profoundly important set of questions.
Framing the Questions
My colleague had already posed

the most fundamental of the questions related to academically
diverse populations: Do I intend to
teach each individual child?
Although there seems to be
only one answer to the question,
the reality is more complex. The
Source: From Deciding to Teach Them All, by C. A. Tomlinson, October 2003, Educational Leadership, 61(2), pp. 611.
Copyright 2003 by Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
183
circumstances of teaching make it

far more likely that we respond by
saying, I intend to teach the curriculum in as reasonable a way as I
know how, and I hope that most of
the students will respond.
My friends answer signaled her
willingness to accept responsibility
for the success of each individual,
regardless of the circumstances of
that students life.
To teach each student from his
or her point of entry into the curriculum and perspective as a learner is
more than difficult. It is a goal
beyond the grasp of even the most
expert teacher. The outcome for
students who are outliers, however,
is likely to be vastly different when
a teacher pursues that elusive goal
than when the teacherby intent
or defaultabandons it. This particular 5th grade teacher elected to
teach in pursuit of that goal, and
her commitment made a world of
difference in her classroom.
My colleague asked other questions about her academically
diverse learners and how she would
respond to them. The way she
framed her questions was different
from what I suspect is customary,
and the subtle differences yielded
powerful distinctions in her work.
This teacher did not ask, What
labels do my students have? Rather,
she asked, What are their particular
interests and needs? Because needs
rather than labels guided her instruction, students moved freely
among peers and opportunities.
Both her teaching and her students
seemed less restricted, freer.
She did not ask, What are my
students deficits? Instead, she
asked, What are their strengths?
Although she clearly understood
184
the need to patch holes in the

fabric of their proficiency, beginning with what students could do
changed the tone of the classroom
and the will of reluctant learners.
In place of asking, How do I
remediate students?, she pondered,
What can I do to ensure that each
student works at the highest level
of thought and production possible? She understood that purpose
propels human beings and that
rich, purposeful curriculum propels
students to master whatever skills
they need to succeed.
This teacher did not ask, How
can I motivate these students?
Instead, she wondered, What
releases the motivation born in
all humans?
She did not ask, What do I do if
a student cannot accomplish my
agenda? She asked, How might I
adapt the agenda to work for the
student?
I also came to understand the
subtle but crucial distinction in one
other common school question. My
friend did not ask, Where should
we put this student? Instead, she
asked, What circumstances will be
the most effective catalyst for this
students development?
Taken singly, the questions are
interesting and fruitful. Taken as a
group, they are transformational.
They are questions in search of
equity and excellence for each
learner.
the boardroom or the Oval Office

and that all citizens should have
access to the opportunities that will
help them realize their potential.
Similarly, we cling to a vision
of the United States as representing
the best. We stand for the fastest
cars, the tallest buildings, the finest
medical care, and the most innovative technology. We are committed
to excellence. Let the world generate a problem: We will solve it.
To lose either equity or excellence as a guiding value would be to
lose our identity. To maintain both,
however, is a balancing act of the
highest order. And the challenge is
perhaps greatest in the schools that
shape young people to be good
stewards of these values. Although
we dont often think about the
impact of education decisions on
the balance between equity
and excellence, many decisions
push the fulcrum in one direction or
the otherfor individual learners,
groups, or schools as a whole.
A curriculum furthers excellence when it opens doors to a
promising tomorrow. Instruction
furthers excellence when it moves
a learner as effectively as possible
toward expertise as a thinker, problem solver, and producer. And procedures, policies, and practices
further equity when they maximize
the likelihood that each learner will
be a full participant in an excellence-based education.
The 5th grade teachers questions were her guideposts to
Seeking Equity and Excellence
achieving equity and excellence
The United States has always bal- for the widest possible range of
anced precariously on the twin val- students. Her decision to move
ues of equity and excellence. As a from a school where a complex,
people, we believe that birth in a
dynamic curriculum was a given to
log cabin should not be a barrier to a classroom where that was less
Principles for Fostering Equity and Excellence in Academically Diverse Learners

Good curriculum comes first. The teachers first job is always to ensure a coherent, important, inviting, and thoughtful
curriculum.
All tasks should respect each learner. Every student deserves work that is focused on the essential knowledge, understanding, and skills targeted for the lesson. Every student should be required to think at a high level and should find his or
her work interesting and powerful.
When in doubt, teach up! Good instruction stretches learners. The best tasks are those that students find a little too
difficult to complete comfortably. Be sure theres a support system in place to facilitate the students success at a level that
he or she doubted was attainable.
Use flexible grouping. Find ways and time for the class to work as a whole, for students to demonstrate competence
alone, and for students to work with varied groups of peers. Using only one or two types of groups causes students to see
themselves and one another in more limited ways, keeps the teacher from auditioning students in varied contexts, and
limits potentially rich exchanges in the classroom.
Become an assessment junkie. Everything that a student says and does is a potential source of assessment data.
Assessment should be an ongoing process, conducted in flexible but distinct stages, and it should maximize opportunities
for each student to open the widest possible window on his or her learning.
Grade to reflect growth. The most we can ask of any personand the least we ought to askis to be and become
their best. The teachers job is to guide and support the learner in this endeavor. Grading should, in part, reflect a
learners growth.
Adapted from Differentiation in Practice: A Resource Guide for Differentiating Curriculum, Grades 59, by Carol Ann
Tomlinson and Caroline Cunningham Eidson (ASCD, 2003).
likely was an excellence-based

decision. She wanted to ensure
that a maximum number of students see themselves as worthy of
wrestling with ideas and issues,
just as adults do.
Had she made any other
assumption in her mixed-ability
classroom, her most able students
would have experienced excellence devoid of challenge and
sweat. For such students, this sort
of pseudo-excellence is at first
seductive but ultimately crippling.
She refused to be a thief of challenge for her most advanced learn-
ers. Beginning with high-quality

curriculum and instruction is a precursor to excellence for any student. For this teacher, labels did
not define access to quality of
thought or production. Rather,
quality was the foundation from
which learning for all students
could emanate.
Equity in this teachers classroom was also central. Her pivotal,
equity-based decision was determining that a wide range of
learners should have access to
excellence. Then she immediately
began asking herself, How do I
support each students persistent

movement toward excellence and
expertise? Equity not only grants
access but also supports success.
A plan to teach students skills
that they had missed in the past
was in operation, but never as an
end in itself. Such remediation
was always in the service of
acceleration.
Grappling with the Messiness
of Teaching
Uncertainty is inherent in teaching.

Although we can seldom guarantee
185
the results of our decisions, we

must make decisions, nonetheless.
In a time when we find our student
populations becoming exponentially more diverse, we still find
ourselves asking such questions as,
What is the right label for this
child? Is the general classroom
best or is a resource setting preferable? Can differentiation meet the
specialized learning needs of students? Should specialists focus
their energies on students or
teachers?
The reality is that these questions lead us nowhere. Labels
often stigmatize without offering
a counterbalancing benefit. Some
general classrooms cripple students, and other general classrooms are almost holy in their
capacity to evoke the best in a
wide range of learners. Likewise,
some resource rooms become
prison-like in limiting options
186
for students who become dependent on them, whereas other

resource rooms open access to a
better future.
Differentiation can reinforce
status, or differentiation can liberate students from stereotypical
expectations. One specialist can
touch hundreds of lives through
successful collaboration with a
single teacher, whereas other specialists are wasting their time
attempting collaboration. Students,
even of a given category, differ
greatly. The contexts in which we
might provide services for them
defy generalization.
If we reframe the questions
that we ask, a tectonic shift might
occur in how we make decisions
on behalf of academically diverse
learners. Not, What labels? but,
What interests and needs? Not,
What deficits? but, What
strengths? Not, How do we
remediate? (or even How do we

enrich the standard curriculum?)
but, How do we maximize access
to the richest possible curriculum
and instruction? Not, How do we
motivate? but, What would it take
to tap the motivation already
within this learner? Not, Which
kind of setting? but, What circumstances maximize the students full
possibilities?
Ultimately, just one question
might best serve diverse learners,
their teachers, and their society.
What can we do to support educators in developing the skill and the
will to teach for each learners
equity of access to excellence?
Carol Ann Tomlinson is Professor of
Educational Leadership, Foundations,
and Policy Studies, Curry School of
Education, University of Virginia,
P.O. Box 400277, Charlottesville, VA 22904;
cat3y@virginia.edu.
READING 2
Celebrating Diverse Minds

Mel Levine
Many faltering students have specialized mindsbrains exquisitely wired to perform certain
kinds of tasks masterfully.
A distraught mother recently sent me this e-mail: Every morning when I send Michael off to
school, I feel as if Im sending him to jail. He cant spell, he forgets his math facts even after we
study them together, his handwriting is hard to decipher, and he is hopelessly absent-minded.
The other kids see his papers and say that he writes like a mental case. All day, he faces nonstop criticism from his teacher. She scolds him in front of his classmates for not trying. And you
know, his teachers right. Hes not tryinghes scared to try. Hes decided that if youre going to
fail, its better to fail without trying.
He can fix absolutely anything thats broken and he is brilliant when he plays with his Legos.
I cant believe the complicated things he makes. He is convinced that he is hopelessly dumb,
and he worries about school all the time. A lot of nights, Michael cries himself to sleep. We are
losing this darling boy and he is such a beautiful child, such a decent kid. Please help us.
e have all heard the success

stories of Albert Einstein,
Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs, and
Charles Schwabaccomplished
adults whose minds failed to fit in
school. But what becomes of those
whom we never hear aboutstudents like Michael, who give up on
themselves because they lack the
kinds of minds needed to satisfy
existing criteria for school success?
For more than 30 years, my
work as a pediatrician has been
dedicated to such out-of-step children and adolescents. Although
some of them have officially
acknowledged collisions with word
decoding or attention, many contend with more elusive differences
in learning. These students may
have trouble organizing time and
prioritizing activities, communicating effectively, grasping verbal or
nonverbal concepts, retrieving data
precisely and quickly from

long-term memory, recognizing
and responding to recurring patterns, or assimilating fine detail.
Such insidious dysfunctions can
constitute daunting barriers, especially when they are not recognized
and managed. Most important,
these breakdowns can mislead us
into undervaluing, unfairly accusing, and even undereducating students, thereby stifling their chances
for success in school and life.
embarrassingly inept at verbalizing. Her classmate may reveal a

remarkable understanding of people, but exhibit no insight about
sentence structure.
Within every student contending with learning differences, an
area invariably exists in which her
or his mind has been amply
equipped to thrive. In the e-mail
from Michaels mother, the clue to
his minds early specialization
practically jumps out at you: He
can fix absolutely anything thats
broken. Michaels mechanical
The Challenge of Disappointing
brilliance gets eclipsed by our
School Performance
focus on what he cant do.
I love to spend time explaining
Many faltering students have specialized mindsbrains exquisitely his strengths and their possibilities
to a student like Michael who feels
wired to perform certain kinds of
depleted and diminished (and pertasks masterfully, but decidedly
miswired when it comes to meeting haps even demolished) by the
other expectations. A student may experience of school. I talk to him
about the different careers in which
be brilliant at visualizing, but
Source: From Celebrating Diverse Minds, by M. Levine, October 2003, Educational Leadership, 61(2), pp. 1218. Copyright
2003 by Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
187
But Phillips day-to-day performance in school was disappointing.

When he listened or read, Phillip
missed or forgot much of the information he was expected to absorb.
He would tune out and become
fidgety during extended explanations or directions. His parents
sought help from their sons pediaBroadened Student Assessment
trician, who diagnosed ADD and
The methods that schools typically prescribed a stimulant medication.
This treatment helped, but not
deploy to assess students with
learning problems are not up to the much.
It turns out that Phillip owned
task. The discrepancy formulas
the kind of mind that becomes
used to determine eligibility for
enthralled with the big picture and
specialized assistance have been
rejects fine detail. Consequently, in
shown repeatedly to have serious
math he mastered the concepts
flaws (Kavale & Forness, 2000).
readily but couldnt be bothered to
Moreover, testing that merely
notice the difference between a plus
generates a label, such as LD or
sign and a minus sign (a mere detail).
ADD, accomplishes little. These
His writing was creative and amusing
vague labels do not suggest spebut sparse on specific information. In
The traditional paradigms for cific approaches to remediation;
subject after subject, Phillips overall
instead,
they
pessimistically
imply
understanding learning difa relatively permanent pathological understanding far exceeded his hanferences focus on exposing
dling of the details.
condition. What a colossal selfand fixing deficits, often
Like Phillip, many kids with
fulfilling prophecy! Most imporneglecting the latent or blaproblems
dont ooze easily into
tant,
diagnosis
spawned
from
a
deftant talents within struggling
icit model fails to take into account categories. Students with his kind
learners.
of detail intolerance often get
the most important feature of a
Instructional practices and
diagnosed with ADD or accused of
curricular choices fail to pro- studenthis strengths.
not really trying. In Phillips case,
vide educational opportuniSmokescreen Labels
the label ADD was a smokescreen
ties for diverse learners and
Phillips parents reported that he
that obscured peoples view of his
to prepare them for a sucseemed to generate about two
remarkable strengths and stopped
cessful life.
highly
original
and
unorthodox
them short of managing his specific
Because knowledge about
weakness in detail assimilation.
learning emanating from the ideas per minute. His teacher
described this irrepressible 4th
Phillip improved markedly after his
explosion of insights from
grader
as
a
brilliant
conceptualizer,
teacher began encouraging him to
brain research is not yet part
always
coming
up
with
creative
make detail thinking a separate step
of teacher preparation and
analogies. When the class studied
in any activity he undertookscan
professional development,
terrorism, Phillip compared suicide first, get the big picture, have some
most educators lack the
bombers to strep germs that make
great ideas, and then revisit the
expertise to understand and
you
sick
and
then
die
in
your
material to vacuum up the
support their students
throat.
important details.
diverse minds.
he could readily succeed given the

abilities he already possesses. I feel
as if I have stepped inside a shadowy passageway suddenly illuminated, as revealed by a newly
radiant facial expression. I cant
help but conclude that the real
challenge for schools rests more
with identifying and fortifying
individuals strengths than with
caulking academic crevices.
My long-term experience working at the interface between pediatrics and education has allowed me
to synthesize the body of research
on neurodevelopmental function
and variation (Levine & Reed,
1999) and to construct a framework
for understanding the enigma of
disappointing school performance.
Three factors play major roles:
188
To stem the tide of needless and

wasteful failure facing thousands of
kids, we need to take robust action
on three fronts: broadened student
assessment, curriculum reexamination, and professional development
for educators.
Incidentally, society desperately

needs big-picture people who can
collaborate meaningfully with
administrators who thrive on detail.
So lets take care not to disparage
or discourage the flourishing of
Phillips kind of mind.
Assessment for Diverse Minds
In addition to rethinking the
assessments used to diagnose
learning problems, schools need to
design regular tests and quizzes so
that different kinds of minds can
show what they know in different
ways. Teachers should be careful
not to tap exclusively rote memory
or straight regurgitation of skills
and knowledge. They should often
allow students to use notes and
encourage them to take as much
time as they need to respond to

questions. It makes more sense to
limit space than timefor instance,
telling students, You cant write
more than two pages, but you can
take as long as you want to do so.
High-stakes testing can pulverize many mismatched students.
How commonly does end-of-grade
testing discriminate against certain
kinds of minds? Frequently. As a
clinician, I encounter many students who have difficulty performing on multiple-choice tests or
operating under timed conditions.
These students dysfunctions in
certain skill areas are more than
out-weighed by their assets in other
domains, but standardized testing
never gives them the opportunity to
exhibit their strengths.
On entering the medical profession, we take an oath that in our

practice we will first of all do no
harm. I offer five suggestions (see
Do No Harm Testing Practices)
to my professional colleagues in
education so that they may strive
for testing practices that do no
harm to students with different
kinds of minds. We need to advocate for the elimination of testing
practices that inflict needless damage and unfair humiliation on so
many students.
Curriculum Reexamination
Its ironic that at the same time that

neuroscience is telling us so much
about differences in learning, we
are imposing curriculum standards
Do No Harm Testing Practices

1. Testing can help elevate education standards, but not if it creates larger numbers of students who are written off as
unsuccessful. When a student does poorly, determine which link in the learning chain is uncoupled. Always have constructive, nonpunitive contingency plans for students who perform poorly on a test. Testing should not be an end in
itself, but rather a call to action.
2. Not all students can demonstrate their strengths in the same manner. Allow different students to demonstrate their
learning differently, using the means of their choice (portfolios, expert papers, oral presentations, and projects, as well
as multiple-choice tests).
3. Never use testing as justification for retaining a student in a grade. Retention is ineffective and seriously damaging to
students. How can you retain a child while claiming you are not leaving anyone behind?
4. Some students who excel on tests might develop a false sense of security and confidence, failing to realize that adult
careers tap many abilities that no test can elicit. Take care to nurture vital capacities that are not testable.
5. Avoid the hazard of teachers teaching to the tests because your work or school is being judged solely on the basis of
examination scores. Teachers should never have their students rehearse or explicitly prepare for tests. Testing should
be unannounced. Good results on such tests should be the product of the regular, undisturbed curriculum.
Mel Levine
189
that offer our students fewer learning alternatives than ever before. If
we aspire to meet the challenge of
leaving no child behind, we must
provide diverse learners with
diverging pathways that lead to
their success. Such roads should
maintain rigorous performance
standards, while permitting innovation and creativity in curricular
choices and allowing early, highly
specialized minds to envision and
prepare for productive adulthood.
For example, children like
Michael, with his impressive
mechanical aptitude, should not be
sentenced to wait until adulthood
to experience success. We should
encourage, not constrain, the development of magnet schools and
vocational education opportunities.
I look forward to the day when
thousands of students pursue a
vocationally oriented curriculum
that does not put a ceiling on their
aspirations.
While studying auto mechanics
(and the physics that is a part of it),
a teenager should learn the ins and
outs of various related careers. She
or he should see the possibility of
someday climbing the corporate
ladder at Ford Motor Company,
owning a repair business franchise,
designing solar-powered engines,
or managing the service department of a dealership. In this way,
no one gets written off or limited
because of the nature of his passions or the specialized apparatus
of her mind.
Many schools have worked
against odds to provide educational
experiences that involve all students in conducting independent
study projects in their area of personal affinity and ability. One
190
school, for example, asked all 3rd

grade students to pick a country
and become the schools leading
expert on that nation. The projects
carried over from 3rd through 5th
grade, and the students traversed
content areas as they studied their
countrys culture, history, language, animal life, government,
and music. They did art projects
and wrote reports on their country.
Students learned how it feels to
know more about something than
anyone around, including their
teachers and parents. They became
valued consultants on particular
countries; when the newspaper
reported a current event in their
country, they were asked to provide
some commentary in classa
great vitamin for intellectual
self-esteem!
Another school pursued a similar strategy during students three
years in middle school. Students
selected any topic from a list for
long-term pursuit across disciplines. They found experts in the
community to assist them with
their topics. Any student who did
not want to claim one of the listed
topics could submit one of his or
her own choosing.
I look forward to the day when
our schools offer every student the
opportunity to become a leading
expert on a chosen topicone that
harmonizes with his or her kind of
mindand to share that expertise
with the community through Web
sites, community-based projects,
and other venues. Such a practice
would give students a powerful
experience of success, as well as
cultivate their appetite for systematic research and focused, in-depth
knowledge.
While advocating ardently for

flexibility in achieving the educational aims of schooling, we can
still preserve student accountability. No student should be permitted
to work, study, or produce less than
his or her peers. But we should
never insist that everyone put forth
identical output.
Professional Development
for Educators
In medical practice, highly specific

knowledge of the individual needs
of a patient is indispensable when
selecting the best treatment. This
holds true in all helping professionsespecially in education.
Teachers are in an excellent
position to observe, interpret, and
celebrate all kinds of minds on a
daily basis. Newly acquired
knowledge emanating from
neuroscientific and education
research can empower educators
to observe and understand students
minds. Most of the phenomena that
determine a students individual
strengths, shortcomings, and preferred ways of learning and producing cannot be found on any test
that a clinician gives. Classroom
teachers enjoy exclusive screeningsif they pay attention and
know what to look for.
Becky
Eight-year-old Becky is an accomplished origami creator, a deft
modern dancer, and a gifted mathematician. She thrives on science
and computers. Yet in school, this
girl appears shy, passive, and eternally anguished. Becky has accurate spelling, but she dislikes
writing and avoids it. Beckys
teacher, Mrs. Sorenson, having

been educated to observe
neurodevelopmental phenomena,
has noticed that Becky seems to
struggle and falter when called on
in class. Recently, the teacher led a
discussion on whether animals
have feelings as people do. She
called on Becky and the following
dialogue ensued:
Becky: My puppy feels, uh, things
like happy and, um, sad.
Mrs. Sorenson: Becky, what makes
her happy or sad?
Becky (after a long pause): Different things.
Mrs. Sorenson: Such as?
Becky: Like a dog, uh, basket.
Mrs. Sorenson: Do you mean a dog
biscuit?
Becky: Yeah, like that.
Beckys reading comprehension
is more than a year above grade
level. Yet she has trouble with
word finding, shows pronounced
verbal hesitancy, puts forth only
simple or incomplete sentences,
and fails to use verbal elaboration.
The same phenomena are conspicuous in her writing. Becky has
strong receptive language but
markedly weak expressive languageshe understands better than
she talks. No wonder shes so shy,
self-conscious, and passive! Language output plays a vital role in
school success. Verbal communication affects writing, class participation, social success, and the control
of emotions and behavior.
Becky could fall through the
cracks because we do not have
valid tests of language production.
Bruce seemed to hear only

something about page 47 (or was it
57?). His teacher suspected rightly
that this boy was having problems
processing sequencessequential
directions, chains of events in history, and multi-step explanations.
His weak temporal-sequential
ordering accounted for his problems in social studies and in math.
This insight enabled teachers to
give Bruce strategies to manage his
sequencing problems: taking notes,
Bruce
whispering sequences under his
Heres another example of the role
breath, and picturing sequences in
that teachers can play in detecting
his mind. His behavior and
learning differences. Bruce was dis- demeanor in class improved
ruptive in most of his 7th grade
dramatically.
classes. He fashioned himself as an
Although continuing education
entertainer and often disengaged
programs abound to help teachers
from classroom activities. Mr.
stay abreast of their content, we
Jackson, a social studies teacher
have found few comprehensive
knowledgeable about early adoles- programs devoted to helping educent development and learning,
cators deepen their expertise in the
made the astute observation that
science of learning. Our not-forBruce often appeared confused
profit institute, All Kinds of Minds,
about dates and about the sequences has developed a professional develof events in the various historical
opment and school service model
periods that they studied. Mr.
called Schools Attuned to help
Jackson also noted that Bruce
experienced classroom educators
often looked distressed when given become knowledgeable about
directions.
neurodevelopmental function and
On one occasion, Mr. Jackson
variation. Participating teachers
told the class:
learn to analyze how their own
instructional delivery and content
This morning I want you all
taps specific aspects of memory,
to open your books to page
attention, motor function, lan47, read the first three paraguage, and other areas of brain
graphs, and study the diagram
function. They are guided to
at the top of the page. And
observe everyday classroom phewhen youre finished doing
nomena that open windows on
that, read and think about the
relevant learning processes
first two questions at the end
(Levine, 1994).
of the chapter. Im going to
Equipped with their Schools
give you 10 minutes, and then
Attuned training, teachers lead a
Ill be calling on you to discoalition involving the student, parcuss the questions.
ents, and other adults in the school
For example, the WISC (the commonly used IQ test in her age
group) does little to capture expressive language fluency. In fact, by
far the best test of expressive language is a classroom teacher who
knows what to listen for in gauging
the adequacy of a students verbal
output, and who understands the
everyday classroom phenomena
associated with breakdowns in
language production.
191
to unmask the specific learning

profile of a struggling student.
With help from professionals
trained as neurodevelopmental
consultants, whom we call profile
advisors (usually school psychologists or special educators), teachers
become the primary detectors of
student strengths, weaknesses, and
content affinities. The teachers
then infuse their insights into their
daily group instructional strategies
and lesson designs. Frequently, a
strategy that they develop to help a
particular struggling student benefits the entire class. Its called
excellent pedagogy.
Schools Attuned teachers are
also committed to making sure that
all of their students learn about
learning while they are learning.
Through a process called
demystification, they help students
whose neurodevelopmental profiles
do not currently mesh with expectations to learn about their own
strengths and weaknesses and
acquire the terms for the specific
processes that they need to work
192
on. With profile advisors as their

consultants, regular classroom
teachers take the lead in formulating management plans for these
students.
Where We Need to Go
The core theme of K12 education

in this century should be straightforward: high standards with an
unwavering commitment to individuality. In proposing that educators reexamine assessment,
curriculum, and the role of teachers, I am advocating neurodevelopmental pluralism in our
schoolsthe celebration of all
kinds of minds. Such an ethos will
be the most effective and humane
way of realizing our commitment
to leave no child behind.
Levine, M. (1994). Educational care

(2nd ed.). Cambridge, MA: Educators Publishing Service.
Levine, M., & Reed, M. (1999).
Developmental variation and
learning disorders (2nd ed.). Cambridge, MA: Educators Publishing
Service.
Endnote
1
More information about the Schools

Attuned program and All Kinds of
Minds is available online at
www.allkindsofminds.org.
Authors note: Mary Dean Barringer,
Stacy Parker-Fisher, Chris Osmond, and
Tamara Nimkoff contributed to this
article.
Mel Levine, M.D., is a professor of pediatrics

at the University of North Carolina Medical
References
School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Director
Kavale, K. A., & Forness, S. R. (2000). of the Universitys Clinical Center for the
Study of Development and Learning; and the
What definitions of learning disfounder of All Kinds of Minds. His most recent
ability say and dont say: A critical books are A Mind at a Time (Simon and
analysis. Journal of Learning Dis- Schuster, 2002) and The Myth of Laziness
abilities, 33, 239256.
(Simon and Schuster, 2003).
READING 3
Beyond the Gifted Stereotype

Carolyn M. Callahan
Many faltering students have specialized mindsbrains exquisitely wired to perform certain
kinds of tasks A new understanding of giftedness reveals many kinds of gifted learners and new
ways to meet their learning needs.
ow can Andy be gifted? He

cant even read at grade level.
And what about Sally? I saw her
I.Q. score, and it was only 115!
Can a child who is a nonreader be
gifted? Is an intelligence test score
the only, or even the best, indicator
of giftedness? Is giftedness doing
what the teacher says and doing
it well?
Sometimes preconceptions get
in the way of understanding
changes. Research has revealed
new insights about giftedness and
new ways to teach the wide range
of gifted learners, but educational
practice has not always kept up.
Unfortunately, the characteristics and needs of gifted learners
receive little attention in the general education literature, often leaving teachers and administrators less
able to address gifted students
needs. What are some of the myths,
half-truths, and misconceptions
that may still be influencing
teacher and administrator
decisions?
is that gifted learners as a group

march to the beat of a different
drummerand that they all march
to the same beat of the same different drummer. Following this
educationally harmful myth,
school districts have created
one-dimensional gifted programs
and curriculums.
The old concept of giftedness,
which applied to only one kind of
learner, has given way to recognizing multiple talents. Some gifted
students are advanced learners in
multiple subjects and achieve in
such traditional ways as scoring
above grade level on standardized
assessments. Other students may
exhibit talent in a single area, such
as expressive writing or advanced
mathematical reasoning, but not in
others.
New concepts of intelligence
have provided a fresh lens for
looking at talent and ability in students. The multiple intelligences
described by Howard Gardner
(1983, 1993) include talents in
areas outside of traditional school
disciplines. Robert Sternberg
The Myths
(1986) describes other special
Gifted students are a homogeneous talents, including creative intelligroup and need only one differenti- gencethe ability to develop innoated curriculum. The presumption vative ideas, find new ways to
extend the major ideas in a discipline, or create new paradigms that

challenge traditional
interpretations.
All gifted learners exhibit
advanced understanding or the
ability to learn at an accelerated
rate, but a gifted student may not
have the same level of capabilities
across all areas. A student may be
exceptionally advanced in one subject and need tasks that are more
complex and abstract, but may not
be as advanced in other subjects.
Gifted students also have different interests, learning styles, and
motivations. To assume that all
gifted students like to read, work
for grades, or organize their efforts
skillfully is a mistake. Cultural
mores and behavior may mask
manifestations of talent. For example, cultural background may
discourage a student from demonstrating talent or from speaking
unless asked a direct question.
Believing that all gifted students are alike results in the notion
that schools only need to provide a
single program to meet their needs.
The differences among gifted students suggest that offering the
same curricular options to all of
themacceleration of all gifted
Source: From Beyond the Gifted Stereotype, by C. M. Callahan, November 2001, Educational Leadership, 59(3), pp.4246.
Copyright 2001 by Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
193
learners, weekly pullout programs

with the same activities for all
gifted learners, or occasional
enrichment activities in the regular
classroomwill often result in a
mismatch between learner need
and instructional opportunity.
Instead, we need to consider multiple ways to plan appropriate
instruction for gifted students.
Giftedness is determined before
students come to school. Our job is
to find the gifted learner and
develop the giftedness that the
child already has. This half-truth
has resulted in the naive neglect of
many gifted students and in what
appear to be racially or socioeconomically discriminating services
for gifted students. Many students
come from homes with plentiful
opportunities to learn numeracy,
prereading skills, and the social
and behavioral skills that ensure
school success. For these students,
the teachers job is to identify
extraordinary levels of learning and
to differentiate the learning experience for students who have already
mastered or can easily master new
concepts. We can quickly spot
these students, and we have done
a reasonably good job of
identifying them.
Many other equally able students, however, have not had
opportunities to learn the skills that
would have prepared them to benefit from initial school experiences.
Some have not developed the traditional skills in language expression
that the school culture expects for
demonstrating exceptional thinking
or learning ability. Others do not
have a behavioral repertoire that
responds to the structure of the elementary school environment. For
194
these students, the teacher must

become a developer of talent
(Renzulli, 1994), creating classroom environments that use a variety of learning tasks, lessons,
assignments, and assessments and
providing an engaging curriculum.
The teachers challenge is to hook
the learner with interesting and personally relevant learning and not
underestimate the learners potential. Students will live up to our
expectations for them. Far better to
err by setting high expectations and
see students talents emerge than to
set low expectations and never give
students the occasion to excel.
Gifted students will learn anyway. All students learn all the time.
But what are they learning? Are
they making the most productive
use of their learning time? Are they
learning anything new? Students
successes constitute the greatest
reward of teaching, but it is often
easier to mark success by how a
student performs rather than by
what the student has learned, particularly when teacher success is
measured by student performance
on high-stakes, grade-level assessments. Students may not be
increasing their knowledge, understanding, or skill if they come to
the classroom with a level of performance that exceeds what the
grade-level curriculum requires.
Further, our students learn values and attitudes at school, and we
should be concerned about what
they learn. Is Kevin learning that
school is a waste of time and teachers have little to offer because he
already learned this content before
he came to school? Is Amanda
learning an attitude of disrespect or
contempt for other students
because she can do all the tasks

assigned to her group while the
others struggle to complete one or
two tasks or have no success at all?
And is Catherine learning habits of
laziness because she never exerts
any mental energy to complete her
assignments yet still receives As on
her report card?
An appropriate learning activity
for gifted learners is to teach less
advanced learners. Under the
impression that teaching helps the
gifted student learn content more
thoroughly and that struggling
learners benefit from peer teachers,
educators often assign gifted learners to teach other students. If gifted
students have not fully learned or
clearly understood the material,
then perhaps teaching others may
be of benefit. No evidence exists,
however, to show that teaching
enhances understanding after a
student has mastered the content
or skills.
To assume that the gifted student is a good teacher for struggling learners is the more egregious
error. Without any training to be a
teacher, the gifted student does not
have the ability to diagnose learning problems, to reflect on ways
that the other student might learn
better, or to develop a repertoire
of alternative teaching strategies.
Further, the gifted students
advanced understanding of or
more subtle reflections on a concept or skill could impede the less
proficient learners mastery of the
subject. Some argue that the gifted
learner serves as a model for other
learners; however, research indicates that learners are more likely
to successfully model a peer who
is slightly more advanced in
performance level than one whose

performance differs greatly
(Schunk, 1987).
Gifted learners are always high
achievers. Case studies of successful college students with learning
disabilities verified that these students often go unrecognized
because teachers have categorized
them as below-average achievers
(Reis, Neu, & McGuire, 1995).
Poor reading or writing achievementthe coin of the realm in
classroomshas often stymied
performance not just in language
arts, but also in all subjects where
information acquisition and demonstration of learning rely on the
quick and masterful display of verbal skills. Because these students
lacked opportunities to display
achievement and learning in nontraditional formats, teachers did not
notice their high levels of cognitive
performance. Although teachers
sometimes nominated them for
gifted programs, they usually did
not receive services because of
low test scoresmost often in
verbal skills.
Even the identification of the
students learning disabilities often
came late in their school careers
because, ironically, they did not
demonstrate sufficiently low levels
of achievement. As a result, they
did not receive the services or
accommodations that would have
allowed them to demonstrate their
talents.
Bonnie Cramond (1995) has
also noted the overlap in the defining characteristics of students with
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD) and those of creativity. She cautions that educators
should be open-minded about the
possibility that behaviors that are

perceived as difficultinattention,
hyperactivity, impulsivity, difficult
temperament, deficient social
skills, and academic underachievementmay be indicative
of creativity or giftedness, possibly
in combination with ADHD. A students inattention may be boredom
with a curriculum that presents no
challenge, and gifted students characteristically exhibit high energy
levels that teachers may perceive as
hyperactivity.
The second mask of giftedness
is underachievement. These students perform well on standardized
assessments or exhibit extraordinary performance outside of
school, but because they fail to
earn high grades in school, teachers
may consider them as average or
even below-average students. If
students are performing at high
levels in other environments, we
should reflect on why the curriculum is failing to stimulate the same
enthusiasm and accomplishment in
the classroom. Standards are supposed to ratchet up the curriculum,
but some standards and their
accompanying tests may only set
minimum standards that present
easily cleared hurdles and do not
require much effort from an
advanced learner. What can we do
to create a level of challenge that
will raise those bars?
The gifted learner is going to do
just fine without any special interventions on the teachers part. Are
all gifted students doing just fine?
Many gifted learners do not receive
recognition, and many others while
away the day until after school
when real learning can begin. That
doesnt seem just fine.
Creating Classrooms of Learning:

First Steps
Assess, Assess
Each student brings a different
challenge to the teacher. To create
responsive education experiences
for many kinds of giftedness and to
challenge gifted learners, teachers
must assess students continuallyfirst, to determine the students current level of performance;
then, to assess the rate at which
students can learn when the learning experiences best suit their
background experiences and
strengths in learning style and productivity; and finally, to ensure that
the students are continuing to learn
throughout the year.
Use existing data from local
and state assessments. Although
these tests rely heavily on the ability to respond to verbal stimuli,
they can provide useful information
on the strengths of some students.
For students who are achieving
above grade level, teachers should
conduct assessments throughout
the year to ensure that those students are learning new content or
familiar content in greater depth
and complexity.
Find open-ended opportunities
for performance to gauge what students already know. For example, a
teacher can begin by considering,
In what ways might I find out what
my students already know about the
life cycle of a plant? Or a teacher
can ask students to draw a cartoon
strip that illustrates the life of a
plant from birth to death, or encourage very young students to act out
how a seed becomes a flower.
Rather than looking only for
students whose performance is
195
uniformly high, look for students

with peaks of performance. High
performance on solving problems
or geometric concepts, for example, may indicate a special talent in
mathematics.
Construct learning activities to
engage students in a variety of
ways and provide different options
to demonstrate achievement. In
particular, look for opportunities to
assess learning strengths that do
not require advanced language
skills, particularly reading and
writing. For example, allow students to view a film of Hamlet
before discussing it and then look
for students whose insights are
reflective of deeper understanding
of theme or character. Or give students the opportunity to use
graphic organizers to represent the
relationships among physical, cultural, social, and political geographies of a country. Reading and
writing are obviously crucial skills,
but students who cannot learn or
demonstrate learning because of
language difficulties or disabilities
need recognition and an
appropriate curriculum.
Learn the ways in which cultural or social differences inhibit
performance among the students.
For example, students in some cultural groups learn not to attempt
public performance at all until they
achieve complete mastery. Educators may judge these students as far
less competent than they really are.
In these cases, teachers should seek
ways to create the opportunity for
performance not inhibited by the
students cultural mores.
The first step in awakening and
developing the talent of the gifted
student is to move beyond our ste-
196
reotypes of the gifted learner and

create new ways to bring out and
encourage talent. Several programs
funded by the Jacob K. Javits
Gifted and Talented Students Act
of 1994 have been successful in
creating new images of talent. For
example, Project Support to Affirm
Rising Talent (START), a collaborative project on minority talent
development with the Charlotte
Mecklenberg Schools, North
Carolina, used Howard Gardners
model of intelligence to create specific performance assessment tasks
through which students could
demonstrate verbal, logicalmathematic, and spatial abilities.
More important, teachers modified
the curriculum to encourage students who had different styles of
learning.
Create Many Kinds of Challenge
Learning the students strengths is
of little value if we do not create
learning experiences that reflect an
attempt to modify the learning
experience of the student in light of
our new knowledge.
Accommodate the complexity
and creativity in students thinking
and problem solving and their
knowledge in language, mathematical, spatial, musical, and artistic
arenas by creating a rich variety of
opportunities for performance. For
a unit on tropism, for example,
offer an open-ended challenge:
Show how the sun affects the way
a plant grows and how other features in a plants world may change
the way it grows.
Compact the curriculum. This
simple modification creates a challenging curriculum and many
learning opportunities for gifted
students and reduces the boredom

that develops when students sit
through instruction in skills and
basic facts that they have already
mastered. Research has found that
gifted elementary school students
whose teachers had eliminated
4050 percent of the curriculum
achieved as well or better on standardized tests as gifted students in
a comparison group that had not
had a compacted curriculum (Reis
et al., 1993).
Address the curriculum at many
levels of sophistication, creating
high-end learning activities at
increased levels of abstraction,
complexity, depth, and pace of
instruction while still addressing
the common standards of the core
curriculum. Follow Carol Ann
Tomlinsons guidelines (1995) for
increasing the level of challenge
for gifted learners. For a science
standard that requires students to
identify and understand the uses of
simple machines, for example,
challenge gifted students to compare and evaluate the efficiency of
a variety of simple machines that
carry out the same task, requiring
the students to define efficiency
and then to create a series of tests
to evaluate the machines.
Offer ways for students to
become involved in individual
learning activities that will motivate and challenge regardless of
cultural or social backgrounds or
particular learning strengths. The
complex instruction model (Cohen
et al., 1994) suggests ways to
modify the depth and complexity
of a lesson. For a history unit about
the impact of the industrial revolution on society, for example, ask
students to examine pictures of
sweatshops, folk music of the period, muckraker literature, and historical documents. Students with
varying areas of strength can all
contribute to the discussion. Asking the class to compare and contrast the industrial revolution with
the more recent revolution in technology offers advanced students
opportunities to use abstract and
complex thinking skills and also
draws on all students experiences
with technology (Kaplan, 2001).
Encourage group investigation
(Sharan & Sharan, 1994) to open
ways for students to use their special abilities and learn the skills
necessary for becoming high-level
creators and problem solvers. Students in a group investigation
select problems in their community, country, or the world that
relate to the unit of study. Students
may elect to examine evidence of
the illegal use of immigrant labor,
for example, and propose solutions.
By challenging the myths about
giftedness and by taking these initial steps in assessment and creative instructional strategies, our
classrooms can begin to address the
learning needs of all students,
including the many kinds of gifted
learners.
References
Cohen, E. G., Lotan, R. A., Whitcomb,
J. A., Balderrama, M. V., Cossey, R.,
& Swanson, P. E. (1994). Complex
instruction: Higher order thinking in
heterogeneous classrooms. In. S.
Sharan (Ed.), Handbook of cooperative learning methods (pp. 8296).
Westport, CT: Greenwood.
Cramond, B. (1995). The coincidence
of attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder and creativity. (ResearchBased Decision-Making Series No.
9508). Storrs: University of Connecticut, National Research Center
on the Gifted and Talented.
Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind:
The theory of multiple intelligences.
New York: BasicBooks.
Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple
intelligences: The theory in practice. New York: BasicBooks.
Kaplan, S. N. (2001). Layering differentiated curriculum for the gifted
and talented. In F. A. Karnes & S.
M. Bean (Eds.), Methods and materials for teaching the gifted. (pp.
133158). Waco, TX: Prufrock.
Reis, S. M., Neu, T. W., & McGuire, J.
M. (1995). Talents in two places:
Case studies of high-ability students with learning disabilities who
have achieved. (Research Monograph 95113). Storrs: University of
Connecticut, National Research
Center on the Gifted and Talented.
Reis, S. M., Westberg, K. L.,

Kulikowich, J., Caillard, F., Hebert,
T., Plucker, J., Purcell, J. H., Rogers, J. B., & Smist, J. M. (1993).
Why not let high-ability students
start school in January? The
curriculum compacting study.
(Research Monograph 93106).
Storrs: University of Connecticut,
National Research Center on the
Gifted and Talented.
Renzulli, J. S. (1994). Schools for talent development: A practical plan
for school improvement. Mansfield
Center, CT: Creative Learning
Press.
Schunk, D. H. (1987). Peer models
and childrens behavioral change.
Review of Educational Research,
57(2), 149174.
Sharan, Y., & Sharan, S. (1994). Group
investigation in the cooperative
classroom. In S. Sharan (Ed.),
Handbook of cooperative learning
methods(pp. 97114). Westport,
CT: Greenwood.
Sternberg, R. J. (1986). A triarchic theory of giftedness. In R. J. Sternberg
& J. E. Davidson (Eds.), Conceptions of giftedness (pp. 223246).
New York: Cambridge University
Press.
Tomlinson, C. A. (1995). How to differentiate instruction in mixedability classrooms. Alexandria, VA:
ASCD.
197
READING 4
Reading Supports for All

Jill Fitzgerald and Michael F. Graves
Scaffolded reading experiences help English language learners master both reading and content.
eaching students with a wide

range of abilities and needs
has always challenged teachers.
Language is rapidly becoming an
additional form of diversity, and
many teachers have little information or education that focuses on
assisting multilingual learners with
their reading skills. Scaffolded
reading experiences can help. They
provide a practical, research-based
framework that teachers can use to
support English language learners.
A scaffolded reading experience
(SRE) is a flexible framework for
teaching lessons involving texts.
It is designed to facilitate English
language learners reading
development as well as their learning through reading (Fitzgerald &
Graves, 2004). The framework can
be used in both reading and content-area lessons at all grade levels,
in regular classrooms, pullout
English as a second language
(ESL) classrooms, bilingual
education classrooms, foreign
language classrooms, and special
education classrooms. SREs are, of
course, only one part of a comprehensive reading program. English
language learners, just like monolingual learners, need instruction
designed to broaden their
repertoires of reading strategies
and skills.
The scaffolded reading experience framework consists of a set of

prereading, during-reading, and
postreading activities to use with
any genre of text, including fiction
and nonfiction. Figure 1 (p. 71)
shows menus of possible categories
of activities within each part of the
framework. When planning an
SRE, teachers start by considering
their specific students, the reading
selection, and the reading purpose;
they then create activities that are
modulated as needed for the
English language learners.
For instance, a 5th grade teacher
may plan an SRE for the chapter
Mom, Did You Vote? in Joy
Hakims War, Peace, and All That
Jazz (1995) for her class of 25 students, three of whom read Spanish
more easily than English. The
teacher plans a number of
prereading questions for the whole
class but selects only three for the
English language learners, asks the
ESL teacher at the school to write
these three questions in Spanish,
and then presents them to the
English language learners. As the
teacher asks each question in
English, she points to the corresponding question in Spanish.
Wood, Bruner, and Ross (1976)
first used the term scaffolding to
characterize mothers verbal inter-
action when reading to their young

children. Scaffolding in SREs
refers to a temporary and adjustable support that enables students
to accomplish a task that would be
impossible without the scaffold or
to accomplish a task more fully or
more easily than they could without the scaffold (Graves & Graves,
2003). Training wheels on a bicycle are a perfect example of a physical scaffold. Scaffolding has been
shown to be a powerful instructional tool that many educators
endorse.
Successful implementation of
SREs depends on several components. First, there is the scaffold
itselfthe temporary and supportive prereading, during-reading,
and postreading activities that
serve as a skeleton to support
English language learners. Second,
teachers should use scaffolded
reading experiences in ways that
place students in the zone of
proximal development (Vygotsky,
1978), in the sense that the experiences require the students to use
functions that have not fully
matured but that are in the process
of maturing. This calls for activities
that successfully support the students through tasks that they
could not quite manage
independently.
Source: From Reading Supports for All, by J. Fitzgerald and M. F. Graves, December 2004/January 2005, Educational Leadership, 62(4), pp. 6871. Copyright 2004 by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
198
For example, some 6th grade

English language learners might
find Lois Lowrys Number the
Stars (1989), which deals with a
familys flight from Nazi persecution, outside their zone of proximal
development if they were asked to
read it on their own. Such activities
as building background knowledge
about World War II and the Nazis
and preteaching difficult vocabulary could put the book within their
zone of proximal development. The
teacher should gradually shoulder
less and less of the scaffold, transferring more and more responsibility to students. When teaching a
similarly difficult selection in the
middle of the year, the teacher
might preteach fewer words, and
when teaching a comparable selection at the end of the year, the

teacher might simply give students
a glossary of the difficult words.
English language learners than for

native speakers because it involves
more processes, such as translation.
What Transfers
Results from several studies

(Chikamatsu, 1996; Koda, 1993)
Scaffolded reading experiences are indicate that second-language readespecially important for English
ers definitely rely on their native
language learners because reading language in ways that facilitate
in a new language may involve
their second-language reading promore complexity than native lancesses. On the whole, English language readingand reading in
guage learners from kindergarten
ones native language is already
through high school tend to transcomplicated enough.
fer phonological awareness, or
English language learners need knowledge about the sounds used
to use mental executive functioning in language, from one language to
as they read, putting together and
anothera facilitative transfer
juggling many cognitive processes. (Gottardo, Yan, Siegel, &
This may be more burdensome for Wade-Woolley, 2001). Some
Reading in a New Language
Figure 1. Prereading, During-Reading, and Postreading Activities

Prereading Activities
Activating or building background
knowledge.
Providing text-specific knowledge.
Relating the reading to students
lives.
Preteaching vocabulary.
Preteaching concepts.
Prequestioning, predicting, and
direction setting.
Using students native language,
such as writing important concept
words in the students native language or inviting adult speakers of
the native language into the classroom to translate.
Engaging students and community
members as resources.
Suggesting reading strategies.
During-Reading Activities
Silent reading.
Reading to students.
Guided reading.
Oral reading by students.
Modifying/simplifying the text.
Using students native language.
Postreading Activities
Questioning.
Discussing.
Building connections.
Writing.
Drama.
Artistic, graphic, and nonverbal
activities.
Application and outreach activities.
Using students native language.
Engaging students and community
members as resources.
Reteaching.
199
Making It Manageable
dents lives; building background

knowledge; and preteaching vocabulary. The following day, he
SREs support English language
engages the students in three durlearners with the complexities of
reading in a new language in
ing-reading activities: reading
several important ways. Having
aloud to students, guided reading,
students do prereading, durand silent reading. On day three, he
ing-reading, and postreading
leads a discussion session as a
activities breaks down a complex
postreading strategy. By dividing
reading task into smaller chunks.
the reading process into three
This framework also eases the cog- smaller chunks, the teacher simplinitive demands on the English lan- fies content, breaks down learning
guage learner by structuring these
into stages, and supports the
demands in distinct stages.
students in the complexities of the
For instance, imagine a shelreading task.
tered English classroom with a
Cultural Understandings
monolingual English teacher. The
Empowered to Help
10 students in the class7th, 8th,
Acceptable word orders for the
and 9th gradersare native speak- Teachers can use SREs to slice
same meanings and intentions dif- ers of Spanish, Chinese, Vietnam- student goals and assignments to
fer across languages. For example, ese, and Hmong, and they read
help tailor lessons to English lanin English we might say, I forgot
English at 4th grade through 6th
guage learners abilities and needs.
the book. In Spanish, we could say, grade levels (Cooke, 2002). The
For instance, a 5th grade teacher
Se me olvid el libro, which literteacher plans a set of social studies conducts a series of lessons on
ally translates into English as
lessons in which the students learn sound waves. Her class includes
Itself to me forgot the book.
about ancient Chinese memorial
two Latino English language learnDifferences in syntax often signal
ceremonies and rituals for the
ers who are recent arrivals to the
different cultural understandings. I dead. He asks the students to name United States. Because it is unrealforgot the book implies that I am at examples of past, present, and
istic to expect the English language
the center of things in my universe, future experiences that have
learners to achieve the same conwhereas the Spanish statement
hador will haveserious impact tent-learning goals as the native
takes me out of the center of that
on their lives. The students are
English speakers in the same
universe and places greater impor- reading Black Powder by William
amount of time, the teacher plans
tance on the object, the book.
Wu (1993), which deals with a
an SRE. She sets up learning goals
These two syntactical arrangeChinese 17-year-olds efforts to
for all the students and selects a
ments illustrate different cultural
honor his dead father with a firesubset for the two Latino students.
understandings about how individ- works display. The teacher divides
On the first day, the teachers
uals relate to objects in time and
the reading into three days of
content-learning goals for her class
space and how they assign worldly small, highly supportive sessions.
include the concepts that waves
significance. When confronted
The first day, he targets four
have amplitude and frequency. For
with new acceptable word orders,
prereading activities: motivating
the Latino students, she selects a
English language learners are not
the students, which might involve
single goal: frequency. She then
only learning new syntax, but they the teacher sharing a personal
decides on specific prereading,
are also struggling to adapt to new example of an especially poignant during-reading, and postreading
cultural understandings.
ceremony; relating reading to stu- activities that will help the students
languages have cognate words

(look-alike words that derive from
the same root, such as idea in English and idea in Spanish). Although
these words are usually pronounced differently, readers can
easily recognize them as they read
in the new language. Selected cognitive processes, such as some
word recognition strategies and
some comprehension strategies,
may also be used similarly in both
English language learner reading
and native language reading
(Fitzgerald, 1995).
200
achieve those goals. For the Latino

students, she selects a subset of
activities that fit the learning goal
of frequency. By choosing a specific goal with related activities,
the teacher reduces the complex
cognitive reading demands on the
English language learners so they
can begin to learn in English.
Content teachers often believe
they have no power to help their
English language learners improve
their reading skills. When teachers
use SREs and modulate their lessons specifically with new language learners in mind, however,
they become empowered to ease
the cognitive demands that weigh
heavily on English language learners. The 5th grade teacher who
taught the lesson on sound waves
recognized how overwhelming the
lesson would be for the English
language learners, but she believed
that these students could learn
something if she did specific
activities in advance.
one main idea from the chapter,

one reason why the U.S. government sent Native American children to boarding schools.
You might begin prereading
instruction with a motivational
activity for all students, such as
showing photographs of Native
American children leaving their reservation and the same children sitting in classes at school. You might
also preteach difficult vocabulary
that is important for understanding
the chapterwords like interpreter,
alienated, and proposition. You
decide, however, that the Latino students should focus on learning just
one new wordproposition
because it has a Spanish cognate
that they might already know. And
you might provide a prequestioning
activity in which you pose questions
that students can answer later on as
they read the chapter. For instance,
you might ask the following questions: Which children were sent
away to the boarding school? When
did this practice begin and end?
Why did the U.S. government want
An SRE in Action
to send Native American children to
Imagine you are working on social boarding schools? You ask the
studies concepts with a class of 5th Latino students to focus on the last
question only.
graders. Of your 30 students, six
For the during-reading portion
are English language learners, four
of the lesson, you might read part
of whom are recent arrivals to the
of the chapter orally to all students
United States and native speakers
of Spanish. The class is reading the and then have students read the rest
of it silently, looking for answers to
first chapter of Coopers Indian
School: Teaching the White Mans their questions. Pair each Latino
Way (1999), and the goal you have student with a strong English
set for the class is to learn the most reader and ask the English readers
important information presented in to write a statement of one main
the chapter. However, you slice the idea from the text, draw a graph or
picture that illustrates that idea,
goals for the four Latino students.
and explain the graph or picture to
You would like them to learn just
the partnered English language

learner. Ask the English readers to
work with their partners in answering the question about why the
U.S. government wanted to send
Native American children to
boarding schools.
After students finish reading the
chapter, they might break into discussion groups of three or four students to answer the questions posed
during prereading. The teacher
would carefully consider which
group each Latino student should
join and would point out that the
Latino students should handle that
one specific question. Finally, the
groups could come together and
share their answers, with the Latinos contributing as they are able.
New diversity in the United
States points to enormous opportunities for a future filled with multilingual and multiliterate citizens.
Scaffolded reading experiences
provide a powerful yet flexible
framework for teachers to move
English language learners toward
fulfilling their promise as readers
and learners.
References
Chikamatsu, N. (1996). The effects of
L1 orthography on L2 word recognition: A study of American and
Chinese learners of Japanese. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 18, 403432.
Cooke, C. L. (2002). The effects of
scaffolding multicultural short stories on students comprehension,
response, and attitudes. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
201
Cooper, M. L. (1999). Indian school:

Teaching the white mans way. New
York: Clarion Books.
Fitzgerald, J. (1995). English-as-asecond-language learners cognitive
reading processes: A review of
research in the United States. Review of Educational Research,
65, 145190.
Fitzgerald, J., & Graves, M. F. (2004).
Scaffolding reading experiences for
English-language learners.
Norwood, MA: ChristopherGordon.
Gottardo, A., Yan, B., Siegel, L. S., &
Wade-Woolley, L. (2001). Factors
related to English reading performance in children with Chinese as
a first language. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93, 530542.
202
Graves, M. F., & Graves, B. B. (2003).

Scaffolding reading experiences:
Designs for student success (2nd
ed.). Norwood, MA:
Christopher-Gordon.
Hakim, J. (1995). War, peace, and all
that jazz. New York: Oxford University Press.
Koda, K. (1986). Mirror of language:
The debate on bilingualism. New
York: BasicBooks.
Lowry, L. (1989). Number the stars.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in
society: The development of higher
psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University
Press.
Wood, D. J., Bruner, J. S., & Ross, G.
(1976). The role of tutoring in
problem-solving. Journal of Child

Psychology and Psychiatry, 17(2),
89100.
Wu, W. (1993). Black powder. In L.
Yep (Ed.), American dragons:
Twenty-five Asian American voices.
New York: HarperCollins.
Jill Fitzgerald is Associate Dean and

Professor of Literacy at the University
of North Carolina, Chapel Hill;
jfitzger@email.unc.edu.
Michael F. Graves is Professor of Literacy
Education at the University of Minnesota,
Minneapolis; mgraves@umn.edu. They
are coauthors of Scaffolding Reading
Experiences for English-Language Learners
(Christopher-Gordon, 2004).
READING 5
Fragile Brains
Eric Jensen
A better understanding of brain impairments can help teachers improve learning
for struggling students.
or years, educators have been

trying to help students by using
technology, applying an understanding of multiple intelligences
and learning styles, creating
smaller class sizes, and developing
higher standards. But can we create
a successful program for learners
without considering how the brain
learns? Absolutely notno more
than an auto mechanic can fix an
automobile without first understanding the functions and inner
mechanisms that led to its breakdown. Students who are failing
often have brain-based biological
problems that positive changes in
the environment can help solve.
Is the human brain really fragiledelicate and easily damaged? I
wish it werent so, but it is. Despite
an encasement in tough dura mater,
the three pounds of gelatin-like
matter that constitute the brain are
vulnerable to assaults by unfortunate genetic variations, misguided
environmental adaptations, and
toxic intrusions. Of the more than
25 types of brain-based disorders,
three kindsthe sluggish (caused
by prenatal ingestion of toxins); the
oppositional (related to a chemical
imbalance in the cingulate gyrus);
and the depressed (linked to vulnerability to stressful life traumas)present the student and
educator with special challenges.
Responding effectively to these

difficult conditions, however, can
improve students learning.
the physical abnormalities sometimes associated with fetal alcohol

syndrome, but the subtle effects of
his mothers drug use during pregnancy create a serious problem. In
The Sluggish Brain
Jasons case, he is unable to link
Jason is a 13-year-old middle
cause and effect.
school student. At first, he seems
A leading cause of retardation in
like a regular kid; he is likable and the Western hemisphere is maternal
sincere. But Jason has been susdrug use during pregnancy. The
pended more than a dozen times in number of those affected is difficult
the first three months of school for to determine because the symptoms
behavior problems. He never seems of retardation often mimic those of
openly defiant, but he fails to folsuch other conditions as Attention
low the rules. The old-school
Deficit Disorder. Although studies
behaviorist method of tough love is of pregnant women who report their
to treat the behavior and not blame own drug use can be problematic,
the student. The principal tells
best estimates are that a blind urine
Jason that he cares about him, but
toxicology test would show that
the rules are the rules, so he
1015 percent of them would test
sends Jason home. This method
positive for cocaine, alcohol, or
clearly isnt working.
marijuana (Bennett & Woolf, 1991).
About 1820 percent of pregnant
Gathering Information
women smoke, which presents
The answers do not emerge until a another risk for the cognitive and
thoughtful school counselor begins behavioral development of their
asking hard questions. After inter- children (Olds, Henderson, &
Tatelbaum, 1994).
viewing former teachers, the parJason shows other symptoms,
ents, and the student, the counselor
but teachers have never put them
discovers that Jason suffers from
together. Jason has memory lapses
fetal alcohol effect, a condition
and difficulties with coordination
similar to fetal alcohol syndrome.
and tactile and visual perception.
He knows the rules for proper
Tasks as simple as tying shoes,
school behavior but cannot link
them to his own actions. His condi- copying, and tracing are difficult.
What brings attention to the
tion is not obvious enough to be
easily diagnosed, nor does he have problem is his inability to follow
Source: From Fragile Brains, by E. Jensen, November 2001, Educational Leadership, 59(3), pp. 3236. Copyright 2001 by the
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
203
cafeteria rules. Can anything be

done to repair Jasons brain? We
dont know any cures yet, but we
can do a lot to improve his
learning.
Educators Toolbox
This is your study area;

this is where you are supposed to be.
Be patient. Take the daily and
weekly small miracles and appreciate them. When setbacks occur,
take a deep breath and pause.
Affirm progress and set new goals.
Teachers and parents who work
with students who have been
exposed to prenatal toxins should
not label or blame anyone but work
to understand and accommodate
these students.
Early intervention is essential.

Refer this type of student to the
appropriate school staff if you
suspect learning delays. After the
student has an individualized education program (IEP), you can provide a safe, structured environment
with relevant learning and high
support levels. Do not dumb
down your lessons. Learn the
The Oppositional Brain
steps that you can take to make
your special instructional strategies Ashley is 8 years old and smart.
Yet shes managed to get just about
work for all students.
everyone in class mad at her. She is
impulsive, has a low tolerance for
Use structure, consistency,
frustration, and often loses her temvariety, brevity, and
per. Known to argue openly with
persistence.
Establish routines so that
her teacher, she rejects most adults
requests. Her habits are deliberate.
learners can predict coming
She purposely annoys others, often
events.
for no apparent reason. Ashley
Break lessons down into
blames others for her mistakes or
smaller units to avoid overmisbehavior, commonly using
whelming students.
Give advanced warning of
obscene language. Her teacher,
refusing to back down, often finds
activity changes.
Provide prompts, signs, learn- herself in shouting matches with
Ashley. With each confrontation,
ing partners, and checklists.
Be concrete when teaching a Ashley ends up in the principals
office or being sent home. The
new concept. Use a model.
Be positive and expect imschool has branded her a problem
case and the result of bad
provement.
Rituals are importantcreate parenting.
plenty of daily, predictable
events.
Give explanations and direc- Ashley is not alone. Oppositional
tions one at a time, and keep Defiant Disorder is an increasingly
serious and chronic psychiatric
them brief.
Learn to repeat.
condition afflicting up to 16 per Establish a few simple rules. cent of the population (American
Psychiatric Association, 2000).
Use identical language to
Verbal aggressiveness, a tendency
remind learners of rules.
204
to bother others, a confrontational

attitude, and a disregard for how
others feel characterize the disorder. Academic failure and poor
social adjustment are common
complications. More than 65 percent of those who suffer from
Attention Deficit Disorder also
develop this problem (Barkley,
1990). Usually appearing around
age 8 and not later than 15,
Oppositional Defiant Disorder is
more common in boys than in girls
at the younger ages but afflicts an
equal number of boys and girls in
adolescence.
Surprisingly, students with this
disorder are actually victims.
Ashley does not choose to act out
in this manner. Her brain-based
condition is a result of both environment and genetics. A negative,
traumatic, or neglectful environment may be a major contributing
factor, but not necessarily. Usually
several problems contribute to this
problem, but an imbalance of the
brains chemical systemespecially norepinephrine and
serotoninis the primary cause.
Many who suffer from this disorder produce an unusually high
level of noradrenaline (also known
as norepinephrine), which is the
neurotransmitter of arousal, high
energy, and urgency. Even a small
stimulus will create unusually
strong arousal reactions. At the
same time, sufferers brains produce too little serotonin, contributing to an overactive cingulate
gyrus, the structure between the
midbrain area and frontal lobes
that is responsible for allowing the
person to move smoothly from one
mental state to another. Without
enough serotonin, this area overheats in its unsuccessful effort to
switch mental gears, with the result

that the person fights to protect a
mental state that is stuck (Amen,
1997). Whatever Ashley is doing is
better, in her mind, than what
someone else wants her to do. She
resists nearly every request.
Do not bend the rules. A consistent approach by everyone

on the team is crucial.
Set priorities for which
behaviors you wish to
address first.
Focus on specific behaviors.
Instead of insisting on a general standard of good behavior, make a rule, for example,
that all students keep their
hands to themselves. When
students have learned to
follow that rule, focus on
another specific behavior.
Provide encouragement, just
as you do with all students.
Dont give ultimatums. Give
choices, presenting options
where both outcomes are
acceptable: Would you
rather finish this today or
later this week?
parents and discovers that Kevins

father has cancer. Depression in
adolescence is not unusual. Among
adolescents, 68 percent will experience either a major or minor
depressive disorder (Berg, 1996).
Recurrent episodes of depression in
adulthood are more likely if the iniEducators Toolbox
tial onset occurred during adolesSome improvement is possible with
cence. Suicide rates among
early intervention, but the more time
children and teens in the United
that passes without treatment, the
States tripled between 1962 and
more entrenched and acute the dis1995, and approximately 10 perorder becomes. You will need the
cent of children who develop major
support of school administrators,
depression will commit suicide
other teachers, the students parents,
(U.S. Department of Health and
a medical doctor, and mental health
Human Services, 1999).
professionals. Once your key
Depression is a brain-based,
support team has created an
biological problem that correlates
individualized education program,
with heredity and vulnerability to
meet outside the students presence
stressful life traumas. Because of
to develop a consistent team
the increase in cases of depression
approach and an intervention plan.
during the past 50 years, many
Make sure that everyone is on
experts suspect that lifestyle
Finally, avoid becoming
board. Communication among the
choices, diet, technology, and
obsessed by this student. Work
students parents, caregivers (grandchanging social structures play a
instead for slow and steady
parents, relatives, and baby-sitters),
role in its development. The brains
progress.
school, and medical/treatment protemporal lobes, amygdala,
fessionals is crucial. Confirm all
stress-response pathways, and
The Depressed Brain
stories and claims. The team
hippocampus are all involved in
approach can help offset the stuKevin, 16, has a history of good
this disorder (Andreasen, 2001).
dents tendency to play one person
grades. In his junior year of high
Many psychiatrists treat depression
or group off another. Use strategies school, however, he has begun to
as a chemical imbalance and base
that keep your attention and the stu- fall apart. Suddenly, he has no ap- their recommendations on correctdents attention focused.
petite or energy. He has lost weight ing that side of the problem.
and feels worthless and guilty. He
Patients failure to take prescribed
Schedule plenty of time for
cant think clearly or concentrate.
medications, however, is a
writing and drawing. These
He even has thoughts of death and recurring problem.
activities foster positive and
suicide. This persistent, sad, anxEducators Toolbox
appropriate expression and
ious, and empty mood catches the
help this type of student sort attention of his school counselor,
Act quickly if you see symptoms of
out thoughts and feelings.
who has noticed that Kevin is
depression. Begin by consulting
Use distraction strategies if a beginning to lose friends and that
with your school psychologist. Parstudent gets stuck on a
his grades are slipping.
ents, administrators, counselors,
negative.
and the student should know about
Use a mix of negative and
and support the steps that the
positive reinforcements, such Suspecting that something is
school and medical practitioners
as extra time or privileges.
wrong, the counselor calls Kevins take. Creating an individualized
205
education program will ensure that

everyone is working toward the
same goal. Once you have encouraged proper therapeutic intervention, you can help the depressed
student in the classroom.
Incorporate physical activitieswalks, relays, field
trips, stretching, and aerobicsinto your curriculum to
help produce the feel-good
chemicals necessary for coping with the negative emotions of depression.
Build strong social support
by fostering team and community spirit.
Create structured, positive
social activities.
Encourage students to think
positively about themselves
and to view their problems as
opportunities to generate new
options for their lives.
Help students recognize multiple interpretations of any event
and support them to choose the
most empowering one.
In general, strong social support,
plenty of movement, and letting students write about their feelings and
interpretations will contribute to a reduction in symptoms.
Accommodating Different Learners
Learners with healthy brains

can learn without special accommodations. But what about the students whose brains have been
exposed to chronic distress, trauma,
or drugs or whose brains suffer
from impairments, chemical imbalances, significant lesions, or
genetic defects? We are more likely
to be accommodating when we can
easily see the disabilitya student
with a spinal cord injury who
requires a wheelchair, for example.
Many learning problems, however,
are not easy to see (Jensen, 2000).
To identify and accommodate
these learning differences, every
teacher should have dual certification in general and special education. Schools of education and staff
development programs should help
teachers better reach these students.
In studies of rodents, the experimental groups that had been selectively bred as learning disabled
showed far greater gains each day
of enrichment compared to those
that were bred as smart mice
(Kempermann, Kuhn, & Gage,
1997). These results suggest that
the potential for raising test scores
among the underperforming and
demotivated may be greater than it
is among high-performing learners
(Kempermann, Brandon, & Gage,
1998). Moreover, the accommodations that educators make for different learners benefit all
students.
Less than a generation ago, few

believed that children got
depressed or stressed in the ways
that adults did. New technologies
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212

Other Video Programs and Series Available from ASCD

*Programs with an asterisk are also available on DVD.
Action Research: Inquiry, Reflection, and Decision Making (4-tape series)

Assessment and Grading: Whats the Relationship?
Assessment in Elementary Science (3-tape series)
At Work in the Differentiated Classroom (3-tape series)*
Balanced Assessment: Improving Student Achievement and
Standardized Test Results (3-tape series)*
Books in Action
Becoming a Multiple Intelligences School
Closing the Achievement Gap
Guiding School Improvement with Action Research
Multiple Intelligences of Reading and Writing: Making the Words Come Alive
The Brain and Early Childhood (2-tape series)
The Brain and Learning (4-tape series)
The Brain and Mathematics (2-tape series)
The Brain and Reading (3-tape series)
Building Academic Background Knowledge (3-tape series)*
Catch Them Being Good: Reinforcement in the Classroom (3-tape series)
Challenging the Gifted in the Regular Classroom
Classroom Management That Works (3-tape series)*
Cooperative Learning (5-tape series)
Curriculum Mapping: Charting the Course for Content (2-tape series)
Developing Performance Assessments
Differentiating Instruction (2-tape series)
Dimensions of Learning Training Program and Video Package
Educating Everybodys Children (6-tape series)
Examining Student Work (4-tape series)
How to (multitape series; 15-minute tapes on a variety of helpful classroom practices)
Implementing a Reading Program in Secondary Schools
Improving Instruction Through Observation and Feedback (3-tape series)
Inclusion (3-tape series)
Instructional Strategies for the Differentiated Classroom: Tapes 17 (7-tape series)
Integrating the Curriculum (2-tape series)
The Lesson Collection (multitape series; 15-minute sample classroom lessons)
Managing Todays Classroom (3-tape series)
213
Maximizing Learning for English Language Learners (3-tape series)

Mentoring the New Teacher (8-tape series)
Mentoring to Improve Schools (2-tape series)
Motivation: The Key to Success in Teaching and Learning (3-tape series)
Multicultural Education
Multiple Intelligences (3-tape series)
Opening Doors: An Introduction to Peer Coaching (2-tape series)
Planning Integrated Units: A Concept-Based Approach
The Principal Series (7-tape series)
Problem-Based Learning (2-tape series)
Qualities of Effective Teachers (3-tape series)*
Raising Achievement Through Standards (3-tape series)
Reading in the Content Areas (3-tape series)
Reporting Student Progress
The Results Video Series (2-tape series)
Teacher Portfolios (2-tape series)
The Teacher Series (6-tape series)
Teaching Strategies Library (9-tape series)
Teaching Students with Learning Disabilities in the Regular Classroom (2-tape series)
Understanding by Design (3-tape series)
Using Classroom Assessment to Guide Instruction (3-tape series)
Using Standards to Improve Teaching and Learning (3-tape series)
A Visit to a Classroom of English Language Learners
A Visit to Classrooms of Effective Teachers*
A Visit to a Differentiated Classroom
A Visit to a Freshman Advisory Program*
A Visit to a Motivated Classroom
A Visit to One Schools Bullying Prevention Program*
What Works in Schools (3-tape series)*
For information on how to purchase or preview these programs, call ASCDs Service Center at
1-800-933-2723 or 1-703-578-9600. Or visit the Online Store at http://shop.ascd.org.
214
About ASCD
Founded in 1943, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development is a nonpartisan, nonprofit education association, with headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, USA. ASCDs mission statement:
ASCD, a community of educators, advocating sound policies and sharing best practices to achieve the
success of each learner.
Membership in ASCD includes a subscription to the award-winning journal Educational Leadership, the
newsletter Education Update, and other products and services. ASCD sponsors affiliate organizations
around the world; participates in collaborations and networks; holds conferences, institutes, and training
programs; produces publications in a variety of media; sponsors recognition and awards programs; and
provides research information on education issues.
ASCD provides many services to educatorsprekindergarten through grade 12as well as to others in
the education community, including parents, school board members, administrators, and university
professors and students. For further information, contact ASCD via telephone: 1-800-933-2723 or
1-703-578-9600; fax: 1-703-575-5400; or e-mail: member@ascd.org. Or write to ASCD, Information
Services, 1703 N. Beauregard St., Alexandria, VA 22311-1714 USA. You can find ASCD on the World
Wide Web at www.ascd.org.
ASCDs Executive Director is Gene R. Carter.
200506 Board of Directors

Mary Ellen Freeley (President), Richard Hanzelka (President-Elect), Martha Bruckner (Immediate Past
President), Donald Davis, Lavinia T. Dickerson, Margaret S. Edwards, Debra A. Hill, Linda Mariotti,
Doris Matthews, Anthony Mello, Michaelene Meyer, Gail Elizabeth Pope, Keith Rohwer, Thelma L.
Spencer, Sandra Stoddard, Valerie Truesdale
Belief Statements
Fundamental to ASCD is our concern for people, both individually and collectively.
We believe that the individual has intrinsic worth.
We believe that all people have the ability and the need to learn.
We believe that all children have a right to safety, love, and learning.
We believe that a high-quality, public system of education open to all is imperative for society to flourish.
We believe that diversity strengthens society and should be honored and protected.
We believe that broad, informed participation committed to a common good is critical to democracy.
We believe that humanity prospers when people work together.
ASCD also recognizes the potential and power of a healthy organization.
We believe that healthy organizations purposefully provide for self-renewal.
We believe that the culture of an organization is a major factor shaping individual attitudes and behaviors.
We believe that shared values and common goals shape and change the culture of healthy organizations.
215

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CommonSenseDI Title&Tabs

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

About the Developers

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

Handouts and Overheads

The Common Sense of DifferentiationProgram 1 . . . . 51

Video Reflection SheetProgram 3 . . . . . . . . . . 139

My Classroom Routine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Adjusting Classroom Routines . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Objectives of Workshop 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Some Uses of Assessment to Discover

Reflecting on the VideoProgram 1 . . . . . . . . . . 147

Objectives of Workshop 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Two Definitions of DifferentiationPart 1 . . . . . . . 149

Two Definitions of DifferentiationPart 2 . . . . . . . 150

Explanations of Differentiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Commonsense Themes of Differentiation . . . . . . . 152

The Common Sense of Assessment. . . . . . . . . . . 153

The Logic of Assessing to Discover Learner Needs . . 154

Reflecting on the VideoProgram 1 . . . . . . . . . . 155

Insights and Puzzlements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Objectives of Workshop 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Some Techniques That Address Learner Needs . . . . 158

Reflecting on the VideoProgram 2 . . . . . . . . . . 159

Objectives of Workshop 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

A Commonsense Idea of Differentiation

Thinking About Human Variability in

Adapting to Student Variability in the Classroom . . . 164

The Voices in My Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Objectives of Workshop 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Managing Routines in the Differentiated

Managing Routines in the Differentiated

Reflecting on the VideoProgram 3 . . . . . . . . . . 169

Objectives of Workshop 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Painting a Portrait of the Differentiated Classroom. . . 171

Classroom Routines and Differentiation . . . . . . . . 172

Characteristics of Classroom Routines

Reflecting on the VideoProgram 3 . . . . . . . . . . 174

Components of a Routine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Considerations in Adapting a RoutinePart 1.

Readings and Resources

Deciding to Teach Them All by C. A. Tomlinson .

hen confronted with a contemporary classroom, teachers typically

How can a professional educator approach this array of backgrounds,

This series is based on the following assumptions:

8. Attending to a variety of learner needs requires teachers to

he Common Sense of Differentiation: Meeting Specific Learner

to more effectively respond to the needs of their students. The workshops

his video-based professional development series consists of three

In a differentiated or responsive classroom, the teacher provides a variety

The workshop activities in the facilitators guide serve as a starting point

The Introduction presents an overview of the philosophy, principles,

The Handouts and Overheads section lists the materials to be

The Readings and Resources section includes a select collection

Identify and explain key assessment elements that are effective in

Identify and explain ways of meeting diverse learners needs in an

Adapt and plan to apply one or more instructional, assessment, or

Reflect on instructional and curricular decisions to determine when

Review this facilitators guide and other reference materials.

Prepare the Program Activities.

Determine the workshop format that is most appropriate for your

Make transparencies from the overhead masters and make copies of