Running head: ASSIGNMENT 3 – LITERATURE REVIEW: TPE 3 1

Assignment 3 – Literature Review: TPE 3

Rachel Wexler

National University

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for

TED 690−Capstone

Daniel Weintraub
ASSIGNMENT 3 – LITERATURE REVIEW: TPE 3 2

Abstract

This assignment includes a review of Carol Ann Tomlinson’s book How to Differentiate

Instruction in Academically Diverse Classrooms. This supporting literature in relation to the

competencies in TPE 3 (Understanding and Organizing Subject Matter for Student Learning)

explores the various types of students, and their various styles of learning, that are present in the

classroom and how we must be cognizant of this when planning and designing instruction. The

text goes in detail about and supports the notion that learning must be constructed in a manner

that aligns with students’ unique needs in order for successful learning and comprehension.
ASSIGNMENT 3 – LITERATURE REVIEW: TPE 3 3

In Carol Ann Tomlinson’s book How to Differentiate Instruction in Academically Diverse

Classrooms she discusses the reality of the vast differences that are present in the students we

teach and the strategies that can be used in order to address these differences when planning

instruction. This concept mirrors the ideas embedded in Teacher Performance Expectation 3

(Understanding and Organizing Subject Matter for Student Learning) which emphasizes the

importance of using and adapting “resources, standards-aligned instructional materials, and a

range of technology, including assistive technology, to facilitate students' equitable access to the

curriculum.” (Commission on Teacher Credentialing, 2016).

Students do not fall into a ‘one size fits all’ approach, which means that we as teachers

must not only look at the curriculum that needs to be taught, but at the students that need to be

taught as well. The same curriculum and information may very well be processed completely

differently by different students, which requires designing instruction to be delivered in various

ways in order to reach various learners. This concept is seen within TPE 3 as it outlines that

“beginning teachers provide multiple means for students to access content such as linguistic

supports; technology, including assistive technology; elements of UDL; integrating other content

areas, such as the arts; and accommodations and/or modifications to assessments and instruction”

(Commission on Teacher Credentialing, 2016). As the competency explains, we as educators

must provide more than one avenue for students to interact and access material since students

have different learning styles, backgrounds, and abilities. Tomlinson supports the importance of

this competency by indicating that “offering multiple and varied avenues to learning is a

hallmark of the kind of professional quality that denotes expertise” and further explains that “the

use of many instructional approaches enhances opportunities to learn” (Tomlinson, 2017, p. 12).
ASSIGNMENT 3 – LITERATURE REVIEW: TPE 3 4

This idea of providing multiple avenues to learning embraces the idea of differentiating

instruction; when we differentiate instruction for our students we deliver instruction and

activities that align with students’ individual needs, interests, and learning styles. In order to

accomplish this we must stray from the traditional nature of the classroom where material is

presented in one way and where single option assignments are the norm, and move towards a

classroom where student readiness and interest shape instruction and multi-option assignments

are standard. This method of teaching is much better suited to help all students of the classroom

(struggling, advanced, ELL, and everyone in between) gain value from instruction and continue

to grow and develop to their highest potential. Creating an environment of this nature falls in line

with TPE 3 which states the importance of using “knowledge about students and learning goals

to organize the curriculum to facilitate student understanding of subject matter, and make

accommodations and/or modifications as needed to promote student access to the curriculum”

(Commission on Teacher Credentialing, 2016). When we use our knowledge about students

interests, backgrounds, and strengths to organize and design instruction we create learning

experiences that are able to benefit our students. “Considered alongside the more standard

approaches to attending to students’ varied needs, differentiation is far more likely to provide

virtually all students equity of access to a high-quality education (Tomlinson, 2017, p. 15).

To further ensure we plan instruction and design learning experiences for all students we

must not only differentiate instruction but “engage students in real-world applications to make

learning relevant and meaningful” (Commission on Teacher Credentialing, 2016). As important

as it is to provide multiple avenues of learning for students so that they can access material in a

manner that they comprehend, it is equally important to ensure those learning experiences

connect with students interests and are able to keep them engaged. We must remember that “we
ASSIGNMENT 3 – LITERATURE REVIEW: TPE 3 5

cannot reach the mind we do not engage” and this must “be a mandate for instructional planning”

(Tomlinson, 2017, p. 33). This is achievable by taking the time to know your students’ personal

interests, cultural backgrounds, and prior experiences so that you are able to incorporate these

into instruction and activities so that students can better connect, relate, and apply their learning

to their own lives. Designing learning in-context is able to help all learners “see how the ideas

and skills in each lesson connect to their own lives, their families, their neighborhoods, and their

futures” (Tomlinson, 2017, p. 34). Instruction that relates to students interests and lives engages

and motivates students which helps them absorb and retain essential information and knowledge

that will allow them to meet Common Core Standards while also seeing how their learning in the

classroom extends and applies in the real world.

The benefits of differentiating instruction and connecting instruction to students’

interests provides students of all abilities a genuine opportunity to continue to advance and reach

their fullest potential. Understanding your students’ interests, strengths and needs and developing

flexible lessons and activities that address a wide array of ability levels and learning styles

creates a learning environment where all students can flourish. In the end, “all learners need your

energy, your heart, and your mind. They have that in common because they are young humans

and you are an important adult in their developing lives. How they need you, however, differs in

some important ways. Unless we understand and respond to those differences, we fail many of

them” (Tomlinson, 2017, p. 33).

ASSIGNMENT 3 – LITERATURE REVIEW: TPE 3 6

References

Commission on Teacher Credentialing. (2016). California teaching performance expectations

[PDF file]. Retrieved from https://www.ctc.ca.gov/docs/default-source/educator-

prep/standards/adopted-tpes-2016.pdf

Tomlinson, C. A. (2017). How to differentiate instruction in academically diverse classrooms,

3rd edition. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com