leading and managing a differentiated classroom

Carol Ann Tomlinson is the leading expert on differentiation in the classroom, although by now she has been joined by many others on this path. I think about my journey: As a special education teacher, the ideal is the individualized program for each student. In reality this is rarely achieved because of the numbers of students that teachers work with, theories on what is appropriate, curricular mandates and working conditions that run counter to individualized instruction. As a parent of a pair of difficult to educate children- one a child with ASD and above average intelligence but significant behavioral challenges and the other a gifted child- I saw how the lip service of differentiation did not occur in practice. Focus on the students who struggled to achieve meant that the ability was often used as a tutor or a concern that I should not have. As a teacher working amidst the new buzz word- personalized learning- I see the challenge of implementing the idea. Several of the components of differentiation and personalized learning are in conflict with our current program whose other elements do not change such as age based progression through the grades, inflexible pacing guides, single element grading practices, and limited access to supports to develop individual programs. As I read Tomlinson and Marcia B. Imbeau's book, Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom, I was struck by the measured approach they took. My current district wants to go from no personalized learning to fully implemented, every day all day personalized learning in a year and a half. The adoption rate is as preposterous as the all children will be grade level readers by 2014 goal of NCLB. Their suggestion is to take one or two ideas, try them, refine them and keep going. It is not a rapid transformation, but a slow evolution. Their book provides a rationale for differentiating and a rich panoply of ideas on how to arrange the environment and manage the space so that you can lead the ship. Acknowledging that people need implementation suggestions from anecdotes like their situation, they present a large variety of ideas and stories from across the grade levels and subject selections.

Below is a chart slightly modified from page 18 that showcases some ways to differentiate assignments.

	Readiness	Interest	Learning profile
Content	·         Materials at varied readability levels- Newsela.com, hi-lo textbooks ·         Spelling assigned by proficiency ·         Alternate presentation methods- auditory, reading, video ·         Targeted small group instruction ·         Front loading vocabulary; reteach vocabulary ·         Highlighted texts ·         Websites and programs that vary the content and pace based on student progress	·         Range of material that apply key ideas and skills to a variety of real-world situations ·         Teacher presentations designed to link to student interests	·         Varied teaching modes (verbal, visual, rhythmic, practical) ·         Video or audio notes for students who learn better with repeated listening ·         Podcasts or video lessons to see the material presented again or a different way
Process	·         Tiered activities ·         Mini-workshops ·         Flexible use of time ·         Learning contracts varied homework assignments- three assignments: create a poster showing the character, fill in a worksheet about the character or write a paragraph ·         RAFT options ·         Video record the answers, Voicethread.com- to present without writing ·         Choice boards	·         Expert groups ·         Interest centers ·         Supplemental materials based on student interests ·         Jigsaw ·         Independent studies ·         Interest-based application options ·         RAFT	·         Choice of working conditions (alone, partner, group) ·         RAFT options ·         Blogs and vlogs to share ideas
product	·         Tiered products ·         Personal goal-setting ·         Varied resource options ·         Check-in requirements based on student independence ·         Providing samples of good student work at varied levels of complexity	·         Use of student interest in designing projects ·         Design a Day options ·         Use of contemporary technology for student expression	·         Complex instruction ·         Varied forms for expressing key content ·         Varied working arrangements ·         Varied modes of expressing learning

The authors stress the value of collaboration to create a differentiated classroom. This could be across grade level or subject matter teams or with specialists to divide the workload up. Starting a leveled or personalized or differentiated program takes time. Using the human resources to develop the program is efficient and effective- but it requires administrative acknowledgement and support so that co-planning time is available.

While differentiation is an important goal, it will not happen without heaps of support. Simply putting an expectation out there is not enough. It requires rethinking our approach to education in general and systematic changes beyond the four walls of the classroom. To truly enable this approach, mindsets need to change. It can be done. It takes time and effort.