Hello everyone! We’ve been reading Carol Ann Tomlinson’s The Differentiated Classroom for the past few weeks, and I just finished reading chapter five.
This chapter is titled Good Instruction as a Basis for Differentiated Teaching and I found it to be my favourite chapter thus far. It begins delving into the beginning stages of planning, and got me excited to start planning and changing future units.
The chapter begins with Tomlinson recalling a teacher asking for input on a differentiated lesson plan and Tomlinson asking “what do you want each student to come away with as a result of this activity?” This struck a note with me as I find it’s something teachers can easily forget about when we become overwhelmed with planning and find ourselves simply teaching something (novel, lesson, etc.) and then having the kids do a random activity.
The chapter then goes into detail about the levels of learning and how to ensure students are engaged in what’s being taught as well as properly understanding it. Once teachers know what exactly they want kids to get out of a unit or lesson, then they can begin differentiating in order to properly meet kids at their own skill and readiness level.
Also expressed in the chapter was the importance of clarity. The teacher should have a clear understanding of the curriculum and know exactly what they want their students to learn and how they are going to show that they’ve learned it. Further, students have the right to fully know and understand teacher expectations and be able to answer why they are learning and doing what they are.
I really enjoyed this chapter and felt it began inspiring me to begin more planning (my favourite part of my teaching job – I’m a weirdo, I know). If you’d like to purchase, the book, click here for the link on Amazon. Stay tuned for chapter six!