On Excellence in Teaching
Strategies for Differentiating Instruction: Best Practices for the Classroom by Julia L. Roberts & Tracy F. Inman
The authors are experts in the area of Gifted & Talented learners. They are clearly working to educate teachers in ways to challenge bright learners. Because I, too, am a fan of "kids should not sit through instruction in areas they already know/understand/are able to do" I like this book. That said, there isn't a whole lot that is NEW here...but it's packaged nicely and strong in theory.
Things to like: some good inventories (interest, learning style, multiple intelligences), Bloom's Revised Taxonomy, cool/different Venn Diagrams (3 and 4 oval ones...and some that use block letters), and Think-Tac-Toes. Best thing I found are some rubrics for general things: power point, technical report, pamphlet, monologue, model. I liked the rubrics enough to go to Amazon and buy a book of them.
The authors are experts in the area of Gifted & Talented learners. They are clearly working to educate teachers in ways to challenge bright learners. Because I, too, am a fan of "kids should not sit through instruction in areas they already know/understand/are able to do" I like this book. That said, there isn't a whole lot that is NEW here...but it's packaged nicely and strong in theory.
Things to like: some good inventories (interest, learning style, multiple intelligences), Bloom's Revised Taxonomy, cool/different Venn Diagrams (3 and 4 oval ones...and some that use block letters), and Think-Tac-Toes. Best thing I found are some rubrics for general things: power point, technical report, pamphlet, monologue, model. I liked the rubrics enough to go to Amazon and buy a book of them.
Differentiation and the Brain: How Neuroscience Supports the Learner-Friendly Classroom by David A Sousa and Carol Ann Tomlinson (2011)
I've been waiting for this book! I've read a lot of what Sousa says. As a DI fanatic, I've read all of what Tomlinson says (I have a "tickler" set up at Amazon to let me know when she publishes something new!). Having them write together is great.
I love knowing the science behind why Differentiated Instruction is so successful for so many students.
I love having new checklists for kids/teachers to use...and scanned images of the brain that explain why the DI strategies work.
I love reading examples from elementary, middle and (fewer here, sadly) high school classrooms. These examples support what I have seen in my work as a consultant, and, more importantly, they resonate with me as a teacher of many grade levels. These examples are solid, relevant, and respectful work.
I've been waiting for this book! I've read a lot of what Sousa says. As a DI fanatic, I've read all of what Tomlinson says (I have a "tickler" set up at Amazon to let me know when she publishes something new!). Having them write together is great.
I love knowing the science behind why Differentiated Instruction is so successful for so many students.
I love having new checklists for kids/teachers to use...and scanned images of the brain that explain why the DI strategies work.
I love reading examples from elementary, middle and (fewer here, sadly) high school classrooms. These examples support what I have seen in my work as a consultant, and, more importantly, they resonate with me as a teacher of many grade levels. These examples are solid, relevant, and respectful work.
Formative Assessment & Standards-Based Gradingby Robert Marzano (2010)
Marzano has done a lot of research, and he quotes a number of other studies about assessment and grading. As such, the reading can be a bit dense. HOWEVER, what he says is so important to teachers. The 100 point scale is so worn out. It discourages so many kids. It sends so many kids messages that we don't need to send unmotivated learners. And frankly, the 100%/A+ mentality creates kids who think they are better than others. I'm ready to implement a 0 to 4 scale in my classroom next year. (I just hope our grading program can support it!!)
One of the most exciting parts of his book is the focus on Formative Assessment! We need to be finding out where kids are & what they know...then we can move them forward. There is no reason for a kid to sit through instruction on information that s/he already understands. We've GOT to get there! Elementary teachers get it. Middle schools are starting to move toward it. High schools have to get on board as well.
Marzano has done a lot of research, and he quotes a number of other studies about assessment and grading. As such, the reading can be a bit dense. HOWEVER, what he says is so important to teachers. The 100 point scale is so worn out. It discourages so many kids. It sends so many kids messages that we don't need to send unmotivated learners. And frankly, the 100%/A+ mentality creates kids who think they are better than others. I'm ready to implement a 0 to 4 scale in my classroom next year. (I just hope our grading program can support it!!)
One of the most exciting parts of his book is the focus on Formative Assessment! We need to be finding out where kids are & what they know...then we can move them forward. There is no reason for a kid to sit through instruction on information that s/he already understands. We've GOT to get there! Elementary teachers get it. Middle schools are starting to move toward it. High schools have to get on board as well.
Advancing Differentiation: Thinking and Learning for the 21st Century by Richard M. Cash
Free Spirit Press (2011)
I am enjoying this book. A LOT.
I keep my DI books current, and though I always enjoy reading a new teacher's or theorist's ideas about DI, they are often "more of the same." This book marries some of my favorite thinking:
*differentiated instruction,
*brain-based teaching,
*project-based learning, and
*21st century skills
Free Spirit Press (2011)
I am enjoying this book. A LOT.
I keep my DI books current, and though I always enjoy reading a new teacher's or theorist's ideas about DI, they are often "more of the same." This book marries some of my favorite thinking:
*differentiated instruction,
*brain-based teaching,
*project-based learning, and
*21st century skills