Differentiation at Work, K-5 Principles, Lessons, and Strategies

Based on research and the authors' experiences over the past seven years at one elementary school, Differentiation at Work, K-5 describes what schoolwide differentiation looks like in real classrooms. Lane Narvaez and Kay R. Brimijoin go beyond the "easy" definition of differentiation and describe why administrators and teachers need to receive training and ongoing support in order to achieve differentiated instruction that is responsive to students' readiness, learning styles, and interests. Their model is based on several core elements, including student feedback, the use of anchor activities, peer (teacher) collaboration, pre-assessment, and curriculum alignment. The book includes sample lesson designs that include supplemental materials, and lessons are categorized by readiness, interest, and learning style differentiation. The authors also address the topic of management and share a set of tools that have proven highly effective for facilitating and enhancing differentiation. Finally, they discuss the challenge of sustaining second order change, the role parents play in nurturing and sustaining such change, and the future possibilities for any school involved in a similar journey.