Human beings enter the world highly motivated to learn. It is how we invent ourselves--a survival mechanism. So when educators talk about students who are not motivated to learn, something is amiss. Either they cannot see what motivates the student in question, or the student's life is dangerously off course. In either case,…

A lot of people talk about the value of formative assessment, but Carol Ann Tomlinson points out that, too often, it is reduced to a mechanism for raising end-of-year-test scores when it should be an ongoing exchange between a teacher and his or her students designed to help students grow. When aligned with current content goals, it can help…

Sorting students into different tracks within a school correlates strongly with student race and economic status and predicts and contributes to student outcomes. Students in higher-level classes typically experience better teachers, curriculum, and achievement levels than peers in lower-level classes. Creating classrooms that support equity of…

Reflecting on her 40 year-long "happenstance" career in teaching--a field she had as a child vowed to avoid--Carol Ann Tomlinson describes five personal practices that have helped her and her colleagues achieve an effective, personally meaningful practice. She shares stories from her professional journey that illuminate these elements of a…

Noted educator Carol Ann Tomlinson shares the insights that shaped her thinking about informative assessment. Informative assessment goes beyond tests and the grade book. It means assessing students both formally and informally in multiple ways and giving frequent, productive feedback on student work. Informative assessment isn't separate from…

Tomlinson and Germundson compare teaching well to playing jazz well. Excellent teaching involves a blend of techniques and theory; expressiveness; syncopation; call and response, and, frequently, improvisation. Weaving in analogies to jazz, the authors delineate four elements of such teaching: curriculum that helps students connect to big ideas,…

When teaching to the "typical" student doesn't work, teachers can tap into students' areas of greatest comfort, confidence, and passion and teach to their strengths. Five principles guide this work, which involves learning to recognize diverse student strengths, helping students see their capabilities in a positive light, helping students…

The inability to teach anything in high school other than what the curriculum dictates due to lack of time, and the near impossibility of getting to know one's students due to large numbers who are generally indifferent and often ill behaved, are two of the most common refrains sung by teachers of adolescents. A profile of four teachers, who…

Asserts that collecting assessment data from students is key to shaping effective instruction. Both informal and formal data about student learning not only shape instruction but also determine its effectiveness. Contends that continuous assessment that drives curriculum is a means of enhancing student and teacher performance. (Contains seven…

Describes characteristics of invitational learning: Affirmation, Contribution, Purpose, Power, and Challenge. Explains how teachers can extend learning invitations to students. (PKP)

Effective grading practices grow from a teaching/learning philosophy that respects student differences and reflects individual growth. To help individual students succeed, teachers must grasp the curricular landscape, figure out what students know and care about, and design powerful learning experiences to guide them through the next learning…

There is no contradiction between effective standards-based instruction and differentiation. Curriculum tells teachers what to teach; differentiation tells how. Teachers can challenge all learners by providing standards-based materials and tasks calling for varied difficulty levels, scaffolding, instructional styles, and learning times. (MLH)

Although students may learn in many ways, the essential skills and content they learn can remain steady. As demonstrated by three teaching approaches to the study of ancient Rome, students can take different roads to the same destination. Successful differentiation is rooted in student engagement and student understanding. (MLH)

Three brain-research principles--emotional safety, appropriate challenge, and self-constructed meaning--find a one-size-fits-all approach to classroom teaching ineffective for most students. A child needing an open learning environment will feel intimidated by a controlling teacher. Differentiated classrooms are responsive to students' varying…

Sapon-Shevin's classroom scenarios featuring creative, inclusive adaptations for gifted students are unrealistic. Special programs for advanced learners are typically established because their needs are overlooked in regular classrooms. Teachers are more inclined to make adjustments for struggling learners than for advanced ones. By viewing gifted…