Customer Reviews

Differentiating Instruction in the Regular Classroom: How to Reach and Teach All Learners, Grades 3-12

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Differentiation is one of the current buzzwords, and lots of people talk about it...in theory. It's really difficult to find ANYONE who talks about it in PRACTICE. Heacox, while still heavy in theory, goes farther than any other authors I've read so far on the subject in actually giving teachers usuable tools for curriculum writing and developing. Could there be more immediately applicable things? Of course. Still, it's come the closest to giving teachers some tangible strategies and activities that I've found.

I purchased this book last winter, hoping it would provide additional valuable insight into ways to differentiate within my 5th Grade classroom. I was sorely disappointed, however. I found the book to only "skim the surface" of the entire concept of differentiation in general. It was more of a broad-based introduction for a new teacher, rather than a valuable reference tool.

I found this book to be terrific! It answered all of my questions. I used the student survey with my 9th grade students and they loved it! I even use the matrix plans for every unit I teach. This book covers it all - placing students in groups (how to place students in groups using differentiation), tiering assignments, grading (is differentiation fair), classroom management (how do I manage 30 students doing 30 different activities), and special populations (exceptional, gifted, and regular education). I have read other books on differentiation put out by ASCD, but this one you can really apply to your classoom!

This book offers great templates to help teachers differentiate instruction so all students can reach their potential. Easily read and understood.

Yes, differentiation is the latest and greatest buzzword. But do people really know how to differentiate and why?

I have found this book to be helpful. I am a new teacher and found myself immersed in a classroom my first year with an inner city mixed age-group class (4th and 5th graders). I had children in my room performing as low as 2nd grade and as high as 7th grade. All in one room. This isn't uncommon nowadays and Diane Heacox's book has shown me how to set up for a successful differentiated classroom environment from the beginning of the year. Yes, almost all teachers differentiate -- but having true and useful strategies to implement from the start makes it easier to accomplish.

Heacox advises, several times, to start slowly and only do what works at first. She also says it may be necessary to differentiate only one subject this year and do another next year and so on to keep yourself from getting overwhelmed. I thought the pace was good and her examples really helped a visual person like myself to see the "big picture". I am excited to use the Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences information she includes in the book with my next class. Best of all, she provides examples of how to explain differentiation to parents and administrators.

Among the various books on differentiation for teachers that are available on the market, this book by Diane Heacox is one of my favorite. Not only does the reader come away with a very real, solid understanding of what differentiation is, but he or she also is given many ideas for how to actually apply differentiation to the classroom. The book comes with some great ideas for all classes and has many ready-to-use forms for students. This book has already played a valuable role in helping me to develop my curriculum and lesson plans to be more differentiated for the next school year.

Another differentaition guide, this one completely focused on the practical, everyday needs of teachers and students in a differentiated classroom. Be sure to get the CD, which contains templates that can be adapted to individual needs. It is especially handy for teachers who don't have the time to create everything themselves (all of us).

Heacox gives brief, to the point examples of differentiation strategies and situations and then provides classroom tested templates for meeting the needs of a wide variety of learners. I LOVE the Integration Matrix.

This book consolidated a lot of theory and best practice techniques ranging from Bloom's Taxonomy to Gardner's Multiple intelligences. I was reminded of the varieties of ways to differentiate instruction and the book had great examples and ideas for doing so. This is a great tool to keep alongside your curriculum guides and other planning materials.

I love the lists of suggested student products in this book. As a new teacher, I have a hard time thinking of alternative ways to assess my students aside from traditional means. There are several pages that list different activities such as "write a slogan" and "designing a survey" that I would have never thought of and never heard of during my brief training (I was certified via an alternative program). In addition, the author outlines a very straightforward and condensed method for lesson planning that I have found to be very helpful. Explanations are also provided about the importance of differentiation, and there is a nice balance of theory and practicality.

I attended a workshop by Ms. Heacox. Since I can't have her come help me in my classroom, I got this book instead. It's excellent for all grade levels. A great resource for the basics of how to differentiate and why.