Customer Reviews

Fulfilling the Promise of the Differentiated Classroom: Strategies and Tools for Responsive Teaching

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

 

 

I've read two other books by Tomlinson (How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed Ability Classrooms; Differentiation in Practice: A Resource Guide for Differentiating Curriculum, Grades 5-9). I went to a full day workshop with her. At this point, I think I understand and agree with the rationale of DI. I don't need it repeated to me. What I need is practical help on how to design a differentiated assignment for my particular subject area. About 10 of my colleagues who read the books and went to the workshop with me felt the same frustration - we understood the "why" after the first 10 pages of the first book, or after the first 10 minutes of the workshop presentation - must she repeat the "why" so much and never explain the "how"?

"Fulfilling the Promise of the Differentiated Classroom" fulfills the theory, rationale and generalities that Tomlinson already repeated in all her other books. Just like the title, the book itself sounds promising, but wordy. The writing is stuffed with references and quotes from other DI experts, which one couldn't care less, and heavy on terminology and rephrasing of the same ideas. I fully agree with the rationale and theory laid out in the books, but really, an educated reader "gets it" after 10 pages.

During the workshop, Tomlinson told the 200 attendees that we could put our questions/suggestions on a big board. At lunch time, after all morning listening to the theory, I put: "I read your books and know the theory and generalities pretty well. Can we get to the practical applications sometime today?" After I wrote that, people in the front rows applauded and told me, "Amen, brother. We were just talking about that." Sadly, Tomlinson never even looked at the board, and of course did not address our concern. She spent the entire afternoon on more theory. About a third of the people left. When she did get to the application part toward the end, it was again very general and vague.

Tomlinson's book only gives examples of certain subject areas and topics that can be easily differentiated, and that really doesn't help me. If assignments are differentiated, then you must differentiate the assessment. It's great to explore alternative assignment formats, but if you give a song and dance assignment, don't you have to test by song and dance? Otherwise you get a phone call from the parent when the child fails, because he/she hasn't practiced in the format in which he/she is tested. So - how do you assess the student's knowledge of linear algebra or ablative of means by song and dance? I was looking for Tomlinson's wisdom on this, but this book has offered none.

This book provides a comprehensive view into the workings of the differentiated classroom. Dr. Tomlinson presents the vital theoretical underpinnings of differentiation, but pairs them with real world vignettes and strategies. This combination helps the reader understand the importance of tailoring instruction to meet students' needs, but also empowers the reader with a sense of "being equipped" with real-school-world tools to help them begin the reconstruction process.

From the other Amazon readers' reviews, I anticipated a useful guidebook. It is not a practical guidebook, and I would advise against buying it if that's what you are looking for. Instead, this is a nice book that pontificates on points that hopefully we, as teachers, already agree with: get to know and connect with your students, etc.

I also think that the 2 main metaphors of the book, woven into every chapter, are awkward at best. The first comes from The Little Prince by St. Exupery. One idea is that we must tame our students as the Little Prince tames the fox. The author stresses that this means forming a mutual bond with the fox, not the traditional sense of taming, which would be antithetical to best teaching practices. However, it's hard to put aside the common understanding of the word "taming" and keep in mind the author's kinder version. The second metaphor describes the teacher, student, and curriculum as "cogs" in a machine. Again, the author means well by this, and the cogs are full of positive words like "affirmation" and "persistence". Yet for me, the idea of being a cog in an educational machine evokes an image of grinding up students in a cold industry of automated mass production to create uniform end products.

While the author clearly has the opposite in mind, it seems a poor choice of images to make her points.

My main disappointment is that the book is not useful to me in my practice, as I already am trying to do the things it advocates - I would just like some practical, everyday suggestions for how to do it better.

This IS a book about pedagogy. Focused on the philosophy and structuring of Differentiated Instruction, Carol Tomlinson commented that this should have been her first book on Differentiation. The anecdotes and real world examples clarify theory into practice. DI is presented within the context of quality instructional planning considerations. Highly recommended for Teacher Leaders and administrators to become the in-house support for their district and buildings. A variety of strategies with examples are provided in the appendix. I found it helpful with some of the book studies I've lead for districts and schools.

If you're looking for the larger picture of the what and how of DI fits into curriculum, and why students respond as they do to instruction, this book is a perfect fit, especially if you have had some (minimal at least) background with DI in lesson planning. Otherwise, consider How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms by Tomlinson. It's an excellent primer someone looking for basic, basic understanding and where to begin the journey. In fact, get both books if you are just starting out. Fufilling the Promise appendices of strategies is one of the best available as it included classroom examples. Welcome to Differentiated Instruction. Students will gain greater benefits from your efforts.

If you are interested in differentiation, and meeting the needs of individual students, then this book is for you. It focuses more than the other differentiation books by Carol on the affective component of the classroom. How do we meet students where they are and understand where they are coming from?
This book emphasizes both teaching students and especially learning from them.
Whether this matches your philosophy or challenges your ideas, you will find this book helps you in your teaching career. Carol is my adviser, and if you get the chance to see her speak, definitely do it. You should read The Differentiated Classroom for more about academic curriculum.

Easy reading, mostly well written and a good book for a basic class or self study on differentiation but like most educational publications today, idealistic and not really practical. It is the same canned information about how we are supposed to differentiate 28 kids in a class, be sensitive and understand every single and background, be able to read kids' minds, and of course, have students lead the class. We discuss it in class, smile and nod at how great the ideas are and then go back to the reality of our classrooms which consist of traditional, systematic, direct instruction because of the pressures we have for test scores and "no Child Left Behind" There are some very good samples and charts that give very clear examples of differentiation...the metaphors and analogies are kind of vague and corny...definitely not a "how to" book....basically a big, long winded, opinion paper.

I found the book to have many different ideas and examples that I can use with my students. It is a great resource for the classroom.

This is the first book I have purchased for a class that I felt was of benefit to me (and I've taken a lot of classes). It has great ideas and half of the book is filled with sample tools that you can use in your own classroom. This book is great for someone who is just starting out with differentiated instruction and even has ideas a senior teacher hasn't thought of yet!

I really enjoyed reading this book. I even brought it to the beach with me. I found it helpful and easy to read. It gave me ideas and tips for starting the year right. I found myself able to integrate what I learned from this book with other courses I've taken. I read it and felt invigorated and excited about beginning the year. I look forward to applying more of what I've learned as the year continues. I definitely recommend this book!

This was purchased for college Spring 2010 semester. Instructor said was a very good book. I'll know this spring.