Differentiation and the brain: how neuroscience supports the learner-friendly classroom

Authors David Sousa and Carol Ann Tomlinson examine the basic principles of differentiation in light of what the current research on educational neuroscience has revealed. This research pool offers information and insights that can help educators decide whether certain curricular, instructional, and assessment choices are likely to be more effective than others. The authors also offer suggestions on how to establish and manage differentiated classrooms without imposing additional heavy burdens on teachers¿teach differently and smarter, not harder. In fact, when properly implemented, differentiation emphasizes shared responsibility between teacher and student, a desirable outcome, because the brain that does the work is the brain that learns! This book is different from all the other books on differentiation in that it combines two imperatives that face nearly all educators today: 1. Research is revealing so much about how the brain learns that educators can no longer ignore the implications of these discoveries for educational practice. 2. Teachers need to find ways to use this brain research to develop strategies that will allow students to succeed in classrooms that contain a diverse mix of abilities, cultures, and languages.

The nonnegotiables of effective differentiation : Teaching with a focus on learners ; A model for effective differentiation ; Brain research supports differentiation ; Brain research supports differentiation ; Differentiation in a nutshell -- Mindset, learning environment, and differentiation :What are mindsets? ; The effective teacher's mindset ; Teachers have a lifelong impact ; The classroom must feel safe and secure ; All students want to succeed ; The social-emotional needs of students must be met ; Empathy is very important ; Students should feel a sense of ownership of their education ; Teachers should identify and reinforce each student's areas of competence ; Teachers should address fears of failure and humiliation -- Curriculum and differentiation : The importance of a quality curriculum ; Quality curriculum is organized around essential content goals ; Curriculum races are not brain-friendly ; Specificity is important ; Quality is aligned ; What alignment means ; Quality curriculum focuses on student understanding ; Learning tasks should extend understandings ; Understandings build neutral networks ; Different pathways to common goals ; Quality curriculum engages studen…