Jane Cook’s Synthesis of The Differentiated Classroom:
Responding to the Needs of all Learners by Carol Ann Tomlinson
The following synthesis of Carol Ann Tomlinson’s book was developed by Jane Cook,
EASTCONN Staff Development Specialist. It focuses on the following questions:
o What? (What is the main idea of the chapter?)
o So What? (Why is this important? What does it mean to me?)
o So What Else? (How does it change my thinking? What other ideas do I have/connections
can I make?)
o Now What? (What are the implications for my work with students? How am I going to
apply this knowledge in my teaching and with my students?)
The “What” and the “So What” sections contain Jane’s synthesis of the main ideas in each
chapter and why she feels they are important. Use the “So What Else” section to add your own
ideas and connections. Use the “Now What” section to make your own notes for your work with
students.
Chapter 1:
What:
What is a Differentiated Classroom?
A differentiated classroom is a classroom in which a teacher divides “time,
resources and myself so that I am an effective catalyst for maximizing talent in all
of my students”.
Examples include:
 assigning students to vocabulary/spelling lists based on pretest
 matching homework to students to ensure meaningful practice
 providing direct instruction, guided practice and small application groups
 offering students a variety of options in creating final products that represent
learning based on students’ interests
Chapter 1 contains “portraits from schools” showing what differentiation looks
like at the primary, elementary, middle and high school levels.
So what:
Differentiated classrooms are populated with “teachers who strive to do whatever
it takes to ensure that struggling and advanced learners, students with varied
cultural heritages and children with different background experiences all grow as
much as they possibly can each day, each week and throughout the year”. It’s
critical that in my classroom I “actively attend to both student similarities and
student differences” to ensure that everyone is learning.
So what
else:
Now what:
Jane Cook’s Synthesis of The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners – page 1
Chapter 2:
What:
Elements of Differentiation
There is no one formula for differentiation. The following are principles that
guide differentiated classrooms:
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The teacher focuses on the essentials – distill content to target major concepts,
principles and skills.
The teacher attends to student differences – accept students as unique with
different talents and areas of need, expect them to be the least they can be.
Assessment and instruction are inseparable – assessment is used to diagnose
teaching and learning and to inform instruction.
The teacher modifies content, process and products—the teacher varies what
is learned, how it is learned through different activities, and the vehicles for
demonstrating the learning based on individual students’ needs.
All students participate in respectful work.
The teacher and students collaborate in learning.
The teacher balances groups and individual norms.
The teacher and students work together flexibly.
On the next two pages are Figure 2.1 and 2.2 from pages 14 and 15 which offer
two different ways of representing what differentiated instruction looks like and
how it differs from traditional instruction.
Jane Cook’s Synthesis of The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners – page 2
What:
(continued)
Below are two different organizers representing differentiated instruction from
pages 15 and 16:
Jane Cook’s Synthesis of The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners – page 3
So what:
Differentiation is a way of thinking and organizing for learning. Though
differentiation does not have one single formula, it has a number of principles that
guide its implementation. I need to keep these principles in mind when planning
instruction.
Jane Cook’s Synthesis of The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners – page 4
So what
else:
Now what:
Jane Cook’s Synthesis of The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners – page 5
Chapter 3:
What:
Rethinking How We Do School—and for Whom
The world has changed dramatically in the past 100 years. We now know much
more about how people learn including:
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Intelligence is variable.
The brain hungers for meaning.
Humans learn best with moderate challenge
Children have also changed:
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So what:
Most children do not have a parent at home at both ends of the school day.
All children are products of the Information Age/Electronic Era.
Most kinds of children come to school and stay in school.
Many children have little support and encouragement at home.
Many children come to school months or years ahead of standard curriculum.
Despite the dramatic changes in the world and in children’s everyday environment
and experiences, very little has changed in education. Classrooms look much the
same as they did 100 years ago; this is probably why so many children are failing.
Differentiation is mandatory if I want to address the needs of all learners.
So what
else:
Now what:
Jane Cook’s Synthesis of The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners – page 6
Chapter 4:
What:
Learning Environments That Support Differentiated Instruction
Artful teaching is composed of 3 elements:
The teacher
The students
The content
All 3 elements are needed in equal proportion to create and support the whole. To
create a healthy learning environment, the teacher must:
 Appreciate each child as an individual.
 Remember to teach whole children.
 Continue to develop expertise.
 Link students and ideas.
 Strive for joyful learning.
 Offer high expectations—and lots of ladders (scaffolding).
 Help students make their own sense of ideas.
 Share the teaching with the students.
 Clearly strive to create independent students.
 Use positive energy and humor.
 Maintain “discipline” covertly rather than overtly.
So what:
To create a learning environment that supports differentiated instruction, I must be
a positive role model of lifelong learning who constantly monitors and balances
the rigor of my content with the unique needs of each of my students.
So what
else:
Now what:
Jane Cook’s Synthesis of The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners – page 7
Chapter 5:
What:
Good Instruction as a Basis for Differentiated Teaching
Teachers must have a clear understanding of what students should know and be
able to do as the result of a lesson or unit. Otherwise, they cannot plan learning
tasks that are engaging and that lead the students to learn.
Two essential elements for durable learning are:
1. engagement
2. understanding
Educational researchers (Hilda Taba in Schiever, 1991) have defined several
dimension or levels of learning:
o Facts – discrete bits of information that we believe to be true
o Concepts – categories of common elements that help us
organize and retain information
o Principles – rules that govern concepts
o Attitudes – degrees of commitment to ideas
o Skills [and strategies] – the ability to apply what has been
learned
Content standards should be a vehicle to ensure deep learning. Each content
standard is a fact, concept, principle, attitude or skill. See page 41, Figure 5.1 for
a matrix of Examples of the Levels of Learning across several content areas.
To ensure effective teaching and learning, teachers need to link together
three key elements of curriculum (which were introduced in Chapter 3):
1. Content (The “What”) – what students should know (facts), understand
(concepts and principles), and be able to do (skills and strategies)
2. Process (The “So What”) – the learning activities and tasks that give students
the opportunity to make sense of the content
3. Product (The “Now What”) – the way that students show what they
understand and can do with the content
See page 45, Figure 5.2 for a graphic entitled Joining Levels of Learning and
Elements of Curriculum.
So what:
I need to remember that differentiation takes time and planning. It’s not just about
designing engaging activities. It’s about designing standards-based learning tasks
that engage students with the purpose of leading them to learn rich content deeply.
When teaching, I must distill the key concepts and principles of my content into
meaningful learning activities that give students the opportunity to apply what
they are learning and create a product that demonstrates their learning. I can
differentiate content, process and/or product while ensuring that all students learn
the key concepts and principles.
So what
else:
Now what:
Jane Cook’s Synthesis of The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners – page 8
Chapter 6:
What:
Teachers at Work Building Differentiated Classrooms
To build a differentiated classroom, teachers must ask themselves three questions:
1. What am I differentiating?
The “What” refers to the curricular elements that are modified in response to
learner needs including any or all of the following:
o Content (what students will learn)
o Process (how students will learn – activities that students will
participate in to make sense of key ideas)
o Product (how students will demonstrate what they know and are
able to do)
o Learning Environment (the classroom conditions that set the tone
and expectations for learning)
2. How am I differentiating?
The “How” refers to the student trait to which the differentiation responds
including one or more of the following traits:
o Readiness
o Interest
o Learning profile/style
3. Why am I differentiating?
The “Why” addresses the teacher’s reason for modifying the learning experience.
Three key reasons are:
o Access to learning
o Motivation to learn
o Efficiency of learning
All three can be tied directly to the “How” traits of readiness, interest and learning
profile/style.
So what:
When I differentiate I can change the “what”, the “how” and/or the “why”. I can
start small – I don’t have to change all three in every lesson. To successfully
differentiate, it is critical that I use ongoing assessment of student readiness,
interest and learning profile/style to match learning tasks to student needs.
Ongoing assessment can be very informal and can include my observations, preassessments and surveys, notes from classroom discussions, notes on student
work, exit cards, etc.
So what
else:
Now what:
Jane Cook’s Synthesis of The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners – page 9
Chapter 7:
What:
Instructional Strategies That Support Differentiation
Chapter 7 focuses on a variety of instructional strategies that support
differentiated instruction. It includes examples of these strategies at varying grade
levels. The highlighted strategies include:
o Stations – Stations are different spots in the classroom where students
work on different tasks at the same time. Stations are linked together
around a common theme or topic. Stations invite flexible grouping since
not all students need to visit all stations nor do all students need to spend
the same amount of time at each station. Stations are created to teach and
to provide guided and independent practice in key concepts, principles and
skills or strategies.
o Agendas – Agendas are personalized lists of tasks that students must
complete in a specified amount of time. Teachers usually create agendas
that last two to three weeks. Agendas are usually used during a particular
time of day or during a specific time of a block schedule. Students choose
the order for completing items but are held accountable for completing all
items. Teachers can move around the room and provide one-on-one or
small group support during agenda time. See page 67, Figure 7.1 for a
sample of a Personal Agenda.
o Complex Instruction – Complex instruction is a strategy designed to help
teachers address the needs of culturally, linguistically and academically
diverse students. Complex instruction consists of tasks that are designed
to help students achieve higher level thinking – generating ideas, asking
probing questions, representing ideas symbolically, using multiple
intelligences to learn concepts and represent their learning. Students work
in small heterogeneous groups with assigned roles such as facilitator,
materials monitor, recorder and time monitor. All students are expected to
achieve the same essential understandings. Teachers support the groups
by providing differing levels of materials and resources.
o Orbital Studies – Orbital studies are independent investigations, usually
from three to six weeks in length, which “orbit” or revolve around some
aspect of the curriculum. Students choose their own topics, often from a
list derived from a survey of student interest related to the content.
Teachers help students design a clear question for study, develop a
research plan, a method for presenting their learning, and criteria for
quality. Teachers provide guidance and coaching to help students develop
their expertise and become independent learners.
So what:
Each of these instructional strategies has merit for supporting differentiation and
providing students with opportunities for choice and success. Developing
Agendas for individuals or small groups may be the simplest way for me to try
differentiation with my students.
Jane Cook’s Synthesis of The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners – page 10
So what
else:
Now what:
Jane Cook’s Synthesis of The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners – page 11
Chapter 8:
What:
More Instructional Strategies to Support Differentiation
Chapter 8 focuses on more instructional strategies that support differentiation.
These include:
o Centers – Centers are areas in a classroom where students work on
different tasks that are not related to the same topic or theme. Centers
should: focus on important learning goals, contain a variety of materials
and resources, provide clear instructions and suggestions for help and
contain a record-keeping system to monitor student progress. There are
two types of centers:
o Learning centers contain a collection of activities or materials
designed to teach, reinforce or extend a specific skill or strategy
o Interest centers are designed to motivate students to explore topics
of interest
o Entry Points – Entry points are based on Howard Gardner’s 91991, 1993)
multiple intelligences research. Gardner proposes five different avenues or
Entry Points for student investigation:
o Narrational – Presenting a story about a topic or concept
o Logical-Quantitative – Using numbers, deductive reasoning or a
scientific approach to address a topic or concept
o Foundational – Examining the philosophy or vocabulary that are
the basis for the topic or concept
o Aesthetic – Focusing on the sensory features of the topic or
concept
o Experiential – Using a “hands on” approach where students deal
with materials that represent the topic or concept
o Tiered Activities – Tiered activities are designed to present different levels
of complexity, abstractness and open-endedness to address the diverse
learning styles and levels of readiness of students. By keeping the focus
the same but by varying the degrees of difficulty, teachers maximize the
likelihood that all students are learning key concepts and being challenged
appropriately. See page 85, Figure 8.4 for a planning framework on
“Developing a Tiered Activity”.
o Learning Contracts – A Learning Contract is a negotiated agreement
between a student and a teacher that gives students some freedom in
acquiring the skills and understandings that the teacher deems important at
a given point in time. Contracts allow teachers to differentiate content and
process. See pages 89 and 90, Figures 8.5 and 8.6 for two different
samples “Poetry Contracts” that were used in the same classroom with
students who were novices with poetry and for students who were ready
for more advanced work with poetry.
o Other Strategies That Invite Differentiation:
o Compacting – Compacting involves teachers in doing a preassessment before beginning a unit of study and then “compacting”
the curriculum and differentiating the work that students do based
on what they already know about the topic or theme.
Jane Cook’s Synthesis of The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners – page 12
So what:
o Problem-Based Learning – In Problem-Based Learning, the teacher
presents students with an unclear, complex problem and then
coaches students to plan, research and solve the problem using
materials and resources of varying levels of difficulty.
o Group Investigation – Group Investigation focuses on student
interest by guiding students through investigations of a topic
related to the curriculum being studied. The teacher helps the class
divide into groups based on learner interest and investigate, present
findings and evaluate outcomes.
o Independent Study – Independent Study is a tailor-made
opportunity to guide students from their current level of readiness
to a greater level of independence in learning about a topic related
to the curriculum. Teachers need to help students identify areas of
interest, ask intriguing questions, plan a topic of independent study
and evaluate their outcomes.
o Choice Boards – Choice Boards are used to provide changing
assignments related to readiness and interest differences in
students. The Choice Boards “direct traffic”, sending students to
specific areas or assignments in the classroom.
o 4MAT – 4MAT focuses teachers on identifying and teaching to
four learning preferences. 4MAT lessons take several days and
focus on: mastery, understanding, personal involvement and/or
synthesis.
o Portfolios – Portfolios are collections of student work that help
students set learning goals and allows students, parents and
teachers to evaluate student growth over time. Portfolios focus on
student interest, readiness and learning profile/style. They are
motivating because they allow students choice in what goes into
the portfolio.
All of these instructional strategies could be useful with my students. I’m much
more familiar with some than with others. I’d like to try using learning contracts
and portfolios first, though it would be interesting to design a tiered activity that
would match the needs of my students. I wonder what other people’s comfort
levels are with these strategies and how they will implement them. I can use my
colleagues to help me with this.
So what
else:
Jane Cook’s Synthesis of The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners – page 13
Now what:
Jane Cook’s Synthesis of The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners – page 14
Chapter 9:
What:
How Do Teachers Make It All Work?
Chapter 9 focuses on how to manage a differentiated classroom. It contains the
following suggestions and tips:
o Getting Started
o Examine your philosophy about individual needs
o Start small
o Grow slowly – but grow
o Envision how an activity will look
o Step back and reflect
o Settling In for the Long Haul
o Talk with students early and often
o Continue to empower students
o Continue to be analytical
o Some Practical Considerations
o Give thoughtful directions
o Establish routines for getting help
 Work with students on being good listeners
 Teach students to use the RICE process
 Recall what you said
 Imagine logically what the directions would be
 Check with a classmate
 Experts of the day to provide support
 Move to a pre-approved anchor activity
o Stay aware, stay organized
o Consider “home base” seats
o Establish start-up and wrap-up procedures
o Teach students to work for quality
o Developing a Support System
o Calling on colleagues
o Making principals partners
o Bringing parents aboard
o Involving the community
So what:
Chapter 9 has a lot of great ideas for how to go about managing a differentiated
classroom. It will be helpful to review this chapter for suggestions. I’m relieved
to know that it’s OK to start small. Many of the suggestions are ideas that I’m
already doing. I particularly like the RICE process as a way of creating more
independence in students.
So what
else:
Jane Cook’s Synthesis of The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners – page 15
Now what:
Jane Cook’s Synthesis of The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners – page 16
Chapter 10:
What:
When Educational Leaders Seek Differentiated Classrooms
Chapter 10 focuses on considerations for educational leaders who seek to
implement differentiated instruction. It highlights the following areas:
o Experience, Research and School Change
o Examine your beliefs and goals
o Establish and share a vision
o Avoid overload
o Prepare for the long haul
o Start smart
o Model the process of differentiation
o Examine policies and procedures
o Plan staff development for the complexity of change
o Provide ongoing assistance
o Apply pressure and offer support
o Link differentiation to professional responsibility
o A Word About Novice Teachers
o Novice teachers rarely come with experience in differentiation
o Novice teachers need specialized support to successfully
implement differentiated instruction
See pages 116 and 117 for a matrix of Differentiation as a Professional
Responsibility, which connects Elements of Professional Practice to
Characteristics of Distinguished Performance and Links with Differentiating
Instruction.
So what:
Differentiated instruction is a way of thinking; it’s not an instructional strategy
or a teaching model. In order to successfully implement differentiated
instruction in a school, it’s critical that educational leaders provide guidance and
support to all teachers based on their level of readiness, interest and learning
profile. As a teacher, I can be an educational leader and can help change my
school. I hope my colleagues feel the same way. We can be more successful if
we collaborate and work together to create a sense of community and to
implement differentiated instruction.
So what
else:
Now what:
Jane Cook’s Synthesis of The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners – page 17