Differentiation and the Brain: How Neuroscience Supports the Learner-Friendly Classroom

In 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 emphasises 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.

In addition, this book answers the following questions:

• What kind of model can teachers use as a basis for setting up a differentiated classroom?
• How do the mindsets of teachers and students affect differentiation?
• What kind of learning environment is most conducive to differentiation?
• What are the five major components of a brain-friendly quality curriculum?
• What are effective practices for assessing student achievement to inform instruction?
• What is meant by student readiness, and how do teachers respond to it?
• How important are student interests in the differentiated classroom, and how are they handled?
• What are the components of learning profiles, and how do teachers plan for them?
• What are some strategies for effectively managing the differentiated classroom?

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