Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom

Carol Ann Tomlinson and Marcia B. Imbeau

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About This Book

Today’s teachers are responsible for a greater variety of learners with a greater diversity of needs than ever before. When you add in the ever-changing dynamics of technology and current events, the complexity of both students’ and teachers’ lives grows exponentially. Far too few teachers, however, successfully teach the whole class with the individual student in mind.

In Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom, Carol Ann Tomlinson and Marcia B. Imbeau tackle the issue of how to address student differences thoughtfully and proactively. The first half of the book focuses on what it means for a teacher to effectively lead a differentiated classroom. Readers will learn how to be more confident and effective leaders for and in student-focused and responsive classrooms.

The second half of the book focuses on the mechanics of managing a differentiated classroom. A teacher who has the best intentions, a dynamic curriculum, and plans for differentiation cannot—and will not—move forward unless he or she is at ease with translating those ideas into classroom practice. In other words, teachers who are uncomfortable with flexible classroom management will not differentiate instruction, even if they understand it, accept the need for it, and can plan for it.

Tomlinson and Imbeau argue that the inherent interdependence of leading and managing a differentiated classroom is at the very heart of 21st-century education. This essential guide to differentiation also includes a helpful teacher’s toolkit of activities and teaching strategies that will help any teacher expand his or her capacity to make room for and work tirelessly on behalf of every student.

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About the Authors

CAROL ANN TOMLINSON began her career in education as a public school teacher, ultimately spending 21 years as a classroom teacher and in various administrative roles. During that time, she taught preschool, middle school, and high school students in the content areas of English/language arts, history, and German. She also served as director of programs for advanced and struggling learners and as a community relations coordinator.

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MARCIA B. IMBEAU is an associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where she teaches graduate courses in childhood education and gifted education. She is actively involved in university and public school partnerships, working regularly with her interns and their mentor teachers as a university liaison and teaching courses in curriculum development, differentiation, classroom management, and action research.

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