Premise:
When an educational leader commends a model, It is
that leader’s dual responsibility to ensure:
Middle School and the Demographics,
Research, and Ethics
of Differentiation
NAGC
Atlanta, GA
November 13, 2010
Carol Tomlinson
William Clay Parrish, Jr. Professor
University of Virginia
<cat3y@virginia.edu>
Some Demographic Realities
that Point to Differentiation
in the Middle Grades
Copyright Carol Tomlinson 2010
the viability of the model
fidelity to the model.
The former suggests there is reason for teachers to invest
time and effort in learning and implementing the model.
The latter establishes conditions necessary for the model
to work as it should.
What would we do
In terms of instruction in the middle grades
if we made decisions based on the
demographic realities of the students
we teach?
1
Academically Diverse Students
Academically Diverse Students
• Today’s classrooms are typified by academic
diversity (Darling Hammond, Wise, & Klein, 1999; Meier,
• In 1970, 12% of the U.S. population was nonwhite.
• In 2000, 30% were of non-white, non-AngloEuropean ancestry.
• In the period from 1980-2000, the white, nonHispanic population grew by 7.9%.
• The population that identified itself as nonwhite or Hispanic grew by 88%.
1995).
• Seated side-by side in classrooms are:
– …students with learning disabilities and reading difficulties
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
…highly advanced learners
…English language learners
…students who chronically underachieve
…students from broadly diverse cultures
…students from highly diverse economic backgrounds
…students of both genders
…students displaying varying degrees of motivation, interests,
skills, etc.
Thinking about English Language
Learners
• More immigrants arrived in the US in the 1990s than in
any other decade on record.
• Today, students in U.S. schools speak more than 450
languages.
• More than 12% of all pre-K-12 students in the U.S. are
considered English language learners.
• By the year 2015, more than 50% of all students in K12 public schools across the U.S. will not speak English
as their first language.
Gray, T., & Fleischman, S., (2004). Successful strategies for English language learners.
Educational Leadership, 62 (4), 84-85.
Copyright Carol Tomlinson 2010
Lynch, E., & Hanson, M., (2004). Developing cross-cultural competence (3rd Edition). Baltimore:
Paul H. Brookes Publishing , p. 7.
Thinking just about Students with Disabilities
•
96% of general education
teachers in the U.S. have students
with disabilities in their
classrooms.
•
On average, there are at least 3-4
students with IEPs integrated into
each general education class in
the U.S.
•
Three of four U.S. students with
disabilities spend 40% or more of
their day in general education
classrooms.
•
One in five children in the U.S.
suffers from some emotional or
behavioral condition.
US Department of Education (2001). 23rd annual report to
Congress on the implementation of the Individuals
with Disabilities Act (IDEA). Washington, DC: U.S.
Gov’t. Printing Office
National Academy of Sciences (Reported in Time
Magazine, 11-01-10 Keeping Young Minds Healthy, p.
41.
2
Thinking just about Students with
Disabilities
• Approximately 3 to 5
students in 100 in the
U.S. have ADHD
• Approximately 1 child in
59 in the U.S. is
diagnosed with a
learning disability
Thinking just about Students with
Disabilities
• Autism Spectrum
Disorder prevalence in
the U.S. has recently
been adjusted from 4 or
5 children in 10,000 to 1
child in about 150
•
SOURCES: CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report:
Surveillance Summaries; Feb. 9, 2007; vol 56: pp 1-40.
Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp, MD, Chief, Developmental
Disabilities Branch, National Center on Birth Defects and
Developmental Disabilities, CDC. Catherine Rice, PhD,
behavioral scientist, National Center on Birth Defects
and Developmental Disabilities, CDC.
SOURCE: National Institutes of Mental Health
Poverty in the U.S.
•The U.S. has the highest rate of child poverty in the
developed world.
•The school dropout rate is 2 ½ times higher
among children of poverty than among students
from non-poor homes.
•Children of poverty are 2 ½ times more likely to
perform poorly in school than
their more affluent peers.
•They are 2½ times more likely to
develop a conduct disorder.
Copyright Carol Tomlinson 2010
3
Early adolescence is a period of tremendous
variability among youngsters of the same gender
Effective middle level educators make a conscious
and chronological age. Dissimilar rates of growth
choice to work with young adolescents. They
are common in all areas of development –
understand the developmental uniqueness of young
intellectual, physical, social, emotional, and moral.
adolescents and are as knowledgeable about their
Changes occur irregularly; no two young
students as they are about the subject matter the
adolescents enter puberty at the same time or
teach. Such middle level educators form learning
progress at the same rate. Individual differences
partnerships with their students, demonstrating…
proliferate, making dubious such assumptions as
“All 7th graders are….”
From: This We Believe: Developmentally
Responsive Middle Level Schools, NMSA
From: This We Believe: Developmentally
Responsive Middle Level Schools, NMSA
…empathy while engaging them in significant
academic learning experiences….[they] are able
to make sound pedagogical decisions based on
the needs, interests, and special abilities of their
students. They are sensitive to individual
differences and respond positively to the natural
diversity present in middle level classrooms.
From: This We Believe: Developmentally
Responsive Middle Level Schools, NMSA
Copyright Carol Tomlinson 2010
4
What would we do In terms of instruction
in middle school if we made decisions
based on the demographic realities of the
students we teach?
We’d teach with the knowledge that culture,
gender, experience, economic status, language,
adult support, and a myriad of other factors shape
shape student learning!
Some Theory and Research
that Point to Differentiation in
General—in Middle Grades
Specifically
Copyright Carol Tomlinson 2010
What would we do
In terms of instruction in the middle grades
if we made decisions based on the
theory and research
related to teaching with student
differences in mind?
5
Sample Theory Supporting
Differentiation in Response to
Readiness
• General psychology
• Vygotsky
• Knowledge of the
brain
General Psychology
“The consensus of a broad range of
psychologists and brain researchers is that:
“Instruction should always ‘be in advance’ of a
child’s zone of proximal development. If
material is presented at or below the mastery
level, there will be no growth. If presented
well above the zone, children will be confused
and frustrated” (Byrnes, 1996, p. 33).
Copyright Carol Tomlinson 2010
Lev Vygotsky
(1978, 1986)
In regard to readiness for a given task, Vygotsky
proposed that an individual learns in his or her
“zone of proximal development” (ZPD). This
term refers to a point of required mastery where
a child cannot successfully function alone, but
can succeed with scaffolding to support. In that
range, new learning will tale place. The teacher’s
job is to push the child into his or her ZPD, coach
for success with a task slightly more complex
than the child can manage alone, and thus, push
forward the area of independence.
The National Research Council
“Tasks must be at the proper level of
difficulty to be and to remain motivating:
tasks that are too easy become boring;
tasks that are too difficult cause
frustration.”
Bransford, Brown, and Cocking, How People Learn
1999 & 2000
6
BRAIN RESEARCH
Knowledge about the Brain
Reticular Activating System
RAS = “Toggle Switch”
Only one of these three states is activated (aroused) at a time:
•Howard, 1994
•Jensen, 1998
•Sousa, 2001, 2010
•Wolfe, 2001
HIGH
MIDDLE
LOW
Hot (EEG)
Mild (EEG)
Cold (EEG – sleeplike)
Limbic aroused
Cortical arousal
Sleep (depression)
Flight / Fight
Problem Solving
Relaxation
Out of Control
In Control
Off Duty
Carbohydrates
Proteins
Carbohydrates/Dairy
Burnout
Achievement
Depression
Extreme Challenge
Moderate Challenge
No Challenge
Learning only happens when the toggle switch is in the middle position.
Learning occurs when the learner experiences neither boredom nor anxiety—in other words,
is neither over- or under-challenged.
Howard, P. (1994). An owner’s manual for the brain. Austin, TX: Leornian.
Sample Research on Readiness
Differentiation
• Multi-age grouping (Miller, 1990)
– Differentiated by intent and necessity
– Achievement test results favored multiage classrooms versus
single-grade classrooms on 75% of the measures used
• Nongraded classrooms (Gayfer, 1991)
– 58% of instances – students in non-graded settings scored
higher achievement gains than students in graded settings
– 33% of instances – comparable gains
– 9% of instances – gains favored students in graded settings
• Anderson & Pavan, 1993
– Benefits to students in multiage or non-graded settings
increase the longer students remain in those settings.
Copyright Carol Tomlinson 2010
Sample Research on Readiness
Differentiation
Geisler, J., Hessler, R., Gardner, R., & Lovelace, T. (2009). Differentiated writing
interventions for high-achieving urban African American elementary
students. Journal of Advanced Academics, 20, 214-247.
• Five high-achieving urban African American 1st graders with weak
writing profiles had differentiated writing instruction in their regular
classroom. All five students demonstrated improved writing outcomes in
terms of both writing output and use of a broader range of words.
Tieso, C. (2002). The effects of grouping and curricular practices on
intermediate students’ math achievement. Hartford, CT: National Research
Center on the Gifted and Talented, University of Connecticut.
• Achievement gains were found across economic and achievement levels
through pre/post-test results for students in effectively differentiated
classrooms.
7
Sample Research on Readiness
Differentiation
Lou, Y., P. Abrami, et al. (1996). “Within-class grouping: A metaanalysis.” Review of Educational Research, 66, 423-428.
• Students in small within-class learning groups achieve significantly
more than students not learning in small groups. They also have
more positive attitudes about learning and score stronger on selfconcept measures.
• Student gains are greatest when instructional materials are varied
by need for different instructional groups rather than using the
same materials for all groups.
Sample Research on Readiness
Differentiation
Reis, S. (2010). The Effects of Differentiated Instruction and Enrichment
Pedagogy on Reading Achievement. American Educational Research
Journal.
•
This experimental study examined the effect of a differentiated, enriched
reading program on students' oral reading fluency and comprehension
using the Schoolwide Enrichment Model- Reading (SEM-R). Treatment and
control conditions were randomly assigned to 63 teachers and 1192 2nd
through 5th grade students across 5 elementary schools.
•
Using multilevel modeling, significant differences favoring the SEM-R were
found in reading fluency in two schools (Cohen¹s d effect sizes of .33 and
.10) and in reading comprehension in the high poverty urban school
(Cohen¹s d =.27), with no achievement differences in the remaining
schools. The results demonstrate that an enrichment reading approach,
with differentiated instruction, and less whole group instruction was as or
more effective than traditional whole group basal approach.
Sample Theory in Support of Interest
Differentiation
Sample Research in Support of Interest
Differentiation
Bruner, J. (1961). “The act of discovery.” Harvard Educational Review, 31, 21-32.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New
York: Harper and Row.
•
When interest is tapped, learning is more likely to be rewarding and
students are more likely to become autonomous learners.
Collins, M. and T. Amabile (1999). Motivation and creativity. In R.J. Sternberg,
Handbook of Creativity. New York: Cambridge University Press, 297-312.
•
By helping students discover and pursue their passions, we can maximize
their engagement with learning, their productivity, and their individual
talents. High levels of intrinsic interest set up conditions for creative
production.
Copyright Carol Tomlinson 2010
• Conditions for flow are clarity about purposes and the participant’s sense that
the task is within his or her capacity to act. Flow encourages the participant
to seek out new challenges to grow. Interests foster skills needed to develop
talent. Flow is the strongest predictor of student engagement and of how
far he or she progresses in a content area.
Renninger, K. (1990). Children’s play interests, representations, and activity. In
R. Fivush & J. Hudson, Knowing & remembering in young children. Cambridge,
MA: Cambridge University, Emory Cognition Series, Vol. 3, 127-165.
• When students are interested in what they study, there is a positive impact
on both short and long term memory.
8
Sample Theory on Learning Profile
Differentiation
Sample Theory on Learning Profile
Differentiation
Sternberg, R. J. (1985). Beyond IQ: A triarchic theory of human intelligence.
New York: Cambridge University Press.
Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of Multiple Intelligences.
New York: Basic Books.
•
•
Human intelligence manifests itself in many spheres. Teaching should
attend to an individual’s intelligence preferences.
Tannen, D. (1990). You just don’t understand me: Women and men in
conversation. New York: Ballentine.
•
Gender influences how individuals look at and interact with the world.
When a person is socialized to act one way, and the classroom promotes
a different way of interacting, a mismatch occurs and learning may be
hampered.
Individuals differ in the ways they learn and perform best when learning
aligns with their strengths/preferences. The differences are “hard
wired.”
Ladson-Billings, G. (1994). The dreamkeepers: Successful teachers of African
American children. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
•
Sample Research on Learning Profile
Differentiation
Curriculum and instruction that matches learning style and intelligence
preference of students from diverse cultures has positive has positive
impacts on learner outcomes.
Sample Research on Learning Profile
Differentiation
Grigorenko, E. and R. J. Sternberg (1997). “Styles of thinking, abilities, and
academic performance.” Exceptional Children 63, 295-312.
Sternberg, R., Torff, B., & Grigorenko, E. (1998). Teaching triarchically improves
student achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90, 374-384.
• Students taught with a learning profile match outperformed those taught
in a more traditional manner.
•• Students who learned and expressed learning in preferred learning
modes outperformed students who did not have that opportunity.
Grigorenko & Sternberg, 1997.
Sternberg, R., Torff, B., & Grigorenko, E. (1998). Teaching triarchically improves
student achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90, 374-384.
Saxe, G. (1990). Culture and cognitive development: Studies in mathematical
understanding. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Sullivan, M. (1996). “A meta-analysis of experimental research studies based
on the Dunn and Dunn learning styles model and its relationship to academic
achievement.” National Forum of Applied Educational Research Journal 10(1).
•
• There are achievement benefits to addressing student learning profile or
thinking preferences during the learning process, even if the final
assessment is not in the learner‘s preferred mode.
Copyright Carol Tomlinson 2010
Addressing a student’s learning style results in improved achievement
and attitude gains in students from a wide range of cultural groups.
9
The concept of learning style
is the subject of much debate…
IDENTIFYING STUDENTS’LEARNING STYLES
•Does is exist at all?
•Is there any basis for it in research?
•Is there any basis for it in our knowledge of the brain?
•What are we best advised to do in
terms of learning style in
the classroom?
The term learning styles refers to the way the brain perceives
and processes what it needs to learn. When teachers tailor
their teaching strategies to students’ learning styles, students
will respond with the optimism they had when they first
entered kindergarten. Students will enter learning
experiences with more confidences and connectedness and
will become active participants in their learning.
Willis,, J . M.D. – (2007) Brain-Friendly Strategies - Alexandria, VA,. ASCD, pg 52
STUDENTS’ PREFERRED LEARNING STYLES
•People do seem to approach learning in different ways.
•Research on learning styles is often weak.
•There is no structural evidence in the brain that would suggest that
the concept of learning styles works as it is often described.
Instruction
geared
toward students’
preferred
learning
stylespgis4more likely
Willis,J.
M.D. – (2007)
Brain-Friendly
Strategies
- Alexandria,
VA,. ASCD,
to evoke positive emotional responses, engaging affective filters to open
access to the brain’s processing centers. When lessons are adapted for
multiple intelligences, the content is more likely to be personally
meaningful, students move the content to their relational memories for
successful patterning and long term retention. As a result, students will be
better able to access the material at test time. Most important, the
information will reach the frontal lobe regions where the highest levels of
cognitive processing take place—where learned information becomes
wisdom.
Willis,J., M.D. – (2007) Brain-Friendly Strategies - Alexandria, VA,. ASCD, pg 60
Copyright Carol Tomlinson 2010
•There is little to no value in giving students learning styles assessments.
•We are ill-informed when we try to categorize people as having a
single, particular learning style.
•There is wisdom in having variety in ways students take in & process
information.
•It’s useful for students to be reflective about when learning is/isn’t working
for them.
10
Sample Research on the Full Model of
Differentiation
Marulanda, M., Giraldo, P., & Lopez, L. (2006). Differentiated instruction for bilingual
learners. Presentation at Annual ASCD Conference San Francisco.
•
First grade children in Colombia whose reading instruction utilized the model of
differentiating content, process, and product in response to student readiness,
interest, & learning profile over a 4 month period had fewer oral reading errors,
higher comprehension scores, fewer students scoring below grade level, and
more students scoring above grade level than control students.
Rasmussen, F. (2006). Differentiated instruction as a means for improving achievement as
measured by the American College Testing (ACT). A dissertation submitted to the
Loyola University of Chicago School of Education.
•
Students in a Chicago high school receiving more differentiated instruction
outperformed students receiving less instruction from a differentiated
methodology on ACT English, ACT Mathematics, ACT Reading, & ACT
Composite.
Sample Research on the Full Model of
Differentiation
Beecher, M., & Sweeny, S. (2008). Closing the achievement gap with
curriculum enrichment and differentiation: One school’s story. Journal of
Advanced Academics, 19(3), 502-530.
•The achievement gap between Caucasian students and low income students
of color drastically diminished in math, reading, and writing in this
elementary school that used enriched curriculum and differentiation
with all students. In addition, achievement gains occurred across student
groups and attitudes about school improved as well.
Copyright Carol Tomlinson 2010
Sample Research on the Full Model of
Differentiation
Tomlinson, C., Brimijoin, K., & Narvaez, L. (2008). The differentiated school: Making
revolutionary changes in teaching and learning. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
•Multi-year studies in an elementary school & a high school indicate positive
and sustained achievement gains for students in all segments of the
achievement spectrum and in a range of subject areas as a result of
differentiated instruction. In the high school, the student dropout rate has
also fallen sharply and student participation in AP courses has risen by
almost half, with AP exam scores holding steady or rising despite the
increased enrollment. In both sites, a school-wide emphasis on
differentiation has continued for at least eight years and achievement gains
have continued over that time span, with no comparable rise in state scores
or in the scores of peer schools
Sample Research on Readiness
Differentiation
Brighton, C., Hertberg, H., Moon, T., Tomlinson, C., & Callahan, C.
(2005). The feasibility of high-end learning in a diverse middle school.
Research Monograph RM05210. Charlottesville, VA: National
Research Center on the Gifted and Talented.
This was a 3-year study in 5 middle schools in 3 states.
Students in differentiated middle school classrooms showed
statistically significant achievement outcomes compared to students
in a different treatment group and to students in a control group .
11
What would we do In terms of instruction
In the middle grades if we made decisions
based on theory and research about
teaching with student differences in
mind?
The Ethics of
Middle Level Education &
Differentiation
We’d teach with consistent attention to student
readiness, interest, and learning profile.
What would we in terms
of instruction in the middle grades
if we made decisions from a position of
“advanced” moral or ethical development—
If that were our “North”?
Copyright Carol Tomlinson 2010
12
Obedience
(Because the
rules say so)
Conformity
Relationship
(Because people
will think well of me)
Self Interest
(Because it
works for me)
Ethical
Principles
(Because it’s
right)
Compromise
Social Contract
(Because it will
serve us all well)
We Would:
See the humanity of the students we serve.
Model a world that dignifies each of us and all of us.
Make decisions from a sense of obligation to ensure
their welfare.
Copyright Carol Tomlinson 2010
We would see
the humanity
of the students
we serve…
13
Seeing the
humanity of
the children
we serve…
To respect the dignity of young people means taking them seriously as
whole human beings, not just as students. Who are these young
people? What do they bring to school in terms of social and cultural
experiences and identities? How old are they, and what expectations
do school and society have for people that age? What is around them
in terms of media messages, living conditions, community resources,
and so on? Questions like these help us to see whole persons rather
than just students in our classrooms. And when we do that, the door to
respecting heir dignity is opened.
Studying them at least as much
as we study our content
Risking connecting with them
Seeing them as capable &
successful
Owning their success
Treating them as ours
A REASON TO TEACH by James A. Beane • Heinemann, Portsmouth, NH • p. 71-72
We would model
a world that
dignifies each
of us and all
of us…
Copyright Carol Tomlinson 2010
Modeling a
world that
dignifies each
of us, and all
of us…
Building community
Ensuring that our schools & classrooms
reflect the principles of
a vibrant democracy
14
Democracy takes the high moral ground.
It engages the politics of hope and speaks the language
of human possibility.
We would make
decisions from a
sense of obligation
to ensure the welfare
of the children
we serve…
A REASON TO TEACH by James A. Beane • Heinemann, Portsmouth, NH • p. 10
Making decisions from a
sense of obligation
to ensure the welfare
of the children
we serve…
Create school structures & curricula that
emphasize & support effort rather
than ability
Create inclusive classrooms with inclusive
teaching & learning practices
Proliferate high end learning for virtually
all students
Copyright Carol Tomlinson 2010
In today’s Information Age . . .
educators must operate from the premise
that it is the purpose of schools
to bring all students to their full potential
and to a level of education
that was once reserved
for the very few.
Professional Learning Communities at Work:
Best Practices for Enhancing Student Achievement
by Richard DuFour & Robert Eaker
1998, ASCD • pp. 62
15
CHOOSING CONTENT THAT’S WORTH KNOWING
Who is “all”?
Whatever the curriculum goals, we
must be clear about which students
the goals are to serve. When we say
all students, do we mean the top
15%, the 50% who might go on to
higher education—or do we really
mean all students?
A Pedagogy of Poverty
§giving information
§ asking right answer
questions
§ giving directions
§ giving low level tasks
§ monitoring seatwork
§ reviewing
§ giving tests
§ going over tests
§assigning homework
§ going over homework
§ settling disputes
§ punishing noncompliance
§ grading papers
§ giving grades
M.Haberman • “The Pedagogy of Poverty vs. Good Teaching”
Phi Delta Kappan, 1991 • 290-294
Choosing Content That’s Worth Knowing • George D. Nelson • Educational Leadership, Oct. 2001, pp. 12-16
A PEDAGOGY OF PLENTY
 authentic tasks
 meaning-driven curriculum
 literacy-rich environment
 quality resources
 connecting school with home,
culture and community
 problem-focused learning
 cognitive and metacognition
in the context of purposeful
activities
 collaborative work on issues
of deep concern to the
students
 varied social configuration
 engagement in substantive
dialogue, discussion, debate
about the substance of content
 making meaning
Helen Hodges • Overcoming a Pedagogy of Poverty”
R.Cole, Ed. More Strategies for Educating Everybody’s Children
ASCD, 2001 * p. 1-9
Copyright Carol Tomlinson 2010
Kathleen--Age 14
Push me! See how far I go!
Work me ‘till I drop-Then pick me up.
Open a door,
And make me run to it before it closes.
Teach me so that I might learn,
Then show me the Tunnel of Experience,
And let me walk through it alone.
Then, when, near the end, I look back,
And see another in the Tunnel,
with you watching
I shall smile!
16
My Stream of Consciousness
You think that I don’t know that you think
I got an F because I’m lazy and indifferent.
But maybe I’m just under-challenged and under-appreciated.
Deep down I am begging you to teach me
To learn and create--not just to memorize and regurgitate.
I’m asking you to help me find my own voice.
I’m asking you to help me find my own beauty.
I’m asking you to help me find my own unique truth.
We need a miracle
One for every kid who subconsciously wants
To be pushed to the edge/taken to the most extreme limits.
I want you to make my brain work in a hundred different
ways every day.
I’m asking you to make my head ache with knowledge-spin with ideas.
I want you to make my mind my most powerful asset.
--Siem Tesfaslase, 10th grade, Arlington High School
Indianapolis, Indiana
•Success comes from being smart
genetics, environment
determine what we can do
•Some kids are smart—some
aren’t
•Teachers can’t override
students’ profiles
In Y. Jackson “Reversing Underachievement in Urban Students: Pedagogy of Confidence”
Developing Minds: A Resource Book for Teaching Thinking-p.222
•Success comes from effort
•With hard work, most students
can do most things
•Teachers can override students’
profiles
•A key role of the teacher is to set
high goals, provide high support,
ensure student focus—to find
the thing that makes school
work for a student
Detracking and Heterogeneous Grouping
Regardless of what teachers tell students about effort and ability
… it is unlikely that students will believe that they really mean
what they say without parallel changes in the ability grouping
practices that sort young adolescents according to perceived
intelligence.
The practice of categorizing students into “high,” “average,”
and “low” groups and offering them different curriculum is a
well-entrenched tradition in schools at all levels across the
country, but this practice accelerates, in particular, during the
middle grades years (Braddock, 1990). Sensitive to the way
others see them, young adolescents are well aware that different
placements reflect teachers’ views of their ability, and these
understandings threaten to undermine the motivation of all students.
Defensible Differentiation:
Always
•Teaches
Up
Never
•Waters
down
Safe To Be Smart • By Anne Wheelock • National Middle School Association • p. 109
Copyright Carol Tomlinson 2010
17
Equity & Excellence in Today’s Schools
Will Most Likely Result From:
Proliferation of the “Pedagogy of Plenty”
TASKS:
Best practice
Extension of challenge
for
for
Best practice literacy and
scaffolding
Advanced and advancing
learners
in
order
to
Struggling and typical
learners
in
order
to
Clear KUDs
Require careful thought
Focus on understanding
Problems to solve/Issues to address
Use key knowledge & skills to explore,
or extend understandings
Authentic
Require support, explanation, application,
evaluation, transfer
Criteria at or above “meets expectations”
Require metacognition, reflection, planning,
evaluation
Provide access to
equity and excellence
Retain and extend access to
equity & excellence
In an environment
of
High ceilings/High relevance/ High personalization
The middle school concept was constructed
around the goal of ensuring equity of access
to excellence for the full range of young
adolescents. That is it’s ethical north.
Doing that requires:
A fluid mindset,
A contemporary understanding
of intelligence,
Knowledge of how to teach up
(high end teaching),
Skill and will to differentiate,
including how to teach
backward & forward at the
same time,
A willingness to lead.
Tomlinson
„03
From TURNING POINTS 2000
Educating Adolescents in the 21st Century
Classes should include students of diverse needs,
achievement levels, interests, and learning styles,
and instruction should be differentiated to take
advantage of the diversity, not ignore it.
Turning Points 2000 by Anthony W. Jackson, Gayle A. Davis-p. 23
A report of Carnegie Corporation of New York- Teachers College, Columbia, University
Tomlinson - 02
Copyright Carol Tomlinson 2010
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What would we in terms of instruction
in the middle grades
if we made decisions from a position of
“advanced” moral or ethical development—
If that were our “North”?
There is ample reason—in terms of
student demographic
theory and research, & ethics of
education to invest in classrooms
that effectively attend to learner
variance.
We’d teach in classrooms that ensure equity of
access to excellence for each student.
Assumption:
The teacher’s overriding moral purpose is to
meet the needs of students, even when it
conflicts with personal preferences.
On Hope
“...the kind of hope I often think about...I understand above all as a state
of mind, not a state of the world. Either we have hope within us or we
don’t; it is a dimension of the soul, and it’s not essentially dependent on
some particular observation of the world or estimate of the situation. It is
an orientation of the spirit, an orientation of the heart; it transcends the
world that is immediately experienced and is anchored somewhere beyond
its horizons.
Hope, in this deep and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things
are going well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously
headed for early success, but rather, an ability to work for something
because it is good, not just because it stands a chance to succeed. The
more unpropitious the situation in which we demonstrate hope, the deeper
that hope is. Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not
the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that
something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.
It is also this hope, above all which gives us the strength to live and
continually to try new things...”
Assessment as Learning, Using Classroom Assessment To Maximize Student Learning
by Lorna M. Earl, Corwin Press (2003), p. 111
Copyright Carol Tomlinson 2010
-Vaclav Havel, playwright and defender of human rights, former president of Czechoslovakia
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As Pogo is fond of saying,
We get to decide whether we reach out
or pull in,
Whether we include
or exclude,
Whether we join up,
or stand alone,
Whether we can construct a new “we”
or opt for “us” and “them,”
Whether we forge a future
or live in a past.
It’s a decision.
And it feels risky to make
But is riskier not to make
In a time when the world is flat again
And the horizon is ill-defined.
It’s a decision.
And it’s ours.
Copyright Carol Tomlinson 2010
We seem
surrounded
by
insurmountable
opportunities!
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