We now recognize that a one-size-fits-all instructional approach is unlikely to maximize achievement for all learners. Indeed, the goal of helping all students achieve high standards demands instruction that is responsive to their varied nature and needs. Supporting Differentiated Instruction: A Professional Learning Communities Approach pragmatically approaches the collaborative spirit of professional learning communities (PLCs) and the rigorous work of differentiated classroom instruction. This method combines the teaching decisions for professional staff and the learning decisions for students. As the discussion unfolds, this teaching-learning equation is examined in the practical light of how PLCs provide the decision-making platform for differentiated classroom instruction. Differentiated instruction logically extends from a straightforward propositionthat learners differ in their prior knowledge and experience, their interests, and their preferred ways of learning. Accordingly, the most effective teaching responds to these differences by adjusting (differentiating) how content is presented, how learners are able to process it, and how they are allowed to demonstrate their learning. Teachers need plausible methods to put the profound theories of collaboration and differentiation into classroom practice. In short, teachers need a roadmap to guide them in fostering differentiated instruction from the PLC to the K12 classroom; Supporting Differentiated Instruction: A Professional Learning Community Approach is that roadmap. Ridden with teacher tools and techniques for reflective dialogue, this book will shape schools into a professional learning community that supports differentiated instruction. The discussion offers ideas to support meaningful decisions with plain talk about accessible, ongoing data and the instructional tools needed for robust differentiation in classroom instruction. Using the PLC approach to differentiate instruction, educators can achieve their target concernstudent success.
The chapters can either stand alone or create a comprehensive view of differentiated instruction through a PLC approach. Each chapter begins with a Take Away objective that guides the discussion and ends with Action Options of highly interactive strategies. These tools are designed for teams to utilize as they unpack the complex process of supporting and facilitating differentiated instruction. At the end of the day, the goal is to help PLC teams manage the complexity of the instructional arena in ways that personalize instruction for the success of each and every student.
