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Differentiation for the Adolescent Learner
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Differentiation for the Adolescent Learner
Accommodating Brain Development, Language, Literacy, and Special Needs

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November 2012 | 184 pages | Corwin
"There is something for everyone here. A valuable resource for experienced teachers starting on the road to curriculum integration or switching to teaching adolescents. Preservice teachers would also benefit, because the book emphasizes the nature of the learner."

—Mark A. Springer, Teacher

Radnor Middle School, Wayne, PA

Activate learning with practical techniques that put brain research and technology into practice!

The changes and complexities of the adolescent mind bring unique challenges as well as opportunities to the classroom. This valuable resource for student-centered teaching provides keys to curriculum design, instruction, and assessment within the context of a developmentally appropriate, differentiated approach.

Translating the latest brain research into practical classroom strategies, the author focuses on the adolescent learner and outlines brain-compatible instructional strategies applicable to all students, including English Language Learners, gifted populations, and others with special needs. Readers will encounter a six-point differentiated model based on adolescents' need for personal connection, appropriate intellectual challenge, emotional engagement, guided social interaction, metacognitive development, and a supportive learning environment. The guide also equips teachers with ready-to-use tips, tools, and resources, including:

Ways to capitalize on technology to enhance differentiated instruction

Brain-friendly strategies grounded in current neuroscience research and universal design for learning (UDL)

Straightforward explanations on how changes in adolescent brain structure impact learning

Techniques to create and manage a classroom environment aligned with adolescents' specific developmental needs

Focusing on learners' intellectual, social, and emotional development, Differentiation for the Adolescent Learner offers a proven plan for teachers to create meaningful learning experiences that inspire students to take control of their own learning.

 
Foreword by David H. Reilly
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Author
 
Introduction and Overview
 
1. Differentiation and the Learning Brain
It's All About Good Teaching Practice

 
The Learning Brain

 
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

 
Cognitive Access for Learning

 
Evolving Conversations About Differentiation

 
Developmentally Responsive Differentiation

 
The Language of Differentiation

 
Content Differentiation

 
Process Differentiation

 
Product Differentiation

 
Powerful Learning Experiences

 
Differentiation Design Principles

 
Summary and Looking Ahead

 
 
2. Differentiation and Adolescent Development
Adolescent Development

 
Adolescents as Learners

 
Personal Connection

 
Emotional Engagement

 
Appropriate Intellectual Challenge

 
Purposeful Social Interaction

 
Metacognitive Development

 
A Supportive Learning Environment

 
A Prime Time for Learning

 
Brain-Compatible Instruction: A Summary

 
Summary and Looking Ahead

 
 
3. Adolescent-Centered Differentiation: Evaluation, Expectation, Engagement, and Exploration
Start With the Students

 
A Curriculum of Consequence

 
Getting and Keeping Their Attention

 
Flexigle Opportunities for Interaction

 
Summary and Looking Ahead

 
 
4. Metacognitive Extension in Adolescent-Centered Differentiation
The Power of Adolescent Metacognition

 
Cognitive Modeling

 
Metacognitive Coaching

 
Guided Metacognitive Inquiry

 
Teaching for Transfer

 
Differentiation in PBL: Two Examples

 
Summary and Looking Ahead

 
 
5. A Differentiated Learning Environment: The Affective, Social-Emotional, and Physical Dimensions
Invitations to Learn

 
The Social Dimension of the Learning Environment

 
Varying the Physical Environment

 
Managing the Differentiated Learning Environment

 
Summary and Looking Ahead

 
 
6. The Intellectual Dimension in the Differentiated Environment
The Intellectual Dimension of the Learning Environment

 
Interaction in the Differentiated Learning Environment

 
The New Geography of Learning

 
Summary and Looking Ahead

 
 
7. Learning Patterns and Profiles
Patterns of Responsive Teaching

 
Determining Student Variance

 
Clusters of Commonality

 
Cluster 1: Gifted or Advanced Learners

 
Cluster 2: English Language Learners (ELL)

 
Cluster Group 3: Students With Learning Challenges

 
Summary and Looking Ahead

 
Epilogue: A Shared Commitment to Equity

 
Project-Based Learning

 
In Conclusion

 
 
Glossary of Adolescent-Centered Differentiation Terminology
 
References
 
Index

"Provides research-based strategies that are easy to understand and implement."

Patricia Long Tucker, Regional Superintendent
District of Columbia Public Schools, DC

"An important contribution for teachers serious about helping adolescents learn. The book provides tools for a deliberate approach to focus on student learning."

Cynthia Grindy, Chemistry Teacher
Duluth East High School, Duluth, MN

"Presents a broad and coherent framework that builds connections across theories of adolescent learning and development. The curriculum ideas, questions that prompt teachers’ self-reflection, and guidance for curriculum development all offer tangible tools to teacher educators and leaders in professional development efforts."

Maria Timmons Flores, Assistant Professor
Lewis & Clark College

"There is something for everyone here. A valuable resource for experienced teachers starting on the road to curriculum integration or switching to teaching adolescents. Preservice teachers would also benefit, because the book emphasizes the nature of the learner."

Mark A. Springer, Teacher
Radnor Middle School, Wayne, PA

"Crawford admirably succeeds at addressing perhaps the most demanding of all adolescent educational endeavors: the daily challenge in educating and preparing adolescents' minds and talents for continued future growth. This is a must-read book for teachers and an excellent guide for parents."

David H. Reilly, Retired Dean
School of Education, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

"The implications of this type of learning environment for the middle school student are profound. My students will be excited to be a part of such a classroom!"

Michele Woodson, Curriculum Facilitator
Southern Middle School, Graham, NC

"Provides teachers with practical approaches to integrate and implement research-based instructional practices that focus on individual student needs."

Tina Mashburn, Director of Middle Grades Education
Rowan-Salisbury School System, NC

"Crawford has done a remarkable job of bringing together cutting edge ideas on the differentiation of curriculum and instruction. Her six Es give readers a framework for thinking about the essential aspects of differentiation while her overarching goal of empowering students to manage their own learning provides a vital thread throughout."

Judith Howard, Professor of Education
Elon University

"Crawford's book is one that middle grades teachers can truly use. This is the kind of reference that becomes well worn, dog-eared, and written in, not dusty and hidden on a bookshelf."

Melaine Rickard, Teacher
Alamance-Burlington Schools, NC

Glenda Beamon Crawford

Glenda Beamon Crawford’s experiences with young adolescent learners span nearly thirty years. She has taught in grades 4–12 and currently coordinates the middle grades program at Elon University, where she is a professor of teacher education. She has authored three books, including Managing the Adolescent Classroom and Sparking the Thinking of Students, Ages 10–14, as well as articles on structuring classrooms for adolescent thinking and learning. She consults and presents regularly at state, national, and international conferences. Her research and teaching honors include the 2002 North Carolina Award for Outstanding Contribution to... More About Author

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ISBN: 9781412940542
$40.95