Differentiating the High School Classroom
Solution Strategies for 18 Common Obstacles
- Kathie F. Nunley - Educational consultant and teacher trainer, Help4Teachers.com, Brains.org
Secondary General Methods
"Places all of a teacher's concerns on the table, and whittles them away with classroom strategies."
-Toby Karten, Educational Consultant
"The ideas in this book will be useful for years to come."
-William Fitzhugh, Teacher, Reisterstown Elementary School, MD
"In the good old days, we didn't have to differentiate."
If this is how you feel about differentiated instruction (DI), you are not alone. Although research shows that DI maximizes learning and neural development, teachers still struggle with its challenges, especially in the high school classroom. Applying her unique expertise as a researcher, teacher, trainer, and parent, Kathie F. Nunley provides practical and supportive solutions to the real obstacles teachers face in mixed ability high school classrooms.
Each chapter lists an obstacle-"I have too much content to cover," or "I can't grade all those different assignments," or "I thought I was differentiating"-and then provides:
- A discussion of the pedagogical and curriculum issues
- Ready-to-use solution strategies
- Examples and scenarios showing the strategies in action
- Practice assignments
Written with common sense, wisdom, and humor, this easy-to-navigate guide is a must-have resource for all high school teachers and instructional leaders committed to the benefits of differentiated instruction for high school learners.
"Gives a clear road map to follow and provides vital information without preaching. The author acknowledges and places all of a teacher's concerns on the table, and whittles them away with classroom strategies. The casual yet clear format parallels high school teachers' needs."
“Differentiation at the high school level is one of the hottest topics and a greatly needed area for professional development. I really like the historical context; it tells us that we are in a ‘new’ and different age in U.S. education history.”
“Provides the readers with action strategies for differentiating instruction at the secondary level. It will be received with interest by many secondary school educators.”
"I like the conversational tone of this book. The author is speaking to me, not at me. All of us veteran teachers have been through so many 'new' things that have been discarded after a year or two that we have become jaded. The ideas in this book will be useful for years to come."
"This book offers 'assignments' that teachers can use to implement differentiation in their own classrooms, including devising a layered curriculum and offering students choices in displaying their skills."
"The use of analogies, examples, and classroom stories makes it both engaging and user-friendly. Solutions range far beyond the author's own Layered Curriculum method to include many practical solutions to challenges common to many high school teachers."
