To successfully differentiate instruction, you need the right mindset, a strong skill set, and an effective tool set.
Teachers who differentiate are instructional decision makers—educational designers who leverage pedagogical expertise and carefully cultivated insight to plan rigorous and respectful learning experiences for every student. In Using Technology in a Differentiated Classroom, Clare R. Kilbane and Natalie B. Milman explain how to pair the principles of differentiation and quality instructional design with educational technology to ensure every learning experience is engaging, effective, efficient, and equitable. You'll find expert guidance and an array of recommended digital tools that will support your efforts to
Plan or adapt lessons, units, and learning activities to differentiate by content, process, and product;
Create and sustain a positive and supportive learning community;
Design and employ more accurate and informative assessment;
Learn from and about students and families—and communicate more clearly with both; and
Manage the various administrative and operational aspects of differentiation.
To differentiate instruction is to pursue the highest aims of the profession—namely, to meet every student as a uniquely valuable individual, help each acquire knowledge and build skills and understanding, and position all for future success. Read this book to become a better differentiator and more skillful teacher.
Initial reviews include:
Kilbane and Milman's Using Technology in a Differentiated Classroom should be on every teacher's bookshelf as an invaluable how-to resource for leveraging technology in their teaching. This book explains current understandings of technology's potential to address diverse learner needs, providing a step-by-step and practical approach to effective teaching design. Educators will find it an essential guide for creating engaging, inclusive, and personalized learning experiences in today's digitally equipped classrooms.
—Teresa S. Foulger, EdD, Professor of Educational Technology, Arizona State University
Although differentiated instruction has always been accepted as "best practice," practitioners often struggle to implement it with fidelity. Utilizing a logical, well-designed framework, Drs. Kilbane and Milman provide teachers and other education leaders with a design orientation that demystifies differentiation while providing countless methods to weave it into their planning. The post-pandemic timing of this important work is particularly prescient given learners' increasingly varied needs and the countless technological tools now available to assist our teachers in supporting all learners.
—Mark Secaur, EdD, Superintendent, Smithtown Central School District and President, New York State ASCD