CM Part 3

Teaching Tolerance ran The ABCs - The Anti-Bias Classroom Series - from 2006 to 2008. The ABCs were online curriculum packages for educators and each installment of The ABCs offered classroom activities and professional development resources for teachers at all grade levels. From women’s history to service learning to hip hop, each thematic unit allowed for educators to “click, print and use” materials immediately.

The ABCs gave Jeff the opportunity to co-write with some of the most prominent scholars in the field of multicultural education, scholars like Bill Bigelow and Linda Christensen of Rethinking Schools Magazine, Carl Grant of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Jacqueline Jordan Irvine of Emory University, Christine Sleeter of California State University, Monterey Bay, and Paul Gorski of EdChange.org. These scholars have contributed to the classic works that multicultural educators use to teach and cite as core pieces of literature in research.

The ABCs of Classroom Management (Part 3)

June 11, 2008 - In this third installment of the ABCs of Classroom Management, teachers speak about differentiating instruction to encourage active student engagement and introduce techniques to develop students’ higher order thinking skills.

By Michelle Marsh Garcia and Jeff Sapp

Introduction

No Child Left Behind and other high-stakes testing mandates encourage students to master basic skills and standards in order to achieve proficient marks. For many teachers the drive to help students succeed on these tests has led to the further standardization of mandated curriculum and a focus on “teaching to the test.” For students, particularly those on the bottom cusp of proficiency and those in schools with marginal ratings, often lower income and populated by students of color, will be subjected to endless drills and boring worksheets.

Educational research suggests that children learn more when they’re exposed to a rich, engaging curriculum that is differentiated so that all students can access the material and excel. Such findings can leave teachers wondering how to differentiate a standardized, often mandated curriculum. Even teachers not beset by the pressure to perform on the test may struggle to present their curriculum to students in a way that is accessible to all and affords each the opportunity to excel, particularly with regard to ethnically and linguistically diverse students.

Read on to learn more about differentiated instruction and hear from real classroom teachers about what they do in their classrooms to help students not only master basic skills, but also develop the higher order thinking skills critical to academic success.

Thanks to our National Board Certified teachers Michelle Rainey, Talitha Simeon-Moon, and Kristen Miller for sharing their time and expertise; Lawndale High School Associate Principal Jennifer Garcia for her gracious support of this project; to Erwin “Sino” Donato for expert videography; the design and web production teams at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), particularly Robin Snead for his tireless editing; and the Teaching Tolerance team for their contributions to this ABC package.