Carol Ann Tomlinson Gives an Updated Look at Differentiated Instruction in ASCD's New DVD Series

Alexandria, Va. ASCD has released a pair of professional development DVDs that offers teachers guidance on what, how, and why to differentiate in their classrooms. In these DVDs, The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of Elementary Learners and The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of Secondary Learners, Carol Ann Tomlinson lays the groundwork for bringing differentiated instruction into the classroom to refine the work teachers already do. Through Tomlinson’s interviews and interactions with teachers, these videos demonstrate practical, real-world examples from elementary and high school classrooms.

“When I wrote the second edition of The Differentiated Classroom, I had the opportunity to reflect on the many changes in education over the past 15 years and develop new ways to make differentiated instruction successful in today’s schools,” said Tomlinson. “I hope that teachers will see the real-life classroom examples in these videos and feel encouraged to try the techniques and strategies with their own students.”

Each DVD will help teachers learn how to divide their time, resources, and efforts to effectively instruct students of various backgrounds, interests, and readiness and skill levels. Each also includes bonus content on how a differentiated classroom makes it easier to implement the Common Core State Standards. Take a look at the videos below for a sneak peek at these two DVDs.

  1. The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of Elementary Learners―An elementary classroom teacher works with his students on a growth mindset, and Tomlinson describes its importance in this excerpt.
  2. The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of Secondary Learners―A secondary classroom teacher talks to her students about the “glows and grows” from a small-group discussion in this excerpt.

The DVDs, which are meant for use in professional learning communities and schools, can be purchased as a set or individually.

For further guidance on implementing differentiated instruction, teachers can read The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners, 2nd Edition. In this book, Tomlinson builds on her writing, instruction, and observations over the last 15 years to update her concepts and strategies for a 21st century learning environment.

Learn more about Carol Ann Tomlinson and her work by visiting ascd.org/carolanntomlinson.

Featured

  • St. John Fisher University

    Classroom Revitalization – Basil Hall Room 216

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. St. John Fisher University's Basil Hall Room 216 Classroom Revitalization has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of Spaces.

  • Minnesota District Opens New PreK–12 School

    Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop Schools in Gibbon, Minn., recently announced that construction is complete on a new, $68.9-million school for students in grades PreK–12, according to a news release.

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.

  • Higher Ed is Betting on New Buildings While Quietly Undermining Their Campuses — Here’s Why

    In this climate, the owner’s representative has changed from a delivery-focused advisor to a strategic campus partner. Institutions are increasingly relying on owner’s reps not just to manage, cope, schedule, and budget, but also help evaluate whether a project should proceed at all.