Educational Experts Determine Best Practices for Differentiated Instruction Using the Latest Neuroscience Research

Bloomington, Feb. 27, 2018 -- In the second edition of Differentiation and the Brain, published by Solution Tree, authors David A. Sousa and Carol Ann Tomlinson break down how to create classrooms that are highly effective and brain-friendly for all learners.

The latest edition, which updates 2010’s best-selling Differentiation and the Brain, includes new references and findings from cognitive psychology, neuroscience and pedagogy. The authors also share updated strategies and classroom-tested examples, as well as specific guidance on implementing the various components of differentiated instruction.

“The major contribution that educational neuroscience has made to our profession is that it helps us understand the why,” explained Sousa. “Previously, we would observe student behavior and see that certain practices worked, but we didn’t know why. Neuroscience has helped explain things about retention, memory, and thinking skills and makes it clear why certain strategies work and others don’t.”

This book differs from other resources on differentiation, in that it combines two imperatives that face nearly all educators today:

1. Research is revealing so much about how the brain learns that educators can no longer ignore the implications of these discoveries for educational practice.
2. Teachers need to find ways to use this brain research to develop strategies that will allow students to succeed in classrooms that contain a diverse mix of abilities, cultures and languages.

The authors emphasize that the student population continues to become more academically and culturally diverse, making it more important than ever before to shift away from a one-size-fits-all approach to teaching and learning.  “We’re living in a time where classrooms are really typified by diversity,” explained Tomlinson. “It’s clear to pretty much every teacher I talk with that the students they have in front of them are not all alike, and when they do one-size-fits-all teaching, a lot of kids lose.”

Rick Wormeli, an author and education consultant, had high praise for the title, stating, “Expert and engaging with clear, vivid descriptions of the principles used in real classrooms, Differentiation and the Brain, Second Edition makes the fields of neuroscience and differentiation accessible. It is a welcome contribution from two of the most amazing thinkers of our time.”

Differentiation and the Brain, Second Edition, is now available to order at SolutionTree.com.

About the Authors

David A. Sousa, EdD, is an author and international consultant. He has received numerous awards from professional associations, school districts and educational foundations for his commitment to research, staff development and science education.

Carol Ann Tomlinson, EdD, is an author, a consultant, a trainer and a presenter who works throughout the United States and abroad with teachers to develop more responsive, heterogeneous classrooms.

About Solution Tree For nearly 20 years, Solution Tree (https://www.solutiontree.com) has worked to transform education worldwide, empowering educators to raise student achievement. With more than 30,000 educators attending professional development events and more than 4,260 professional development days in schools each year, Solution Tree helps teachers and administrators confront essential challenges in schools. Solution Tree has a catalog of 515 titles, hundreds of videos and online courses and is the creator of Global PD, an online tool that facilitates the work of professional learning communities. Follow @SolutionTree on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Solution Tree
Erica Dooley-Dorocke
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