Rick Wormeli. 2007. Portland, ME: Stenhouse; Westerville, OH:
National Middle School Association. 176 pp. US$23.00.
Differentiated instruction can be a challenging and complex problem even for teachers who realize that one size does not fit all. Wormeli has written a practical how-to book, to facilitatedifferentiation from initial planning to daily practice. The book consists of fivechapters with step-by-step instructions for differentiating classroom instruction across the curriculum. Wormeli’s approach follows the current paradigm shift, moving away from what a teacher teaches to what a student is able to learn. This necessitates a refocusing of the teacher’s role, requiring the teacher to learn about students’ needs and what they know about a particular topic so that instruction can be designed to scaffold students’ learning beyond this point.
Wormeli states that differentiated instruction is a “professional and responsive mindset”(p. 7), with the goal of doing whatever it takes to make learning happen. He emphasizes that differentiated instruction should be part of the planning process for all adolescent learners, including English-language learners (ELLs), for whom English is a challenge; underachieving students; advanced learners; reluctant learners; those who learn differently; and any student who struggles with learning at some time in their schooling.
This book will be of benefit to both the practicing teacher who has made the decision to implement differentiated instruction and the preservice teacher who is taking courses in learning theory or subject area methodology....
At the end of the book, there are two additional resources to assist teachers on their journey to differentiating
instruction. The first section is a list of recommended resources on differentiating instruction. Teachers just beginning to become familiar with differentiated instruction should note those references marked with an asterisk. The last section is an appendix containing condensed lists and graphics of materials that teachers can keep handy as they apply Wormeli’s approach in their instructional planning.
True to cognitive psychological principles, Wormeli presents differentiated instruction to his readers according to the same principles he espouses for teaching students. Within this book, the steps for planning differentiated lessons are clearly explained and modeled through the use of examples. With the intent of reaching teachers from all content areas, Wormeli has included lesson samples from a variety of curricular areas. These lessons are authentic. A teacher would be able to locate them in a curriculum for a particular grade level in a specific subject area. These examples reinforce the fact that differentiated instruction is everyone’s responsibility.
Reviewed by Donna Copsey Haydey, University of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
West TQ Book Learning Teams
