Student-Driven Differentiation: 8 Steps to Harmonize Learning in the Classroom (Corwin Teaching Essentials)

This book is an absolute must for any educator! Lisa Westman does a remarkable job at explaining how to incorporate student voice and choice in the process of differentiation in the classroom. The book is rich with examples from real students, vignettes from multiple teachers, and helpful tools to help and support any educator with their differentiation needs. The 8-step road map outlines actual actionable strategies that a teacher can use and implement in their classroom. Lisa has created helpful infographics and checklists and has also included personal stories that really resonate with the reader and can be put into action with ease. Truly remarkable and an absolute MUST for all educators, coaches and administrators.

Lisa Westman has written an indispensable book for every educator. As a regular blogger for Education Week, Lisa has long been my go-to source for inspiration and wisdom. In this gem of a book, her teacher's heart shines through as she first talks about the importance of relationships in the classroom. She then goes on to offer practical strategies for making differentiation a driver of student agency and achievement. This is a book you will keep going back to. Thank you, Lisa Westman, for sharing your expertise and passion for helping us all move our students forward with enthusiasm and efficacy!

The book was reliever way before expected! Great condition ☀️

Straightforward and achievable way to differentiate instruction.

A must read for all teachers!

I am a high school teacher who is always looking for ways to incorporate student voice and choice in the classroom without simply making more work for myself. I've gotten into debates with teachers in the past who feel that differentiation should simply come in the form of using a different novel or creating a different workshop. I felt the author, Lisa Westman, "got it." She knows what it is like to teach in an actual classroom with an insane variety of ability levels where you are given the Herculean task of meeting the individual needs of 30+ students. Her '8 steps to harmonize learning' were practical and best of all, didn't just equate to more work for me.The key idea behind differentiation in this book is that it can happen in four different ways: content, process, product, and learning environment. Differentiation doesn't mean four leveled worksheets! Westman goes through the practical steps of allowing differentiation for each component. For example, students can have a choice when it comes to content by allowing them to choose the topic of a research project or allowing them to report on a book of their choosing instead of a class-wide text.The book is full of practical advice, infographics, case studies, problem-solving strategies, and clear examples. The tone is practical and conversational, just very approachable as if this is a conversation with a master teacher instead of your traditional professional development book. Also, can we please get an entire book on experiential learning?? In a perfect world, I would have time to reimagine my entire curriculum using the ideas presented in chapter 6.

I am a teacher and always looking for ways to improve the work that I do. Differentiation is something that most of the time teachers do automatically but making plans to do it with intention is something that I felt I could learn more about. I found myself searching through this book for ideas and finding it repetitive and not clearly organized. It is not something that I recommend or will choose to use myself.

Lisa is a talented author and she must have been an amazing classroom teacher. Now she can take her skills and gift of teaching and share it in her consulting work. Actually, she is able to educate a larger number of students.I especially like Lisa’s respectful approach to students. I am somewhat familiar with differentiated instruction, but her description has greater depth and understanding. Her honest voice throughout the book with examples of her own childhood and Keller and Mallory, help build her credibility. She quotes a number of very respected education gurus and fits their philosophies into the text, nicely. Lisa did a lot of research.This book would be a meaningful tool in any classroom. She should be proud of this exceptional publication. Gold stars all around.