Differentiating Instruction for Students with Learning Disabilities ─ New Best Practices for General and Special Educators

Bender, a former teacher working with students with behavioral disorders and learning disabilities who gives workshops on response to intervention, explores how differentiated instruction has been transformed by various educational initiatives and makes suggestions for primary and elementary general and special education teachers (as well as well as school psychologists, administrators, and those in professional learning communities) working with students with learning and other disabilities and non-disabled students who may be struggling in the general education classroom. He suggests instructional strategies for teaching within the context of the Common Core State Standards and presents strategies related to the standards and for the general education class. He reviews the history of differentiated instruction and the importance of brain-compatible instruction, then discusses the concept of universal design and differentiated instruction models, including modification of the traditional lesson plan using learning centers, project-based learning, and the "flipped" classroom. He then focuses on strategies related to technology, response to intervention, instructional support strategies, and cognitive strategy instruction. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)