Differentiating Instruction in the Inclusive Classroom

Book excerpt: Students in the 21st-century classroom are diverse culturally, economically, and linguistically, with disparate needs and abilities. General education classroom students vary in academic readiness, interest level, and individual learning profile, and some may have severe learning and behavioral challenges. All teachers today need to be able to differentiate instruction, using strategies that address students strengths, interests, skills, and readiness for learning, in a flexible classroom environment. The 10th volume in the CEC Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities Prism series, Differentiating Instruction in the Inclusive Classroom reviews the building blocks of effectively meeting the needs of all students universal design for learning, multiple intelligence theory, and findings from brain research and supports teachers in successfully delivering instruction and providing support.