Tomlinson, C. A. (1999). Mapping a Route Toward Differentiated Instruction. Educational Leadership, 57 (1), 1-8.
Carol Ann Tomlinson, in this article, does a great job with exploring three different teaching strategies. The fact that three real life examples are used immediately interests the readers; especially those of us who want to use differentiated instruction. We are introduced to Mr. Appleton, who uses the approach of lectures and note-taking to teach his students about a topic. This approach lacks any type of student engagement and creativity as well as it seems to get repetitive and quite boring. The second example is of Mrs. Baker. She seems to be fun and open minded, however, her classroom lacks any sort of criteria and understanding. Finally, in the final example of Ms. Cassnell, we understand the importance of differentiated instruction. Ms. Cassnell uses this approach in the best manner, as it has creativity, meets criteria and students are actually learning and understanding. By using three real-life based examples, we get a clear vision of what we should be incorporating into our teaching. It also helps us connect better to real-life practice.