"The Responsive Classroom" Developed by the Northeast Foundation for Children (NEFC) site envisions schools as respectful learning communities where educators honor the social context of learning and use knowledge of students' development to inform all decisions.
Active Learning Practices for Schools. Project Zero site that provides many resources to improve instruction based on use of multiple intelligences and authentic learning.
The Program for Complex Instruction: Achieving Equity in the Classroom Complex Instruction evolved from over 20 years of research to provide academic access and success for all students in heterogeneous classrooms. This site has links to news, who's who, research, classroom info, and more.
The Center for Applied Special Technology - CAST CAST iuses technology to expand opportunities for all people, including those with disabilities. Click on the "site map" to access dozens of links to CAST, Universal Design, National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum and more.
Individualized Education Program: Roadmap to Success. Simple guide developed by the Ohio Department of Education.
Individualized Education Planning Program. Step by step process from the University of Vermont.
COACH: Educational planning for students with severe disabilities. Description of detailed guide.
Decision-making for Inclusive Education. Step by step guide from the Renaissance group.
LINKS to several sites on IEPs.
Transition plans. Guide for developing Individual Transition Plans as part of the student IEP.
A growing body of literature and strategies are available regarding ways to structure learning so that students with multiple abilities may learn together. In addition to our phrase of 'designing for diversity', the terms 'multi-level teaching', 'differentiated instruction', and 'universal design' are being used to describe strategies towards this end. Here we provide some links to sites that add to the information we have provided in this chapter.
Brain-based learning
Practical applications of brain-based research. Site provides many links to resources and information.
Brain/Mind Learning. An overview of 12 basic principles and three interactive teaching elements from authors Caine and Caine. This site provides a similar set of 12 design principles based on brain-based learning research.
Universal design
Center for Universal Design for Learning. National center that focuses on theory, research, and practical strategies, particularly related to use of technology, for the design of instruction for all learners.
Differentiated instruction
Differentiated instruction links. A site that provides links to many additional websites for differentiated instruction for mixed-ability classrooms.
High End Learning in the Diverse Middle School. A research study that investigated strategies for providing challenging instruction for high ability students in classrooms with mixed ability members.
Multi-level teaching
Authentic Multi-level Instruction (AMI). Comprehensive
paper from the Whole Schooling Consortium and the Whole Schooling
Research Project.
Multi-level Lesson Plan Guide: Earth, Moon, and Beyond. Jeni Gonzales. Multi-level lesson guide developed to demonstrate the planning process for multi-level teaching and multiple intelligences.
Multi-age instruction. Comprehensive site with many links and resources.
Multiple intelligences
Multiple Intelligences: Introduction and links. Site for Thomas Armstrong. Includes several links to his publications on multiple intelligences.
Emotional Intelligences in Schools. Article explores the importance of understanding emotional intelligence in learning.
Active Learning Practices for Schools. Project Zero site that provides many resources to improve instruction based on use of multiple intelligences and authentic learning.
Key Elementary School and Key Renaissance School Two schools in Indianapolis that have organized their instruction around multiple intelligences.
Multiple Intelligences Resources. References, links to websites, videos, and research reviews.
A fun graphic showing the 8 multiple intelligences.
Scaffolding
Vygotsky. This Russian author provided the theoretical and practical basis for the concept of scaffolding. He suggested that learning is social.
Scaffolding for Success. A brief, clear article that describes strategies for scaffolding and provides links to example in classroom instruction.
Learning styles
Learning Styles Resources. Page provides links and information about several approaches to learning styles.
Learning Styles Network. Site of the Center for the Study of Learning and Teaching Styles at Johns Hopkins University.
Cooperative learning
What is The Collaborative Classroom? Text of 1 of 3 "guidebooks" to elaborate what classroom collaboration means describing characteristics of these classrooms and student and teacher roles, relevant research, issues related to changing instruction, and examples of a variety of teaching methods and practices.
Problem-based learning
Several websites are available that focus on problem-based learning and provide useful resources. These include the Problem-Based Learning Initiative at Southern Illinois University, the Problem Based Learning program in Birmingham, and Problem-based Learning: University of Delaware.
Inclusion in Science Education for Students with Disabilities Inclusion in Science for Students with Disabilities is helpful for those interested in inclusion for students with a variety of disabilities.
The Center for Universal Design: Environments and Products for All People Center that evaluates, develops, and promotes universal design in housing, public and commercial facilities, and related products.
The Center for Applied Special Technology - CAST CAST iuses technology to expand opportunities for all people, including those with disabilities. Click on the "site map" to access dozens of links to CAST, Universal Design, National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum and more.
Closing The Gap: Computer Technology in Special Education and Rehabilitation Computers are tools that can provide solutions to many problems facing people with disabilities today. Closing The Gap,focuses on computer technology for people with special needs .
Alliance for Technology Access - ATA Network of community-based resource centers, developers, vendors, affiliates and associates dedicated to providing information and support services to children and adults with disabilities.
Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America - RESNA An interdisciplinary association of people with a common interest in technology and disability whose purpose is to improve the potential of people with disabilities to achieve their goals through the use of technology.
The National Center to Improve Practice - NCIP Federally funded orgranization designed to promote the effective use of technology or students with sensory, cognitive, physical and social/emotional disabilities. Contains accessibility features to accommodate the needs of users with disabilities and has links to resources, videos of students using technologies, video tours of classrooms, spotlight on voice recognition capabilities, and more.
Nine Types of Adaptation Strategies. Describes strategies for curriculum adaptation developed in Indiana.
Curriculum Adaptations using assistive technology and augmentative communication devices.
Lesson PLans with Acccommodations. Sample lesson plans K - 12 with accommodations for students with special needs from the Chicago Public Schools.
Up Close and Personal: How Classroom Assessment Improves Learning. Article describing initiatives in Nebraska to focus on classroom assessment rather than standardized testing to improve learning.
FairTest: The National Center for Fair & Open Testing FairTest is an advocacy organization working to end the abuses, misuses and flaws of standardized testing. This site provides information, technical assistance and advocacy on a broad range of testing concerns, focusing on three areas: K-12, university admissions and employment tests (including teacher testing).
Alfie Kohn: Rescuing our schools from "tougher standards". This site has short articles regarding the problems with the standards movement and standardized tests, links to additional resources including a national network of coordinators in each state.
Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) This site provides examples of useful assessments that are directly linked to instruction, providing teachers, students, and parent's ongoing authentic assessment information that helps students learn and teachers teach.
North Central Regional Educational Laboratory This site provides information and links regarding ways to link assessment to effective learning and teaching in meaningful ways, strategies for assuring equity in the assessment process, particularly concerned with issues of race and class. On this site, we would particularly recommend the following article: Why Should Assessment be based on a Vision of Learning?
K-12 Standards: MCREL This site provides comprehensive descriptions and links to standards and benchmarks established for various disciplines across grade levels.