Collaborate, Communicate, and Differentiate!
How to Increase Student Learning in Today’s Diverse Schools
- Wendy W. Murawski - California State University, Northridge, USA
- Sally Spencer - California State University, Northridge, USA
Collaboration & Team Building | Differentiation & Multiple Intelligences | Inclusive Education
"An all-in-one book—a lighthearted and well grounded introduction to collaboration, how it can improve education for all children, and its role in effectively educating students with special needs. Murawski and Spencer tell it like it is, and they do so with humor and straight talk."
—Lynne Cook, Professor, School of Education
California State University, Dominguez Hills
"As a kid who struggled in school, this is the book that I wish every one of my teachers had read. It is a stunning achievement and huge step forward to making all schools inclusive of all learners!"
—Johnathan Mooney, Author, The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal
Collaboration 101 for teachers, parents, and school communities
Teachers in both general and special education classrooms are being asked to collaborate to give all students access to the general education curriculum. The challenge is that teachers receive very little training in how to work together to educate students successfully. Do you wonder how to get started, how much time it will take, and what the results will be? Collaborate, Communicate, and Differentiate! addresses those issues and more, taking collaboration out of the abstract and supplying easy-to-use strategies that apply to daily tasks such as
- Planning and differentiating instruction
- Communicating with families
- Using Universal Design for Learning to form instruction
- Assessing students with diverse backgrounds and abilities
- Co-teaching
- Coordinating with all staff members
This reader-friendly text ties each strategy to the goal of improving student outcomes. Included are vignettes, In a Nutshell and Eye on the Research quick-reference guides, reproducible forms, Principal Points to share with administrators, and a companion website. Educators who have wondered how to make collaboration reasonable, feasible, and time-efficient will find the answers in this book!
“Collaborate, Communicate, and Differentiate is an accessible and engaging resource that could serve equally well for teacher training programs as well as for use in professional learning communities. The authors conversationally address the most important skill sets required of educators in 21st century schools, providing compelling rationales and numerous examples from the field. Other beneficial features include essential questions and the In a Nutshell, In Practice, and Eye on the Research sections. The appendices are extensive and highly useful for practitioners. I predict the book will be dog-eared, flagged, highlighted, and often loaned.”
"An all-in-one book—a lighthearted and well grounded introduction to collaboration, how it can improve education for all children, and its role in effectively educating students with special needs. Murawski and Spencer are accomplished classroom teachers and teacher educators who share their expertise and enthusiasm as they provide key approaches to collaboration as a method for achieving critical goals for diverse learners. They tell it like it is, and they do so with humor and straight talk."
"Collaborate, Communicate, and Differentiate invites and prepares educators to insightfully dive into today’s classrooms. Its informal tone is backed up with applicable research and practical ideas that walk the collaborative talk!"
"I plan to give Murawski’s book to my first-year teachers because it covers all subjects, not just special education, and helps teachers in all interactions with students. This is not a 'one-time, sit-down and read' book. It will become a well-used resource thanks to its support and easy-to-locate information."
"As a kid who struggled in school, this is the book that I wish every one of my teachers had read. It is a stunning achievement and huge step forward to making all schools inclusive of all learners!"
"This book is a great tool for learning methods for increasing student success. The research-based ideas are clearly explained. The authors’ writing style makes the topics enjoyable and easy to access. I am energized and excited to try out new strategies after reading this book."
"Murawski and Spencer provide practical ideas in a clever and engaging format. Collaborate, Communicate and Differentiate! is a great resource for preservice and inservice teachers who want to increase their toolkits with practical ideas. The authors help educators understand a range of topics. The book provides quick and easy strategies for teachers to use immediately in their practice including co-teaching, planning, differentiation, learning, and assessment. The content will enrich the practice of teachers at all levels."
“Once again Wendy Murawski has produced a practical tool to enable educators to provide success to all students. Reading through the book I found myself saying out loud. “That’s right! That’s what administrators need to know; that’s what teachers need to know; that’s what parents need to know…and here’s how you do it.” The insightful, down-to-earth, and jargon free explanations will leave educators believing they have taken the first steps toward successful collaboration. I am eager to provide this resource to the leaders (administrators and teachers) in my school division where I am confident it will be embraced as enthusiastically as Dr. Murawski’s previous works.”
Good solid book on the topic.