Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book introduces to the All Learners Learning Every Day (ALL-ED) teacher decision-making framework to determine when, why, and how to differentiate instruction. It explains how we developed and rooted our framework in research. This is important because we rarely see practical books written for teachers that also explain why the practices lead to better learning. Carol Tomlinson provides the most well-known definition of differentiated instruction. She defines differentiated instruction as "a teacher's response to learner's needs guided by general principles of differentiation such as respectful tasks, flexible grouping, and ongoing assessment and adjustment. Teachers can differentiate content, process, and product according to students' readiness, interests, and learning profile". This insight led us to develop classroom routines that provide teachers with time to look, listen, and think about student learning as they teach.