This resource shows how students who work together and share ideas with one another can deepen their understanding of essential concepts.
Combining effective grouping strategies with other research-based practices, this resource focuses on the power of student collaboration and dialogue in differentiated classrooms. Students can strengthen critical thinking and achievement through three key skills: teaming to learn, sharing knowledge and skills, and integrating and applying learning. The authors offer more than 100 reproducible planning tools to help learners:
• Improve critical thinking
• Generalize and infer
• Integrate content and Identify patterns
• Increase adaptive and analytical reasoning

By utilizing these innovative teaching tools and strategies with their student teams, teachers can prepare all students for deeper thinking and success—both in the classroom and on assessments!

Gayle Gregory is an internationally known consultant who has specialized in brain compatible learning and differentiated instruction and assessment. Her areas of expertise include brain-compatible learning, block scheduling, emotional intelligence, instructional and assessment practices, differentiated instructional strategies, using data to differentiate, literacy, presentation skills, renewal of secondary schools, enhancing teacher quality, coaching and mentoring, managing change and building professional learning communities.

Lin Kuzmich, of KCS, Inc., is an educational consultant, professor, and author. She served the Thompson School District in several roles as the assistant superintendent, executive director of secondary and elementary instruction, director of professional development, and a building principal. Her school was named a 2000 winner of the John R. Irwin Award for Academic Excellence and Improvement. Kuzmich is an adjunct professor at both Colorado State University and University of Northern Colorado.