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Schools for All Kinds of Minds Boosting Student Success by Embracing Learning Variation.jpg
This book shows how schools can--and "must"--develop expertise in "learning variation" (understanding how different kinds of minds learn) and apply this knowledge to classroom instruction in order to address the chronic learning challenges and achievement gap faced by millions of students. Barringer shows how using what we know about learning variation with a focus on discovering learning "strengths," not just deficits, can help schools create plans for success for those students who often find it elusive. The book specifically addresses how school leaders can incorporate this knowledge into instructional practice and school-level policy through various professional development strategies. " ""Schools for All Kinds of Minds" Provides a readable synthesis of the latest research from neuroscience, cognitive science, and child and adolescent development as it relates to understanding learning and its many variations.Links this information to strategies for understanding struggling learners and adapting school practices to accommodate a wider array of learning differences in a classroom.Demonstrates how this understanding of learning variation can change the way teachers and others help students succeed in various academic and content areas and acquire necessary 21st century skills.Includes discussion questions and facilitator guidelines for staff developers and teacher education programs; downloadable forms that accompany exercises from within the book; an action plan for schools to implement the ideas found in the book; and more.
- GenresEducation
Hardcover
First published February 18, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 30, 2018
The book was a useful introduction to the foundation's view that all kinds of minds will be necessary to the twenty-first century, and that we need to shift from teaching to learning as the focus of schools.
They have a learning framework; it appears to be quite high-level.
I am always stunned when I read the educational literature - if this content is really new news to teachers, then we are in worse shape educationally than I feared.
The book does give some vignettes and examples of how focusing on the needs of the 1-2 students who have the most serious learning difficulties can generate benefits for all students. One of the key points was about observing and describing learners, rather than labeling them and/or making assumptions about the student's intent.
The case studies of school usage seemed pretty fluffy - making posters about a learning framework construct (higher order thinking) does not constitute an improvement outcome in student learning . .. .though they did cite a student telling a visiting presenter to "get off the first floor" of their metaphor of Bloom's taxonomy of learning.)
They have a learning framework; it appears to be quite high-level.
I am always stunned when I read the educational literature - if this content is really new news to teachers, then we are in worse shape educationally than I feared.
The book does give some vignettes and examples of how focusing on the needs of the 1-2 students who have the most serious learning difficulties can generate benefits for all students. One of the key points was about observing and describing learners, rather than labeling them and/or making assumptions about the student's intent.
The case studies of school usage seemed pretty fluffy - making posters about a learning framework construct (higher order thinking) does not constitute an improvement outcome in student learning . .. .though they did cite a student telling a visiting presenter to "get off the first floor" of their metaphor of Bloom's taxonomy of learning.)
May 21, 2011
There were lots of notes I could have taken in reading this book. Not this go around though.
I'll just go with this...
This book had good specifics - gross motor vs fine motor vs graphomotor.
Nice insights for approaching all kids and especially the "special needs" kids. Generally the special education meetings concentrate on the learning difficulties and what needs to be done to accomodate them. This book starts with the story of the Kinko's founder who had great difficulty in school. He was the one assigned to make copies in business school and discovered how difficult it was. This book talks about many creative leaders out there who had difficulty throughout school, and really focuses on looking at the strong traits these people have. It suggests that meetings spend more time on the positive - recognizing a student's strengths and how those can counteract weaknesses.
I'll just go with this...
This book had good specifics - gross motor vs fine motor vs graphomotor.
Nice insights for approaching all kids and especially the "special needs" kids. Generally the special education meetings concentrate on the learning difficulties and what needs to be done to accomodate them. This book starts with the story of the Kinko's founder who had great difficulty in school. He was the one assigned to make copies in business school and discovered how difficult it was. This book talks about many creative leaders out there who had difficulty throughout school, and really focuses on looking at the strong traits these people have. It suggests that meetings spend more time on the positive - recognizing a student's strengths and how those can counteract weaknesses.
May 14, 2020
"Schools for All Kinds of Minds" is a useful book for teachers who are implementing personalized learning. I don't know if it was meant for this, but since so many teachers now are working on personalized learning, this book, written in 2010, seems to have been about the same idea with a different name. "All Kinds Of Minds" is a program that staff receives training to implement in their school. It is a school wide program. However, this book definitely provides a lot of ideas that a teacher could use on his/her own.
The premise of the program is to focus on the students as learners, not so much the curriculum that is to be taught. We need to observe students as learners, interview them, gain information from parents, all in an effort to identify how each student learns so that we provide the environment for the student to learn new material in the most productive way.
The premise of the program is to focus on the students as learners, not so much the curriculum that is to be taught. We need to observe students as learners, interview them, gain information from parents, all in an effort to identify how each student learns so that we provide the environment for the student to learn new material in the most productive way.
December 9, 2010
I read this as part of a Keene State College module in a year-long graducate course. I learned a lot from it and there were some good ideas and lots of good forms or tables that could be used. The writing itself could have been better, I find it drolled on a little.
June 21, 2012
Good resource for considering differences in student learning and how to adjust instruction to support all learners.
February 19, 2015
Great information; just really long-winded, repetitive.
August 6, 2014
Would have liked more practical applications.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
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