{"podcast":{"title":"School of Practice","slug":"school-of-practice-7494269","podcast_index_feed_id":7494269,"rss_url":"https://wpvip.edutopia.org/feed/podcast/school-of-practice","website_url":"https://www.edutopia.org/","image_url":"https://wpvip.edutopia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/school-of-practice.png","author":"Edutopia","episode_count":22,"summary":"School of Practice, the first podcast from the team at Edutopia, brings you ready-to-use strategies to improve your teaching today. Join us for 15-minute episodes filled with smart, pedagogy-shifting advice—backed by research and test-driven by teachers just like you.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-14T20:20:21.537972+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/school-of-practice-7494269"},"episode":{"title":"One Task, Many Doors: A More Effective Way to Differentiate","slug":"one-task-many-doors-a-more-effective-way-to-differentiate","published_at":"2026-04-28T10:01:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/school-of-practice-7494269/one-task-many-doors-a-more-effective-way-to-differentiate","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/school-of-practice-7494269","url":"https://www.edutopia.org/","audio_url":"https://wpvip.edutopia.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/McDowell-differentiation_v6-DK_WITH-AD_-18LUFS.mp3","summary":"It’s a mistake to assume that good differentiation always means splitting students up into small groups, says Michael McDowell, an author, coach, and former teacher. A more effective approach, he says, is to design rigorous learning routines that unite the whole class—from fast finishers to kids who need extra support—with shared strategies, structures, and thinking moves. Think: Same surface, different deep problems, much more time in the “we do” space, and a big emphasis on high-quality classroom discussion. In this episode of School of Practice, McDowell breaks down three low-prep differentiation strategies, explains how and when small groups fit into the picture, and makes the case for basketball over ping-pong question protocols. Related resources: Learn more about this episode How to Differentiate Without Splitting Students Up Teaching a Class With Big Ability Differences AI Tool Demo: Differentiating Class Materials With Diffit (video) A Starter Kit for Differentiated Instruction 4 Research-Backed Ways to Differentiate Instruction Actionable Assessment: A Step-by-Step Guide to Responsive Teaching and Student Growth","meta_description":"It’s a mistake to assume that good differentiation always means splitting students up into small groups, says Michael McDowell, an author, coach, and form…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1286,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/school-of-practice-7494269/episodes/one-task-many-doors-a-more-effective-way-to-differentiate/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/school-of-practice-7494269/one-task-many-doors-a-more-effective-way-to-differentiate.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}