Book picks similar to
Action Research: Improving Schools and Empowering Educators by Craig A. Mertler
education
nonfiction
teaching
professional
With Rigor for All: Meeting Common Core Standards for Reading Literature
Carol Jago - 2011
Without artful instruction, many students will never acquire the literacy skills they need not only to meet Common Core Standards but also to meet the challenges this brave new world is sure to deal them." -Carol JagoAgain and again the Common Core Standards state that students must read "proficiently and independently" but how do we achieve this when students are groaning about having to read demanding literature and looking for ways to pass the class without turning pages? Carol Jago shows middle and high school teachers how to create English classrooms where students care about living literate lives and develop into proficient independent readers. With 50% new material, With Rigor for All, Second Edition features: integration of the Common Core State Standards as teaching touchstones YA lit pairings with classic texts to aid comprehension for middle and high school students tips to motivate reluctant readers with immersion, encouragement, and small steps a study guide and guidelines for curriculum development. Students need books that mirror their own experiences and if you teach literature that you love, your students will be more likely to love it too. Let Carol show you how to create an individually designed curriculum in which students read literary works of comparable quality, complexity, and range and enjoy doing it!
The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life
Parker J. Palmer - 1997
It is for teachers who refuse to harden their hearts, because they love learners, learning, and the teaching life." - Parker J. Palmer [from the Introduction] Teachers choose their vocation for reasons of the heart, because they care deeply about their students and about their subject. But the demands of teaching cause too many educators to lose heart. Is it possible to take heart in teaching once more so that we can continue to do what good teachers always do -- give heart to our students?In The Courage to Teach, Parker Palmer takes teachers on an inner journey toward reconnecting with their vocation and their students -- and recovering their passion for one of the most difficult and important of human endeavors.
Driven by Data: A Practical Guide to Improve Instruction
Paul Bambrick-Santoyo - 2010
Through a CD-ROM, this guidebook provides all the tools needed to launch data-driven instruction effectively, such as an implementation rubric, meeting agendas, calendars, assessment templates, and more. Written by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo, who has worked with over 1,000 schools across the nation, the book clearly shows how to maneuver through assessments and statistics. Bambrick-Santoyo offers vital tips, such as: how to create a data culture, how to run a successful data analysis meeting, how to write quality assessments, and how to deal with resistance from your teachers. The book also includes twenty case studies of high-performing schools. School leaders will find this resource useful for achieving remarkable results and immense gains, regardless of the school's background, leader, or demographic. Reviews Paul Bambrick-Santoyo is the master of data driven instruction. I am a principal at a charter school in Washington, D.C. and Paul's workshops have been enormously influential. Over the last three years our student achievement results have sky-rocketed. I attribute much of our gains to the data cycle that Paul describes in this book. Under Paul's guidance, our teachers have become experts at using interim assessments to pinpoint student misunderstandings and re-teach critical concepts. I am thrilled to see that Paul has synthesized his wisdom in a book. Whether you're a principal or a teacher, I highly recommend you buy a copy for your school desk and another for your nightstand. If you're going to read one book about data-driven instruction, this should be it. "Data-driven" instruction is a hot topic in education, but rarely is it implemented well. Paul Bambrick-Santoyo has helped schools achieve tremendous gains by sharing his clear and practical approach. His ideas are compelling and his results are
Becoming a Student-Ready College: A New Culture of Leadership for Student Success
Tia McNair - 2016
Becoming a Student-Ready College flips the college readiness conversation to provide a new perspective on creating institutional value and facilitating student success. Instead of focusing on student preparedness for college (or lack thereof), this book asks the more pragmatic question of what are colleges and universities doing to prepare for the students who are entering their institutions? What must change in an institution's policies, practices, and culture in order to be student-ready?Clear and concise, this book is packed with insightful discussion and practical strategies for achieving your ambitious student success goals. These ideas for redesigning practices and policies provide more than food for thought--they offer a real-world framework for real institutional change. You'll learn:How educators can acknowledge their own biases and assumptions about underserved students in order to allow for change New ways to advance student learning and success How to develop and value student assets and social capital Strategies and approaches for creating a new student-focused culture of leadership at every level To truly become student-ready, educators must make difficult decisions, face the pressures of accountability, and address their preconceived notions about student success head-on. Becoming a Student-Ready College provides a reality check based on today's higher education environment.
Get Up or Give Up: How I Almost Gave Up on Teaching
Michael Bonner - 2017
Poulson, inspired him. The professor’s passion and love for teaching prompted Michael to change his major and his life’s direction. But nothing prepared Michael for the reality of a Title One school. Teaching is fun until a 7-year-old is assaulting you or you’re dodging furniture being thrown at you. When you mix the craziness of a classroom with a marriage that was about to implode, anyone might want to quit. Smiling on the outside while feeling dead on the inside took this dedicated teacher to the breaking point. Michael knew he must change what was inside him, in his approach to life, or nothing would change anywhere else. So Michael took matters into his own hands to make four key paradigm shifts that helped him create a world of successful learning for his students and love within both the classroom and beyond. The result has been a transformation that’s taken Michael far beyond the classroom as he inspires thousands across the country. Many agree teaching is an amazing profession but there’s little discussion why so many teachers are leaving the profession. Get Up or Give Up: How I Almost Gave Up on Teaching shines a light into the internal battles and decisions educators face daily, and how we must make a conscious decision either to give in—or push through.
The Four O’Clock Faculty: A Rogue Guide to Revolutionizing Professional Development
Rich Czyz - 2017
In The Four O'Clock Faculty, Rich identifies ways to make PD meaningful, efficient, and, above all, personally relevant. This book is a practical guide that reveals why some PD is so awful and what you can do to change the model for the betterment of you and your colleagues.
UnCommon Learning: Creating Schools That Work for Kids
Eric C. Sheninger - 2015
Be the leader who creates this environment. UnCommon Learning shows you how to transform a learning culture through sustainable and innovative initiatives. It moves straight to the heart of using innovations such as Makerspaces, Blended Learning and Microcredentials. Included in the book: Vignettes to illustrate key ideas Real life examples to show what works Graphs and data to prove initiatives’ impact
Leading from the Library: Help Your School Community Thrive in the Digital Age
Shannon McClintock Miller - 2019
One essential role librarians play is that of a leader who works collaboratively to build relationships, mold culture and climate, and advocate for the needs of students and the community. In this book, a librarian and an education leader team up to reflect on the librarian's ability to build connections in two ways. First, they discuss the benefits of bringing the outside world into the library through the use of social media, videoconferencing and other tools that allow librarians to partner with others. Then they expand upon these connections by addressing how librarians can lead in the greater educational community by sharing resources and strategies, and partnering with school leaders to tell the story of the school community. Through this book, librarians will discover the influence they can have on the school community as the library becomes the heart of the school, a place where problems are solved, content is explored, connections are made and discovery happens.
Educational Research: Competencies for Analysis and Applications
Lorraine R. Gay - 1976
The reorganized text reflects a more balanced coverage of both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Unique features of this revised edition include an approachable text your students won't mind reading and will want to keep; the accessible writing style, clear and concise explanations, and humorous tone demystify the research process; eleven cumulative Tasks throughout the text provide practice and skill development in doing research, step by step; expanded coverage of qualitative research and mixed methods Chapter 16 covering Narrative Research, and Chapter 17 covering Ethnographic Research, are new to this edition. Chapter 19, Mixed Methods, is also new to this edition. There is an expanded coverage of technology and an increased coverage of how to use technology in the research process. The 39 articles provided in the package (Text, Student Study Guide, and Website) are accompanied by a variety of pedagogical aids to help students learn to read research. research.
City Kids, City Schools: More Reports from the Front Row
William Ayers - 2008
A contemporary companion to City Kids, City Teachers: Reports from the Front Row, this new and timely collection has been compiled by four of the country's most prominent urban educators. Contributors including Sandra Cisneros, Jonathan Kozol, Sapphire, and Patricia J. Williams provide some of the best writing on life in city schools and neighborhoods. Young people and practicing teachers, poets and scholars, social critics and journalists offer unique takes on topics ranging from culturally relevant teaching and scripted curricula to the criminalization of youth, gentrification, and the inequities of school funding.In the words of Sonia Nieto, City Kids, City Schools "challenge[s] the conventional wisdom of what it means to teach in urban schools."
Excellence Through Equity: Five Principles of Courageous Leadership to Guide Achievement for Every Student
Alan M. Blankstein - 2015
Readers will find: Examples of high-leverage practices used by award-winning schools and districts System-level examples of excellence through equity including whole state and district-wide Examples of classroom level practice that lead to success for students from underserved populations as well as for their more privileged peers A powerful concluding chapter that focuses on what we can learn from other nations that have pursued the goals of educational equity
Nonfiction Matters: Reading, Writing, and Research in Grades 3-8
Stephanie Harvey - 1998
Nonfiction Matters offers teachers the tools to help students explore nonfiction and dig deep to reach more complete understanding of the real world and report these insights in a compelling manner.Stephanie Harvey shows how students can read expository text, engage in research, and write authentic nonfiction that is captivating, visual, and full of voice. The inquiry projects she describes require in-depth learning: topic selection, question development, research exploration, reading for content, organization, synthesis, writing to convey meaning, and presenting findings—all skills that develop independent thinkers who know how to make decisions, solve problems, and apply their knowledge insightfully.Full of practical suggestions to help you bring nonfiction into your curriculum, Nonfiction Matters:presents strategies for understanding expository text and conducting meaningful research;offers ideas for organizing and writing accurate, effective nonfiction from idea to finished presentation;advances the importance of teacher modeling and guided practice in instructional delivery;provides a list of inquiry tools and resources—both print and electronic;suggests ways to facilitate project-based learning and assess the projects as they develop;includes bibliographies of nonfiction children's books by subject and genre and lists of recommended magazines.Why is nonfiction almost a guaranteed success? The key to teaching with nonfiction is passion, for children are passionate inquirers, and nonfiction fuels their curiosity and their demand for knowledge and understanding of the world.
The Space: A Guide for Educators
Rebecca Louise Hare - 2016
This book goes well beyond the noise on learning space design that focuses on pretty Pinterest classrooms and moves towards a more sophisticated conversation about how learning spaces support and drive brain-friendly learning. SPACE is a beautifully designed book that respects that reading and learning can happen in a visually appealing way. Hare and Dillon walk educators through a series of questions and ideas on how learning spaces can support collaboration, creation, showcasing learning, and a learner's need for quiet. In addition to nudging thinking forward, SPACE provides practical design tips and uses images and testimonials for hacking learning spaces on a realistic budget. This book is designed to motivate, grow capacity, and energize educators to begin shifting their learning spaces to support modern learning for all students.
Learning First, Technology Second: The Educator’s Guide to Designing Authentic Lessons
Liz Kolb - 2017
It happens when proven teaching strategies intersect with technology tools, and yet it’s not uncommon for teachers to use a tool because it’s “fun” or because the developer promises it will help students learn. Learning First, Technology Second offers teachers the professional learning they need to move from arbitrary uses of technology in their classrooms to thoughtful ways of adding value to student learning. This book includes: An introduction to the Triple E Framework that helps teachers engage students in time-on-task learning, enhance learning experiences beyond traditional means and extend learning opportunities to bridge classroom learning with students’ everyday lives.Effective strategies for using technology to create authentic learning experiences for their students.Case studies to guide appropriate tech integration.A lesson planning template to show teachers how to effectively frame technology choices and apply them in instruction.
How to Create and Use Rubrics for Formative Assessment and Grading
Susan M. Brookhart - 2013
Sounds simple enough, right? Unfortunately, rubrics are commonly misunderstood and misused.The good news is that when rubrics are created and used correctly, they are strong tools that support and enhance classroom instruction and student learning. In this comprehensive guide, author Susan M. Brookhart identifies two essential components of effective rubrics: (1) criteria that relate to the learning (not the tasks) that students are being asked to demonstrate and (2) clear descriptions of performance across a continuum of quality. She outlines the difference between various kinds of rubrics (for example, general versus task-specific, and analytic versus holistic), explains when using each type of rubric is appropriate, and highlights examples from all grade levels and assorted content areas. In addition, Brookhart addresses* Common misconceptions about rubrics;* Important differences between rubrics and other assessment tools such as checklists and rating scales, and when such alternatives can be useful; and* How to use rubrics for formative assessment and grading, including standards-based grading and report card grades.Intended for educators who are already familiar with rubrics as well as those who are not, this book is a complete resource for writing effective rubrics and for choosing wisely from among the many rubrics that are available on the Internet and from other sources. And it makes the case that rubrics, when used appropriately, can improve outcomes by helping teachers teach and helping students learn.