When it comes to school initiatives, more isn't always better. Today's educators are buried under old practices, new ideas, and recommended initiatives. Before you're tempted to add just one more idea to the pile, take a step back--and an objective look--so that you and your teachers can decide which practices to keep, which to modify, and ......
How to Create and Sustain a School-Wide Culture of Deep Reading, Writing, and Thinking
With Disciplinary Literacy in Action, learn to pool teacher strengths to use innovative literacy moves tailored to each discipline. This book relies on real-world implementation rather than using inauthentic add-ons for different disciplines.
5 Steps to Help Your Students Overcome Math Trauma and Build a Better Relationship With Math
Anything is possible - even building a better relationship with math! This is much more than a book about math. This is a book about hope. Imagine failing 11th grade math - twice! - and going on to be known affectionately as The Lady Gaga of Math. That is the story of author Vanessa "The Math Guru" Vakharia. Thanks to an inspiring teacher who helped Vanessa heal her own relationship with math, Vanessa was then able to see math in a way that literally changed the trajectory of her life. Most people have experienced math trauma at least once, but by early-mid elementary school, many students have gotten the message that either they are a math person or they are not. In Math Therapy (TM), Vanessa shows that with the right tools and strategies, teachers can foster a culture in which every student is capable of building a better relationship with math - and with themselves. Through the five M's of Math Therapy (TM)-Mythbust, Moderate, Motivate, Makeover, and Measure-teachers can help their students overcome math trauma, cultivate a positive math identity, and develop a mathematical mindset. Written in a fun and conversational style, and grounded in research on math education and neuropsychology, this book Provides practical, hands-on strategies and tools that make it easy and fun for teachers to implement each step of Math Therapy (TM) in their classroom Helps teachers unpack their own math history before diving in to what they can do to help their students Addresses the trauma-induced stumbling blocks that many students face when tackling mathematics Includes humorous and engaging real-life vignettes-from celebrating Pi Day by visiting a prison, to setting off a confetti cannon to celebrate a student's milestone, to the time Vanessa's band opened for Bon Jovi, and more! Much more than a book about helping students kick butt in math class, this book is about empowering students to develop the skills they need to live a life in which they truly believe that anything is possible, even a better relationship with math!
Academic and Emotional Supports for Struggling Learners
Disrupt the painful cycle of academic challenges and emotional distress When students struggle with learning, it can be stressful for both them and their teachers. Struggling learners are more likely to experience low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and behavioral issues-challenges that, combined with highly stressful learning experiences, can tip students into a trauma response that makes learning even harder. Overcoming the School Trauma Cycle explores the science behind how learning occurs in the brain, how it can be disrupted, and-most importantly-how to overcome the painful cycle of academic challenges and emotional distress. Inside, you'll find: What the latest research tells us about how mental health issues can disrupt the learning process How academic and mental health challenges can fuel each other Manageable, whole-class practices and targeted supports to meet struggling learners' academic and emotional needs Opportunities to self-assess and reflect Many schools have increased their focus on trauma-informed teaching and social-emotional learning, but these approaches are too often pitted against academic rigor when they are really two sides of the same coin. To improve outcomes for all students, we must address their social-emotional needs alongside their academic ones. In Overcoming the School Trauma Cycle, you'll discover empowering practices to help all students learn and thrive.
Why a Growth Mindset Makes a Difference in Learning - and What to Do When It Doesn't
Drawing on their work alongside Carol Dweck, the authors answer key questions about Dweck's theory of Mindset and share proven strategies for mindset success.
Shifting From Product to Process Across the Disciplines
LISC expert Shirley Clarke shows how to phrase learning intentions for students, create success criteria to match, and adapt and implement them across disciplines.
A Hands-On Guide to Making Learning Visible and Measurable
Ensure equity of access to learning and opportunity for all students by designing and employing high-quality, high-impact success criteria that connect learners to a shared understanding of what success looks like for any given learning intention.
Every child has a right to make sense of math, and to use math to make sense of their worlds. Despite their gifts, students with disabilities are often viewed from a deficit standpoint in mathematics classrooms. These students are often conceptualized as needing to be fixed or remediated. Rethinking Disability and Mathematics argues that mathematics should be a transformative space for these students, a place where they can discover their power and potential and be appreciated for their many strengths. Author Rachel Lambert introduces Universal Design for Learning for Math (UDL Math), a way to design math classrooms that empowers disabled and neurodiverse students to engage in mathematics in ways that lead to meaningful and joyful math learning. The book showcases how UDL Math can open up mathematics classrooms so that they provide access to meaningful understanding and an identity as a math learner to a wider range of students. Weaved throughout the book are the voices of neurodiverse learners telling their own stories of math learning. Through stories of real teachers recognizing the barriers in their own math classrooms and redesigning to increase access, the book: Reframes students with disabilities from a deficit to an asset perspective, paving the way for trusting their mathematical thinking Offers equitable math instruction for all learners, including those with disabilities, neurodiverse students, and/or multilingual learners Applies UDL to the math classroom, providing practical tips and techniques to support students' cognitive, affective, and strategic development Immerses readers in math classrooms where all students are engaged in meaningful mathematics, from special education day classes to inclusive general education classrooms, from grades K-8. Integrates research on mathematical learning including critical math content such as developing number sense and place value, fluency with math facts and operations, and understanding fractions and algebraic thinking. Explores critical issues such as writing IEP goals in math This book is designed for all math educators, both those trained as general education teachers and those trained as special education teachers. The UDL Math approach is adapted to work for all learners because everyone varies in how they perceive the world and in how they approach mathematical problem solving. When we rethink mathematics to include multiple ways of being a math learner, we make math accessible and engaging for a wider group of learners.