A constructivist leader facilitates professional dialogue and inquiry to enable all teachers to make sense of their work together and to reconstruct the major purposes of schooling. Illustrating their work with vignettes of the activities of such leaders, the authors of this book create a clear picture of constructivist teaching and leadership. They also formulate strategies for altering the school culture to accommodate constructivist leadership.
A constructivist leader facilitates professional dialogue and inquiry to enable all teachers to make sense of their work together and to reconstruct the major purposes of schooling. Illustrating their work with vignettes of the activities of such leaders, the authors of this book create a clear picture of constructivist teaching and leadership. They also formulate strategies for altering the school culture to accommodate constructivist leadership.
"The book is unique in that it addresses the socioemotional stages of professional transitions...this was an easy read that had me highlighting passages on almost every page or citing relevant quotes I want to use or share with others. The material is well integrated so you can see the more global picture of administration, yet allows the reader to focus and actively reflect on the very real scenarios used as examples." -Michelle Kocar, Principal Liberty Elementary School, North Ridgeville, OH "I found myself making stars in the margins or writing YES!, Been There, Done That, I can relate!, Interesting, Good Suggestion, True..." -Ann Porter, 2002 NAESP National Distinguished Principal Lewis & Clark Elementary School, Grand Forks, ND When you maintain your perspective, you find fun in the most unlikely places! Are you apprehensive about leaving the realm of teaching for the world of school administration? Do you wonder how your current relationships will evolve with a change in job title? School administrators fill a crucial need in education, but all too often their social and emotional worlds turn upside-down when they make this momentous career move. This second edition provides an insightful look at the unwritten and unspoken rules of school administration, helping new and sitting administrators work through the initial adjustment and discover the satisfaction that comes with success. Who Said School Administration Would Be Fun? is filled with real-life examples, exercises, and strategies meant to guide school leaders through the motley challenges that they will encounter each day. Sigford draws on years of experience as teacher, leader, and administrator to develop tactics for: Maintaining perspective through humor Managing and leading like a successful systems thinker Transforming school culture into a climate of trust and compassion Responding to all levels of accountability faced in today's schools Fun may not be the first word to describe school administration; however, understanding and self-reflection will lead to the fun of success and satisfaction.
"The book is unique in that it addresses the socioemotional stages of professional transitions...this was an easy read that had me highlighting passages on almost every page or citing relevant quotes I want to use or share with others. The material is well integrated so you can see the more global picture of administration, yet allows the reader to focus and actively reflect on the very real scenarios used as examples." -Michelle Kocar, Principal Liberty Elementary School, North Ridgeville, OH "I found myself making stars in the margins or writing YES!, Been There, Done That, I can relate!, Interesting, Good Suggestion, True..." -Ann Porter, 2002 NAESP National Distinguished Principal Lewis & Clark Elementary School, Grand Forks, ND When you maintain your perspective, you find fun in the most unlikely places! Are you apprehensive about leaving the realm of teaching for the world of school administration? Do you wonder how your current relationships will evolve with a change in job title? School administrators fill a crucial need in education, but all too often their social and emotional worlds turn upside-down when they make this momentous career move. This second edition provides an insightful look at the unwritten and unspoken rules of school administration, helping new and sitting administrators work through the initial adjustment and discover the satisfaction that comes with success. Who Said School Administration Would Be Fun? is filled with real-life examples, exercises, and strategies meant to guide school leaders through the motley challenges that they will encounter each day. Sigford draws on years of experience as teacher, leader, and administrator to develop tactics for: Maintaining perspective through humor Managing and leading like a successful systems thinker Transforming school culture into a climate of trust and compassion Responding to all levels of accountability faced in today's schools Fun may not be the first word to describe school administration; however, understanding and self-reflection will lead to the fun of success and satisfaction.
Educational Leadership and the 21st Century Dilemma of Difference
What does it take to provide each student with equitable access to daily quality instruction? Our public schools have undergone significant demographic change. At the same time, we have abundant evidence that our schools haven't effectively served children of color, children from low-income families, and other marginalized student groups. This solution-oriented guide for school leaders helps create a high-quality, culturally responsive learning environment for all students. You'll learn deliberate, data-driven actions critical to 21st Century success. Written by instructional leaders, who understand the challenges of equity-driven reform, this guide helps school leaders: Understand the root cause of the racial-achievement gap Take concrete actions to transform the educational process Use daily, real-time data to determine effective teaching and learning practices Provides leaders with an original framework to achieve their instructional vision for equity Eliminate gaps in student outcomes by eliminating instructional gaps between educators and their students. Including practical implementation strategies and tools, reflective-discussion questions, and powerful vignettes, this transformative book helps school leaders take concrete steps to accelerate the achievement of underserved students! "For those who are unsure where to begin the process, or lack a context for why they need to undergo the transformation of changing their instructional practices to align with the need to respond to America's changing public school population, the contents are arranged in a manner to provide the necessary support to guide the audience through the process." -Dr. Kandice W. Taylor, Principal Baltimore County Public Schools, MD "This book provides school leaders with practical tools and a practical model to implement drastic change in any school climate. The PACE Framework perfectly outlines strategies and activities to implement an effective, quality-first instruction program at schools that serve students who are normally underserved. School leaders and district leaders, who serve as change agents in multi-faceted school communities, can use this book. I highly recommend it for any school leader needing a framework to shift the culture, instructional practices, the mindset of staff, and community members alike." -Tara A. Minter, Principal Rosa L. Parks Elementary School, Hyattsville, MD
A Guide to Increasing Motivation, Autonomy, and Achievement
Evidence shows that involving students in the curricular decision-making process contributes to improvements in student autonomy and self-regulation, discipline, motivation and overall educational success. Drawing on the author's experience, this step-by-step guide will help teachers to plan and implement this innovative teaching model.
A Guide to Increasing Motivation, Autonomy, and Achievement
Evidence shows that involving students in the curricular decision-making process contributes to improvements in student autonomy and self-regulation, discipline, motivation and overall educational success. Drawing on the author's experience, this step-by-step guide will help teachers to plan and implement this innovative teaching model.
This primer on loss and grief helps educators and counsellors understand and respond to the extraordinary challenges that children and adolescents may face when dealing with loss and grief. The book explains how children and adolescents are affected by various forms of loss, such as divorce; loss of a parent, relative, or pet; violence; and chronic illness, and provides specific guidelines and strategies for responding appropriately to expressions of grief that are unique to these age groups. A reader-friendly sourcebook, When Kids Are Grieving examines children's and adolescents' grief experiences at different developmental levels and provides educators and counsellors with: - A comprehensive overview of the many dimensions of loss - Strategies and techniques to help students handle the emotions associated with loss - A format designed to stimulate thought, promote communication, and facilitate effective interventions - A collection of helpful charts, quotes, activities, and reproducible handouts.
Practical, thoughtful and inspiring-36 weeks of wisdom for new teachers. Every teacher has those moments, when the learning curve seems too steep, the workload feels too intense, and the faculty room coffee is too weak. But then there's the moment when they open this book, and smile. Author Carol Pelletier Radford, a mentoring expert, has collected words of wisdom from experienced teachers across the country to help newer teachers thrive. She asked each of them, what is something you wished you knew when you were starting out as a teacher? The responses range from practical classroom management tips to reminders for self-care, and Radford has arranged them into weekly readings that provide advice from a chorus of seasoned educators to help those new to the profession thrive. Highlights include: Start-of-the-year routines for a compassionate culture-and the best classroom management Why consistency and embracing mistakes is important to students-now more than ever How to design experiences that create student engagement-and energize you Questions that help you guide a child toward positive behavior-with fairness, firmness and grace Daily self-care mindsets and rituals-from calming walks to podcasts to learning to say no When I Started Teaching, I Wish I Had Known... takes a teacher gently by the hand, through 36 weeks of the school year. Its practical strategies address lessons, feedback, building relationships, and so much more. But perhaps what this book does most brilliantly is speak to the person behind the teacher, reminding them that they are already gifted, because they are curious and kind.
