"In this book, Paul Houston and Steve Sokolow sow seeds of wisdom that offer hope and sound guiding principles for America's educational leaders." -Richard W. Riley, former U.S. Secretary of Education and former Governor of South Carolina "This book fills a troubling void in the leadership literature by highlighting the vital spiritual side of a leader's role." -Terrence E. Deal, Author Leading With Soul and Reframing the Path to School Leadership "Houston and Sokolow focus on how leaders can remain true to their core beliefs and still lead successful organizations. This should be required reading for all leaders and prospective leaders." -Vincent L. Ferrandino, Executive Director National Association of Elementary School Principals "I can't imagine a more timely and important book for educators." -Margaret J. Wheatley, Author, Leadership and the New Science "Houston and Sokolow have done an extraordinary job of looking beyond the traditional view of leadership to incorporate a spiritual dimension." -Dr. Gerald N. Tirozzi, Executive Director National Association of Secondary School Principals "The Spiritual Dimension of Leadership reminds us that the job of leadership is complex, but the actions we take can be very simple and yet have a big impact." -Anne L. Bryant, Executive Director National School Boards Association Infuse your leadership practice-and your life-with greater purpose and wisdom! This book illuminates many of the core values, beliefs, and principles that can guide, sustain, and inspire leaders during difficult times. These values and principles have underlying spiritual roots. The more aware of them you are, and the more you express them in leadership practice, the more effective you become. Paul D. Houston, Executive Director of the American Association of School Administrators, and Stephen L. Sokolow, a founding partner and Executive Director of the Center for Empowered Leadership, offer the following eight key leadership principles to help you become a more enlightened leader: Intention Attention Unique gifts and talents Gratitude Unique life lessons Holistic perspective Openness Trust Reap the many rewards of practicing these principles and journey down a path of awareness and insight that will empower you and those you lead to create the best possible future for our children.
"I am in awe of the innovative, relevant, and incredible motivational ideas! This tool addresses many of the most challenging areas of special education and provides strategies, guides, and daily reflections that educators need to continue or reignite the passion that called them to serve as special educators." -Mary Beth Schafer, Special Education Consultant Retain your love of teaching and reduce stress through daily reflection and planning! Refining organizational and time management skills while taking time to reflect on practice can be a challenge for any busy, calendar-driven special education teacher. Following a format similar to the authors' best-selling resource for general education teachers, this concise guide helps special educators plan ahead, manage daily priorities, increase their instructional effectiveness, and nurture their own professional development. Written by experienced special educators, this daily planning journal takes novice and seasoned professionals from August through July with tips, affirmations, action items, and space for daily to-do lists. Reflective prompts address critical issues such as: Working with parents Advocacy for students with special needs Building team rapport with staff Writing and implementing IEPs Use The Special Educator's Reflective Calendar and Planning Journal to advance your growth as a special education teacher and develop skills that will have a positive impact on students' learning and performance.
Improving Relationships With Co-Teachers, Teams, and Families
'The valuable information and numerous strategies and resources make this a must have book for all teachers striving for effective collaborative relationships' - Spencer J. Salend, Professor, SUNY, The College at New Paltz General and special education teachers working side by side on a daily basis must move beyond basic communication to improve collaborative relationships in and outside the classroom. Author Sharon F. Cramer delves into the art of the collaborative process through a series of practical exercises coupled with relevant research, and outlines a plan to make collaboration a life-long part of teaching. Pre-service teachers, in-service teachers, and staff developers alike can use the activities in the book as is or adapt them to fit their own unique circumstances. Whether used for personal improvement or by a group for professional development purposes, these invaluable set of relationship-building tools will empower teachers and give them the motivation, understanding, and skills to transform unsatisfactory co-teaching relationships into productive, truly collaborative relationships. Special features include: o Case stories and data from among 1,000 collaboration projects supervised by the author o Up-to-date research, including an overview of current literature on collaboration o "Idea try-outs"-step-by-step reflection activities for promoting independent, innovative thinking o "Project try-outs"-structured research and interview activities that provide readers with focused ways to test their collaboration skills When teachers become curious, motivated learners, not only will they discover the many benefits of collaborative relationships with their peers, but they will also enrich the learning environment for their students.
"Kist writes as a learner should, sharing what he discovers along the way. I like even more that he asks important questions while capturing how he and several other master teachers have attempted to ask and answer them with their own students. You will, too." -Bud Hunt, Blogger at Bud the Teacher Instructional Technologist, St. Vrain Valley School District, Longmont, CO "The innovative classroom activities in this engaging book will inspire teachers to help students acquire digital-media literacies for collaborating on and sharing their work-literacies essential for participation in a networked world." -Richard Beach, Professor of English Education University of Minnesota "A veritable smorgasbord of ideas and suggestions. This text grabbed me right away, and I started flagging all sorts of ideas even in the earliest chapters. It is as if Bill Kist met me in the hallway, took me by the hand, and simply said, 'Come here, I want to show you something.'" -Sheila M. Gragg, Technology Integration Coach Ashbury College, Canada Incorporate social networking into instruction, no matter your level of technological expertise or Internet access! Web sites like Facebook and Twitter have transformed the way young people interact and communicate. With appropriate guidelines, students' social networking skills can be harnessed to develop new literacies and deepen teaching and learning in the 21st century. The Socially Networked Classroom demonstrates how pioneering teachers have successfully integrated screen-based literacies into their instruction. This book includes: Real-world activities and lesson examples with assignment sheets, assessments, and rubrics Ideas on fostering collaborative learning using blogs, wikis, nings, and other interactive media. Tips on Internet safety, blogging etiquette, protected blogging sites, and more Blog entries from classroom teachers With this accessible guide for Grades 5-12, teachers of all levels of technological expertise can help students develop the new literacies necessary to succeed in a digital world.
This interactive playbook provides the language, moves, and evidence-based advice you need to nurture social and emotional learning in yourself, your students, and your school.
Strategies & Tools to Captivate Students, Cultivate Critical Thinking, and Create Engaged Citizens
In todays rapidly changing society, it is essential for students to develop critical thinking and evidence-based reasoning skills. The traditional model of rote memorization of dates and facts in social studies classrooms no longer engages students or adequately prepares them for the complexities of the modern world.
Teaching Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Competencies in Any Classroom
Education efforts are shifting from a focus on accountability and testing to better preparing students for higher education and the workplace by increasing the focus on "social/emotional", "employability" and/or "soft" skills. The trend of high academic expectations and measurement to the exclusion of all other skills is being displaced by discussions of meaning and relevance in rigorous education, allowing an opportunity for innovation and creativity in how and what we teach students. In response to this rising trend, this book covers competencies such as self-regulation, goal-setting, self-efficacy, assertiveness, conflict management and networking.
A Resource for Overcoming Hurdles to Professional Learning for Student Achievement
"Teacher teams have become a common fixture of North American schools. However, not all teams make the best use of their meeting time by engaging in sustained, professional learning. Written in a clear, practitioner-friendly style, this book provides team leaders with an array of useful strategies to address common team hurdles and realize the promise of powerful, collaborative learning." -Jim Knight, Author of Instructional Coaching "This book is a fantastic resource for someone who leads teams every day. The vignettes echo the very real challenges that I continually see in team meetings. The book is organized so that I can easily find practical strategies to apply right away when I am facing major challenges in my daily work." - Karen Coyle Aylward, Literacy Coach and Team Leader Boston, MA Get the most out of your PLCs and teacher teams! All teams face hurdles. What distinguishes the skillful team leader from a less effective one is his or her approach in overcoming them. Whether you are a team leader or a trainer of team leaders, this book is an essential resource for you. Elisa MacDonald offers a skillful approach to team leadership rooted in values, mindset, intelligence, and skill. Readers will learn from reality-based examples illustrating common team hurdles in collaboration, shared leadership, goal setting and attainment, rigorous discourse, and continuous improvement. This practical guide features: Research-based and field-tested solutions for preventing and overcoming hurdles Brief follow-up sections with tips for sustaining positive change Ways to work beyond the team to shape and influence school culture Prompts to apply learning to your own leadership hurdles A common chapter format for easy reference and flexible use
This Handbook will give aspiring and practising SENCOs, teachers, Headteachers and Governors an in-depth knowledge and understanding of effective policy, provision and practice to meet the diverse needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities. Each chapter will provide: A theoretical underpinning Evidence-based information and examples Activities for professional learning and whole school development Easy to use and adaptable templates and checklists for use in settings Case studies to strengthen connections between theory and practice Providing comprehensive coverage of current issues, the understanding of how to improve provision and practice in their settings and written with consultation from practising SENCOs, this is essential reading for those studying towards their National Award for Special Educational Needs Co-ordination.
