Using Project-Based Management to Teach 21st Century Skills
Where K-12 instruction once centered on content and memorization, today's educators want, most of all, to teach their students to think critically and perceptively. What better way than with project-based learning (PBL)? Author Todd Stanley provides a teacher-friendly, step-by-step approach to implementing PBL, focusing on the 21st century "three R's": readiness, responsibility, and relevance. Educators will be prepared to put this practical methodology to work right away, as they learn how to Use project and classroom management skills to create a positive, productive learning environment Develop curriculum around ten different project types Link projects with today's standards Teach students how to effectively collaborate and bring out the best in each other Readers will find an abundance of ideas and clear guidance, along with new strategies for instilling the skills students need for tomorrow's workforce.
A Team-Based Approach to Schoolwide Student Achievement
Use this six-part strategy for measurable, cross-curricular EL achievement! How can districts and schools successfully promote academic English language development through teaching content knowledge and standards-based skills and abilities? This thoroughly researched book provides concrete answers. You'll find practical steps and ideas for developing collaborative, cross-curricular programs that address EL-specific needs. Clear tables and templates, essays, expert research, and real-life teacher and parent stories illuminate best practices for appropriate standards-based instruction that gets results. Using the authors' six-part ENGAGE Model, you'll learn to: Establish a shared vision for serving ELs Name the expertise to utilize within collaborative teams Gather and analyze EL-specific data Align standards-based assessments and grading to ELs' linguistic and content development Ground standards-based instruction in both content and language development Examine results to inform next steps Use this groundbreaking guide to accelerate progress and ensure effective instruction for all ELs! "Learning requires attention, engagement, and quality instruction. This book provides all three necessary components in one place; a model that teachers can use to ensure that their English learners achieve." -Douglas Fisher San Diego State University "This book should be a mandatory must read for all educators as we continue to serve our diverse student populations and strive to ensure we are honestly reaching academic achievement for each and every student!" -Michele R. Dean Coordinator,Ventura Unified School District
Teach for the Development of Higher-Order Thinking and Executive Function
Raise the bar with the best of what is known about how the brain/mind learns Higher-order skills such as critical thinking, planning, decision-making and persistence are the key to success for today's students. With its novel approach to teaching and learning, 12 Brain/Mind Learning Principles in Action has been the go-to resource for thousands of teachers in leading their students to greater confidence and achievement. Now in an expanded third edition, Caine et al. offer three practical approaches to instruction-direct, problem or project-based learning, and the guided experience approach-while providing common-sense strategies to turn theory into effective classroom teaching. Features of the new edition include More strategies to deeply engage students and build foundational learning skills Guidance on peer-based professional development through Process Learning Circles Reflective questions and checklists for assessing progress Updated, real-life examples that illustrate brain-compatible learning in action Bridge research to practice through these innovative strategies to create a school environment where students and faculty learn and thrive. "12 Brain/Mind Learning Principles in Action is a treasure trove of thoughtful, heartfelt, and effective ideas that will empower brains to grow, minds to expand, and classrooms to thrive. In our present system good teaching is often a subversive act - use this as a manual for guerilla warfare." Louis Cozolino, Professor of Psychology Pepperdine University "This book provides compelling evidence that the traditional paradigm of education, which emphasizes "factual" learning, is profoundly narrow and limiting. The volume, depth, and relevance of research the authors bring to the fore about effective and lasting models of teaching, learning, and leadership is impressive. May its brilliant and enlightening message once and for all replace the limited and limiting habits of mind that have legitimated educational policy and practice for centuries in the Western World." William Spady, Director The 5th Paradigm
Even with great teachers, student achievement hinges on an effective principal. Behind every high-quality principal is an airtight system of leadership evaluation that consistently rewards excellence and remedies deficits. While teacher evaluation methods have improved, instructional leadership evaluation has often stood still-and student learning and achievement have paid the price. This book identifies the major problems in this process and articulates clear solutions. The result is a blueprint for ensuring the best person for the job is occupying the principal's chair. Content includes: Extensive data, presented in a user-friendly manner Clear connections to the new ISLLC Standards for School Leaders A suite of interactive tools including sample self-assessments, mid-year and final evaluation forms, and professional growth plans
Professional development that increases educator effectiveness and student success! Learning Forward is a leader in understanding and advancing professional learning that leads to student success. This series explores Learning Forward's seven Standards for Professional Learning which outline the characteristics of effective professional learning that, collectively, advance teaching and learning. This volume gives teachers and administrators a detailed roadmap for implementing the Outcomes standard. Deepen you knowledge of this standard with: An original essay by Delores B. Lindsey and Randall B. Lindsey on using the lens of Cultural Proficiency to highlight the theme of educational equity that is embedded in the standard Practical tools that guide leaders in finding coherence between performance standards for educators and curriculum standards for students A powerful case study to illustrate how the standard was enacted across a major urban school district With this book, educators will reach new heights in professional growth and students will reap the benefits!
In this sequel to Closer Reading, Boyles delivers what teachers have been clamoring for: ready to go, day-by-day lessons for teaching high quality picture books, with close reading in the forefront of the instruction. In Part I of the book Boyles explains the why behind the how of using picture books that share a theme as the basis for extended units, spelling out for teachers the difference between her brand of investigation and "units of study" which have common pitfalls. In Part two of the book, she provides 10 text sets, each spanning about 15 pages that cover commonly taught themes such as leadership and survival. Boyles has an intuitive sense of what teachers today need in order to improve, and this book gives them 10 text sets they can turn around and teach tomorrow, which is more than a year's worth of quality instruction. In the CCSS era with big stakes tests looming, this book gets teachers to fast track top CCSS instruction and includes formative assessments to help teachers get a handle on student's progressing skills as readers, thinkers, and writers.
This title is designed to institutionalize a "common engagement literacy" for schools and districts to use in creating a culture of "passionate learners."
Awakening Students' Power to Reimagine Their World
Equip Your Students To Create Their Own Intellectual Destiny! The best educators are the ones who empower students to ask intelligent questions and persistently seek the answers, stepping in only when necessary. Fostering rigorous, inquiry-based learning requires consistent systems backed by research and data. And these are precisely what you'll find in this book, which details: A groundbreaking new approach to content delivery and instruction, geared towards maximizing student discovery, deep thought, exploration, and creativity Why educators must let go of student IQ as a concept that influences teaching methods in any way How to create a protocol-driven environment that fosters deep sharing and reflection With this book, you can give your students the two greatest gifts possible: Intellectual confidence and a growth mindset.
