"I felt inspired and renewed and validated." -Cathy Lutz, Teacher Madison Station Elementary School, MS "Both practical and inspirational." -Chris Laster, Teacher Russell Elementary School, Smyrna, GA "This is a book I want to utilize with my preservice students. It is right on, a great positive PR tool for our new teachers." -J. Victor McGuire, Founder National Association for Beginning Teachers Professor, University of Nevada, Las Vegas "The author's voice is clear and comes from a deep set of values and beliefs that should be heard by contemporary teachers in training and by practicing teachers." -Marilyn Katzenmeyer Professional Development Center Smile as early and as often as you can in your learning classroom! Explore the realities behind eight well-known teaching myths with veteran teacher educator Peggy Deal Redman. With insightful classroom stories, reflective questions, how-to tips and strategies, and inspirational quotes to encourage, inspire, and motivate every teacher in today's professional learning community, this creative resource offers: Tools for building a positive classroom environment Sound advice for developing respectful relationships with students Tips for collaborating with colleagues, administrators, and parents Ideas for rekindling professional idealism
A Guide for Teachers Redefining Themselves and Their Profession
This book identifies the classroom methodologies, curriculum and personal professional growth that are essential for ongoing school reform. The author honours the traditions of teaching while simultaneously making a compelling case for change.
Differentiated instruction (DI) has been shown to maximize both learning and neural development for students of diverse backgrounds and abilities, but to date, DI has been easier to implement in elementary grades than in upper grades. "I have too much content to cover"; "My district requires me to follow a prescribed text"; "I'm good at lecturing"; "I can't see how I would grade all those different assignments"; "I don't know how"; "I thought I was differentiating"--all these are important reasons that high school teachers offer as obstacles to DI implementation. Solution strategies for those obstacles and others is the focus of this important new teaching guide by Kathie Nunley, originator of the Layered Curriculum method for teaching in mixed ability classrooms. Using common sense, wisdom, humor, and the latest brain research, Nunley offers supportive solutions for each problem; examples and scenarios illustrating the solutions in action; and a collection of new ideas for teachers to try as they begin differentiating content, process, assignments, and assessments in their classrooms. This easy-to-navigate guide is sure to be a welcome and timely new resource for high school teachers, curriculum designers, instructional leaders, and pre-service students of secondary methods.
Differentiated instruction (DI) has been shown to maximize both learning and neural development for students of diverse backgrounds and abilities, but to date, DI has been easier to implement in elementary grades than in upper grades. "I have too much content to cover"; "My district requires me to follow a prescribed text"; "I'm good at lecturing"; "I can't see how I would grade all those different assignments"; "I don't know how"; "I thought I was differentiating"--all these are important reasons that high school teachers offer as obstacles to DI implementation. Solution strategies for those obstacles and others is the focus of this important new teaching guide by Kathie Nunley, originator of the Layered Curriculum method for teaching in mixed ability classrooms. Using common sense, wisdom, humor, and the latest brain research, Nunley offers supportive solutions for each problem; examples and scenarios illustrating the solutions in action; and a collection of new ideas for teachers to try as they begin differentiating content, process, assignments, and assessments in their classrooms. This easy-to-navigate guide is sure to be a welcome and timely new resource for high school teachers, curriculum designers, instructional leaders, and pre-service students of secondary methods.
Changing School Supervisory Practice One Teacher at a Time
The Three Minute Classroom Walk-Through puts into perspective and practices the vision of what supervision should be. It is a model of principal-teacher interaction and redefines the professional relationships of classroom supervisory practice. The Downey approach attempts to change how principals approach supervision by replacing it with a ......
This second volume in a two-part mentoring series uses the foundations presented in Mentoring Guidebook Level 1: Starting the Journey and further explores the key skills and strategies of a successful mentoring relationship. Each skill is examined in greater detail and includes: Observation and data-gathering techniques Integrated lesson planning Brain-compatible teaching Cooperative learning Performance tasks Portfolios The professional development process Mentoring Guidebook Level 2: Exploring Teaching Strategies also explores the importance of establishing successful communication strategies and building effective learning communities of paraprofessionals, parents, volunteers, and teachers.
Foster the development of highly qualified teachers and improve your school's teaching and learning with solid teacher evaluations! The connection between teacher evaluation fostering school improvement and the development of highly qualified teachers is receiving more attention than ever before. Just as there is a rational connection between school improvement and teacher performance, there is a necessary and rational connection between supporting and cultivating highly qualified teachers through effective evaluations and improving relationships in the school. In this updated edition, top-selling author James H. Stronge and his colleagues synthesize current teacher evaluation research and blend it with practice, highlighting how to: Design a sound teacher evaluation system Assess teacher performance thoroughly and accurately Implement a successful teacher evaluation system Incorporate student performance data, teaching portfolios, and classroom observation into the evaluation process By aligning teaching performance and improvement goals with your school's mission, this text demonstrates how you can effectively encourage teachers to achieve a high standard of instruction at all levels.
Practical Teaching Strategies for Dramatic Results
Combining theory and practice, Nelson has developed an innovative way to reach the at-risk-or "dramatic"-learner, improving the learning environment for all other students in the process. Using dramatic theory as an extended metaphor, Nelson first provides the reader with a strong theoretical understanding of the particular learning needs of the "dramatic" learner, and explains why a traditional classroom environment fails to meet these needs. With this foundation in place, Nelson provides practical, classroom-tested strategies and ideas that can be used to meet the particular teaching and discipline needs of these students. Breaking the Learning Barrier for At-Risk Students presents four learning principles: o Learning! requires the active involvement of the learner. Nothing can be learned without the willing participation and effort of the learner. o Life without drama is meaningless and uninspiring. Learning that is not built upon dramatic elements is also meaningless and uninspiring. o Learning must be value based. When teaching takes into account the values and preferences of a learner, he or she will be motivated to participate. o Learning must be fun. When the first three conditions exist, learning becomes the most rewarding, engaging, and fun activity in life. By utilizing the principles of dramatic structure in their course work, teachers will uncover the power of discovery based learning-getting even the most reluctant students actively engaged in the learning process.
88 Tips to Develop Children's Social Skills and Create Positive Teacher-Family Relationships
"A delightful book. . . . It is readable, convincing, and useful for communicating with children and engaging them in fruitful conversations. I would recommend this book to anyone who has the good fortune to be working with young children." -Marilyn Segal, Director of Academics Mailman Segal Institute for Early Childhood Studies Nova Southeastern University, FL "Even though strong parent-teacher partnerships benefit children, very little attention is usually given to training teachers to tap into this powerful resource. Kaltman's practical tips make for a very valuable resource." -Ruth R. Kennedy, Assistant Professor Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Help children develop critical social skills and build positive team relationships with parents! Ensuring children's healthy social and emotional development is one of the most important-and most challenging-responsibilities for preschool educators and parents. This reader-friendly reference offers 88 tips to tackle the task by focusing on what teachers can do with children and their parents. Help! For Teachers of Young Children provides readers with entertaining stories and practical strategies covering a range of topics, from using discipline as a teaching tool, to helping children learn to communicate, cooperate, and develop self-esteem. The book also addresses the many facets of working effectively with parents, including parent-child separation anxiety. Each tip offers: A short and engaging real-life story Suggestions that teachers can use immediately "Ask Yourself" questions for teachers to think about their classroom practice A "Try This" section at the end of each chapter gives readers even more activity ideas. Preschool teachers are guaranteed to find fresh and fun insights each time they open this resource and its companion volume, More Help! For Teachers of Young Children: 99 Tips to Promote Intellectual Development and Creativity.
