A proven program for enhancing students' thinking and comprehension abilities Visible Thinking is a research-based approach to teaching thinking, begun at Harvard's Project Zero, that develops students' thinking dispositions, while at the same time deepening their understanding of the topics they study. Rather than a set of fixed lessons, Visible Thinking is a varied collection of practices, including thinking routines?small sets of questions or a short sequence of steps?as well as the documentation of student thinking. Using this process thinking becomes visible as the students' different viewpoints are expressed, documented, discussed and reflected upon. Helps direct student thinking and structure classroom discussion Can be applied with students at all grade levels and in all content areas Includes easy-to-implement classroom strategies The book also comes with a DVD of video clips featuring Visible Thinking in practice in different classrooms.
A comprehensive look at the promise and potential of online learning In our digital age, students have dramatically new learning needs and must be prepared for the idea economy of the future. In Getting Smart, well-known global education expert Tom Vander Ark examines the facets of educational innovation in the United States and abroad. Vander Ark makes a convincing case for a blend of online and onsite learning, shares inspiring stories of schools and programs that effectively offer «personal digital learning» opportunities, and discusses what we need to do to remake our schools into «smart schools.» Examines the innovation-driven world, discusses how to combine online and onsite learning, and reviews «smart tools» for learning Investigates the lives of learning professionals, outlines the new employment bargain, examines online universities and «smart schools» Makes the case for smart capital, advocates for policies that create better learning, studies smart cultures
Giving students the tools they need to succeed in college and work College and Career Ready offers educators a blueprint for improving high school so that more students are able to excel in freshman-level college courses or entry-level jobs-laying a solid foundation for lifelong growth and success. The book is filled with detailed, practical guidelines and case descriptions of what the best high schools are doing. Includes clear guidelines for high school faculty to adapt their programs of instruction in the direction of enhanced college/career readiness Provides practical strategies for improving students' content knowledge and academic behaviors Offers examples of best practices and research-based recommendations for change The book considers the impact of behavioral issues-such as time management and study habits-as well as academic skills on college readiness.
The only evidence-based program available for teaching social skills to adolescents with autism spectrum disorders Two nationally known experts in friendship formation and anxiety management address the social challenges faced by adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The book helps educators instruct youth on conversing with others, displaying appropriate body language, managing anxiety, initiating and participating in get-togethers, and more. The book is filled with helpful information on ASD to aid teachers who have received little training on the topic. Extremely practical, the book includes lesson plans, checklists, and sidebars with helpful advice. Based on UCLA's acclaimed PEERS program, the only evidence-based approach to teaching social skills to adolescents with ASD Contains best practices for working with parents, which is the key to helping kids learn social skills The authors discuss the pros and cons of teaching students with ASD in educational settings like full inclusion (good for academics but bad for social skills) and pull-out special day classes (where the reverse is true) Provides a much-needed book for teachers at all levels for helping students develop the skills they need to be successful.
The new building blocks for learning in a complex world This important resource introduces a framework for 21st Century learning that maps out the skills needed to survive and thrive in a complex and connected world. 21st Century content includes the basic core subjects of reading, writing, and arithmetic-but also emphasizes global awareness, financial/economic literacy, and health issues. The skills fall into three categories: learning and innovations skills; digital literacy skills; and life and career skills. This book is filled with vignettes, international examples, and classroom samples that help illustrate the framework and provide an exciting view of twenty-first century teaching and learning. Explores the three main categories of 21st Century Skills: learning and innovations skills; digital literacy skills; and life and career skills Addresses timely issues such as the rapid advance of technology and increased economic competition Based on a framework developed by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) The book contains a DVD with video clips of classroom teaching. For more information on the book visit www.21stcenturyskillsbook.com.
A groundbreaking guide to facilitating online and blended courses This comprehensive resource offers teachers in grades K-12 a hands-on guide to the rapidly growing field of online and blended teaching. With clear examples and explanations, Kristin Kipp shows how to structure online and blended courses for student engagement, build relationships with online students, facilitate discussion boards, collaborate online, design online assessments, and much more. Shows how to create a successful online or blended classroom Illustrates the essential differences between face-to-face instruction and online teaching Foreword by Susan Patrick of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning This is an essential handbook for learning how to teach online and improve student achievement.
Strategies for making the schools we need that work for all kids Eva Moskowitz (the founder and CEO of the Success Charter Network in Harlem) and Arin Lavinia offer practical, classroom-tested ideas for dramatically improving teaching and learning. Moskowitz and Lavinia reveal how a charter school in the middle of Harlem, enrolling neighborhood children selected at random, emerged as one of the top schools in New York City and State within three years. The results of the Harlem school were on a par with public schools for gifted students and elite private schools. Describes what can be accomplished when students and adults all work to focus on constant learning and performance improvement; DVD clips can be accessed using a special link included in the book. The Success Academies have been featured in two popular and widely distributed documentaries, Waiting for Superman and The Lottery Details the Success Academies' THINK Literacy curriculum, which produces dramatic results in student's reading and writing skills In addition to providing strategies and lessons for school leaders and teachers, Secrets of the Success Academies also serves as a guide for parents, policymakers, and practitioners who are passionate about closing the academic achievement gap.
A truly comprehensive, teacher- and parent-friendly guide to creating clear and effective IEPs With the skyrocketing diagnoses of ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, and related conditions in U.S. schools, there is a growing need for information on creating effective IEPs for exceptional students. The IEP From A to Z is a step-by-step guide showing teachers and parents how to get the right education plan in place for students with ADHD, Autism/Asperger's, Emotional/Behavioral Disturbance, and related conditions. Provides easy-to-understand explanations of the special education process along with a wealth of sample effective IEPs Explains what is most important for educators and parents to keep in mind during IEP development Provides content area-specific sample goal and objective templates, general teaching tips for maintaining the IEP, and useful resources From nationally recognized experts in the special education field, this book guides readers through the process of writing thoughtful, intelligent Individualized Education Plans that deliver high-quality, need-based educational programming to exceptional students.
A practical, step-by-step guide to leading change efforts for sustainable results Leading Change Step-by-Step offers a comprehensive and tactical guide for change leaders. Spiro's approach has been field-tested for more than a decade and proven effective in a wide variety of public sector organizations including K-12 schools, universities, international agencies and non-profits. The book is filled with proven tactics for implementing change successfully, with helpful tools to put change efforts into practice (including forms, rubrics, and helpful questions to ask). Also included are success stories that show how this approach has been used effectively in 22 states and internationally. The tools reveal how the leader analyzes situations, identifies the groups needed to get desired results, and works with them effectively to do so. Includes engaging self-analyses for leaders to inform their leadership when putting in place a change initiative Jody Spiro is an experienced leader of systems change for public, nonprofit, and private sector organizations Offers information on assessing a situation, engaging stakeholders, planning «early wins,» minimizing resistance, building a supportive culture and much more This important resource shows how to translate a vision of a sustainable educational reform into a series of coordinated action steps.
In the second edition of her critically acclaimed book The Dreamkeepers, Gloria Ladson-Billings revisits the eight teachers who were profiled in the first edition and introduces us to new teachers who are current exemplars of good teaching. She shows that culturally relevant teaching is not a matter of race, gender, or teaching style. What matters most is a teacher's efforts to work with the unique strengths a child brings to the classroom. A brilliant mixture of scholarship and storytelling, The Dreamkeepers challenges us to envision intellectually rigorous and culturally relevant classrooms that have the power to improve the lives of not just African American students, but all children. This new edition also includes questions for reflection