Literature as a Teacher's Curriculum by
This qualitative journey explores how literature informs and challenges my under standing of teaching and learning. Insights, questions, and conflicts are revealed through a series of essays in which my evolving teacher identity is illuminated through literature and imagination. Hopefully reading this portrayal of literature, which has been a source of educational insight and imagination for me, will be of use to other educators as they reflect on their own teaching. The primary works of literature used to facilitate this journey are: The Red Badge of Courage (1895), Les Miserables (1862), and American Idiot (2004); Light in August (1932), Seinfeld scripts (1991-98), and Frankenstein (1818); and The Odyssey, Night (1960), and The Souls of Black Folk (1903). By delving beneath my exterior ?teacher mask, ? a collage of images, anecdotes, reflections, aspirations, and fears is exposed. As a resource for pre-service teachers or a reflective exercise for veteran teachers, this study aims to benefit educators by providing a new pathway through which to better understand their intrinsic identities as teachers. Each chapter concludes with ?Recommendations for Reflection? that readers are encouraged to consider individu ally and/or collectively. The spirit of daydreams allows me to integrate literature, autobiography, and imagi nation through inventive and inspired discourses with literary figures, using au thentic quotations as content for original commentaries that further examine the intrinsic nature of teacher identity. My hope is that this journey will inspire other educators to further reflect on realities and possibilities of what it means to be a teacher."
The Future of the Curriculum by
Although ideas about digital media and learning have become an important area for educational research, little attention has been given to the practical and conceptual implications for the school curriculum. In this book, Ben Williamson examines a series of contemporary curriculum innovations in the United States, Great Britain, and Australia that reflect the social and technological changes of the digital age. Arguing that the curriculum is always both forward- and rearward-looking, Williamson considers how each of these innovations represents a certain way of understanding the past while also promoting a particular vision of the future.The curriculum initiatives are all examples of what Williamson calls "centrifugal schooling," expressing a vision of education and learning that is decentered, distributed, and dispersed, emphasizing networks and connections. In centrifugal schooling, a curriculum is actively assembled and improvised from a heterogeneous mix of people, groups, coalitions, and institutional structures. Participants in curriculum design and planning include local governments, corporations, foundations, charities, and nongovernmental organizations. Among the curriculum innovations Williamson examines are High Tech High, a charter school network in San Diego that integrates technical and academic education; Opening Minds, a "competence-based" curriculum used in 200 British secondary schools; and Quest to Learn, a "school for digital kids" in New York City (with a sister school in Chicago). He also describes two major partnerships: the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, which advocates for "21st century readiness" for American students; and the Whole Education Alliance in Britain, a network of "third sector" educational organizations.
How to Plan Rigorous Instruction (series Title by
If we want all our students to become better thinkers and learners, we must design rigorous learning experiences that go beyond helping them simply master standards. In this guide, Robyn R. Jackson takes you step by step through the process of planning rigorous instruction--what great teachers do to ensure students have a learning destination that's worth working toward and that the path they take to get there will help them pass the big tests and become engaged learners, effective problem solvers, and critical thinkers. Here, you'll learn how to * Create a rigorous unit assessment to guide your instruction and ensure standards mastery. * Select rigorous learning materials by examining the type of thinking you want students to engage in and the type of understanding you want them to acquire. * Choose rigorous instructional strategies by looking at ways to help students grasp new content and acquire new skills, apply what they are learning in a meaningful way, use thinking processes to synthesize new understandings, and adapt these understandings to new contexts across disciplines. * Create a rigorous learning unit, tailored to your standards and classroom content, and to the students you teach.
Learning Across the Early Childhood Curriculum by
Education, according to John Dewey, should be viewed as dynamic and ongoing with direct teaching of integrated content knowledge. This volume offers readers an examination of the content areas in early childhood curriculum that honor Dewey's belief in active, integrated learning. When young children learn in a way that is most natural to them, they unconsciously integrate subject areas into a complex whole based on their current interests. The ability to apply and integrate academic skills such as language arts, numeracy, scientific investigation, social studies, technology, and health and physical education is key to building capacity for future learning. Teachers who follow this method of teaching view curriculum as a fully spun web that incorporates a number of subject matter components at one time, and ensure that the content areas are taught. Topics addressed in this volume include: The role of STEM, teacher preparation, communication and technology.
Upgrade Your Curriculum by
An advanced look at curriculum mapping to align with 21st century learning.
Standards-Based Physical Education Curriculum Development by
Standards-Based Physical Education Curriculum Development, Second Edition is developed around the National Association of Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) standards for K-12 physical education. This innovative guide teaches students about the process of writing curriculum in physical education and was written by experts who have had specific experience designing and implementing this thematic curriculum. The text begins by looking at the national physical education standards and then examines physical education from a conceptual standpoint, addressing the "so what" of physical education. It then goes on to examine the development of performance-based assessments designed to measure the extent of student learning.The second part of the text explores the various curricular models common to physical education: sport education, adventure education, outdoor education, traditional/multi activity, fitness, and movement education. It goes on to describe each model, provide examples of curriculums that use it, show how the model links with physical education standards, and provide appropriate assessments for it.The third part, Chapter 14: It's Not Business As Usual, discusses how to improve one's physical education curriculum by doing things differently and embracing change.
Transforming Teaching and Learning with Active and Dramatic Approaches by
A CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title 2014! How can teachers transform classroom teaching and learning by making pedagogy more socially and culturally responsive, more relevant to students' lives, and more collaborative? How can they engage disaffected students in learning and at the same time promote deep understanding though high-quality teaching that goes beyond test preparation? This text for prospective and practicing teachers introduces engaging, innovative pedagogy for putting active and dramatic approaches to learning and teaching into action. Written in an accessible, conversational, and refreshingly honest style by a teacher and professor with over 30 years' experience, it features real examples of preschool, elementary, middle, and high school teachers working in actual classrooms in diverse settings. Their tales explore not only how, but also why, they have changed the way they teach. Photographs and stories of their classroom practice, along with summarizing charts of principles and strategies, both illuminate the critical, cross-curricular, and inquiry-based conceptual framework Edmiston develops and provide rich examples and straightforward guidelines that can support readers as they experiment with using active and dramatic approaches to dialogue, inquiry, building community, planning for exploration, and authentic assessment in their own classrooms.
Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching by
This new fifth edition of Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching, by M.D. Roblyer and Aaron H. Doering, builds upon the success of the unique aspects and approach of previous editions. Beginning with Chapter 2, every chapter reinforces the authors' five-step Technology Integration Planning Model (TIP Model) through a series of features and activities: * Technology Integration Examples and Making the Case boxes introduce teachers to the model. * Technology Integration Lessons and Adapting for Special Needs boxes help teachers plan for effective technology integration. * End-of-chapter Technology Integration Workshops provide hands-on practice with technology tools, developmentally appropriate classroom-based scenarios (The TIP Model in Action), and MyEducationLab website activities that help teachers visualize and apply what they have learned. The only book on the market to offer specific content area chapters, the fifth edition introduces the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework in Chapter 2 and incorporates it within these content-specific chapters to encourage teachers to reflect on the three domains to develop the knowledge and skills to overcome roadblocks to integration. New to This Edition * The new ISTE National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S) and Teachers (NETS-T) and Essential Conditions are discussed in Chapters 1-3 and correlated throughout the text. * Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework appears in Chapter 2 and is discussed in every chapter in Part IV. * Heavily revised Chapter 8 provides a greater focus on distance education by exploring what it means to be an online teacher and how to prepare for teaching online, and draws a comparison with face-to-face teaching. * Web 2.0 technologies and strategies are discussed and incorporated into every chapter. * Revised & Updated Technology Integration Lesson Planning features
Monitoring by
Dr. Peggy Hinckley is one of the best instructional leaders in our state. Her knowledge and experience in driving school improvement led me to seek her help in assisting Indiana¿s chronically underperforming schools. I recommend Peggy¿s expertise to any educator seeking to mirror her intense focus on school improvement and her commitment to what is most important¿results for students.
Dr. Tony Bennett
Unstuck and on Target! by
For students with autism disorders, problems with flexibility and goal-directed behaviour can be a major obstacle to success in school and in life. But flexibility and goal-setting can be taught just like any other skill, and this how-to-manual equips professionals with simple, real-world ways to help students with ASD develop this critical aspect of executive function. A classroom-based intervention approach for high-functioning students ages 8 - 11, this innovative guide gives special educators and other service providers ready-to-use lessons that promote cognitive and behavioural flexibility in everyday situations, from compromising with peers to handling schedule changes. Developed by a multidisciplinary team of reserachers and front-line professionals, the 27 lessons in Unstuck and On Target!: are tested and proven; reflect the learning style of students with ASD; target specific skills every student needs to learn more effectively and participate successfully in the classroom; free up teacher time; fit easily into any curriculum; and make learning fun. Ready for any professional to pick up and use, this complete guide gives users clear instruction, materials lists, and modifications for each lesson, plus invaluable Teacher Intervention Tips that help general educators reinforce the lessons throughout the school day.