Download or read book The Knowledge Gap written by Natalie Wexler and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2020-08-04 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The untold story of the root cause of America's education crisis--and the seemingly endless cycle of multigenerational poverty. It was only after years within the education reform movement that Natalie Wexler stumbled across a hidden explanation for our country's frustrating lack of progress when it comes to providing every child with a quality education. The problem wasn't one of the usual scapegoats: lazy teachers, shoddy facilities, lack of accountability. It was something no one was talking about: the elementary school curriculum's intense focus on decontextualized reading comprehension "skills" at the expense of actual knowledge. In the tradition of Dale Russakoff's The Prize and Dana Goldstein's The Teacher Wars, Wexler brings together history, research, and compelling characters to pull back the curtain on this fundamental flaw in our education system--one that fellow reformers, journalists, and policymakers have long overlooked, and of which the general public, including many parents, remains unaware. But The Knowledge Gap isn't just a story of what schools have gotten so wrong--it also follows innovative educators who are in the process of shedding their deeply ingrained habits, and describes the rewards that have come along: students who are not only excited to learn but are also acquiring the knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to succeed. If we truly want to fix our education system and unlock the potential of our neediest children, we have no choice but to pay attention.

Download or read book A Teacher s Reflection Book written by Jean Koh Peters and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In university teachers'' hectic lives, finding space to reflect, restore, renew, and recommit can seem impossible. Jean Koh Peters and Mark Weisberg believe regular reflection is critical and have designed A Teacher''s Reflection Book to help teachers and other professionals find that space. Growing out of the authors'' extensive experience facilitating retreats and leading teaching and learning workshops, the book builds on their discoveries in those settings, supporting and promoting teachers'' self-directed development. Inviting that development, A Teacher''s Reflection Book is a cornucopia of stories, exercises, and examples that will inspire teachers to make reflection a cornerstone of their daily lives. With its multiple suggestions and strategies, it offers something for every reader, and is responsive to teachers'' needs at all stages of their careers. The book''s six chapters offer readers several perspectives from which to reflect. Some sections offer glimpses of teachers in the midst of their daily teaching lives, while others step away, inviting readers to reflect on what it means to have a vocation as a teacher. The book explores how we listen, a crucial yet rarely taught skill, essential for reflecting, as well as for learning and teaching. And it invites teachers to reflect on their students: who they are, and what and how they learn. For those latter reflections, the authors turn the focus on fear, which so pervades university life and which can distort learners'' and teachers'' perspectives and responses. Throughout this book, readers will visit several classrooms and listen to the evocative voices of several thoughtful students. Revelatory, practical, and wise, A Teacher''s Reflection Book is a valuable companion and guide. "One key strength of the book is its authentic writing style, which engages the reader and builds the trustworthiness of the authors. Another strength is the book''s wealth of readings and the activities it offers to catalyze teacher reflection." -- Teaching Theology and Religion, Ryan S. Gardner "This excellent book should be part of every teacher''s professional library. It is a book pitched at all teachers in higher education and, through the processes of reflection, a book that advances important principles of good teaching practice that are usually introduced all too briefly in the basic texts on teaching in higher education. ...Several descriptive words come to mind when reading this book. It is a polite and gentle book. Politeness is revealed in the book''s sub-title - ''Exercises, stories, invitations''. It is the idea of invitation that characterizes much of the book. It is not didactic but rather invites us to use the book and the processes described in it in ways that work best for us. It does this through questions and inductive approaches to reflection. Through these approaches and the careful use of real-life examples, we are gently invited to explore the perspectives presented in the text and apply these to our personal and professional lives. It is also an accessible book. Most refreshingly, it is not burdened with unnecessary technical jargon and convoluted language that sadly cripples too much writing in education today and makes learning inaccessible to many, particularly for those readers whose first language is not English." -- Higher Education Research & Development (HERDSA), Robert Cannon "I was asked to write a book review but I find that, instead, I want to write a thank you note thanking Jean Koh Peters and Mark Weisberg for the gift of their book, A Teacher''s Reflection Book. ...The reflections, examples and exercises you offer in the book make reflecting about both challenging and positive moments in my life as a teacher feel like something I can do easily and regularly. ...In this book, you have found a way to model, encourage and help create a compassionate space where teachers can make the deepest connection between who they are and what they do. You give us permission to find our truth in and the courage to bring our hearts to our teaching and writing. You have made a home for reflection." -- The Law Teacher, Kimberly Kirkland, University of New Hampshire School of Law "We are all so busy. We race from task to task. We attempt to multi-task; dividing and depleting our energies. How many times do we arrive in class breathless with hardly a moment to think about what we have planned for the day? I harbor no illusions that a blog entry is going to change our lives, but I would like to use this one to reiterate the need to make time for reflection, for contemplation about what we do, and how and why we do it. The value of doing so is laid out clearly in [this] new book..." -- Teaching Professor Blog, Maryellen Weimer

Download or read book Reflection and Experience in the First Year of Teaching written by Dana DeMinico and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book In the First Few Years written by Tina Humphrey and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the ever-changing world of education, beginning teachers need resources to turn to as they face new, daily challenges. In a collection of 22 essays, the book's author shares insights and experiences from her first three years of teaching, using humor, honesty, and compassion to cover diverse topics. The essays can make new teachers feel like they are not alone and allow veteran teachers to reflect on their own journeys. Following a Preface, the collection contains these essays: "The First Year: Knowing Enough for Now"; "The Second Year: Another Look"; "The Third Year: One More Down"; "Memorable First-Year Moments"; "The First Day of School"; "The Most Challenging Students"; "Finding Success--One Student at a Time"; "Heartaches in the Classroom"; "Using Your Fresh Perspective";"A Life Outside Teaching"; "Dealing with Your Students' First Teachers--Parents"; "Playing Can Be Productive"; "Planning Ahead: Avoiding the Grading Pile-Up"; "What a Difference a Year Makes"; "The Strength to Grow"; "Becoming a Mother of Many"; "My Favorite Lesson"; "The Lazy Days of Summer"; "Establishing a Support System"; "Dealing with Administration"; "Getting Involved"; and "A Sense of Relief." (NKA).

Download or read book Reflection In The Writing Classroom written by Kathleen Yancey and published by . This book was released on 1998-03 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Yancey explores reflection as a promising body of practice and inquiry in the writing classroom. Yancey develops a line of research based on concepts of philosopher Donald Schon and others involving the role of deliberative reflection in classroom contexts. Developing the concepts of reflection-in-action, constructive reflection, and reflection-in-presentation, she offers a structure for discussing how reflection operates as students compose individual pieces of writing, as they progress through successive writings, and as they deliberately review a compiled body of their work-a portfolio, for example. Throughout the book, she explores how reflection can enhance student learning along with teacher response to and evaluation of student writing. Reflection in the Writing Classroom will be a valuable addition to the personal library of faculty currently teaching in or administering a writing program; it is also a natural for graduate students who teach writing courses, for the TA training program, or for the English Education program.

Download or read book Finding Mrs Warnecke written by Cindi Rigsbee and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2010-03-15 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Finding Mrs. Warnecke tells the inspiring story of Cindi Rigsbee, a three-time Teacher of the Year, and Barbara Warnecke, the first-grade teacher who had a profound and lasting impact on Cindi's life. Cindi, an insecure child who craved positive attention, started her first-grade year with a teacher who was emotionally abusive and played favorites in the classroom. Two months into the school year, her principal came into the classroom and announced that half the students were being moved to another classroom--a dank, windowless basement room, with a young and inexperienced teacher. This change turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to Cindi. Her new teacher, Mrs. Warnecke, made learning come alive for her students. She went overboard caring for each child, made her classroom "magical," and encouraged students to pursue their dreams. Although Cindi was reluctant to explore her creativity as a student, Mrs. Warnecke encouraged her to read and write poetry, which became a lifelong passion. The two kept in touch for several years but lost track of each other when Mrs. Warnecke moved out of state. Cindi spent many years trying to reconnect so she could thank Mrs. Warnecke for making such a difference in her life, but to no avail. Eventually Cindi became a teacher herself, and thirty years later she has taught more than 2,000 children and been named Teacher of the Year for her home state. She later came to realize that all those years she wasn't really trying to track down Barbara Warnecke, but rather, she was trying to "find Mrs. Warnecke" within herself. In Fall 2008 Cindi and Barbara were reunited on Good Morning America; the show's producers had tracked Barbara down and brought both women on-set for a tearful reunion. Barbara was floored at this attention--she had no idea she could have made such an impact on a former student's life. As Cindi travels around talking with new and veteran educators, she is always approached by audience members who are moved to tears and want to share the story of the "Mrs. Warnecke" in their own lives. Finding Mrs. Warnecke not only tells the story of this teacher who made a lifelong impact on her students, it illustrates the importance of the teacher/student relationship in the classroom, and offers principles for other teachers to follow to make a positive impact in their own classrooms.

Download or read book Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher written by Stephen D. Brookfield and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2017-02-13 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A practical guide to the essential practice that builds better teachers. Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher is the landmark guide to critical reflection, providing expert insight and practical tools to facilitate a journey of constructive self-critique. Stephen Brookfield shows how you can uncover and assess your assumptions about practice by viewing them through the lens of your students' eyes, your colleagues' perceptions, relevant theory and research, and your own personal experience. Practicing critical reflection will help you… Align your teaching with desired student outcomes See your practice from new perspectives Engage learners via multiple teaching formats Understand and manage classroom power dynamics Model critical thinking for your students Manage the complex rhythms of diverse classrooms This fully revised second edition features a wealth of new material, including new chapters on critical reflection in the context of social media, teaching race and racism, leadership in a critically reflective key, and team teaching as critical reflection. In addition, all chapters have been thoroughly updated and expanded to align with today's classrooms, whether online or face-to-face, in large lecture formats or small groups. In his own personal voice Stephen Brookfield draws from over 45 years of experience to illustrate the clear benefits of critical reflection. Assumptions guide practice and only when we base our actions on accurate assumptions will we achieve the results we want. Educators with the courage to challenge their own assumptions in an effort to improve learning are the invaluable role models our students need. Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher provides the foundational information and practical tools that help teachers reach their true potential.

Download or read book 180 Days of Self care for Busy Educators written by Tina Boogren and published by Solution Tree. This book was released on 2019 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides educators with a thirty-six week program of daily self-care strategies and techniques, each corresponding with a week of the school year. Weekly themes range from creativity and inspiration to relationships and time management for teachers and administrators.

Download or read book Create Your Dream Classroom written by Linda Kardamis and published by WestBow Press. This book was released on 2014 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Create Your Dream Classroom, the perfect resource for Christian teachers, provides tips and strategies to help you do just what the title suggests: create the classroom you've always wanted. This book contains fifty daily readings designed to help new teachers conquer the learning curve and to bring fresh ideas to veterans. Included are hands-on activities, journal prompts, and an interactive experience with a growing community of Christian teachers.

Download or read book Reflections Through the Phases of First year Teaching written by Allison M. Cañar and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This thesis is a reflective, narrative account of my experiences as a first-year English teacher at the seventh grade level. I focus on seven key areas of concern for teachers: creating classroom community, managing student behavior, planning lessons, grading student work, developing relationships with parents, defining a place in the school community, and maintaining a balance between professional and personal obligations. For each aspect of a teacher's role, I share my original expectations and then personal experiences that changed my views or triggered my development. I then conclude with proposed changes I would make in the future and key lessons learned. Throughout my first year, many challenging times made question my decision to become an educator, but gradually through experience and reflection I regained my confidence and drive to make a difference in my students' lives.

Download or read book Re Generation written by Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm and published by Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press. This book was released on 2021-08-31 with total page 111 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: (Re)Generation contains selected poetry by Anishinaabe writer Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm exploring a range of issues: from violence against Indigenous women and lands to Indigenous erotica and the joyous intimate encounters between bodies. From her earliest work in my heart is a stray bullet and Bloodriver Woman, through her spoken word works standing ground and A Constellation of Bones, Akiwenzie-Damm’s poetry demonstrates how to represent Indigenous peoples in their full complexity, especially as it pertains to bodily pleasure, love, and loss. Akiwenzie-Damm's afterword speaks to the relations and obligations Indigenous peoples have to one another and their other-than-human kin, as she reflects on the resilient work that Indigenous creative work has done and continues to do in spite of colonial violence. She stakes a claim for the necessity of poetry in the face of ongoing colonialism, not only in the present but in the future and for the generations to come. The introduction by Dallas Hunt locates Akiwenzie-Damm within the field of Indigenous literature and meditates on her influence on the field of Indigenous erotica. Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm writes in service of Indigenous brilliance, love, intimacy, and joy, and speaks with an unwavering voice, one that, to paraphrase Akiwenzie-Damm herself, “shakes the earth.”

Download or read book Peer Coaching written by Les Foltos and published by Corwin Press. This book was released on 2013-08-06 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This guide trains teachers to help each other refine their classroom strategies and tailor them to 21st Century needs. Insights include how peer coaching involves much more than just one teacher offering another advice, how a coaching relationship is first built on trust, and then on the willingness to take risks, and why peer coaching should focus on adapting teaching methods to the technological future of education.

Download or read book Professionalism and Ethics in Teaching written by David Carr and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2005-06-20 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Professionalism and Ethics in Teaching presents a thought-provoking and stimulating study of the moral dimensions of the teaching professions. After discussing the moral implications of professionalism, Carr explores the relationship of education theory to teaching practice and the impact of this relationship on professional expertise. He then identifies and examines some central ethical and moral issues in education and teaching. Finally David Carr gives a detailed analysis of a range of issues concerning the role of the teacher and the managements of educational issues. Professionalism and Ethics in Teaching presents a thought-provoking and stimulating study of the moral dimensions of the teaching professions.

Download or read book Teaching Writers to Reflect written by Anne Elrod Whitney and published by Heinemann Educational Books. This book was released on 2019 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Even if your writing workshop hums with the sound of productive work most days, with time carved out for sharing and reflecting, how do you know whether your students are really learning from their writing experiences, or if they're just going through the motions of writing? What if you could teach your students to reflect-in a powerful, deliberate way-throughout the writing process? Teaching Writers to Reflect shares a three step process-remember, describe, act--to help students develop as writers who know for themselves what they are doing and why. The authors argue that teaching the skill of reflection helps students: - Build identities as writers within a community of writers - Learn what to do when there's a problem in their writing - Make writing skills transferable to more than one writing situation. With specific teaching strategies, examples of student work and stories from their own classrooms, Whitney, McCracken and Washell help you align the work of reflection with your writing workshop structure. After learning to reflect on what they do as writers, students not only can say things about the texts they have written, but also can talk about their own abilities, challenges, and the processes by which they solve writing problems.

Download or read book Reflections of First Year Teachers on School Culture Questions Hopes and Challenges written by Rebecca Van der Bogert and published by Jossey-Bass. This book was released on 1999-08-13 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first year of teaching provides a plethora of challenges for all who choose this demanding and rewarding profession. In this volume of New Directions for School Leadership, five beginning public school teachers share lessons learned from teaching, writing, and reflecting together on their introductory experiences. These authors give voice to the first-year teacher's frustrations and revelations, detailing their struggles with complacency and bureaucracy, their efforts to teach students to think, and the growth they experienced through professional collaboration.

Download or read book Two Teachers in the Room written by Elizabeth Stein and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new co-publication from Routledge and MiddleWeb provides a wealth of practical strategies and tips to help K-12 educators co-teach more effectively. Author Elizabeth Stein presents examples of different co-teaching models and shows how to cultivate a dynamic co-teaching relationship to benefit all students. Whether you're a brand new co-teacher or are simply looking to improve the dynamics in your classroom, the research-based strategies, vignettes, and ready-to-use assessment rubrics in this book will help you create a positive learning culture that influences all learners, teachers, and students alike. Topics include: Selecting and implementing the appropriate co-teaching model to optimize student learning; Developing an effective curriculum that plays to the strengths of both teachers; Creating a learning environment that promotes self-reflection and nurtures critical thinking; Accommodating all learners by embracing a multi-dimensional view of teacher knowledge; and Providing specific, attentive feedback to help students take charge of their learning. The book also features book discussion questions for each chapter so you can work with colleagues during book studies and PLCs.

Download or read book The Courage to Teach written by Parker J. Palmer and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2009-05-18 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book is for teachers who have good days and bad -- and whose bad days bring the suffering that comes only from something one loves. It is for teachers who refuse to harden their hearts, because they love learners, learning, and the teaching life." - Parker J. Palmer [from the Introduction] Teachers choose their vocation for reasons of the heart, because they care deeply about their students and about their subject. But the demands of teaching cause too many educators to lose heart. Is it possible to take heart in teaching once more so that we can continue to do what good teachers always do -- give heart to our students? In The Courage to Teach, Parker Palmer takes teachers on an inner journey toward reconnecting with their vocation and their students -- and recovering their passion for one of the most difficult and important of human endeavors.