Building Classroom Communities


Book Description

Create a unified, caring classroom in which all students love to learn and feel a sense of belonging. Developed from the author’s experience, this resource helps you create an emotionally safe environment, teach empathy as a primary skill, and much more.




The Total Classroom Management Makeover


Book Description

"Michael Linsin is the Shakespeare of smart classroom management, and his 18 lessons can transform American public education." --Eva Moskowitz, Founder and CEO of Success Academy Schools The Total Classroom Management Makeover is a condensed shortcut to effective classroom management. Presented as simple dos and don'ts, the 18 lessons you'll learn have been boiled down to the bare essentials and written in the most accessible way possible. Together, they form an innovative approach to teaching and managing behavior that is specifically and uniquely designed to create within each student strong intrinsic desire to listen, learn, and behave. The result is a tough-minded, hardworking, well-behaved class and the satisfaction of knowing that you're making a lasting impact on your students, your community, and the wider world.




Building Online Learning Communities


Book Description

Building Online Learning Communities further explores the development of virtual classroom environments that foster a sense of community and empower students to take charge of their learning to successfully achieve learning outcomes. This is the second edition of the groundbreaking book by Rena Palloff and Keith Pratt and has been completely updated and expanded to include the most current information on effective online course development and delivery. A practical, hands-on guide, this resource is filled with illustrative case studies, vignettes, and examples from a wide variety of successful online courses. The authors offer proven strategies for handling challenges that include: Engaging students in the formation of an online learning community. Establishing a sense of presence online. Maximizing participation. Developing effective courses that include collaboration and reflection. Assessing student performance. Written for faculty in any distance learning environment, this revised edition is based on the authors many years of work in faculty development for online teaching as well as their extensive personal experience as faculty in online distance education. Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt share insights designed to guide readers through the steps of online course design and delivery.




The Knowledge Gap


Book Description

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.




Classroom Management


Book Description

ENABLES K-12 EDUCATORS TO CREATE SUCCESSFUL LEARNING COMMUNITIES — THE FULLY UPDATED NEW EDITION Effective classroom management plans are essential for creating environments that foster appropriate social interactions and engaged learning for students in K-12 settings. New and early-career teachers often face difficulties addressing student discipline, upholding classroom rules and procedures, and establishing positive teacher-student relationships. The seventh edition of Classroom Management is the leading resource for helping educators prevent student misbehavior, respond to challenging situations, and involve their students in building positive classroom communities. This popular textbook covers every vital aspect of classroom management, from planning for the school year and conducting instruction, to managing diverse classrooms and collaborating with colleagues and families. Fully revised to reflect recent changes in K-12 education and address the needs of today's educators, this edition features new and updated methods for fostering positive student behavior, insights on the root causes of misbehavior, strategies for helping students set high expectations, and much more. Written by a respected expert in teaching methods, classroom management, and instructional leadership, this valuable teacher's reference: Covers contemporary topics, methods, and discipline models in classroom management Reflects current InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards and Praxis assessments Features descriptions of classroom management methods used by elementary, middle, and high school teachers in various regions and communities Provides new and unique stories and case studies of real-world classroom situations Offers end-of-chapter summaries and questions, supplemental activities, further reading suggestions, and complete references Includes new tables, charts, and figures that make information more accessible to different types of learners Classroom Management: Creating a Successful K-12 Learning Community, Seventh Edition is an ideal text for college professors, teachers in training, and K-12 educators, as well as school administrators and general readers involved in education.




Our Class is a Family


Book Description

"Family isn't always your relatives. It's the ones who accept you for who you are. The ones who would do anything to see you smile, and who love you no matter what." -Unknown Teachers do so much more than just teach academics. They build a sense of community within their classrooms, creating a home away from home where they make their students feel safe, included, and loved. With its heartfelt message and colorfully whimsical illustrations, "Our Class is a Family" is a book that will help build and strengthen that class community. Kids learn that their classroom is a place where it's safe to be themselves, it's okay to make mistakes, and it's important to be a friend to others. When hearing this story being read aloud by their teacher, students are sure to feel like they are part of a special family. And currently, during such an unprecedented time when many teachers and students are not physically IN the classroom due to COVID-19 school closures, it's more important than it's ever been to give kids the message that their class is a family. Even at a distance, they still stick together.




Belonging


Book Description

The author, a teacher, meets with her third grade students each week to discuss with them their issues with their classmates, whom they have complained about. The verbatim account of these discussions & the growth in understanding of each other is moving as they learn to live together.




Adventure Education for the Classroom Community


Book Description

Empower your students instead of coercing them through punishments and external rewards. Engaged by the activities in this character education curriculum, students will choose responsible behavior. Help your students master communication skills, create plans, make decisions, solve problems, and resolve conflicts. Your efforts will build classroom communities that support character development, individual and social responsibility, and academic excellence.




Teaching Children to Care


Book Description

"Ruth Charney gives teachers help on things that really matter. She wants children to learn how to care for themselves, their fellow students, their environment, and their work. Her book is loaded with practical wisdom. Using Charney's positive approach to classroom management will make the whole school day go better." - Nel Noddings, Professor Emeritus, Stanford University, and author of Caring This definitive work about classroom management will show teachers how to turn their vision of respectful, friendly, academically rigorous classrooms into reality. The new edition includes: More information on teaching middle-school students Additional strategies for helping children with challenging behavior Updated stories and examples from real classrooms. "Teaching Children to Care offers educators a practical guide to one of the most effective social and emotional learning programs I know of. The Responsive Classroom approach creates an ideal environment for learning—a pioneering program every teacher should know about." - Daniel Goleman, Author of Emotional Intelligence "I spent one whole summer reading Teaching Children to Care. It was like a rebirth for me. This book helped direct my professional development. After reading it, I had a path to follow. I now look forward to rereading this book each August to refresh and reinforce my ability to effectively manage a social curriculum in my classroom." - Gail Zimmerman, second-grade teacher, Jackson Mann Elementary School, Boston, MA




Weslandia


Book Description

"This fantastical picture book, like its hero, is bursting at the seams with creativity. . . . a vigorous shot in the arm to nonconformists everywhere" — Publishers Weekly (starred review) Enter the witty, intriguing world of Weslandia! Now that school is over, Wesley needs a summer project. He’s learned that each civilization needs a staple food crop, so he decides to sow a garden and start his own — civilization, that is. He turns over a plot of earth, and plants begin to grow. They soon tower above him and bear a curious-looking fruit. As Wesley experiments, he finds that the plant will provide food, clothing, shelter, and even recreation. It isn’t long before his neighbors and classmates develop more than an idle curiosity about Wesley — and exactly how he is spending his summer vacation.