Fanatically Formative


Book Description

"This book is a joy to read! Positive and practical are the two best words to describe it. Every early childhood educator would benefit from reading Fanatically Formative." —Richard L. Allington, Professor of Literacy Studies University of Tennessee, Knoxville "I could not put this book down. The captivating message reignited my passion for quality and joyful teaching. The discussion questions at the end of each chapter will serve as springboards for stimulating discourse." —Kathleen A. Robbins, Principal MacGowan School, Redford, MI Transform your K-3 classrooms into effective centers of learning! Helping children experience early learning success and acquire essential skills by third grade is a crucial part of any school reform effort. Yet, many teachers and children are overwhelmed by the ineffective curriculum-driven education system and the "rush to cover" climate in schools. Fanatically Formative shows how you can rediscover the joy of teaching and help children fall in love with learning again. This book traces the journey of a teacher as she works through the challenges of formative assessment and responsive instruction to discover the practices that will help her students succeed. K-3 teachers, principals, and district administrators will learn how to: Set clear, attainable learning outcomes Make teaching responsive to the whole child Monitor student progress toward essential skills Build a truly positive classroom and school culture Collaborate to help young children succeed With surveys, lists of essential skills, study questions for PLC groups, and highlighted summaries of key points, Fanatically Formative offers a clear and powerful vision for your early learning success initiative along with the action steps to achieve your goals.




Fanatical Schemes


Book Description

Fanatical Schemes is a study of proslavery rhetoric in the 1830s.




Over-Tested and Under-Prepared


Book Description

The curriculum-driven instructional model has been the standard method of teaching for more than a century, but it is consistently failing to produce well-educated citizens and lifelong learners. Pressured by standardized testing and rigid pacing guidelines, teachers are forced to cover too much content too quickly, without being able to meet the needs of individual students. In this powerful new book from acclaimed author and speaker Bob Sornson, you’ll learn how shifting from curriculum-based instruction to competency based learning can help students become more successful, confident, and engaged learners. Topics include: Understanding the curriculum-driven model and the problems with "cover and sort" methodology; Making the transition from curriculum-driven to competency based learning; Identifying crucial learning outcomes and giving students all the time and instruction needed to fully master these outcomes; Building a positive teaching and learning environment; And more! Each chapter is short and easy to digest, and provides compelling research, strategies, and anecdotes to inspire conversation and action. Teachers, administrators, and community leaders will all find helpful resources and arguments for re-working our current educational system into a new, dynamic model of teaching and learning.




Exploring Creativity


Book Description

Creativity involves the invention and the assimilation of new thinking and its integration with existing knowledge. The creative process will sometimes take one through the complete cycle, beginning with a contextual challenge or inspiration and resulting in a final product to be evaluated and reflected upon. At other times, the process may only be followed through to the exploration and experimentation phase. Exploring Creativity reaches out to students, educators, and parents to understand the windows of opportunity in brain development. Nurturing pathways for finding your purpose and identity provides a landscape for self-discovery. Engaging in a creative mindset can develop whole brain thinking. This guide will get individuals started on a transformative journey to becoming their most empowered self.




Brainless Sameness


Book Description

This book offers a careful look at how we came to have our traditional education system, and how it met the needs of a different time. By looking back at the past we can take on the task of change without casting blame, but with understanding. We will consider the systems design of the curriculum driven one-size-fits-all educational model, why it no longer meets our needs, and how to devise a system which can deliver a better future for our children and for ourselves as educators.




Essential Math Skills: Interactive Inventory for Pre-Kindergarten


Book Description

Learn about essential math skills needed by pre-kindergartners to ensure deep understanding of key math concepts. Bob Sornson created a system for tracking the development of early math skills.




Essential Math Skills: Interactive Inventory for Grade 1


Book Description

Learn about essential math skills needed by first graders to ensure deep understanding of key math concepts. Bob Sornson created a system for tracking the development of early math skills.




Balance and Refinement


Book Description

We all have moral beliefs. But what if one beleif conflicts with another? DePaul argues that we have to make our beliefs cohere, but that the current coherence methods are seriously flawed. It is not just the arguments that need to be considered in moral enquiry. DePaul asserts that the ability to make sensitive moral judgements is vital to any philosophical inquiry into morality. The inquirer must consider how her life experiences and experiences with literature, film and theatre have influenced her capacity for making moral judgments and attempt to ensure that this capacity is neither naive nor corrupted.




Essential Math Skills: Interactive Inventory for Grade 3


Book Description

Learn about essential math skills needed by third graders to ensure deep understanding of key math concepts. Bob Sornson created a system for tracking the development of early math skills.




Essential Math Skills: Over 250 Activities to Develop Deep Understanding


Book Description

Support and assess the learning of essential skills needed for students' mathematics success! Created to support College and Career Readiness and other state standards, this resource is a great tool for educators. This must-have professional book allows teachers to systematically monitor students' progress toward proficiency in every essential skill. The 250 activities provide a rich menu of math learning experiences, which includes the use of manipulatives, activities, exploration, inquiry, and play. Digital resources are also provided and include student activity pages and teacher resources.