Learning That Matters


Book Description

A 2022 SPE Outstanding Book Honorable Mention Our society urgently needs education that motivates, challenges, engages, and affirms all students. No matter their previous successes or failures, every student has enormous learning potential and important contributions to make now and in the future. Such meaningful learning experiences don't just happen, they need to be intentionally designed. This book supports those who will undertake this vitally important work. Learning that Matters: A Field Guide to Course Design for Transformative Education is a pragmatic resource for designing courses that engage college students as active citizens. This "work" book provides research-informed approaches for creating learning experiences and developing innovative, intellectually-engaging courses. Whether a novice or a veteran, by engaging with the text, collaborating with colleagues, and reflecting on the important work of a teacher, any motivated educator can become a transformative educator. Every college course has the potential to transform students' lives. Through implementation of critical concepts such as connected and authentic assessments; dilemmas, issues, and questions; portable thinking skills and engaging strategies; and a purposeful focus on inclusivity and equity, readers begin the process of change needed for preparing students who will be able to address the monumental challenges facing our society. Click HERE to watch the book launch. Click HERE to hear the authors discuss their book. Perfect for courses such as: Education Curriculum and Instruction | Design for Transformative Learning | An Introduction to Evidence-based Undergraduate Teaching | New Faculty Orientations | Freshman Seminar Faculty Trainings | Center for Teaching & Learning | Workshops in Course Design




Teacher Learning That Matters


Book Description

In the continuing global call for educational reforms and change, the contributors in this edited collection address the critical issue of teacher learning from diverse national contexts and perspectives. They define "teacher learning that matters" as it shapes and directs pedagogical practices with the goal of improving student learning. This book weaves together major studies, research findings and theoretical orientations to represent a globalized network of inquiries into the what, how and why of teacher learning that shapes teacher skill and knowledge. Teacher learning matters on an international scale because teachers are the portals through which any initiative for change and reform is realized. Recognizing that a highly skilled teaching force is instrumental to improving student achievement adds import to generating interactive dialogue on teacher learning around the globe.




Teaching as if Learning Matters


Book Description

Teaching is an essential skill in becoming a faculty member in any institution of higher education. Yet how is that skill actually acquired by graduate students? Teaching as if Learning Matters collects first-person narratives from graduate students and new PhDs that explore how the skills required to teach at a college level are developed. It examines the key issues that graduate students face as they learn to teach effectively when in fact they are still learning and being taught. Featuring contributions from over thirty graduate students from a variety of disciplines at Indiana University, Teaching as if Learning Matters allows these students to explore this topic from their own unique perspectives. They reflect on the importance of teaching to them personally and professionally, telling of both successes and struggles as they learn and embrace teaching for the first time in higher education.




Movement Matters


Book Description

Experts translate the latest findings on embodied cognition from neuroscience, psychology, and cognitive science to inform teaching and learning pedagogy. Embodied cognition represents a radical shift in conceptualizing cognitive processes, in which cognition develops through mind-body environmental interaction. If this supposition is correct, then the conventional style of instruction—in which students sit at desks, passively receiving information—needs rethinking. Movement Matters considers the educational implications of an embodied account of cognition, describing the latest research applications from neuroscience, psychology, and cognitive science and demonstrating their relevance for teaching and learning pedagogy. The contributors cover a range of content areas, explaining how the principles of embodied cognition can be applied in classroom settings. After a discussion of the philosophical and theoretical underpinnings of embodied cognition, contributors describe its applications in language, including the areas of handwriting, vocabulary, language development, and reading comprehension; STEM areas, emphasizing finger counting and the importance of hand and body gestures in understanding physical forces; and digital learning technologies, including games and augmented reality. Finally, they explore embodied learning in the social-emotional realm, including how emotional granularity, empathy, and mindfulness benefit classroom learning. Movement Matters introduces a new model, translational learning sciences research, for interpreting and disseminating the latest empirical findings in the burgeoning field of embodied cognition. The book provides an up-to-date, inclusive, and essential resource for those involved in educational planning, design, and pedagogical approaches. Contributors Dor Abrahamson, Martha W. Alibali, Petra A. Arndt, Lisa Aziz-Zadeh, Jo Boaler, Christiana Butera, Rachel S. Y. Chen,Charles P. Davis, Andrea Marquardt Donovan, Inge-Marie Eigsti, Virginia J. Flood, Jennifer M. B. Fugate, Arthur M. Glenberg, Ligia E. Gómez, Daniel D. Hutto, Karin H. James, Mina C. Johnson-Glenberg, Michael P. Kaschak, Markus Kiefer, Christina Krause, Sheila L. Macrine, Anne Mangen, Carmen Mayer, Amanda L. McGraw, Colleen Megowan-Romanowicz, Mitchell J. Nathan, Antti Pirhonen, Kelsey E. Schenck, Lawrence Shapiro, Anna Shvarts, Yue-Ting Siu,Sofia Tancredi, Chrystian Vieyra, Rebecca Vieyra, Candace Walkington, Christine Wilson-Mendenhall, Eiling Yee




Pharmacy Education


Book Description

Pharmacy Education: What Matters in Learning and Teaching is an essential resource for any pharmacy faculty member. More than a narration of the philosophical aspects of teaching and personal perspectives on life as a faculty member, it explores ‘what matters”, “why it matters”, and “how to apply” the matter to teaching, learning, and assessment in pharmacy education. It covers a variety of teaching settings (e.g., large classroom, small group teaching, clinical site) and guides the reader in developing a deeper understanding of what it means to be a teacher. Scenarios are included in each chapter, offering readers the opportunity to readily apply educational theory to their role as educators and to adapt the book’s content to their specific educational setting. The reader, whether a part-time faculty member, full-time faculty member, or adjunct professor/preceptor, is given the opportunity to personalize the material addressed in the text to his/her stage of development through engagement in reflective workbook exercises. Pharmacy Education: What Matters in Learning and Teaching is a valuable tool for mid-level senior-level faculty members as well as for new faculty. This text can also serve as a resource for adjunct faculty members and pharmacy residency directors and preceptors to aid in the development and refinement of clinical educational programs in pharmacy. This book will be a valuable tool for not only individual pharmacy educators but for schools of pharmacy and pharmacy residency programs in their provision of faculty development and preceptor development programs.




Summer Matters


Book Description

Today's summer programming needs to move beyond reading to engage children with hands-on activities to keep their brains active even when school's out. Here, a team of librarians and educators from the Chicago Public Library and Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry present a guide based on their award-winning, STEAM-inspired approach.




Teaching Social Studies that Matters


Book Description

No plan to increase achievement and enact reform in the social studies classroom will succeed without recognizing the central importance of the teacher as the gatekeeperof instruction. In this book, Thornton details why teachers must develop strong skills in curriculum planning and teaching methods in order for effective instruction to occur. Thornton helps teachers to develop a vision of their practice that will build strong social studies programs and inspire students to learn. This book features replicable examples of the kinds of reflective practice that will enable teachers to animate classroom instruction and create a dynamic social studies curriculum and an analysis of how teachers adapt and shape state and district level curricula and classroom materials to fit the specific needs of their students, and a model of how to develop an instructional program with suggestions for lesson planning.




CLARITY


Book Description

Shared knowledge between educators breeds shared success in all systems and schools Comprehensive in scope, CLARITY illustrates how system and school leaders must come together to boost student achievement and build teacher capacity to learn, teach and lead. By emphasizing collaborative processes, Lyn Sharratt’s detailed design demonstrates how shared knowledge, equity and expertise can make every classroom more impactful and every teacher more empowered. Readers will uncover these ‘Big Ideas’: 14 essential Parameters to guide system and school leaders toward building powerful collaborative learning cultures Case studies, vignettes and firsthand accounts from gifted teachers and leaders bring important theories and practices to life From all points in the organization, a ‘line-of-sight’ directly to students’ FACES in every classroom to ensure continuous improvement Data-driven tasks and tools to tackle solutions needed in all facets of education With more than four decades of research, writing and practical experience in system, school, and classroom improvement, Sharratt provides a ‘why-and-how-to guide’ to assist educators across the globe as they solve 21st century-created problems and identify the much-needed learning critical to the success of our future citizens.




Education Matters


Book Description

Renowned economists Robert Barro and Jong-Wha Lee examine and establish the critical role that education in economic growth, fertility, and democracy. Engaging and informative, Education Matters is a compelling read for students, scholars, and anyone with a passion for education




No Other Home


Book Description

Sporting Kansas City captain Matt Besler has achieved something extraordinary in the least extraordinary way. At every level of his athletic career, Besler has heard the same questions and initial dismissal of his talent. Even as he made his slow, steady progression into the consciousness of his coaches, opponents, and fans, then onto the national and world soccer stage, he heard it still. How does a normal guy like Matt Besler end up playing in the World Cup, one of the most exclusive competitions in international sports? If it’s true that he’s a rather typical Midwestern guy, it’s also true that Matt happens to be one of the best soccer players in the country. Professional soccer is a bastion for the flamboyant—the lifestyles, the hairstyles, the WAGs, the passionate fans—yet Matt has flourished as the anti-flamboyant. He is preternaturally calm. He is stalwart. He is relentlessly committed to his preparedness and his athletic success. Matt Besler may seem to be Mr. Average, but it is this very characteristic that has made him exceptional. No Other Home offers an honest, first-person perspective into exactly what it takes to reach the highest levels of the sporting world. Matt shares his stories—from growing up in a loving but fiercely competitive family, to climbing through the ranks of high school, club, and college athletics, to dealing with injuries and professional setbacks, and even to his own rather extraordinary experience of becoming a father. The poignant lessons he’s learned so far hold value for soccer fans and nonfans alike. This is a book to be shared among family members, young and old. And for parents looking for positive influences in professional athletics, they will find no better role model than Matt. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the nonprofit charity, the BESLER FAMILY FOUNDATION.