Designing Teacher Study Groups


Book Description

Recipe for a Successful Study Group: 6-12 highly motivated teachers; 1 efficient and confident facilitator; 10 inspiring, open-ended questions; and 2 buckets of smiles (laughter optional) Directions: Mix all ingredients. Liberally sprinkle with positive attitude. Enjoy! When you're working with a study group, you're not just having fun. You're furthering your professional development in the best possible way! Research shows that your professional development is best handled by you, with other teachers at your school site, in a cooperative environment of trust and support. Having a forum for the exchange of ideas gives you the power to expand your expertise through observation, discussion and application, and allows you to better meet the needs of your students. This resource shows you how to design a study group that fits your goals and schedules. Learn how to get your study group started--and keep it going--with tips on everything from how to recruit members, what materials to discuss, and how to generate stimulating dialogue. Included are recipes for tasty snacks to keep your colleagues satisfied, on track, and coming back for more! With a variety of flexible group formats and activities to choose from, you're sure to develop a program of creativity and growth that fits your agenda, no matter how hectic your calendar.




Black Lives Matter at School


Book Description

This inspiring collection of accounts from educators and students is “an essential resource for all those seeking to build an antiracist school system” (Ibram X. Kendi). Since 2016, the Black Lives Matter at School movement has carved a new path for racial justice in education. A growing coalition of educators, students, parents and others have established an annual week of action during the first week of February. This anthology shares vital lessons that have been learned through this important work. In this volume, Bettina Love makes a powerful case for abolitionist teaching, Brian Jones looks at the historical context of the ongoing struggle for racial justice in education, and prominent teacher union leaders discuss the importance of anti-racism in their unions. Black Lives Matter at School includes essays, interviews, poems, resolutions, and more from participants across the country who have been building the movement on the ground.




Teaching for Black Lives


Book Description

Black students' bodies and minds are under attack. We're fighting back. From the north to the south, corporate curriculum lies to our students, conceals pain and injustice, masks racism, and demeans our Black students. But it¿s not only the curriculum that is traumatizing students.




Teacher Unions and Social Justice


Book Description

An anthology of more than 60 articles documenting the history and the how-tos of social justice unionism. Together, they describe the growing movement to forge multiracial alliances with communities to defend and transform public education.




The Power of Protocols


Book Description

This important professional development tool describes nearly 30 protocols or "scripts" for conducting meetings, conversations, and other learning experiences among educators--in one, easy-to-use resource. For anyone working with collaborative groups of teachers on everything from school improvement to curriculum development this book features: -Protocols for working together on problems of practice, for studying together, for organizing many different kinds of meetings, and for looking together at student work.-A thorough text that describes each protocol, provides a rationale for using them, explains the particular purpose each protocol was designed for, discusses the value that educators have found in using them, and offers helpful tips for facilitators.-Valuable appendices that list relevant resources, such as websites, contact addresses, and training opportunities, and a table that lists all of the protocols with suggestions for cross-use.-A free supplement on the Teachers College Press website with "Abbreviated Protocols" that can be downloaded and customized to suit each facilitator's needs.




Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain


Book Description

A bold, brain-based teaching approach to culturally responsive instruction To close the achievement gap, diverse classrooms need a proven framework for optimizing student engagement. Culturally responsive instruction has shown promise, but many teachers have struggled with its implementation—until now. In this book, Zaretta Hammond draws on cutting-edge neuroscience research to offer an innovative approach for designing and implementing brain-compatible culturally responsive instruction. The book includes: Information on how one’s culture programs the brain to process data and affects learning relationships Ten “key moves” to build students’ learner operating systems and prepare them to become independent learners Prompts for action and valuable self-reflection




Handbook of Professional Development in Education


Book Description

This comprehensive handbook synthesizes the best current knowledge on teacher professional development (PD) and addresses practical issues in implementation. Leading authorities describe innovative practices that are being used in schools, emphasizing the value of PD that is instructive, reflective, active, collaborative, and substantive. Strategies for creating, measuring, and sustaining successful programs are presented. The book explores the relationship of PD to adult learning theory, school leadership, district and state policy, the growth of professional learning communities, and the Common Core State Standards. Each chapter concludes with thought-provoking discussion questions. The appendix provides eight illuminating case studies of PD initiatives in diverse schools.







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




Facilitating for Learning


Book Description

“I have had the good fortune to watch both David and Tina facilitate learning groups and have learned from the power of their modeling. . . . I am delighted that they have gathered their wisdom here in this volume to share with others eager to embark on the journey and experience the joys of facilitating learning with colleagues.” —From the Foreword by Ron Ritchhart, senior research associate, Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education One of the most important shifts in schools in the last two decades has been the growing emphasis on collaboration among teachers and other educators. Whether you are a teacher facilitating a group for the first time or an experienced facilitator seeking to further develop your skills, this book is for you. Organized to be used as both an exploration of the role of facilitating and as a handbook of strategies, this resource covers a range of contexts that include faculty meetings, department meetings, professional learning communities, grade-level teams, and inquiry groups. This book is a perfect companion to the authors’ bestseller, The Facilitator’s Book of Questions, which focuses on the skills needed to facilitate protocols or structured conversations. Facilitating for Learning extends the scope of that work by also examining the facilitator’s responsibilities for supporting a group’s learning during all parts of a meeting, between meetings, and within the larger school context and culture. It is an essential resource for teachers, administrators, coaches, and teacher educators. Book Features: Contrasts facilitating for learning with other professional development roles, including staff development, coaching, and supervision.Outlines the basic responsibilities and tasks of facilitating teacher learning groups, including “moves” the facilitator might employ.Considers challenges related to school culture and leadership, group interactions, and time constraints.Provides resources to help facilitators develop their skills, including tools and references to other works on facilitation.