The Hidden Lives of Learners


Book Description

The focus is on how students experience classroom learning activities and how they learn from that experience.




Urban Myths about Learning and Education


Book Description

Many things people commonly believe to be true about education are not supported by scientific evidence. Urban Myths about Learning and Education examines commonly held incorrect beliefs and then provides the truth of what research has shown. Each chapter examines a different myth, with sections on learning, the brain, technology, and educational policy. A final section discusses why these myths are so persistent. Written in an engaging style, the book separates fact from fiction regarding learning and education. Recognize any of these myths? People have different styles of learning Boys are naturally better at mathematics than girls We only use 10% of our brains The left half of the brain is analytical, the right half is creative Men have a different kind of brain from women We can learn while we are asleep Babies become smarter if they listen to classical music These myths and more are systematically debunked, with useful correct information about the topic in question. Debunks common myths about learning and education Provides empirical research on the facts relating to the myths Utilizes light-hearted, approachable language for easy reading




Life in Classrooms


Book Description

Since its first appearance, Life in Classrooms has established itself as a classic study of the educational process at its most fundamental level.




Why Don't Students Like School?


Book Description

Easy-to-apply, scientifically-based approaches for engaging students in the classroom Cognitive scientist Dan Willingham focuses his acclaimed research on the biological and cognitive basis of learning. His book will help teachers improve their practice by explaining how they and their students think and learn. It reveals-the importance of story, emotion, memory, context, and routine in building knowledge and creating lasting learning experiences. Nine, easy-to-understand principles with clear applications for the classroom Includes surprising findings, such as that intelligence is malleable, and that you cannot develop "thinking skills" without facts How an understanding of the brain's workings can help teachers hone their teaching skills "Mr. Willingham's answers apply just as well outside the classroom. Corporate trainers, marketers and, not least, parents -anyone who cares about how we learn-should find his book valuable reading." —Wall Street Journal




Can You Hear The Trees Talking?


Book Description

WINNER OF THE AAAS/SUBARU PRIZE FOR EXCELLENCE IN SCIENCE BOOKS BASED ON THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER THE HIDDEN LIFE OF TREES This interactive and illustrated book for kids aged 8-10 introduces the wonderful science of the forest through outdoor activities, quizzes, fun facts, photographs, and more! Discover the secret life of trees with this nature and science book for kids: Can You Hear the Trees Talking? shares the mysteries and magic of the forest with young readers, revealing what trees feel, how they communicate, and the ways trees take care of their families. The author of The Hidden Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben, tells kids about the forest internet, aphids who keep ants as pets, nature’s water filters, and more fascinating things that happen under the canopy. Featuring simple activities kids can try on their own, along with quizzes, photographs, and more, Can You Hear the Trees Talking? covers a range of amazing topics including: How trees talk to each other (hint: through the wood wide web!) Why trees are important in the city How trees make us healthy and strong How trees get sick, and how we can help them get better This engaging and visually stunning book encourages learning and fun as kids discover the wonder of the natural world outside their windows. "Lush full-color photos and pictures create an immersive experience and the layout facilitates engaged, delighted learning. ...this book may prompt frequent family visits to, and a new appreciation for, neighborhood trees and local forests.” —Washington Parent




The Confident Teacher


Book Description

The Confident Teacher offers a practical, step-by-step guide to developing the habits, characteristics and pedagogy that will enable you to do the best job possible. It unveils the tacit knowledge of great teachers and combines it with respected research and popular psychology. Covering topics such as organisation, using your body language effectively, combatting stress, managing student behaviour, questioning and feedback, and developing confident students, it shows how you can build the confidence and skill to flourish in the classroom. This book will be an essential resource for all qualified and trainee teachers wanting to reach their full potential in this challenging but rewarding profession.




Mindshift


Book Description

Mindshift reveals how we can overcome stereotypes and preconceived ideas about what is possible for us to learn and become. At a time when we are constantly being asked to retrain and reinvent ourselves to adapt to new technologies and changing industries, this book shows us how we can uncover and develop talents we didn’t realize we had—no matter what our age or background. We’re often told to “follow our passions.” But in Mindshift, Dr. Barbara Oakley shows us how we can broaden our passions. Drawing on the latest neuroscientific insights, Dr. Oakley shepherds us past simplistic ideas of “aptitude” and “ability,” which provide only a snapshot of who we are now—with little consideration about how we can change. Even seemingly “bad” traits, such as a poor memory, come with hidden advantages—like increased creativity. Profiling people from around the world who have overcome learning limitations of all kinds, Dr. Oakley shows us how we can turn perceived weaknesses, such as impostor syndrome and advancing age, into strengths. People may feel like they’re at a disadvantage if they pursue a new field later in life; yet those who change careers can be fertile cross-pollinators: They bring valuable insights from one discipline to another. Dr. Oakley teaches us strategies for learning that are backed by neuroscience so that we can realize the joy and benefits of a learning lifestyle. Mindshift takes us deep inside the world of how people change and grow. Our biggest stumbling blocks can be our own preconceptions, but with the right mental insights, we can tap into hidden potential and create new opportunities.




Cultivating the Spirit


Book Description

Cultivating the Spirit THIS GROUNDBREAKING WORK IS BASED on a five-year study of how students change during the college years and the role college plays in facilitating the development of their spiritual qualities. Students, the authors argue, grapple with the big questions in life: Who am I? What are my values? Do I have a mission in life? Why am I in college? What kind of person do I want to be? What sort of world do I want to help to create? Their answers to these questions help determine their academic and career choices and are tied to the development of personal qualities such as empathy, caring, and social responsibility. The study finds that, while students' religious engagement declines during college, at the same time they become substantially more caring, tolerant, connected with others, and actively egaged in a spiritual quest. Spiritual growth also enhances academic performance, leadership development, and satisfaction with college. The study provides strong evidence pointing to specific experiences during college that can contribute to students' spiritual growth. The need for spiritual development in college is apparent. Two-thirds of the students in the study express a strong interest in spiritual matters, well over half report that their professors never encourage discussions of religious or spiritual matters, and about the same proportion report that professors never provide opportunities to discuss the purpose and meaning of life. Cultivating the Spirit aims to raise the awareness of academic administrators, faculty, and the public at large to the vital role that spirituality plays in student learning and development. Throughout the book, the authors identify strategies for enhancing students' development and encourage the academy to give greater priority to the spiritual aspects of students' educational and personal development.




Not Much Just Chillin'


Book Description

Suddenly they go from striving for A’s to barely passing, from fretting about cooties to obsessing for hours about crushes. Former chatterboxes answer in monosyllables; freethinkers mimic everything from clothes to opinions. Their bodies and psyches morph through the most radical changes since infancy. They are kids in the middle-school years, the age every adult remembers well enough to dread. Here at last is an up-to-date anthropology of this critically formative period. Prize-winning education reporter Linda Perlstein spent a year immersed in the lunchroom, classrooms, hearts, and minds of a group of suburban Maryland middle schoolers and emerged with this pathbreaking account. Perlstein reveals what’s really going on under kids’ don’t-touch-me facade while they grapple with schoolwork, puberty, romance, and identity. A must-read for parents and educators, Not Much Just Chillin’ offers a trail map to the baffling no-man’s-land between child and teen.




Designing your Teaching Life


Book Description

Designing your Teaching Life is written for student teachers and their program-based mentors. This book provides engaging and detailed guidance for making the most out of the student teaching experience and overcoming the stressful situations and challenges that can arise during student teaching in today’s fast-paced, diverse, and evidence-based classrooms. Designing your Teaching Life supports the student teacher to organize his/her experience, build positive relationships with mentors and students, design high quality plans and instruction, and use assessment data to inform teaching and learning. Filled with narratives, snapshots, examples, questions, templates, and advice from program and school-based mentors as well as former student teachers, the book will support student teachers working in a range of classrooms, including physical education. In addition, advice about the edTPA is woven throughout the chapters to support student teachers preparing for this assessment. Reading this book will provide the student teacher the guidance he or she needs to design a rewarding and successful teaching life.