Learning to Love Math


Book Description

Is there a way to get students to love math? Dr. Judy Willis responds with an emphatic yes in this informative guide to getting better results in math class. Tapping into abundant research on how the brain works, Willis presents a practical approach for how we can improve academic results by demonstrating certain behaviors and teaching students in a way that minimizes negativity. With a straightforward and accessible style, Willis shares the knowledge and experience she has gained through her dual careers as a math teacher and a neurologist. In addition to learning basic brain anatomy and function, readers will learn how to * Improve deep-seated negative attitudes toward math. * Plan lessons with the goal of "achievable challenge" in mind. * Reduce mistake anxiety with techniques such as errorless math and estimation. * Teach to different individual learning strengths and skill levels. * Spark motivation. * Relate math to students' personal interests and goals. * Support students in setting short-term and long-term goals. * Convince students that they can change their intelligence. With dozens of strategies teachers can use right now, Learning to Love Math puts the power of research directly into the hands of educators. A Brain Owner's Manual, which dives deeper into the structure and function of the brain, is also included—providing a clear explanation of how memories are formed and how skills are learned. With informed teachers guiding them, students will discover that they can build a better brain . . . and learn to love math!




My Teacher Fried My Brains


Book Description

Duncan Dougal, the class bully, finds a hand in the school dumpster while hiding after pulling a fire alarm. Knowing this means another teacher is really from outer space he sets out to find out who it is. Along the way he becomes involved in a science experiment that makes him smarter, which might be just what he needs to discover who the imposter is before his classmates are whisked off the planet.




The Teaching Brain


Book Description

“A significant contribution to understanding the interaction among teachers, students, the environment, and the content of learning” (Herbert Kohl, education advocate and author). What is at work in the mind of a five-year-old explaining the game of tag to a new friend? What is going on in the head of a thirty-five-year-old parent showing a first-grader how to button a coat? And what exactly is happening in the brain of a sixty-five-year-old professor discussing statistics with a room full of graduate students? While research about the nature and science of learning abounds, shockingly few insights into how and why humans teach have emerged—until now. Countering the dated yet widely held presumption that teaching is simply the transfer of knowledge from one person to another, The Teaching Brain weaves together scientific research and real-life examples to show that teaching is a dynamic interaction and an evolutionary cognitive skill that develops from birth to adulthood. With engaging, accessible prose, Harvard researcher Vanessa Rodriguez reveals what it actually takes to become an expert teacher. At a time when all sides of the teaching debate tirelessly seek to define good teaching—or even how to build a better teacher—The Teaching Brain upends the misguided premises for how we measure the success of teachers. “A thoughtful analysis of current educational paradigms . . . Rodriguez’s case for altering pedagogy to match the fluctuating dynamic forces in the classroom is both convincing and steeped in common sense.” —Publishers Weekly




Differentiation and the Brain


Book Description

Examine the basic principles of differentiation in light of what current research on educational neuroscience has revealed. This research pool offers information and insights that can help educators decide whether certain curricular, instructional, and assessment choices are likely to be more effective than others. Learn how to implement differentiation so that it achieves the desired result of shared responsibility between teacher and student.




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




My Teacher Glows in the Dark


Book Description

Peter Thompson finds himself living on the space ship New Jersey with a new alien teacher who glows in the dark. Hoo-Lan is a teacher from whom Peter could learn so many things as they explore the universe together. But first they have to convince the Interplanetary Council not to destroy Earth.




My Teacher Is an Alien


Book Description

Susan Simmons discovers that her substitute teacher is an alien.




Eat, Brains, Love


Book Description

A laugh-out-loud funny, surprisingly romantic, zombie road trip novel filled with heart—and brains. Eat, Brains, Love is perfect for fans of Isaac Marion's Warm Bodies. The good news: Jake's dream girl, Amanda Blake, finally knows his name. The bad news: it's because they both contracted a mysterious zombie virus and devoured the brains of half their senior class. Now Jake and Amanda are on the run from Cass, a teen psychic sent by the government's top-secret Necrotic Control Division to track them down. As Jake and Amanda deal with the existential guilt of eating their best friends and set off in search of a cure for the zombie virus, Cass struggles with a growing psychic dilemma of her own—one that will lead all three of them on an epic journey across the country and make them question what it means to truly be alive. Or undead.




Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids


Book Description

"The revolutionary teaching system, based on cutting edge learning research, used by thousands of educators around the world"--Cover.




Energizing Brain Breaks


Book Description

The fastest way to keep your students engaged It′s an all too familiar sight: that glazed look in your students′ eyes. They′ve been sitting or listening for too long. What they need is an Energizing Brain Break--a quick physical and mental challenge that′s like hitting the refresh button on your computer, but for your students. This practical full-color flip book contains 50 highly effective, classroom-tested brain breaks that you can put to immediate use across the grades. No preparation or supplies are required; just one to two minutes of your time when you see a need. You′ll find pictures, directions, and online videos for activities such as: Slap Count Letters: students alternate slapping each other′s hands while spelling a word Rock, Paper, Scissors, Math: partners reveal a certain number of fingers to each other, and the first person to add them together wins Bizz-Buzz: groups of students count from 1 to 40 using a combination of numbers and words There′s no better way to help students remain sharp and alert, reenergized to take on the next task of learning!