The New Teacher's Guide to Overcoming Common Challenges


Book Description

This practical, hands-on guidebook offers support for your first years in the classroom by presenting strategies to overcome ten common challenges. Expertly curated by experienced educators, this book delivers quick access to timely advice, applicable across a range of educational settings. With contributions from National Board-Certified Teachers, National Teachers of the Year, and other educators involved in robust induction and mentoring programs, The New Teacher’s Guide to Overcoming Common Challenges provides: Wise and practical tips from accomplished veterans and successful new teachers from across rural, suburban, and urban settings; Web access to an online teacher community and customizable resources created by the book’s authors that can be quickly downloaded for immediate use in the classroom; Newly commissioned material that addresses the shift to remote learning brought about by the world pandemic. Accessible and stimulating, this book is designed for a wide range of users, including PK-12 school districts who offer new teacher induction programming, traditional and alternative teacher preparation programs and teacher cadet programs, and individual in-service teachers. Don’t face the challenges alone—learn from those who have been there!




The New Teacher's Guide to Overcoming Common Challenges


Book Description

This practical, hands-on guide offers support for your first years in the classroom by offering strategies to overcome ten common challenges found in rural, suburban, and urban school classrooms. The tips are shared by National Board-Certified Teachers, National Teachers of the Year, and other experienced educators. The New Teacher’s Guide to Overcoming Common Challenges provides: 100+ downloadable and customizable resources for new teachers to modify and use in PK-12th grade classrooms. Web access to an online new teacher social media community including New Teacher Talk podcasts (available on iTunes, Spotify and PodBean [https://newteachersguide.podbean.com/]), Twitter Chats (@NewTeacherTalk1), Instagram (@newteachertalk), blogs, and accompanying webpage: newteachersguide.org. Timely advice that addresses the shift to remote and hybrid learning brought about by the world pandemic. This book is used by PK-12 school districts who offer new teacher induction programming, traditional and alternative teacher preparation programs, high school teacher cadet programs, and individual teachers for personal professional learning. Don’t face the challenges alone—learn from those who have been there!




Assessing Through the Lens of Social and Emotional Learning


Book Description

Help usher in a new era of student assessment This empowering guide revolutionizes the assessment process by putting students at the center. Dive into practical strategies and best practices for fostering social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies through student-centered assessments and discover how you can transform classrooms into inclusive spaces where learning thrives. Inside you′ll find Humanistic assessing practices to integrate into everyday teaching and learning Best practices for designing and implementing savvy SEL assessments Ways to develop a classroom that is student empowered and culturally relevant Rubrics, portfolios, and digital tools that demonstrate students’ competencies and knowledge through an SEL lens Explore dozens of practical examples, case studies, and field-tested activities that support research-based teaching and learning across the curriculum. Assessing Through the Lens of Social and Emotional Learning inspires educators to move beyond traditional testing to focus on nurturing and fostering skills that students will need for both academic and lifelong success.




Teaching is a Human Interaction


Book Description

This book contains an argument supported by education philosophers as well as composite stories, data, and personal experiences. The author mentions a number of scholars (e.g., Benjamin, 1988; Buber, 1970; Noddings, 2005, 2013; Palmer, 1983; van Manen, 1986, 1991, 2000) who address important human issues in the field of education, and she ties their work and hers to show common themes within the issues of care, responsivity, and relational ethics. The first part of the book (Introduction and Chapters 1-3) is primarily philosophical, and the author shares the thoughts of the aforementioned scholars and others on topics relating to the very human work teachers do. The next section of the book (Chapters 4-6) combines theoretical works and empirical data to address the complexity and humanity of teaching. While the work described in the aforementioned chapters may appear to present an idea of ethical teacher perfection, this is not the case. Teachers are not supposed to be, nor are they logistically able to be, all things to all children. The final chapter instead addresses how stakeholders (e.g., educators, administrators, parents) can gently move our traditional education system toward this ideal. This conclusion shares the ways teachers and teacher educators can conceptualize the work on teaching-as-human-interaction and use it to improve the teaching perception. ENDORSEMENTS: "Readers of this superb book will be convinced by the end of it that kindness and care are fundamental to good teaching. Based on vast teaching experience and a philosophy of care ethics, Alexis Jones portrays teaching as a far ‘messier’ human interaction than is ever formally recognized. Using scholarly debate and wonderfully narrated examples, the book advocates an ethics of care for teachers navigating interminable choices in almost every moment. But beware thinking that teaching-the-Alexis-Jones-way is a soft option. Quite the contrary, striving similarly for academic attainment and caring teacher – student relationships involves challenging endeavors for both teacher and student alike." — David Walker, The University of Alabama




Perspectives on Transforming Higher Education and the LGBTQIA Student Experience


Book Description

Today’s institutions of higher education must continuously adapt to meet the evolving needs and expectations of each new generation of students. A significant and growing presence within academia is the LGBTQIA community. LGBTQIA individuals are now four times more likely to attend higher education institutions away from home. However, a substantial proportion of these students remain unseen, with more than half avoiding exposure of their identity to faculty and staff, and in some cases even to their peers. Perspectives on Transforming Higher Education and the LGBTQIA Student Experience is a comprehensive academic exploration of the intricate world of LGBTQIA students in higher education. This book sheds light on the multifaceted challenges and complexities that LGBTQIA students face, transcending the boundaries of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, ability, and socio-economic class. This book is a seminal work designed to enlighten and inform students, faculty, student affairs practitioners, higher education administrators, and policymakers, and is structured to provide a holistic understanding, this book encompasses critical themes, including LGBTQIA student identity development, the intersectionality of identity, LGBTQIA student experiences within the campus climate, and the impact of laws and policies on their lives. This book also explores a diverse range of topics, spotlighting often under-researched and underrepresented communities and experiences.




What Do We Mean by That?


Book Description

What Do We Mean by That?: Interrogating Familiar Expressions in Education is a collection of essays that opens a space for all educational workers—teachers, teacher educators, administrators, politicians, and others—to unpack commonly used educational phrases and ideas. The idea is to carefully examine what we say to one another when we talk about schools, curriculum, students, and other educational problems or issues—when we say things like “We have to meet students where they are,” and “All children can learn,” or “What does the data say?” What Do We Mean by That? challenges and clarifies such phrases and the how, and why, that they shape educational policies and practices. The influential curricular theorist Dwayne Huebner charged us to always be aware of our “man-made tools,” such as language, and said that since “all educators attempt to shape the world; theorists should call attention to the tools used for the shaping in order that the world being shaped can be more beautiful and just.” Language is a tool in educational practice in myriad ways: between administrators and teachers, teachers and students, teachers and parents, and students and students, as examples. A scripted curriculum is a tool intended to provide fixed language to teachers. It is normal for phrases to make their way into our everyday practices and get lodged there. But we need opportunities to interrupt ourselves and study our language tools to ensure they help create beauty and justice. This collection of thoughtful essays seeks to be this interruption. It is an invaluable tool for improving the educational experience of students and schools. Perfect for courses such as: Foundations of Education; Curriculum Studies; Diversity in Education; Educational Rhetoric and Policy




Help Your Team


Book Description

Build a strong, highly impactful team committed to learning for all. Written by eight professional learning community (PLC) experts, this practical guide addresses the most common challenges educators face when building collaborative teams and working collaboratively. Each chapter offers a variety of templates, processes, and strategies to help your team resolve conflict, focus on the right work, and take collective responsibility for student learning.




Successful Online Learning with Gifted Students


Book Description

This innovative, technology-based resource provides those who teach gifted and advanced learners in grades 5–8 with quality, research-based, online lessons, tools, and insights. Throughout, you’ll find ready-to-implement virtual lessons, simulations, and learning modules. You’ll also learn how to create, differentiate, and modify existing lessons through an online platform. In addition, the book offers helpful strategies addressing online student accountability, etiquette, and collaboration, and shares useful tips for communicating with parents. Whether you are looking to enrich learning within the classroom, provide students with extensions outside the classroom, or engage students in distance learning, this book will be invaluable in meeting the needs of your gifted and advanced learners.




Smart from the Start


Book Description

The ultimate new teacher's guide to surviving and thriving in the classroom, Smart from the Start is the springboard to help you establish and improve your practice in meaningful ways. Teachers have a wide range of responsibilities—not all of which can be addressed in teacher preparation programs—and for new and returning educators especially, it can be daunting to think about all that is required throughout the school year. This book provides more than 100 easy-to-incorporate tools spread across six major points of concern: * Beginning of the year: set up your classroom and establish rules and procedures. * Classroom management: establish a healthy learning environment. * Instructional planning: lead high-quality lessons and anticipate students' diverse needs. * Student engagement: motivate students and maintain their quality of learning. * Assessment: align assessment with curriculum and instruction and build rubrics and tests. * Teacher well-being: find the joy in teaching and take care of yourself. Your first few years of teaching don't have to be formidable or confusing. James H. Stronge, Jessica M. Straessle, and Xianxuan Xu have synthesized decades of research to identify and carefully consider the attributes of the job that especially relate to new teachers. With Smart from the Start, you can take your first steps into teaching with confidence and create a classroom environment that will benefit your students.




Teaching Human Development for Educators


Book Description

In an age where the quality of teacher education programs has never been more important, educators need a fundamental understanding of human growth, development, and change at different ages and stages across the life span. The present volume draws upon the latest research to help teacher preparation instructors select and convey essential content on human development. Such efforts serve to prepare education professionals to work with infants, children, adolescents, and adults across diverse educational settings. The chapters included in this volume summarize empirical research that supports the teaching of human development as it applies to PreK-12 and postsecondary settings, describe instructional practices used in college courses that are effective for teaching teachers-in-training about human development, and provide a systematic discussion of issues that influence the teaching of human development theories, research, and classroom applications. The contributing authors are accomplished educational and developmental psychologists that have years of experience in teacher preparation. Their respective chapters provide insights into the challenges that teachers-in-training confront in learning about human growth and development and how novice teachers can apply knowledge of human development in their professional practice.