Middle level teachers are unique not just by virtue of the level of students they teach but also by the ways in which they teach. This monograph emphasizes strategies that actively engage students of all ability levels, promote collaboration, provide for various levels of concrete and abstract thought, and foster student inquiry. The monograph presents approaches to assessing reading and writing, cooperative learning, vocabulary development, reading comprehension, and critical thinking and to other topics that are directly reflective of current research. It provides step-by-step procedures along with classroom examples in a convenient and serviceable format, and its research-based teaching strategies are applicable to all subject areas. The introduction offers an overview of the research on prevailing versus preferred instructional practices in middle schools and discusses what can be done to improve instruction in five basic areas: (1) approaches to teaching; (2) lesson planning and implementation; (3) classroom instructional resources; (4) instructional activities and arrangements; and (5) promotion of higher order thinking. The monograph emphasizes the following groups of strategies: 1 and 2 are concerned with assessing reading and writing performance; 3 through 9 center around cooperative learning as it relates to various topics; 10 through 13 show practical ways to develop students' vocabulary with example spanning curricular areas. The remaining strategies deal with improving students' comprehension and appreciation of what they read. (NKA)

Master proactive teaching skills that motivate students to learn! Written by a nationally known teacher coach, this thought-provoking book helps educators bring their teaching skills to a new level of excellence and build a partnership with their students. With a focus on the “three Rs”—routines, rules, and relationships—the author helps readers: Create and sustain a classroom community that promotes respect and achievement Fully involve students in learning while addressing a wide range of cognitive styles Strengthen collaboration with students, colleagues, and parents Use feedback and assessment to develop professionally and improve students’ academic performance

What is the single, most important event of the school year that affects school improvement? How do you measure school improvement? How can simple tools--already at your fingertips--work more effectively to improve student achievement in reading, math, and more? The Results Fieldbook answers these questions and describes in abundant, practical detail how five school systems overcame obstacles and achieved exceptional results for all their students. These schools focused on the proven core concepts that Mike Schmoker described in both editions of his first ASCD book, Results: The Key to Continuous School Improvement. Supplementing the five case studies, brief vignettes written by practitioners show how core practices--teamwork, the use of achievement data, and planning for measurable goals--made an immediate and profound difference in student learning at their respective schools. A close look at these school systems reveals the simplicity of school improvement efforts built around the still-overlooked and most potent force in improvement--collective, organized teacher intelligence. This book contains easily adapted processes and refinements that result from such teacher collaboration and all but guarantee measurable improvement. Tables, figures, and appendixes illustrate effective data-collection processes; and at the conclusion, a three-part synthesis of the best of these systems provides practical steps toward implementing this radically more effective approach to school improvement, starting with preservice education.

What is the single, most important event of the school year that affects school improvement? How do you measure school improvement? How can simple tools--already at your fingertips--work more effectively to improve student achievement in reading, math, and more? The Results Fieldbook answers these questions and describes in abundant, practical detail how five school systems overcame obstacles and achieved exceptional results for all their students. These schools focused on the proven core concepts that Mike Schmoker described in both editions of his first ASCD book, Results: The Key to Continuous School Improvement. Supplementing the five case studies, brief vignettes written by practitioners show how core practices--teamwork, the use of achievement data, and planning for measurable goals--made an immediate and profound difference in student learning at their respective schools. A close look at these school systems reveals the simplicity of school improvement efforts built around the still-overlooked and most potent force in improvement--collective, organized teacher intelligence. This book contains easily adapted processes and refinements that result from such teacher collaboration and all but guarantee measurable improvement. Tables, figures, and appendixes illustrate effective data-collection processes; and at the conclusion, a three-part synthesis of the best of these systems provides practical steps toward implementing this radically more effective approach to school improvement, starting with preservice education.

In today’s high-stakes world, ready-made lessons and teacher’s guides are no longer enough to guarantee achievement. The best way to help students succeed is through deliberate and careful lesson planning focused on the end result of increasing student achievement. Whether you are a new teacher or an experienced educator, this book will help you get started by providing a practical, step-by-step guide to designing lessons that will lead to student mastery of any objective. You’ll learn the essential components of lessons that are Common Core-aligned and grounded in best practices. Topics include: Tailoring your lessons to meet your state standards while ensuring high student achievement. Writing a strong objective to stay focused on the goal of a lesson. Creating an end-of-lesson assessment to gauge the lesson’s success. Constructing a lesson plan that combines direct instruction, guided practice, and independent practice. Along the way, you’ll find plenty of helpful examples from math and English Language Arts. You’ll also find end-of-chapter FAQs and activities to try, to help you make these concepts a reality for your own classroom. Many of the tools from the book are also available as free downloads from our website (www.routledge.com/books/details/9781138838871/).

Today's students learn best by doing-as do most of us. The Active Workshop is designed for educators who need to "show" rather than "tell" in creating highly interactive workshops. Packed with anecdotes, brain-compatible strategies, and checklists, the book provides practical tools for engaging participants to talk, reflect, brainstorm, and stretch beyond their comfort zones. Highlights include: - Techniques for shifting 80% of the workshop's workload to participants - Keys to enhancing retention with storytelling and laughter - Methods for analyzing and evaluating your presentations for ongoing improvement - Tips for extending learning beyond the workshop The Active Workshop is ideal for seminar trainers, seminar facilitators, headteachers, and teacher leaders-anyone who works with primary, secondary and further education educators in a training capacity.

With the national push towards inclusion, more students with disabilities are being placed in general education settings. Furthermore, when placed, more students with disabilities are entering social studies classrooms than any other content area. Classroom teachers are being asked to “reach and teach” all students, often with little support. There are numerous texts on the teaching of social studies, an equal number on teaching students with disabilities. Blending best practice in social studies and special education instruction, this book provides both pre – and in-service educators simple, practical strategies that support the creation of engaging, relevant, and appropriate social studies opportunities for all students. Though the strategies presented are useful for all students, they are particularly beneficial for students with disabilities. From Universal Design for Learning, mnemonics, graphic organizers, and big ideas, to co-teaching, screen readers and the Virtual History Museum, this book offers hands-on, practical ideas general educators can use when teaching K-12 social studies in inclusive classrooms.