Here, author Vicki Snider describes six teaching myths that prevent reform in education. These myths impact all students, but have a detrimental effect on low-performing studentsthose with disabilities or risk factors. Based on her perspective as a longtime classroom teacher and teacher educator, Dr. Snider examines the beliefs that guide teaching practices and she uses current research on teaching reading to illustrate the faulty premises that underlie the myths and their harmful effects on children and adolescents.
In this controversial new book, Daisy Christodoulou offers a thought-provoking critique of educational orthodoxy. Drawing on her recent experience of teaching in challenging schools, she shows through a wide range of examples and case studies just how much classroom practice contradicts basic scientific principles. She examines seven widely-held beliefs which are holding back pupils and teachers: Facts prevent understanding Teacher-led instruction is passive The 21st century fundamentally changes everything You can always just look it up We should teach transferable skills Projects and activities are the best way to learn Teaching knowledge is indoctrination In each accessible and engaging chapter, Christodoulou sets out the theory of each myth, considers its practical implications and shows the worrying prevalence of such practice. Then, she explains exactly why it is a myth, with reference to the principles of modern cognitive science. She builds a powerful case explaining how governments and educational organisations around the world have let down teachers and pupils by promoting and even mandating evidence-less theory and bad practice. This blisteringly incisive and urgent text is essential reading for all teachers, teacher training students, policy makers, head teachers, researchers and academics around the world.
In this much anticipated follow-up to their groundbreaking book, Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Balanced Literacy Classroom, authors Jan Burkins and Kari Yates, together with co-author Katie Cunningham, extend the conversation in Shifting the Balance 3-5: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Upper Elementary Classroom. This new text is built in mind specifically for grades 3-5 teachers around best practices for the intermediate classroom. Shifting the Balance 3-5 introduces six more shifts across individual chapters that: Zoom in on a common (but not-as helpful-as-we-had-hoped) practice to reconsider Untangle a number of "misunderstandings" that have likely contributed to the use of the common practice Propose a more science-aligned shift to the current practice Provide solid scientific research to support the revised practice Offer a collection of high-leverage, easy-to-implement instructional routines to support the shift to more brain-friendly instruction The authors offer a refreshing approach that is respectful, accessible, and practical - grounded in an earnest commitment to building a bridge between research and classroom practice. As with the first Shifting the Balance, they aim to keep students at the forefront of reading instruction.
This book is guaranteed to spark lively debates and critical thinking in any classroom! Two of the most respected voices in education identify 50 myths and lies that threaten America's public schools. Berliner and Glass argue that many citizens conception of K12 public education in the United States is more myth than reality. Warped opinions about our nations public schools include: they are inferior to private schools; they are among the worst in the world in math and science; teachers should be fired if their students dont score at the national average, and on and on. With more than a little humor, Berliner and Glass separate fact from fiction in this comprehensive look at modern education reform. They explain how the mythical failure of public education has been created and perpetuated in large part by political and economic interests who stand to gain from its destruction. They expose a rapidly expanding variety of organizations and media that intentionally misrepresent facts. Where appropriate, they name the promoters of the hoax and point out how their interests are served by encouraging false beliefs. Their method of debunking these falsehoods is to argue against their logic, criticize the data supporting them, and present more credible contradictory data. This dynamic book features short essays on important topics to provide every teacher, administrator, school board member, and concerned parent with reliable knowledge from authoritative sources.
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
Great Myths of Education and Learning reviews the scientific research on a number of widely-held misconceptions pertaining to learning and education, including misconceptions regarding student characteristics, how students learn, and the validity of various methods of assessment. A collection of the most important and influential education myths in one book, with in-depth examinations of each topic Focusing on research evidence regarding how people learn and how we can know if learning has taken place, the book provides a highly comprehensive review of the evidence contradicting each belief Topics covered include student characteristics related to learning, views of how the learning process works, and issues related to teaching techniques and testing
What is Vintage Innovation?Vintage Innovation redefines innovation not as "new and flashy" but as "better and different." It isn't a rejection of new approaches or cutting-edge technology so much as an embrace of the old and the new.It's the overlap of the "tried and true" and the "never tried." It's a mash-up of low-fi tech and new tech. It's the idea of finding relevance by looking back and looking forward. It's a focus on timeless skills in new contexts. It's the idea that innovation happens when teachers take a both/and approach as they empower their students in the present to prepare them for an uncertain future.If you are a teacher, you are an innovator. You are the experimenter trying new strategies. You are the architect designing new learning opportunities. Apps change. Gadgets break. Technology grows obsolete. But one thing remains: teachers change the world. And one way to do this is through a vintage innovation approach. With vintage innovation, teachers ask: How do I innovate when I don't have the best technology? How can I use vintage tools, ideas, and approaches in new ways? How can I use constraints to spark creativity? How do I blend together the "tried and true" with the "never tried?"
What's keeping your school behind the technology curve? Is it a fear of the unfamiliar? Expenses? Or some other myth? Have you considered how students with special needs or students learning a second language may benefit from using digital tools? If you've fallen for the perception that technology is too expensive, unnecessary for real learning, or a distraction in the classroom, then you need this book. You use technology in your job. Why not help your students use it in theirs? Educator Matt Renwick debunks five common myths about technology and helps you consider how to fund and manage the devices and create a supportive, schoolwide program. Renwick uses his school's experiences and examples as a foundation to explain how you can assess and answer your students' technology needs in terms of access, purpose, and audience--and why you and your school cannot afford to keep students from using technology in their education.
In Science Myths Unmasked Volume 2, David Rudel continues to expose common errors in science education. This sequel takes the discussion into the realm of physical science, rectifying commonly taught misconceptions about topics covered in chemistry and physics courses, including combustion, simple machines, states of matter, phase changes, electricity, and light. Rudel's accessible style makes Science Myths Unmasked a worthwhile read for life-long learners and a great gift for bright high school students interested in all the myths they have been taught by inaccurate textbooks. State-adopted textbooks perpetrate (and perpetuate) a shocking degree of misinformation, largely because they are less interested in conveying accurate science than in training students to bubble in the right oval on multiple-choice, standardized tests. Rudel provides thorough background for each topic, empowering science teachers to sculpt the material to match the needs of their students. Numerous illustrations and suggested experiments complement the coverage, portraying precisely why many standard explanations are false and how we can better fulfill our obligation to provide genuine science to middle school and high school students.
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
