Promoting Positive Learning Experiences in Middle School Education

Promoting Positive Learning Experiences in Middle School Education

Author: Gaines, Cherie Barnett

Publisher: IGI Global

Published: 2021-01-15

Total Pages: 335

ISBN-13: 1799870677

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Declining academic performance, along with a growing apathy of students toward the value of education, demonstrates that students in the United States public education system do not recognize the value of a positive experience in middle schools. A plethora of research and writing has been done on elementary schools and secondary schools, but middle school education, as a whole, has been left behind. For this reason, there is the need for current research on all aspects and topics that may contribute to middle school student success. Promoting Positive Learning Experiences in Middle School Education focuses on the ideal conditions for maximizing student success and engagement in middle school education. The chapters take a deeper look into the modern tools, technologies, methods, and theories driving current research on middle school students, their teachers, their classroom environment, and their learning. Highlighting topics such as curriculum reform, instructional strategies and practices, effective teaching, and technology in the modern classroom, this book is ideally intended for middle school teachers, middle school administrators, and school district administrators, along with practitioners, stakeholders, researchers, academicians, and students interested in middle school education and student success.


The Knowledge Gap

The Knowledge Gap

Author: Natalie Wexler

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2020-08-04

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 0735213569

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The untold story of the root cause of America's education crisis--and the seemingly endless cycle of multigenerational poverty. It was only after years within the education reform movement that Natalie Wexler stumbled across a hidden explanation for our country's frustrating lack of progress when it comes to providing every child with a quality education. The problem wasn't one of the usual scapegoats: lazy teachers, shoddy facilities, lack of accountability. It was something no one was talking about: the elementary school curriculum's intense focus on decontextualized reading comprehension "skills" at the expense of actual knowledge. In the tradition of Dale Russakoff's The Prize and Dana Goldstein's The Teacher Wars, Wexler brings together history, research, and compelling characters to pull back the curtain on this fundamental flaw in our education system--one that fellow reformers, journalists, and policymakers have long overlooked, and of which the general public, including many parents, remains unaware. But The Knowledge Gap isn't just a story of what schools have gotten so wrong--it also follows innovative educators who are in the process of shedding their deeply ingrained habits, and describes the rewards that have come along: students who are not only excited to learn but are also acquiring the knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to succeed. If we truly want to fix our education system and unlock the potential of our neediest children, we have no choice but to pay attention.


Funds of Knowledge

Funds of Knowledge

Author: Norma Gonzalez

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2006-04-21

Total Pages: 332

ISBN-13: 1135614059

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The concept of "funds of knowledge" is based on a simple premise: people are competent and have knowledge, and their life experiences have given them that knowledge. The claim in this book is that first-hand research experiences with families allow one to document this competence and knowledge, and that such engagement provides many possibilities for positive pedagogical actions. Drawing from both Vygotskian and neo-sociocultural perspectives in designing a methodology that views the everyday practices of language and action as constructing knowledge, the funds of knowledge approach facilitates a systematic and powerful way to represent communities in terms of the resources they possess and how to harness them for classroom teaching. This book accomplishes three objectives: It gives readers the basic methodology and techniques followed in the contributors' funds of knowledge research; it extends the boundaries of what these researchers have done; and it explores the applications to classroom practice that can result from teachers knowing the communities in which they work. In a time when national educational discourses focus on system reform and wholesale replicability across school sites, this book offers a counter-perspective stating that instruction must be linked to students' lives, and that details of effective pedagogy should be linked to local histories and community contexts. This approach should not be confused with parent participation programs, although that is often a fortuitous consequence of the work described. It is also not an attempt to teach parents "how to do school" although that could certainly be an outcome if the parents so desired. Instead, the funds of knowledge approach attempts to accomplish something that may be even more challenging: to alter the perceptions of working-class or poor communities by viewing their households primarily in terms of their strengths and resources, their defining pedagogical characteristics. Funds of Knowledge: Theorizing Practices in Households, Communities, and Classrooms is a critically important volume for all teachers and teachers-to-be, and for researchers and graduate students of language, culture, and education.


Creating Inclusive Classrooms

Creating Inclusive Classrooms

Author: Spencer J. Salend

Publisher:

Published: 2010-02-15

Total Pages: 599

ISBN-13: 9780131384255

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Creating an inclusive classroom means understanding federal legislation as well as national and state standards, but the practical and streamlined seventh edition of Creating Inclusive Classrooms: Effective and Reflective Practices recognizes that it means more than that. This text goes beyond the typical inclusion text, translating theory and research into practices you can use in your inclusive classroom by illustrating the principles of effective inclusion through classroom scenarios, online footage, and successful strategies. The text has the most current vision of today's inclusive classroom, which truly helps you create a successful educational experience for all students. New to This Edition: *NEW UDL and You features throughout the text guide you in understanding and implementing the principles of universal design to help all learners access the general education curriculum and succeed in inclusive classrooms.


In Search of Deeper Learning

In Search of Deeper Learning

Author: Jal Mehta

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2019-04-22

Total Pages: 465

ISBN-13: 0674988396

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"The best book on high school dynamics I have ever read."--Jay Mathews, Washington Post An award-winning professor and an accomplished educator take us beyond the hype of reform and inside some of America's most innovative classrooms to show what is working--and what isn't--in our schools. What would it take to transform industrial-era schools into modern organizations capable of supporting deep learning for all? Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine's quest to answer this question took them inside some of America's most innovative schools and classrooms--places where educators are rethinking both what and how students should learn. The story they tell is alternately discouraging and hopeful. Drawing on hundreds of hours of observations and interviews at thirty different schools, Mehta and Fine reveal that deeper learning is more often the exception than the rule. And yet they find pockets of powerful learning at almost every school, often in electives and extracurriculars as well as in a few mold-breaking academic courses. These spaces achieve depth, the authors argue, because they emphasize purpose and choice, cultivate community, and draw on powerful traditions of apprenticeship. These outliers suggest that it is difficult but possible for schools and classrooms to achieve the integrations that support deep learning: rigor with joy, precision with play, mastery with identity and creativity. This boldly humanistic book offers a rich account of what education can be. The first panoramic study of American public high schools since the 1980s, In Search of Deeper Learning lays out a new vision for American education--one that will set the agenda for schools of the future.


The Pedagogy of Confidence

The Pedagogy of Confidence

Author: Yvette Jackson

Publisher: Teachers College Press

Published: 2011-04-14

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 0807752231

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In her new book, prominent professional developer Yvette Jackson focuses on students' strengths, rather than their weaknesses, To reinvigorate educators to inspire learning and high intellectual performance. Through the lens of educational psychology and historical reforms, Jackson responds To The faltering motivation and confidence of educators in terms of its effects on closing the achievement gap. The author seeks to "rekindle the belief in the vast capacity of underachieving urban students," and offers strategies to help educators inspire intellectual performance. Jackson proposes that a paradigm shift towards a focus on strengths will reinvigorate educators' passion for teaching and belief in their ability to raise the intellectual achievement of their students. Jackson addresses how educators can systematically support the development of motivation, reflective and cognitive skills, and high performance when standards and assessments are predisposed to non-conceptual methods. Furthermore, she examines challenges and offers strategies for dealing with cultural disconnects, The influence of new technologies, and language preferences of students.


Enhancing Teaching and Learning With Socratic Educational Strategies: Emerging Research and Opportunities

Enhancing Teaching and Learning With Socratic Educational Strategies: Emerging Research and Opportunities

Author: Giuseffi, Frank G.

Publisher: IGI Global

Published: 2022-02-04

Total Pages: 172

ISBN-13: 1799871746

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Traditionally understood as an ancient teaching method conceived by the philosopher Socrates, scholars in education have boldly explored the definitions, philosophical underpinnings, assumptions, and uses of Socratic dialogue in various learning situations and educational settings. Despite its ancient origins, the Socratic Method has an impact on contemporary leadership, critical thinking skills, e-learning, adult education, and social-emotional learning. Enhancing Teaching and Learning With Socratic Educational Strategies: Emerging Research and Opportunities presents scholarly work, philosophical investigations, educational claims, and the latest empirical research on the process and outcome of the Socratic Method in educational contexts. It delves deeply into the instructional strategy uncovering its practical impact in educational contexts and its philosophical and societal consequences in the modern world. Covering topics such as female voice, maieutic instruction, and teacher preparation, this book is an essential resource for philosophers, educational administration, educators, researchers, pre-service teachers, academicians, and government programs.


Handbook of Classroom Management

Handbook of Classroom Management

Author: Edward J. Sabornie

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2022-09-22

Total Pages: 776

ISBN-13: 1000635198

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The Handbook of Classroom Management, Third Edition, is an authoritative treatment of the latest science and development in the study of classroom management in schools. Evidence-based classroom management practices and programs are essential to enhancing students’ academic, behavioral, social-emotional, and motivational outcomes across grade levels. This comprehensive volume collects scholarship and cutting-edge research for graduate students and faculty of psychology, teacher education, curriculum and instruction, special education, and beyond. The book has been thoroughly revised and expanded with updated coverage of foundational topics such as effective instruction, preventative strategies, positive behavior intervention and supports, family–school relationships, legal issues, and other related topics, while also giving new attention to social justice, students on the autism spectrum, and adaptations across urban, rural, and virtual contexts.


Learning, Leading, and the Best-Loved Self in Teaching and Teacher Education

Learning, Leading, and the Best-Loved Self in Teaching and Teacher Education

Author: Cheryl J. Craig

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2022-12-10

Total Pages: 353

ISBN-13: 3031119029

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This book explores the concept of the "best-loved self" in teaching and teacher education, asserting that the best-loved self is foundational to the development of teacher identity, growth in context, and learning in community. Drawing on the work of Joseph Schwab, who was the first to name the "best-loved self," the editors and their contributors extend this knowledge further through the collaboration of their group of teacher educators, known as the Faculty Academy, who have been involved in examining teacher education for over two decades.


Research Anthology on Interventions in Student Behavior and Misconduct

Research Anthology on Interventions in Student Behavior and Misconduct

Author: Management Association, Information Resources

Publisher: IGI Global

Published: 2022-06-03

Total Pages: 866

ISBN-13: 1668463164

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Academic classrooms in both K-12 and higher education feature diverse students with many different backgrounds, personalities, and attitudes toward learning. A large challenge in education is not only catering to each of these students to motivate them to learn, but also the many strategies in handling diverse forms of academic misconduct. It is essential for educators and administrators to be knowledgeable not only about disciplinary actions, but also intervention methods that will create a lasting impact for student success. The Research Anthology on Interventions in Student Behavior and Misconduct provides the best practices, strategies, challenges, and interventions for managing student behavior and misconduct. It discusses intervention and disciplinary methods both at the classroom and administrative levels. This book focuses on the prevention of school violence and academic misconduct in order to promote successful learning. Covering topics such as learning behavior, student empowerment, and social-emotional learning, this major reference work is an essential resource for school counselors, faculty and administration of both K-12 and higher education, libraries, pre-service teachers, child psychologists, student advocacy organizations, researchers, and academicians.