Cuts through the complexities of educational research to give the novice reader a sound basis to define, develop, and conduct study, while providing insights for even the accomplished reader.
A Commitment to Teaching: Toward More Efficacious Teacher Preparation introduces the reader to a collection of thoughtful works by authors that represent current research and thinking about teacher self-efficacy and teacher preparation. It is the intent of the book to provide the reader with current and relevant knowledge concerning preparation of committed and efficacious teachers. Teacher self-efficacy, and the presence of teacher efficacy, in teacher preparation and practice, is fundamental to preparing teachers for the public school classroom. As a construct, teacher self-efficacy beliefs are an integral aspect of the teaching process. While many authors refer to teachers’ sense of self-efficacy for teaching, meaning their beliefs about their ability to perform the actions necessary to teach, many others have identified a specific form of self-efficacy pertaining to teaching. These have been called teaching or teacher efficacy. Chapter One opens the book with a focus on the teacher commitment and self-efficacy, providing the reader with an introduction. The authors of Chapters Two-Seven present field-based research that examines the complexities efficacy and commitment in the preparation of teachers. Each chapter offers the reader an examination of teacher self-efficacy and teacher preparation and based on formal research that provides the reader with insight into how the research study was conducted as well as equally important, the findings and conclusions drawn with respect teacher self-efficacy and teacher preparation. Finally, Chapter Nine presents an epilogue that focuses on the for more efficacious teacher preparation.
Children in today's world are inundated with information about who to be, what to do and how to live. But what if there was a way to teach children how to manage priorities, focus on goals and be a positive influence on the world around them? The Leader in Meis that programme. It's based on a hugely successful initiative carried out at the A.B. Combs Elementary School in North Carolina. To hear the parents of A. B Combs talk about the school is to be amazed. In 1999, the school debuted a programme that taught The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Peopleto a pilot group of students. The parents reported an incredible change in their children, who blossomed under the programme. By the end of the following year the average end-of-grade scores had leapt from 84 to 94. This book will launch the message onto a much larger platform. Stephen R. Covey takes the 7 Habits, that have already changed the lives of millions of people, and shows how children can use them as they develop. Those habits -- be proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, think win-win, seek to understand and then to be understood, synergize, and sharpen the saw -- are critical skills to learn at a young age and bring incredible results, proving that it's never too early to teach someone how to live well.
What does teaching look like? What practices are most impactful? By directly observing teaching in the classroom, this study trialled new research methods to shed light on these key questions for raising student outcomes around the world.
This edited book is a compilation of research by the members of the Out-of-Field Teaching Across Specialisations (OOF-TAS) Collective, and is the second book by the Collective. It extends from the work begun in the 2019 book, Examining the Phenomenon of "Teaching Out-of-Field" by showcasing the broad range of research agendas and findings relating to this phenomenon internationally. This book provides research and commentary relating to the out-of-field teaching phenomenon in primary, secondary and tertiary education, and across different subjects. It provides snapshots of the effects, causes, measurement, and other characteristics of out-of-field teaching in and across contexts, including states and countries, school types and school levels, subjects and specializations. The different chapters provide commentary at different units of analysis, and focus on: the effects of out-of-field teaching for teachers and their students; the school contexts/cultures that do or do not support them; the leadership practices that assign the teachers to out-of-field subjects; and the systems that create/perpetuate the need for out-of-field teaching assignments. Chapter 15 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com. .
Updated for 2023! Did you know that you can camp for free on much of America’s public lands? Boondocking/dispersed camping is growing rapidly in popularity as more and more people take to their vans, RVs, SUVs, trucks, and cars to explore the backroads of America’s forests and deserts in search of solitude and natural beauty. I Have a Lot of Experience Doing Dispersed Camping! I'm John Soares, a writer for businesses and nonprofits for over three decades, and also the author of four hiking guidebooks on Northern California. I've been doing dispersed camping for 30-plus years in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and other states. In this book I bring all my knowledge, experience, and research together to clearly explain everything you need to know to get out into nature on national forest and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands and find primo camping spots, while saving a ton of money in the process. This Book is Your Bible for Dispersed Camping and Boondocking Here’s what Camp for Free: Dispersed Camping & Boondocking on America’s Public Lands covers: -- In-depth discussion of the different types of federal and state lands where you can camp for free, including dispersed camping and boondocking on national forests, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands, national monuments, and more -- Clear explanation of how to research the best areas to go dispersed camping and boondocking, and where to find the best advice on finding campsites -- Detailed guidelines that help you find excellent campsites once you’re out on dirt roads in the hills, forest, or desert – and what you need to do to not get lost! -- A list of the key characteristics of a good dispersed campsite, and how to make sure it’s a good fit for your specific needs -- How you can minimize your impact on the land, including applying Leave No Trace principles -- What you need to do to be as safe as possible when camping and exploring -- How to keep your dogs safe -- Advice on where to legally sleep along highways and in and near towns and cities -- A comprehensive list of everything you need to take with you to have a thoroughly enjoyable dispersed camping experience -- A clear definition of dispersed camping, and why I use it more than “boondocking,” which is more common among RV folks. I also define similar terms, such as free camping, primitive camping, dry camping, and wild camping. -- A comparison of dispersed camping with regular pay campgrounds, and why, despite the cost and potential noise and other hassles, it can occasionally be a good idea to stay in a campground. -- Discussion and ranking of the variety of vehicles you can use for dispersed camping: full-size vans, trucks with camper shells, minivans, RVs, travel trailers, cars, and motorcycles. Only have a regular car? No problem—you can still do this! The book includes 25 photos, plus maps showing the distribution of U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands across the United States. What This Book Is – and What It Is Not There are hundreds of thousands of places where you can legally boondock and do dispersed camping in the United States, so this is not a guidebook to specific places. Rather, it’s how-to manual that makes sure you know how to find the best dispersed camping and boondocking sites in the United States, and that you maximize your enjoyment and safety. My Website Has a Wealth of Boondocking/Dispersed Camping Resources In the introduction and throughout the book you'll see my website address. The website helps you find the best dispersed camping spots and get the most out of your dispersed camping experiences. It includes websites and apps that help you find specific campsites.
This booklet presents articles that deal with identifying signs of stress and methods of reducing work-related stressors. An introductory article gives a summary of the causes, consequences, and cures of teacher stress and burnout. In articles on recognizing signs of stress, "Type A" and "Type B" personalities are examined, with implications for stressful behavior related to each type, and a case history of a teacher who was beaten by a student is given. Methods of overcoming job-related stress are suggested in eight articles: (1) "How Some Teachers Avoid Burnout"; (2) "The Nibble Method of Overcoming Stress"; (3) "Twenty Ways I Save Time"; (4) "How To Bring Forth The Relaxation Response"; (5) "How To Draw Vitality From Stress"; (6) "Six Steps to a Positive Addiction"; (7)"Positive Denial: The Case For Not Facing Reality"; and (8) "Conquering Common Stressors". A workshop guide is offered for reducing and preventing teacher burnout by establishing support groups, reducing stressors, changing perceptions of stressors, and improving coping abilities. Workshop roles of initiator, facilitator, and members are discussed. An annotated bibliography of twelve books about stress is included. (FG)
Children spend more time in school than in any social institution outside the home. And schools probably exert more influence on children’s development and life chances than any environment beyond the home and neighbourhood. The purpose of this book is to document some important ways schools influence children’s development and to describe various models and methods for studying schooling effects. Key features include: Comprehensive Coverage – this is the first book to provide a comprehensive review of what is known about schools as a context for human development. Topical coverage ranges from theoretical foundations to investigative methodologies and from classroom-level influences such as teacher-student relations to broader influences such as school organization and educational policies. Cross-Disciplinary – this volume brings together the divergent perspectives, methods and findings of scholars from a variety of disciplines, among them educational psychology, developmental psychology, school psychology, social psychology, psychiatry, sociology, and educational policy. Chapter Structure – to ensure continuity, chapter authors describe 1) how schooling influences are conceptualized 2) identify their theoretical and methodological approaches 3) discuss the strengths and weaknesses of existing research and 4) highlight implications for future research, practice, and policy. Methodologies – chapters included in the text feature various methodologies including longitudinal studies, hierarchical linear models, experimental and quasi-experimental designs, and mixed methods.
This volume offers insights from modeling relations between teacher quality, instructional quality and student outcomes in mathematics across countries. The relations explored take the educational context, such as school climate, into account. The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement’s Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is the only international large-scale study possessing a design framework that enables investigation of relations between teachers, their teaching, and student outcomes in mathematics. TIMSS provides both student achievement data and contextual background data from schools, teachers, students and parents, for over 60 countries. This book makes a major contribution to the field of educational effectiveness, especially teaching effectiveness, where cross-cultural comparisons are scarce. For readers interested in teacher quality, instructional quality, and student achievement and motivation in mathematics, the comparisons across cultures, grades, and time are insightful and thought-provoking. For readers interested in methodology, the advanced analytical methods, combined with application of methods new to educational research, illustrate interesting novel directions in methodology and the secondary analysis of international large-scale assessment (ILSA).
Early childhood mathematics is vitally important for young children's present and future educational success. Research demonstrates that virtually all young children have the capability to learn and become competent in mathematics. Furthermore, young children enjoy their early informal experiences with mathematics. Unfortunately, many children's potential in mathematics is not fully realized, especially those children who are economically disadvantaged. This is due, in part, to a lack of opportunities to learn mathematics in early childhood settings or through everyday experiences in the home and in their communities. Improvements in early childhood mathematics education can provide young children with the foundation for school success. Relying on a comprehensive review of the research, Mathematics Learning in Early Childhood lays out the critical areas that should be the focus of young children's early mathematics education, explores the extent to which they are currently being incorporated in early childhood settings, and identifies the changes needed to improve the quality of mathematics experiences for young children. This book serves as a call to action to improve the state of early childhood mathematics. It will be especially useful for policy makers and practitioners-those who work directly with children and their families in shaping the policies that affect the education of young children.