Teaching Literature as Reflective Practice speaks to all those teachers who teach the "gen ed" literature course that their students must take to complete a general education or core curriculum requirement. These students--the 95 percent who are not English majors--are the students we hope will become active and reflective members of a reading public. Given this goal, Kathleen Blake Yancey outlines a course located in reflective practice and connected to readings in the world. The course invites students to theorize--about their own reading practices, about how literature is made, and about texts and their relationships to culture more generally. Such a course also encourages students to think about what places and occasions in the world are poetic, about the role of not-understanding in coming to understand literature, and about technological forms of literacy, such as multimedia pop-ups that link associatively to multiple contexts. In addition to cogent reflections on the realities of lived, delivered, and experienced curricula, Yancey defines, illustrates, and analyzes two kinds of literature portfolio--print and electronic--and shows how each fosters a particular kind of learning and leads to specific assessment practices.
Offering a unique, data-led, evidence-based approach to reflective practice in English language teaching, this book brings together theory, research and practice in an accessible way to demonstrate what reflective practice looks like and how it is undertaken in a range of contexts. Readers learn how to do and to research reflective practice in their own settings. Through the use of data, dialogue and appropriate tools, the authors show how reflective practice can be used as an ongoing teaching tool that supports professional self-development.
A practical guide to the essential practice that builds better teachers. Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher is the landmark guide to critical reflection, providing expert insight and practical tools to facilitate a journey of constructive self-critique. Stephen Brookfield shows how you can uncover and assess your assumptions about practice by viewing them through the lens of your students' eyes, your colleagues' perceptions, relevant theory and research, and your own personal experience. Practicing critical reflection will help you… Align your teaching with desired student outcomes See your practice from new perspectives Engage learners via multiple teaching formats Understand and manage classroom power dynamics Model critical thinking for your students Manage the complex rhythms of diverse classrooms This fully revised second edition features a wealth of new material, including new chapters on critical reflection in the context of social media, teaching race and racism, leadership in a critically reflective key, and team teaching as critical reflection. In addition, all chapters have been thoroughly updated and expanded to align with today's classrooms, whether online or face-to-face, in large lecture formats or small groups. In his own personal voice Stephen Brookfield draws from over 45 years of experience to illustrate the clear benefits of critical reflection. Assumptions guide practice and only when we base our actions on accurate assumptions will we achieve the results we want. Educators with the courage to challenge their own assumptions in an effort to improve learning are the invaluable role models our students need. Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher provides the foundational information and practical tools that help teachers reach their true potential.
George Hillocks, Jr. starts with the basic assumption that writing is at the heart of education, and provides a metatheory to respond to this question: "What is involved in the effective teaching of writing at the secondary and college freshmen levels?" The author outlines a variety of theories, explains the bridges between them, and provides a coherent theoretical basis for thinking about the teaching of writing. This concern with theory and research is offset by his attention to the practical matters of the classroom; teachers are shown how to plan activities and sequences of activities that are appropriate for students who are within Vygotsky's "zone of proximal development".
This practical and engaging book introduces readers to reflective practice in English language teaching. Assuming no background knowledge, Thomas S. C. Farrell clearly and accessibly walks through ways that teachers can integrate and implement reflective practice in the classroom and in other contexts to benefit their teaching and their own professional development. Each chapter covers an important dimension of reflective practice and features many ready-to-use activities that are designed to empower teachers and allow them to overcome challenges they’ll face throughout their careers. Covering many types of reflection and the many purposes it serves, this book addresses written reflection, lesson planning, classroom observation, classroom management, group communication and more. This resource is ideal for preservice and early career language teachers and is an important supplement to courses in language education and applied linguistics programs.
This book investigates the ways in which pre-service teachers develop and articulate their professional knowledge by presenting their reflections on contemporary issues and topics they have explored during their own teaching practicums. It uses reflective practice to connect pre-service teachers’ personal backgrounds with their placement experience concerning a self-selected topic, including teacher educators’ reflections on the pre-service teachers’ reports on these placement topics. By illustrating the broad range of issues encountered by pre-service teachers, sharing multiple perspectives on the complexity of classroom practice, and demonstrating the importance of reflective practice, it also provides a valuable mentoring framework. Moreover, the book studies how examining pre-service teachers’ life experience can facilitate in-depth understanding, specifically in the context of pre-service teachers’ reflections on their own practices in different educational settings. In short, the book helps current and prospective pre-service teachers and teacher educators get to know their students and themselves better using reflective practice.
Hundreds of useful ideas for meeting the needs of each child The Differentiated Instruction Book of Lists is the definitive reference for DI for teachers in grades K-12. Ready for immediate use, it offers over 150 up-to-date lists for developing instructional materials, lesson planning, and assessment. Organized into 12 convenient sections, the book is full of practical examples, teaching ideas, and activities that can be used or adapted to meet students' diverse needs. Coverage includes curriculum design, lesson planning, instructional strategies, assessment, classroom management, strategies by subject area (from Language Arts to Math to Physical Education), new media, etc. Offers an easy-to-use guide that gives quick tips and methods to plan effectively for delivering truly differentiated lessons Filled with helpful DI lists, lesson plans, strategies, assessments, and more Jennifer Fox is the author of the bestselling book Your Child's Strengths The Differentiated Instruction Book of Lists is a hands-on guide for meeting the instructional needs of all students so that they can reach their full potential.
Literacy is the foundation for all learning and must be accessible to all students. This fundamental truth is where Kimberly Parker begins to explore how culturally relevant teaching can help students work toward justice. Her goal is to make the literacy classroom a place where students can safely talk about key issues, move to dismantle inequities, and collaborate with one another. Introducing diverse texts is an essential part of the journey, but teachers must also be equipped with culturally relevant pedagogy to improve literacy instruction for all. In Literacy Is Liberation, Parker gives teachers the tools to build culturally relevant intentional literacy communities (CRILCs) with students. Through CRILCs, teachers can better shape their literacy instruction by * Reflecting on the connections between behaviors, beliefs, and racial identity. * Identifying the characteristics of culturally relevant literacy instruction and grounding their practice within a strengths-based framework. * Curating a culturally inclusive library of core texts, choice reading, and personal reading, and teaching inclusive texts with confidence. * Developing strategies to respond to roadblocks for students, administrators, and teachers. * Building curriculum that can foster critical conversations between students about difficult subjects—including race. In a culturally relevant classroom, it is important for students and teachers to get to know one another, be vulnerable, heal, and do the hard work to help everyone become a literacy high achiever. Through the practices in this book, teachers can create the more inclusive, representative, and equitable classroom environment that all students deserve.
This is a practical guide to reflective practice for teachers and trainee teachers in the FE and skills sector. Reflective practice is a key element of teaching and this comprehensive and accessible guide introduces and explains this area of practice for trainee and new teachers. It asks ′what is reflective practice?′ and includes an exclamation of the processes of reflection and tips on reflective writing. Many trainees and new teachers need support in reflective practice. Written for all those working towards QTLS, this text gives practical guidance on how to become a reflective practitioner and examines how this relates directly to teaching in the FE and skills sector, and how reflection can benefit teaching. This second edition includes new chapters on ′reflective teaching and learning′ and ′reflection-re-action′, a new Theory Focus feature. Richard Malthouse has extensive knowledge of education and training in the UK and abroad. He currently works in training design and performance needs analysis for a large law enforcement agency. Alongside this, Richard is the director of a successful company offering coaching to individuals. Richard is a Doctor of Education and a Fellow of the Institute of Learning. Jodi Roffey-Barentsen is Programme Manager of the BA (Hons) in Education and the Foundation Degree in Learing Support at Farnborough College of Technology and is involved in a range of initial teacher training programmes. Jodi also works as a consultant for the Institute of Learning. Jodi is a Doctor of Education and a fellow of the Institute for Learning.
In university teachers'' hectic lives, finding space to reflect, restore, renew, and recommit can seem impossible. Jean Koh Peters and Mark Weisberg believe regular reflection is critical and have designed A Teacher''s Reflection Book to help teachers and other professionals find that space. Growing out of the authors'' extensive experience facilitating retreats and leading teaching and learning workshops, the book builds on their discoveries in those settings, supporting and promoting teachers'' self-directed development. Inviting that development, A Teacher''s Reflection Book is a cornucopia of stories, exercises, and examples that will inspire teachers to make reflection a cornerstone of their daily lives. With its multiple suggestions and strategies, it offers something for every reader, and is responsive to teachers'' needs at all stages of their careers. The book''s six chapters offer readers several perspectives from which to reflect. Some sections offer glimpses of teachers in the midst of their daily teaching lives, while others step away, inviting readers to reflect on what it means to have a vocation as a teacher. The book explores how we listen, a crucial yet rarely taught skill, essential for reflecting, as well as for learning and teaching. And it invites teachers to reflect on their students: who they are, and what and how they learn. For those latter reflections, the authors turn the focus on fear, which so pervades university life and which can distort learners'' and teachers'' perspectives and responses. Throughout this book, readers will visit several classrooms and listen to the evocative voices of several thoughtful students. Revelatory, practical, and wise, A Teacher''s Reflection Book is a valuable companion and guide. "One key strength of the book is its authentic writing style, which engages the reader and builds the trustworthiness of the authors. Another strength is the book''s wealth of readings and the activities it offers to catalyze teacher reflection." -- Teaching Theology and Religion, Ryan S. Gardner "This excellent book should be part of every teacher''s professional library. It is a book pitched at all teachers in higher education and, through the processes of reflection, a book that advances important principles of good teaching practice that are usually introduced all too briefly in the basic texts on teaching in higher education. ...Several descriptive words come to mind when reading this book. It is a polite and gentle book. Politeness is revealed in the book''s sub-title - ''Exercises, stories, invitations''. It is the idea of invitation that characterizes much of the book. It is not didactic but rather invites us to use the book and the processes described in it in ways that work best for us. It does this through questions and inductive approaches to reflection. Through these approaches and the careful use of real-life examples, we are gently invited to explore the perspectives presented in the text and apply these to our personal and professional lives. It is also an accessible book. Most refreshingly, it is not burdened with unnecessary technical jargon and convoluted language that sadly cripples too much writing in education today and makes learning inaccessible to many, particularly for those readers whose first language is not English." -- Higher Education Research & Development (HERDSA), Robert Cannon "I was asked to write a book review but I find that, instead, I want to write a thank you note thanking Jean Koh Peters and Mark Weisberg for the gift of their book, A Teacher''s Reflection Book. ...The reflections, examples and exercises you offer in the book make reflecting about both challenging and positive moments in my life as a teacher feel like something I can do easily and regularly. ...In this book, you have found a way to model, encourage and help create a compassionate space where teachers can make the deepest connection between who they are and what they do. You give us permission to find our truth in and the courage to bring our hearts to our teaching and writing. You have made a home for reflection." -- The Law Teacher, Kimberly Kirkland, University of New Hampshire School of Law "We are all so busy. We race from task to task. We attempt to multi-task; dividing and depleting our energies. How many times do we arrive in class breathless with hardly a moment to think about what we have planned for the day? I harbor no illusions that a blog entry is going to change our lives, but I would like to use this one to reiterate the need to make time for reflection, for contemplation about what we do, and how and why we do it. The value of doing so is laid out clearly in [this] new book..." -- Teaching Professor Blog, Maryellen Weimer
