First Published in 1999. This book arose from a growing awareness of student teachers' need for an easy, informative and inspiring book about the constructivist approach. On hearing that label, students tend to react either with, 'Isn't that marvellous - the answer to all my problems', or 'Sounds fine in theory, but I couldn't do it'. Both are wrong. This book may help to get the balance right.
First Published in 1998. There is a current preoccupation with educational standards with claims that overall standards of achievement have fallen. The purpose of this book, therefore, is to address the question of how children learn across the primary National Curriculum subjects, with implications for effective teaching approaches. The book emphasises a constructivist view of learning, which acknowledges that children have views and attitudes which are formed as a result of experiences in and out of school and that these must be taken into account if meaningful and transferable learning is to be achieved.
This book explores each subject in the primary curriculum offering clear guidance on the distinctive elements of each and effective pedagogical approaches that support informed teaching.
Unique in that it focuses on pupils' perceptions of their learning with trainee teachers in primary schools Includes chapter summaries giving suggestions for teaching strategies, discussions with mentors and tutors and further reading Includes examples of successful new teaching approaches introduced by trainees and case-studies on religion, gender and ethnicity Enables trainee teachers to make links between theory, research and practice Relevant to all trainee teachers at primary level concerned to develop good practice
Education Is Upside Down cuts through adjustments being made at technical levels of educational practice and accountability, challenging ideals and philosophies that have powered American Education for most of the last century. This book explains how and why long-standing approaches generate flawed instructional practices, flawed systemic reform efforts, and a fundamental misalignment between the educational institution and the society it is missioned to serve. Education Is Upside Down urges readers wishing to improve American Education to more carefully consider the institution’s central mission, challenge long-accepted truths of practice, and question current reform efforts and actions. In full, Education Is Upside Down resists the practitioner-vs.-reformer blame game, seeking ultimately to carefully untangle—not tighten by yanking on any single strand—the long-complicated knot of American Education.
The activities that transpire within the classroom either help or hinder students' learning. Any meaningful discussion of educational renewal, therefore, must focus explicitly and directly on the classroom, and on the teaching and learning that occur within it. This book presents a case for the development of classrooms in which students are encouraged to construct deep understandings of important concepts. Jacqueline Grennon Brooks and Martin Brooks present a new set of images for educational settings, images that emerge from student engagement, interaction, reflection, and construction. They have considerable experience in creating constructivist educational settings and conducting research on those settings. Authentic examples are provided throughout the book, as are suggestions for administrators, teachers, and policymakers. For the new edition of their popular book, the authors have written an introduction that places their work in today's educational renewal setting. Today, they urge, the case for constructivist classrooms is much stronger and the need more critical. Note: This product listing is for the Adobe Acrobat (PDF) version of the book.
Through its unique integration of curriculum and learning principles, Early Childhood Curriculum: A Constructivist Perspective, 2nd Edition fosters authentic, developmentally appropriate practice for both preschool and early elementary classrooms. The constructivist format of this book encourages active involvement on the part of readers by asking them to observe, question, reflect, research, and analyze, thus allowing readers to create their own knowledge through their responses and actions. Early Childhood Curriculum examines curricular goals such as autonomy, development, and problem solving and links those goals with constructivist principles of learning. It explores ways teachers can create meaningful learning environments and choose curriculum tasks appropriately—in all content areas—that are linked to the learning and development needs of young children. The text provides a wealth of practical detail about implementing constructivist curriculum as the authors discuss classroom climate and management, room design, play, and cooperative learning, among other topics. The book also includes information about how teachers can meet required mandates and national and state standards in appropriate ways as they plan their curriculum, and examines the early childhood educator's role with community agencies, reform and legal mandates, and public relations. Special Features: • “Curriculum Strategies” highlight models for developing curriculum, including projects, curricular alignment, integration of various subject matter areas, and types of knowledge. • “Constructions” promote problem solving by allowing students to explore, revisit, examine, and learn from first-hand experience. • “Multiple Perspectives from the Field” provide interviews with teachers and other early childhood professionals, offering students a realistic look at the profession from a diverse group of educators. • “Teacher Dialogues” explore a wide range of student concerns, including curriculum, learning environments, assessment, and documentation, representing a collaborative support group for pre-service teachers and readers.
Lecturers, why waste time waiting for the post to arrive? Request and receive your e-inspection copy today! Providing an overview of the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to teach the primary curriculum, this book offers an informed critical approach to the teaching of core and foundation subjects in primary education. Underpinned by contemporary research and current policy The Primary Curriculum combines coverage of key subject-specific issues with relevant pedagogical approaches to teaching, offering a comprehensive overview of each major subject of primary education. Particular emphasis is placed on cross-curricular and creative approaches to teaching intelligently across different subject areas within the current curriculum framework. Curriculum progression from Foundation Stage through to Key Stage 2 is also emphasised. The Primary Curriculum is an essential companion for all students on primary initial teacher education courses. Patricia Driscoll and Judith Roden are established primary education authors and teach on initial teacher education courses at Canterbury Christ Church University. Andrew Lambirth is Professor of Education at University of Greenwich.
First published in 1994. Leading scholars in science education from eight countries on four continents and ex-pert practising science teachers (primary and secondary) wrote about the teaching and learning of particular science content or skills, and hence how different science content requires different sorts of teaching and learning. Having shared the papers, they then met to discuss them and subsequently revised them. The result is a coherent set of chapters that share valuable insights about the teaching and learning of science. Some chapters consider the detail of specific topics (e.g. floating and sinking, soil and chemical change), some describe innovative procedures, others provide powerful theory. Together they provide a comprehensive analysis of constructivist learning and teaching implications.
