Top Teaching Methods & Materials eBooks

Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement eBook by Marzano, Robert J., Pickering, Debra J., Pollock, Jane E.

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 48:11:24 GMT

What works in education? How do we know? How can teachers find out? How can educational research find its way into the classroom? How can we apply it to help our individual students? Questions like these arise in most schools, and busy educators often don't have time to find the answers. Robert J. Marzano, Debra J. Pickering, and Jane E. Pollock have examined decades of research findings to distill the results into nine broad teaching strategies that have positive effects on student learning: * Identifying similarities and differences. * Summarizing and note taking. * Reinforcing effort and providing recognition. * Homework and practice. * Nonlinguistic representations. * Cooperative learning. * Setting objectives and providing feedback. * Generating and testing hypotheses. * Questions, cues, and advance organizers. This list is not new. But what is surprising is finding out what a big difference it makes, for example, when students learn how to take good notes, work in groups, and use graphic organizers. The authors provide statistical effect sizes and show how these translate into percentile gains for students, for each strategy. And each chapter presents extended classroom examples of teachers and students in action; models of successful instruction; and many "frames," rubrics, organizers, and charts to help teachers plan and implement the strategies.

Darwin and Evolution for Kids: His Life and Ideas with 21 Activities eBook by Lawson, Kristan

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 48:11:24 GMT

Darwin and Evolution for Kids traces the transformation of a privileged and somewhat scatterbrained youth into the great thinker who proposed the revolutionary theory of evolution. Through 21 hands-on activities, young scientists learn about Darwin's life and work and assess current evidence of evolution. Activities include going on a botanical treasure hunt, keeping field notes as a backyard naturalist, and tying knots for ship sails like those on the HMS Beagle. Children also learn how fossils are created, trace genetic traits through their family trees, and discover if acquired traits are passed along to future generations. By encouraging children, parents, and teachers to define the differences between theories and beliefs, facts and opinions, Darwin and Evolution for Kids does not shy away from a theory that continues to spark heated public debate more than a century after it was first proposed.

Checking for Understanding: Formative Assessment Techniques for Your Classroom eBook by Fisher, Douglas, Frey, Nancy

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 48:11:24 GMT

What teacher hasn't sometimes believed that the entire class understands a lesson, even though only a few students are nodding their heads and answering questions? Later, the teacher is dismayed when many students fail a related test. Why aren't students getting it? And, just as important, why didn't the teacher recognize the problem? In Checking for Understanding, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey show how to increase students' understanding with the help of creative formative assessments. When used regularly, these types of assessments enable every teacher to determine what students know, what they need to know, and what type of instructional interventions are effective. Fisher and Frey explore a variety of engaging activities that can build understanding, including: interactive writing, portfolios, multimedia presentations, audience response systems, interactive hand signals, public performances, and much more. Checking for Understanding further explores how teachers can effectively use traditional tests and collaborative assessments to improve instruction and increase students' comprehension. Rubrics and charts help teachers check their own understanding as they work with students. Whether you are preparing students to read a Shakespearian sonnet or create their next science project, Checking for Understanding will help you refocus your teaching and enable all students to get the most out of their classroom experience. Douglas Fisher is a professor of language and literacy education at San Diego State University and the codirector for the Center for the Advancement of Reading. He is the author of numerous articles and books including the ASCD best-seller Creating Literacy-Rich Schools for Adolescents with Gay Ivey. Nancy Frey is an associate professor of literacy at San Diego State University. She teaches a variety of courses on elementary and secondary literacy in content-area instruction and supporting students with diverse learning needs. She has coauthored several books on literacy.

Deleuze and Guattari's Anti-Oedipus eBook by Holland, W.

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 48:11:24 GMT

Deleuze and Guattari's first collaborative effort, "Anti-Oedipus," radicalized postmodernism and poststructuralist philosophy. Eugene W. Holland provides the first accessible and comprehensive introduction to this vastly complicated work..
Holland explores how Deleuze and Guattari negotiate the interactions between the three main materialist thinkers of modernity, Freud, Marx and Nietzsche, and examines the role of schizoanalysis, Deleuze and Guattari's radical materialist psychiatry. An indispensable guide to "Anti-Oedipus," this book celebrates not only the importance and rigor of the philosophers' work, but also highlights its lasting implications in the continuous debates on marxism, environmentalism and feminism.

Building Genre Knowledge eBook by Tardy, Christine M.

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 48:11:24 GMT

BUILDING GENRE KNOWLEDGE traces the writing of four multilingual graduate students in engineering and computer sciences over time, offering a window into the writers' processes in developing increasingly sophisticated knowledge of academic and professional genres. These in-depth longitudinal case studies follow the writers' trajectories through the overlapping settings of writing classrooms, disciplinary content classrooms, and scholarly research. The writers' texts, interview discussions, professors' feedback, and classroom experiences together construct a rich picture of the conflicts that they encounter and the learning resources available to them in different settings over time. Through close examination of the stories of these writers, BUILDING GENRE KNOWLEDGE articulates a theory of genre knowledge development that allows for complexity across individuals, communities, and tasks. After first outlining an accessible model of genre knowledge that encompasses multiple knowledge domains, the book explores the ways in which writers develop increasingly sophisticated genre knowledge as they move through their graduate education. Adopting an interdisciplinary perspective, BUILDING GENRE KNOWLEDGE provides a unique look into the processes of building genre knowledge while offering a dynamic theory of those processes that is inclusive of both monolingual and multilingual writers-a necessary move in today's linguistically diverse classrooms. It will therefore be of great interest to researchers and practitioners in both first and second language writing studies. CHRISTINE M. TARDY is an Assistant Professor of Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse at DePaul University in Chicago, where she serves as Graduate Director and teaches courses in writing, teacher education, and applied linguistics. She has taught English as a second or foreign language in the U.S., Czech Republic, Japan, and Turkey. She has published extensively in the areas of genre and discourse studies, second language writing, and academic writing instruction.

CliffsTestPrep FTCE: General Knowledge Test eBook by Kaplan, Jeffrey S.

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 48:11:24 GMT

Strategic review and practice to help would-be Florida teachers get certified Our California teacher certification guide, CliffsTestPrep CSET, has been a resounding success. Now, this all-new guide gives aspiring teachers in Florida the reviews and practice tests they need to pass the Florida Teacher Certification Exams General Knowledge Test. There is no competition for this book, yet annually Florida hires over 15,000 teachers and would-be teachers must pass this test. This dynamic review guide includes FAQs, a diagnostic test, and reviews of the subject matter, including English language skills, reading, mathematics, and writing essays. Two full-length practice exams with answers and explanations let examinees test themselves.Jeffrey S. Kaplan, PhD (Orlando, FL), is an associate professor in the Department of Education Studies at Central Florida University. Sandra Luna McCune, PhD (Nacogdoches, TX), is Regents Professor in the Department of Elementary Education at Stephen F. Austin State University.

ADD/ADHD Alternatives in the Classroom eBook by Armstrong, Thomas

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 48:11:24 GMT

What does it mean to a kid to be labeled attention-deficit disordered (ADD)? Or to have "hyperactive" added to the label (ADHD)? What teachers do to boost the success of students with attention and behavioral difficulties? Are we relying too much on medication for these kids and not enough on new perspectives on learning, child development, the child's socioeconomic and cultural background, biological and psychological research, and learner's emotional and social needs? Armstrong urges educators and parents to look for the positive characteristics in learners who may carry the ADD/ADHD label. Are they bursting with energy? Are they intensely introspective? Do they enjoy hands-on-learning? Are they natural leaders? Are they unusually introspective and reflective? We need to look beyond a "deficit" approach and embrace a more holistic view of learners that includes teaching their multiple intelligences, learning styles, and other brain-friendly approaches. For example, here are some classroom activities for kids who "can't sit still". * Learning spelling words by having kids jump up out of their seats on the vowels and sit down on the consonants. * Mastering the multiplication tables by forming a conga line, moving around the classroom counting from 1 to 30 out loud, and on every multiple of 3 shaking their hips and legs. * Showing patterns of molecular bonding in chemistry class through a "swing your atom" square dance. Thomas Armstrong, an educational and psychologist from Sonoma County, California, has more than 26 years of teaching experience, from the primary through the Doctoral level. He is the other author of two other ASCD books, Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom and Awakening Genius in the Classroom.

Classroom Assessment and Grading That Work eBook by Marzano, Robert, J

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 48:11:24 GMT

Classroom Assessment and Grading That Work

CALTECH CHEMISTRY ANIMATION PROJECT GIVES STUDENTS A UNIQUE VIEW eBook by Hamit, Francis

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 48:11:24 GMT

This article was originally published in the February 1995 issue of Silicon Graphics World. It describes a unique project to enhance the teaching of Freshman Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology (CALTECH) by using three dimensional computer animation to demonstrate how molecules are formed.

Challenging the Whole Child: Reflections on Best Practices in Learning, Teaching, and Leadership eBook by

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 48:11:24 GMT

Challenging the Whole Child: Reflections on Best Practices in Learning, Teaching, and Leadership

Audience Response Systems in Higher Education: Applications and Cases eBook by

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 48:11:24 GMT

Taking advantage of user-friendly technology, audience response systems (ARS) facilitates greater interaction with participants engaged in a variety of group activities. Each participant has an input device that permits them to express a view in complete anonymity, and the composite view of the total group appears on a public screen. ARS can then be used to support summative and formative activities with groups ranging in size from as small as five through to large groups of several hundred. The data can be used to help the facilitator adjust the pace of teaching to match the requirements of the learners, gauge understanding, or trigger discussion and debate. Audience Response Systems in Higher Education: Applications and Cases reveals some of the history behind these systems, explores current theory and practice, and indicates where technology may move in the future. Cases are used to present the work of educators in a wide range of subject areas and with differing levels of experience with these systems.

Adults' Mathematical Thinking and Emotions eBook by

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 48:11:24 GMT

Adults' Mathematical Thinking and Emotions

190 Ready-to-Use Activities That Make Math Fun! eBook by Watson, George

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 48:11:24 GMT

190 Ready-to-Use Activities That Make Math Fun!

Arts with the Brain in Mind eBook by Jensen, Eric

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 48:11:24 GMT

"How do the arts stack up as a major discipline? What is their effect on the brain, learning, and human development? How might schools best implement and assess an arts program?" Eric Jensen answers these questions--and more--in this book. To push for higher standards of learning, many policymakers are eliminating arts programs. To Jensen, that's a mistake. This book presents the definitive case, based on what we know about the brain and learning, for making arts a core part of the basic curriculum and thoughtfully integrating them into every subject. Separate chapters address musical, visual, and kinesthetic arts in ways that reveal their influence on learning. What are the effects of a fully implemented arts program? The evidence points to the following: * Fewer dropouts * Higher attendance * Better team players * An increased love of learning * Greater student dignity * Enhanced creativity * A more prepared citizen for the workplace of tomorrow * Greater cultural awareness as a bonus To Jensen, it's not a matter of choosing, say, the musical arts over the kinesthetic. Rather, ask what kind of art makes sense for what purposes. How much time per day? At what ages? What kind of music? What kind of movement? Should the arts be required? How do we assess arts programs? In answering these real-world questions, Jensen provides dozens of practical, detailed suggestions for incorporating the arts into every classroom.

Building Background Knowledge for Academic Achievement: Research on What Works in Schools eBook by Marzano, Robert J.

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 48:11:24 GMT

In Building Background Knowledge for Academic Achievement, Robert J. Marzano shows how a carefully structured combination of two approaches-sustained silent reading and instruction in subject-specific vocabulary terms-can help overcome the deficiencies in background knowledge that hamper the achievement of many children. Readers will learn * The principles that underlie an effective sustained silent reading program * A five-step process for using sustained silent reading to enhance background knowledge * The defining characteristics of effective vocabulary instruction * A six-step process for direct instruction in vocabulary in each discipline * The vocabulary terms critical to students' success in every academic subject Vignettes suggest how the recommended reading and vocabulary instruction programs might be implemented in elementary schools, middle and junior high schools, and high schools. The book also includes a list of 7,923 vocabulary terms culled from the national standards documents and other publications, organized into 11 subject areas and 4 grade-level categories. With its research-based recommendations and step-by-step approach, Building Background Knowledge equips educators with the tools they need to help close the achievement gap and enable all students to succeed.