Teaching Authentic Language Arts in a Test-Driven Era

Teaching Authentic Language Arts in a Test-Driven Era

Author: Arthur T. Costigan

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2010-11-01

Total Pages: 469

ISBN-13: 1135914702

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Most pre-service education students are enthusiastic about the progressive, constructivist, and student-centered theory and practice advocated in many teacher education programs and by the National Council of Teachers of English. Yet in actual day-to-day practice, teachers often have trouble thinking of ways in which such student-centered and constructivist practices in literacy instruction can be implemented in classrooms which are increasingly driven by high stakes tests, increased accountability, and mandated and even 'teacher proof' scripted curricula. Teaching Authentic Language Arts in a Test-Driven Era provides a powerful and much-needed counterargument to the assumption that test-driven curricula preclude meaningful instruction and authentic student engagement within a Language Arts curriculum. Providing teachers with the theoretical stances and pedagogicals tools to develop a Language Arts practice which can be personally rewarding as well as beneficial to students,Teaching Authentic Language Arts in a Test-Driven Era empowers teachers to be effective even within the confines of a testing- and accountability-driven curriculum.


Book Synopsis Teaching Authentic Language Arts in a Test-Driven Era by : Arthur T. Costigan

Download or read book Teaching Authentic Language Arts in a Test-Driven Era written by Arthur T. Costigan and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2010-11-01 with total page 469 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most pre-service education students are enthusiastic about the progressive, constructivist, and student-centered theory and practice advocated in many teacher education programs and by the National Council of Teachers of English. Yet in actual day-to-day practice, teachers often have trouble thinking of ways in which such student-centered and constructivist practices in literacy instruction can be implemented in classrooms which are increasingly driven by high stakes tests, increased accountability, and mandated and even 'teacher proof' scripted curricula. Teaching Authentic Language Arts in a Test-Driven Era provides a powerful and much-needed counterargument to the assumption that test-driven curricula preclude meaningful instruction and authentic student engagement within a Language Arts curriculum. Providing teachers with the theoretical stances and pedagogicals tools to develop a Language Arts practice which can be personally rewarding as well as beneficial to students,Teaching Authentic Language Arts in a Test-Driven Era empowers teachers to be effective even within the confines of a testing- and accountability-driven curriculum.


Teaching Authentic Language Arts in a Test-Driven Era

Teaching Authentic Language Arts in a Test-Driven Era

Author:

Publisher: Routledge

Published:

Total Pages: 204

ISBN-13: 1135914710

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Book Synopsis Teaching Authentic Language Arts in a Test-Driven Era by :

Download or read book Teaching Authentic Language Arts in a Test-Driven Era written by and published by Routledge. This book was released on with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


An Authentic English Language Arts Curriculum

An Authentic English Language Arts Curriculum

Author: Arthur T. Costigan

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-09-06

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 1351167146

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This book provides ways of thinking for preservice and new teachers to transition from the theory behind curricular design to engaged teaching and learning in the classroom. It offers a comprehensive framework for the creation and implementation of one’s own authentic and effective ELA curriculum. In addition to strategies for preservice teachers to develop their own pedagogies, lessons, and teaching techniques, Costigan also demonstrates how to design tools for teaching in the current testing- and standards-driven context of the educational reform movement. Containing real-life examples of reading and writing instruction, this book empowers preservice teachers to translate the concepts of curriculum design to actual ELA classroom practices that will engage students.


Book Synopsis An Authentic English Language Arts Curriculum by : Arthur T. Costigan

Download or read book An Authentic English Language Arts Curriculum written by Arthur T. Costigan and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-09-06 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides ways of thinking for preservice and new teachers to transition from the theory behind curricular design to engaged teaching and learning in the classroom. It offers a comprehensive framework for the creation and implementation of one’s own authentic and effective ELA curriculum. In addition to strategies for preservice teachers to develop their own pedagogies, lessons, and teaching techniques, Costigan also demonstrates how to design tools for teaching in the current testing- and standards-driven context of the educational reform movement. Containing real-life examples of reading and writing instruction, this book empowers preservice teachers to translate the concepts of curriculum design to actual ELA classroom practices that will engage students.


Service-Learning in Literacy Education

Service-Learning in Literacy Education

Author: Valerie Kinloch

Publisher: IAP

Published: 2014-03-01

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 1623965012

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This edited collection will stand as the first volume that specifically describes service-learning programs and courses designed as part of teacher education programs in the fields of literacy education, secondary English education, elementary language arts education, and related fields. The contributing authors describe the programs they have developed at their universities and/or in their local communities, providing information about the rationale for their initiative, the design of the course, the outcomes of the experience, and other matters that will help literacy educators develop similar courses and experiences of their own. Additionally, this edited collection will fill a great gap in the field’s knowledge of alternative forms of teacher education. It will provide descriptions of service-learning initiatives that have been field-tested with demonstrable results. Thus far the field has produced widely scattered articles in journals covering a variety of disciplines, but no definitive collection of papers in which service-learning designed to promote literacy instruction is housed in a single volume edited for cross-referencing and thematic categorization. The two editors have developed courses and received grants to support service-learning initiatives at their universities and believe that others might develop similar programs if they had better understandings of their value and design. Their intention with this volume is to promote service-learning more broadly among literacy educators.


Book Synopsis Service-Learning in Literacy Education by : Valerie Kinloch

Download or read book Service-Learning in Literacy Education written by Valerie Kinloch and published by IAP. This book was released on 2014-03-01 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited collection will stand as the first volume that specifically describes service-learning programs and courses designed as part of teacher education programs in the fields of literacy education, secondary English education, elementary language arts education, and related fields. The contributing authors describe the programs they have developed at their universities and/or in their local communities, providing information about the rationale for their initiative, the design of the course, the outcomes of the experience, and other matters that will help literacy educators develop similar courses and experiences of their own. Additionally, this edited collection will fill a great gap in the field’s knowledge of alternative forms of teacher education. It will provide descriptions of service-learning initiatives that have been field-tested with demonstrable results. Thus far the field has produced widely scattered articles in journals covering a variety of disciplines, but no definitive collection of papers in which service-learning designed to promote literacy instruction is housed in a single volume edited for cross-referencing and thematic categorization. The two editors have developed courses and received grants to support service-learning initiatives at their universities and believe that others might develop similar programs if they had better understandings of their value and design. Their intention with this volume is to promote service-learning more broadly among literacy educators.


Policy, Professionalization, Privatization, and Performance Assessment

Policy, Professionalization, Privatization, and Performance Assessment

Author: Theresa J. Gurl

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-02-19

Total Pages: 148

ISBN-13: 3319291467

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This volume reviews the background of mandated teacher performance assessment with an emphasis on policy, privatization, and professionalization. The authors discuss the potential impact of mandated teacher performance assessments on teacher education in the content areas of mathematics, English, and social studies. The perspectives and empirical research examined in this conceptual analysis illustrate the various ways in which the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity (SCALE) Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) promises to restructure teacher education in the United States. The authors consider both the affordances and the constraints that teacher performance assessments offer for teacher preparation programs, and conclude by discussing the implications of the intersections among policy, privatization, professionalization, and performance assessments of teachers, as well as the relationship between performance assessments and teacher education. The impact of the edTPA on the development of signature pedagogies in teacher education is also discussed.


Book Synopsis Policy, Professionalization, Privatization, and Performance Assessment by : Theresa J. Gurl

Download or read book Policy, Professionalization, Privatization, and Performance Assessment written by Theresa J. Gurl and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-02-19 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume reviews the background of mandated teacher performance assessment with an emphasis on policy, privatization, and professionalization. The authors discuss the potential impact of mandated teacher performance assessments on teacher education in the content areas of mathematics, English, and social studies. The perspectives and empirical research examined in this conceptual analysis illustrate the various ways in which the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity (SCALE) Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) promises to restructure teacher education in the United States. The authors consider both the affordances and the constraints that teacher performance assessments offer for teacher preparation programs, and conclude by discussing the implications of the intersections among policy, privatization, professionalization, and performance assessments of teachers, as well as the relationship between performance assessments and teacher education. The impact of the edTPA on the development of signature pedagogies in teacher education is also discussed.


Overtested

Overtested

Author: Jessica Zacher-Pandya

Publisher: Teachers College Press

Published: 2015-04-24

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 0807771449

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This timely book explores what is often overlooked in policy debates about the education of English language learners: how the day-to-day dynamics of the classroom are affected by high-stakes testing and the pressures students and teachers experience and internalize as a result. The author presents and analyzes classroom observations, student work, and test scores, as well as interviews with students and teachers. A disturbing picture of today’s overtested public school classroom emerges from the events and practices described in this book. While hard to believe, all the depictions presented took place in a real elementary school classroom and reflect the current culture of extreme accountability. Overtestednot only describes the flaws in our current accountability system, but it also provides real-world solutions that can have an immediate and positive effect at the classroom, state, and national level. Chapters address key debates such as how to measure proficiency, the validity of various language assessment tools, the overuse of assessment, and the risks and benefits of teaching language arts to English language learners via mandated, structured curricula. Jessica Zacher Pandyais an Associate Professor in the Departments of Teacher Education and Liberal Studies at California State University, Long Beach. “This book tells an important tale that cannot be conveyed by numbers and tables.... It is important information for teachers; for those who depend on, employ, and train teachers; and for those who create the policies under which teachers are required to operate.” —From the Foreword byRobert Rueda, University of Southern California, author ofThe 3 Dimensions of Improving Student Performance: Finding the Right Solutions to the Right Problems “How many more dire tales of ‘schooling for assessment’ must be told before we realize that teaching and testing are not the same and that scores on standardized, multiple choice achievement tests are a sorry substitute for an engaging learning environment? In this book, Jessica Zacher Pandya reaches across ideological and institutional borders to offer reasonable, pragmatic solutions for change.” —Linda Valli, Jeffrey & David Mullan Professor of Teacher Education & Professional Development, College of Education, University of Maryland “Zacher Pandya’s invaluable book exposes the injustices and absurdities of our high-stakes accountability era. Just as importantly, it limns a more academically robust and culturally relevant instructional vision for English language learners.” —Gerald Campano, University of Pennsylvania


Book Synopsis Overtested by : Jessica Zacher-Pandya

Download or read book Overtested written by Jessica Zacher-Pandya and published by Teachers College Press. This book was released on 2015-04-24 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This timely book explores what is often overlooked in policy debates about the education of English language learners: how the day-to-day dynamics of the classroom are affected by high-stakes testing and the pressures students and teachers experience and internalize as a result. The author presents and analyzes classroom observations, student work, and test scores, as well as interviews with students and teachers. A disturbing picture of today’s overtested public school classroom emerges from the events and practices described in this book. While hard to believe, all the depictions presented took place in a real elementary school classroom and reflect the current culture of extreme accountability. Overtestednot only describes the flaws in our current accountability system, but it also provides real-world solutions that can have an immediate and positive effect at the classroom, state, and national level. Chapters address key debates such as how to measure proficiency, the validity of various language assessment tools, the overuse of assessment, and the risks and benefits of teaching language arts to English language learners via mandated, structured curricula. Jessica Zacher Pandyais an Associate Professor in the Departments of Teacher Education and Liberal Studies at California State University, Long Beach. “This book tells an important tale that cannot be conveyed by numbers and tables.... It is important information for teachers; for those who depend on, employ, and train teachers; and for those who create the policies under which teachers are required to operate.” —From the Foreword byRobert Rueda, University of Southern California, author ofThe 3 Dimensions of Improving Student Performance: Finding the Right Solutions to the Right Problems “How many more dire tales of ‘schooling for assessment’ must be told before we realize that teaching and testing are not the same and that scores on standardized, multiple choice achievement tests are a sorry substitute for an engaging learning environment? In this book, Jessica Zacher Pandya reaches across ideological and institutional borders to offer reasonable, pragmatic solutions for change.” —Linda Valli, Jeffrey & David Mullan Professor of Teacher Education & Professional Development, College of Education, University of Maryland “Zacher Pandya’s invaluable book exposes the injustices and absurdities of our high-stakes accountability era. Just as importantly, it limns a more academically robust and culturally relevant instructional vision for English language learners.” —Gerald Campano, University of Pennsylvania


Teaching Recent Global History

Teaching Recent Global History

Author: Diana B. Turk

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-03-05

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 1136638369

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Teaching Recent Global History explores innovative ways to teach world history, beginning with the early 20th century. The authors’ unique approach unites historians, social studies teachers, and educational curriculum specialists to offer historically rich, pedagogically innovative, and academically rigorous lessons that help students connect with and deeply understand key events and trends in recent global history. Highlighting the best scholarship for each major continent, the text explores the ways that this scholarship can be adapted by teachers in the classroom in order to engage and inspire students. Each of the eight main chapters highlights a particularly important event or theme, which is then complemented by a detailed discussion of a particular methodological approach. Key features include: • An overarching narrative that helps readers address historical arguments; • Relevant primary documents or artifacts, plus a discussion of a particular historical method well-suited to teaching about them; • Lesson plans suitable for both middle and secondary level classrooms; • Document-based questions and short bibliographies for further research on the topic. This invaluable book is ideal for any aspiring or current teacher who wants to think critically about how to teach world history and make historical discussions come alive for students.


Book Synopsis Teaching Recent Global History by : Diana B. Turk

Download or read book Teaching Recent Global History written by Diana B. Turk and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-03-05 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Teaching Recent Global History explores innovative ways to teach world history, beginning with the early 20th century. The authors’ unique approach unites historians, social studies teachers, and educational curriculum specialists to offer historically rich, pedagogically innovative, and academically rigorous lessons that help students connect with and deeply understand key events and trends in recent global history. Highlighting the best scholarship for each major continent, the text explores the ways that this scholarship can be adapted by teachers in the classroom in order to engage and inspire students. Each of the eight main chapters highlights a particularly important event or theme, which is then complemented by a detailed discussion of a particular methodological approach. Key features include: • An overarching narrative that helps readers address historical arguments; • Relevant primary documents or artifacts, plus a discussion of a particular historical method well-suited to teaching about them; • Lesson plans suitable for both middle and secondary level classrooms; • Document-based questions and short bibliographies for further research on the topic. This invaluable book is ideal for any aspiring or current teacher who wants to think critically about how to teach world history and make historical discussions come alive for students.


Teaching U.S. History

Teaching U.S. History

Author: Diana Turk

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2010-01-12

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 1135184267

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Teaching U.S. History is a must read for any aspiring or current teacher who wants to think critically about how to teach U.S. history and make historical discussions come alive in our schools' classrooms.


Book Synopsis Teaching U.S. History by : Diana Turk

Download or read book Teaching U.S. History written by Diana Turk and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2010-01-12 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Teaching U.S. History is a must read for any aspiring or current teacher who wants to think critically about how to teach U.S. history and make historical discussions come alive in our schools' classrooms.


Test Driven

Test Driven

Author: Linda Valli

Publisher:

Published: 2008-07-24

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13:

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“I don’t always know (students) by face; I know them by data,” an elementary curriculum specialist explains ruefully in this broad examination of how No Child Left Behind impacts schools and shapes teaching practice. Capturing the changes teachers are experiencing, especially in the areas of mathematics and reading, the authors compare and contrast three schools with diverse student populations, examining how they differ in school norms and structures, professional roles and responsibilities, curriculum, staff development, and teaching and learning. Including rich observational data and personal accounts from educators, this inside look at school reform: Analyzes the effects of policies from multiple levels, examining relationships among initiatives at the federal, state, district, and local school levels. Focuses on the impact that high-stakes testing policies have on reading and mathematics instruction in 4th and 5th grades Provides teacher and principal perspectives on factors that influence how practitioners make sense of, mediate, and construct school policy.


Book Synopsis Test Driven by : Linda Valli

Download or read book Test Driven written by Linda Valli and published by . This book was released on 2008-07-24 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “I don’t always know (students) by face; I know them by data,” an elementary curriculum specialist explains ruefully in this broad examination of how No Child Left Behind impacts schools and shapes teaching practice. Capturing the changes teachers are experiencing, especially in the areas of mathematics and reading, the authors compare and contrast three schools with diverse student populations, examining how they differ in school norms and structures, professional roles and responsibilities, curriculum, staff development, and teaching and learning. Including rich observational data and personal accounts from educators, this inside look at school reform: Analyzes the effects of policies from multiple levels, examining relationships among initiatives at the federal, state, district, and local school levels. Focuses on the impact that high-stakes testing policies have on reading and mathematics instruction in 4th and 5th grades Provides teacher and principal perspectives on factors that influence how practitioners make sense of, mediate, and construct school policy.


Understanding by Design

Understanding by Design

Author: Grant P. Wiggins

Publisher: ASCD

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 383

ISBN-13: 1416600353

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What is understanding and how does it differ from knowledge? How can we determine the big ideas worth understanding? Why is understanding an important teaching goal, and how do we know when students have attained it? How can we create a rigorous and engaging curriculum that focuses on understanding and leads to improved student performance in today's high-stakes, standards-based environment? Authors Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe answer these and many other questions in this second edition of Understanding by Design. Drawing on feedback from thousands of educators around the world who have used the UbD framework since its introduction in 1998, the authors have greatly revised and expanded their original work to guide educators across the K-16 spectrum in the design of curriculum, assessment, and instruction. With an improved UbD Template at its core, the book explains the rationale of backward design and explores in greater depth the meaning of such key ideas as essential questions and transfer tasks. Readers will learn why the familiar coverage- and activity-based approaches to curriculum design fall short, and how a focus on the six facets of understanding can enrich student learning. With an expanded array of practical strategies, tools, and examples from all subject areas, the book demonstrates how the research-based principles of Understanding by Design apply to district frameworks as well as to individual units of curriculum. Combining provocative ideas, thoughtful analysis, and tested approaches, this new edition of Understanding by Design offers teacher-designers a clear path to the creation of curriculum that ensures better learning and a more stimulating experience for students and teachers alike.


Book Synopsis Understanding by Design by : Grant P. Wiggins

Download or read book Understanding by Design written by Grant P. Wiggins and published by ASCD. This book was released on 2005 with total page 383 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is understanding and how does it differ from knowledge? How can we determine the big ideas worth understanding? Why is understanding an important teaching goal, and how do we know when students have attained it? How can we create a rigorous and engaging curriculum that focuses on understanding and leads to improved student performance in today's high-stakes, standards-based environment? Authors Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe answer these and many other questions in this second edition of Understanding by Design. Drawing on feedback from thousands of educators around the world who have used the UbD framework since its introduction in 1998, the authors have greatly revised and expanded their original work to guide educators across the K-16 spectrum in the design of curriculum, assessment, and instruction. With an improved UbD Template at its core, the book explains the rationale of backward design and explores in greater depth the meaning of such key ideas as essential questions and transfer tasks. Readers will learn why the familiar coverage- and activity-based approaches to curriculum design fall short, and how a focus on the six facets of understanding can enrich student learning. With an expanded array of practical strategies, tools, and examples from all subject areas, the book demonstrates how the research-based principles of Understanding by Design apply to district frameworks as well as to individual units of curriculum. Combining provocative ideas, thoughtful analysis, and tested approaches, this new edition of Understanding by Design offers teacher-designers a clear path to the creation of curriculum that ensures better learning and a more stimulating experience for students and teachers alike.