The Game of School

The Game of School

Author: Robert L. Fried

Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Published: 2005-04-13

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13:

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Students play it, teachers perpetuate it, parents condone it, principals endorse it, and governments legislate it. The "game of school" is that familiar scenario where students' natural curiosity and desire to learn are replaced with a frantic rush (or a compliant shrug) to do the work, please the teacher, and get the grades. This game is easy to master, but exerts a high price. Can we afford to pay the price in wasted time and idle minds? In this compelling book, Robert L. Fried shows how we can change the rules of the game, reclaim and refocus the learning experience, and ultimately bring joy back into the classroom. The Game of School is filled with interviews and stories of teachers and students who are struggling to put the game of school behind them and engage in authentic learning. We experience the excitement of the first day of first grade; listen to urban teens discuss Shakespeare's Othello; and meet a college student who is beginning to question her long disengagement with learning. We are introduced to seven types of learners—from "go-getters" to "pluggers" to "rebels"—and find out how the game shapes their relationship to schooling and life. The Game of School offers workable solutions that take into account the reality of a culture consumed with testing, accountability, and the race for college. Fried redefines our common ideas of discipline, curriculum, instruction, grading, motivation, and family involvement in ways that enhance true learning and diminish the game's stranglehold on our curiosity and will. He argues that classrooms are more easily "managed" in a climate of mutual respect, and students are eager for "instruction" when it is challenging and engaging. His "Joy and Misery Index" serves to remind teachers of what really matters most in the classroom. Thoughtful and inspiring, The Game of School offers suggestions and ideas for teachers, parents, and students who want to free themselves from the ever-tightening grip of a game in which even winners end up losing.


Book Synopsis The Game of School by : Robert L. Fried

Download or read book The Game of School written by Robert L. Fried and published by Jossey-Bass. This book was released on 2005-04-13 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Students play it, teachers perpetuate it, parents condone it, principals endorse it, and governments legislate it. The "game of school" is that familiar scenario where students' natural curiosity and desire to learn are replaced with a frantic rush (or a compliant shrug) to do the work, please the teacher, and get the grades. This game is easy to master, but exerts a high price. Can we afford to pay the price in wasted time and idle minds? In this compelling book, Robert L. Fried shows how we can change the rules of the game, reclaim and refocus the learning experience, and ultimately bring joy back into the classroom. The Game of School is filled with interviews and stories of teachers and students who are struggling to put the game of school behind them and engage in authentic learning. We experience the excitement of the first day of first grade; listen to urban teens discuss Shakespeare's Othello; and meet a college student who is beginning to question her long disengagement with learning. We are introduced to seven types of learners—from "go-getters" to "pluggers" to "rebels"—and find out how the game shapes their relationship to schooling and life. The Game of School offers workable solutions that take into account the reality of a culture consumed with testing, accountability, and the race for college. Fried redefines our common ideas of discipline, curriculum, instruction, grading, motivation, and family involvement in ways that enhance true learning and diminish the game's stranglehold on our curiosity and will. He argues that classrooms are more easily "managed" in a climate of mutual respect, and students are eager for "instruction" when it is challenging and engaging. His "Joy and Misery Index" serves to remind teachers of what really matters most in the classroom. Thoughtful and inspiring, The Game of School offers suggestions and ideas for teachers, parents, and students who want to free themselves from the ever-tightening grip of a game in which even winners end up losing.

The Passion-Driven Classroom

The Passion-Driven Classroom

Author: Angela Maiers

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-09-07

Total Pages: 130

ISBN-13: 1315394723

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Turn your classroom into a thriving community of learners! In The Passion-Driven Classroom, bestselling authors Angela Maiers and Amy Sandvold show you how to spark and sustain your students’ energy, excitement, and love of learning. This updated edition offers a new framework for changing your mindset and implementing a passion-driven classroom, where passion meets practice every day as students learn new skills and explore their talents. You’ll come away with specific examples of how to set up your classroom, how to manage it, and how to assign passion projects where students take the lead. With this book, you’ll be able to move away from prescription-driven learning toward Passion-Driven Learning, so you can make a real difference in the lives of your students.


Book Synopsis The Passion-Driven Classroom by : Angela Maiers

Download or read book The Passion-Driven Classroom written by Angela Maiers and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-09-07 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Turn your classroom into a thriving community of learners! In The Passion-Driven Classroom, bestselling authors Angela Maiers and Amy Sandvold show you how to spark and sustain your students’ energy, excitement, and love of learning. This updated edition offers a new framework for changing your mindset and implementing a passion-driven classroom, where passion meets practice every day as students learn new skills and explore their talents. You’ll come away with specific examples of how to set up your classroom, how to manage it, and how to assign passion projects where students take the lead. With this book, you’ll be able to move away from prescription-driven learning toward Passion-Driven Learning, so you can make a real difference in the lives of your students.

Teachers at Their Best

Teachers at Their Best

Author: Rich Waters

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2018-04-03

Total Pages: 231

ISBN-13: 147584266X

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The purpose of this book is to change the conversation about teacher induction, preparation, and development and how we create effective teachers. Our national discussion about how to create effective teachers needs to move away from how higher education can do a better job preparing our teachers and move toward how our local schools can do a better job inducting, preparing, and developing our teachers over a full career. There are two interconnected and irrefutable reasons for this. First, school culture supersedes all rational strategies for teacher development, and, second, teachers learn to teach in the schools where they work, not in higher education or any of the alternative routes which the ineffectiveness of higher education teacher preparation have caused to emerge. With the affirmation of these postulates, this book clarifies that teachers are at their best when they are working together in collaborative cultures where teacher thinking and decision-making lead schools in continuous improvement and change. Elaborating on the importance of these best conditions for optimal teacher development, this book will insist that it is the entirety of a school culture that produces effective teachers, and schools with authentic learning communities produce the cultures that produce effective teachers.


Book Synopsis Teachers at Their Best by : Rich Waters

Download or read book Teachers at Their Best written by Rich Waters and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2018-04-03 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this book is to change the conversation about teacher induction, preparation, and development and how we create effective teachers. Our national discussion about how to create effective teachers needs to move away from how higher education can do a better job preparing our teachers and move toward how our local schools can do a better job inducting, preparing, and developing our teachers over a full career. There are two interconnected and irrefutable reasons for this. First, school culture supersedes all rational strategies for teacher development, and, second, teachers learn to teach in the schools where they work, not in higher education or any of the alternative routes which the ineffectiveness of higher education teacher preparation have caused to emerge. With the affirmation of these postulates, this book clarifies that teachers are at their best when they are working together in collaborative cultures where teacher thinking and decision-making lead schools in continuous improvement and change. Elaborating on the importance of these best conditions for optimal teacher development, this book will insist that it is the entirety of a school culture that produces effective teachers, and schools with authentic learning communities produce the cultures that produce effective teachers.

Grading for Equity

Grading for Equity

Author: Joe Feldman

Publisher: Corwin Press

Published: 2023-08-26

Total Pages: 345

ISBN-13: 1071876570

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"For some time, traditional (A - F) grading practices have been under fire from a wide range of stakeholder. Grading policies are wildly inconsistent from classroom to classroom, frequently misguided, uninformed, and frequently based on subjective judgments. Of even more concern, our grading practices exacerbate the achievement gap. It is well-documented that African-American and Latino students, boys, as well as special education students, are disproportionately suspended and expelled, influenced by teachers' unconscious but biased judgments of student behavior. Virtually ignored is how teachers' incorporate subjective and non-academic criteria into their grades (through criteria such as student attitude, "participation", and "effort"), and how approach to grading contributes to these same students' disproportionately high course failure rates and disproportionately low placement in advanced academic tracks"--


Book Synopsis Grading for Equity by : Joe Feldman

Download or read book Grading for Equity written by Joe Feldman and published by Corwin Press. This book was released on 2023-08-26 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "For some time, traditional (A - F) grading practices have been under fire from a wide range of stakeholder. Grading policies are wildly inconsistent from classroom to classroom, frequently misguided, uninformed, and frequently based on subjective judgments. Of even more concern, our grading practices exacerbate the achievement gap. It is well-documented that African-American and Latino students, boys, as well as special education students, are disproportionately suspended and expelled, influenced by teachers' unconscious but biased judgments of student behavior. Virtually ignored is how teachers' incorporate subjective and non-academic criteria into their grades (through criteria such as student attitude, "participation", and "effort"), and how approach to grading contributes to these same students' disproportionately high course failure rates and disproportionately low placement in advanced academic tracks"--

Killing ideas softly?

Killing ideas softly?

Author: Ronald A. Beghetto

Publisher: IAP

Published: 2013-06-01

Total Pages: 181

ISBN-13: 1623963664

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Creativity is a hot topic in education. As such, there is no shortage of insights or suggestions for how teachers might incorporate creativity into their curriculum. Wading through these suggestions can, however, be quite daunting. This is because many of these suggestions imply that teachers need to somehow radically change their approach to teaching, adopt a new curriculum, or add-on to their existing curriculum. Consequently, many teachers feel that such changes are not feasible and may even come at the cost of supporting students’ academic learning. This book provides an alternative. Teachers need not adopt a new curriculum, radically change what they are already doing, or attempt to add more to their already overflowing plate of curricular responsibilities. Rather, teaching for and with creativity is often more about doing what one is already doing, only slightly better. The aim of this book is to help teachers understand how they can make slight changes to their own teaching, which can substantially support the development of students’ creative potential and result in a more creative approach to teaching. The insights and practical suggestions presented in this book represent some of the newest and most promising work being done in the field of creativity studies. This book is unique in that it presents teachers with concrete ideas for how to simultaneously support creativity and learning. A particularly novel feature of this book is that it offers a blend of theoretical insights and vivid classroom examples to illustrate the kinds of opportunities and challenges that teachers face when they attempt to teach for and with creativity. As such, this book will provide teachers, scholars, researchers, and anyone interested in classroom creativity with new directions for future research and educational practice.


Book Synopsis Killing ideas softly? by : Ronald A. Beghetto

Download or read book Killing ideas softly? written by Ronald A. Beghetto and published by IAP. This book was released on 2013-06-01 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Creativity is a hot topic in education. As such, there is no shortage of insights or suggestions for how teachers might incorporate creativity into their curriculum. Wading through these suggestions can, however, be quite daunting. This is because many of these suggestions imply that teachers need to somehow radically change their approach to teaching, adopt a new curriculum, or add-on to their existing curriculum. Consequently, many teachers feel that such changes are not feasible and may even come at the cost of supporting students’ academic learning. This book provides an alternative. Teachers need not adopt a new curriculum, radically change what they are already doing, or attempt to add more to their already overflowing plate of curricular responsibilities. Rather, teaching for and with creativity is often more about doing what one is already doing, only slightly better. The aim of this book is to help teachers understand how they can make slight changes to their own teaching, which can substantially support the development of students’ creative potential and result in a more creative approach to teaching. The insights and practical suggestions presented in this book represent some of the newest and most promising work being done in the field of creativity studies. This book is unique in that it presents teachers with concrete ideas for how to simultaneously support creativity and learning. A particularly novel feature of this book is that it offers a blend of theoretical insights and vivid classroom examples to illustrate the kinds of opportunities and challenges that teachers face when they attempt to teach for and with creativity. As such, this book will provide teachers, scholars, researchers, and anyone interested in classroom creativity with new directions for future research and educational practice.

Unschooled

Unschooled

Author: Kerry McDonald

Publisher: Chicago Review Press

Published: 2019-05-07

Total Pages: 193

ISBN-13: 1641600667

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Education has become synonymous with schooling, but it doesn't have to be. As schooling becomes increasingly standardized and test driven, occupying more of childhood than ever before, parents and educators are questioning the role of schooling in society. Many are now exploring and creating alternatives. In a compelling narrative that introduces historical and contemporary research on self-directed education, Unschooled also spotlights how a diverse group of individuals and organizations are evolving an old schooling model of education. These innovators challenge the myth that children need to be taught in order to learn. They are parents who saw firsthand how schooling can dull children's natural curiosity and exuberance and others who decided early on to enable their children to learn without school. Educators who left public school classrooms discuss launching self-directed learning centers to allow young people's innate learning instincts to flourish, and entrepreneurs explore their disillusionment with the teach-and-test approach of traditional schooling.


Book Synopsis Unschooled by : Kerry McDonald

Download or read book Unschooled written by Kerry McDonald and published by Chicago Review Press. This book was released on 2019-05-07 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Education has become synonymous with schooling, but it doesn't have to be. As schooling becomes increasingly standardized and test driven, occupying more of childhood than ever before, parents and educators are questioning the role of schooling in society. Many are now exploring and creating alternatives. In a compelling narrative that introduces historical and contemporary research on self-directed education, Unschooled also spotlights how a diverse group of individuals and organizations are evolving an old schooling model of education. These innovators challenge the myth that children need to be taught in order to learn. They are parents who saw firsthand how schooling can dull children's natural curiosity and exuberance and others who decided early on to enable their children to learn without school. Educators who left public school classrooms discuss launching self-directed learning centers to allow young people's innate learning instincts to flourish, and entrepreneurs explore their disillusionment with the teach-and-test approach of traditional schooling.

Thinking Through Quality Questioning

Thinking Through Quality Questioning

Author: Jackie Acree Walsh

Publisher: Corwin Press

Published: 2011-06-29

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 1452269661

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Asking the right questions is the answer This groundbreaking book provides teachers with an accessible, research-based blueprint for developing student metacognitive skills and ensuring that students take responsibility for their own learning. The authors use the findings of cognitive scientists to highlight quality questioning behaviors and explain how to apply them for improved student outcomes. Key features include: Short vignettes of quality questioning in action Evidence that ties question strategy to student achievement An overview of collaborative, written, electronic, and group response strategies Examples of how quality questioning connects to formative assessment Special note regarding the eBook version: Some figures have been redacted in compliance with digital rights permissions.


Book Synopsis Thinking Through Quality Questioning by : Jackie Acree Walsh

Download or read book Thinking Through Quality Questioning written by Jackie Acree Walsh and published by Corwin Press. This book was released on 2011-06-29 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Asking the right questions is the answer This groundbreaking book provides teachers with an accessible, research-based blueprint for developing student metacognitive skills and ensuring that students take responsibility for their own learning. The authors use the findings of cognitive scientists to highlight quality questioning behaviors and explain how to apply them for improved student outcomes. Key features include: Short vignettes of quality questioning in action Evidence that ties question strategy to student achievement An overview of collaborative, written, electronic, and group response strategies Examples of how quality questioning connects to formative assessment Special note regarding the eBook version: Some figures have been redacted in compliance with digital rights permissions.

Learning to Play

Learning to Play

Author: Myint Swe Khine

Publisher: Peter Lang

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 234

ISBN-13: 9781433112355

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Over the past two decades, much attention has been given to the new media culture of video games, due to their unique features and pervasive nature among young people. This book critically examines the role of video games in education, arguing that they encourage strategic thinking, planning, communicating, negotiation skills, multi-tasking and group decision-making. It is also observed that video games promote higher levels of attention and concentration among players. The book contains multiple perspectives and presents thought-provoking ideas, innovative approaches, systemic exploration, exemplary and promising efforts, and future-oriented scenarios. The book draws together distinguished researchers, educational and curriculum planners, game creators, educational and social psychologists, and instructional designers to explore how video games can transform the future of education.


Book Synopsis Learning to Play by : Myint Swe Khine

Download or read book Learning to Play written by Myint Swe Khine and published by Peter Lang. This book was released on 2011 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past two decades, much attention has been given to the new media culture of video games, due to their unique features and pervasive nature among young people. This book critically examines the role of video games in education, arguing that they encourage strategic thinking, planning, communicating, negotiation skills, multi-tasking and group decision-making. It is also observed that video games promote higher levels of attention and concentration among players. The book contains multiple perspectives and presents thought-provoking ideas, innovative approaches, systemic exploration, exemplary and promising efforts, and future-oriented scenarios. The book draws together distinguished researchers, educational and curriculum planners, game creators, educational and social psychologists, and instructional designers to explore how video games can transform the future of education.

The Evolution of Teaching

The Evolution of Teaching

Author: Rich Waters

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2014-10-08

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13: 1475813813

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The Evolution of Teaching invites teachers to rethink what teachers and schools do. The need to rethink the role of teachers is driven by an abundance of data showing that teachers are increasingly unhappy with their work. Most critically, they feel a loss of control over their work and their profession as they witness teacher voices being marginalized by impersonal authorities outside of schools who dictate more and more of what teachers and schools must do. The antidote to this condition is the evolution of teaching. Teachers need to take charge and lead change. They need to redefine teaching and schooling in such a way that it authentically supports student learning and teacher learning. They must redefine it in a way that supports every teacher’s desire to have a personal impact on students while having control over their own work, stakeholder standing as respected professionals, and a full career of professional growth. As A Guidebook to the Advancement of Teaching, Teacher Education, and Happier Careers, this text will assist teachers in reconceiving the profession of teaching in ways that will make it more personally satisfying while acknowledging that the work of teachers in the twenty-first century must necessarily be different from what we have now, legacy practices of standardization left over from the industrial age.


Book Synopsis The Evolution of Teaching by : Rich Waters

Download or read book The Evolution of Teaching written by Rich Waters and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2014-10-08 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Evolution of Teaching invites teachers to rethink what teachers and schools do. The need to rethink the role of teachers is driven by an abundance of data showing that teachers are increasingly unhappy with their work. Most critically, they feel a loss of control over their work and their profession as they witness teacher voices being marginalized by impersonal authorities outside of schools who dictate more and more of what teachers and schools must do. The antidote to this condition is the evolution of teaching. Teachers need to take charge and lead change. They need to redefine teaching and schooling in such a way that it authentically supports student learning and teacher learning. They must redefine it in a way that supports every teacher’s desire to have a personal impact on students while having control over their own work, stakeholder standing as respected professionals, and a full career of professional growth. As A Guidebook to the Advancement of Teaching, Teacher Education, and Happier Careers, this text will assist teachers in reconceiving the profession of teaching in ways that will make it more personally satisfying while acknowledging that the work of teachers in the twenty-first century must necessarily be different from what we have now, legacy practices of standardization left over from the industrial age.

This Book Is Not Required

This Book Is Not Required

Author: Inge Bell

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Published: 2013-10-31

Total Pages: 353

ISBN-13: 1483321150

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This Fifth Edition of the underground classic This Book Is Not Required: An Emotional and Intellectual Survival Manual for Students, by Inge Bell, Bernard McCrane, John Gunderson, and Teri Anderson, breaks new ground in participatory education, offering insight and inspiration to help undergraduates make the most of their college years. This edition continues to teach about the college experience as a whole—looking at the personal, social, intellectual, technological, and spiritual demands and opportunities—while incorporating new material highly relevant to today’s students. The material is presented in a personable and straightforward manner, maintaining Dr. Inge Bell’s illuminating writing style throughout, and inviting students to take responsibility for, and make the most of, their educational experiences.


Book Synopsis This Book Is Not Required by : Inge Bell

Download or read book This Book Is Not Required written by Inge Bell and published by SAGE Publications. This book was released on 2013-10-31 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Fifth Edition of the underground classic This Book Is Not Required: An Emotional and Intellectual Survival Manual for Students, by Inge Bell, Bernard McCrane, John Gunderson, and Teri Anderson, breaks new ground in participatory education, offering insight and inspiration to help undergraduates make the most of their college years. This edition continues to teach about the college experience as a whole—looking at the personal, social, intellectual, technological, and spiritual demands and opportunities—while incorporating new material highly relevant to today’s students. The material is presented in a personable and straightforward manner, maintaining Dr. Inge Bell’s illuminating writing style throughout, and inviting students to take responsibility for, and make the most of, their educational experiences.