Renown educator and expert in the practical applications of cognitive-neuroscience offers this opening her concise Forward to this book about the wide ranging uses of Thinking Maps®: "Neuroscientists tell us that the brain organizes information in networks and maps... the Thinking Maps program takes full advantage of the natural proclivity of the brain to think visually." Student Successes with Thinking Maps presents a language of eight visual tools and framing tools based on fundamental cognitive processes of the human brain and mind that boost all learners' metacognitive and critical thinking skills. The first chapter by Thinking Maps creator David Hyerle, Ed.D. is a comprehensive introduction to the theory, history, research and results from the systematic implementation of Thinking Maps over time. This book is rich in detail and inspiration from teachers, principals, and administrators from around the world and across diverse schools and systems. The wide-ranging stories and supporting data across the 19 chapters weave together to create a unified theme of Thinking Maps as a transformational language for learning. From the authors of these chapters, you will learn about school-wide changes in teachers’ effectiveness and student performance in an inner-city elementary school in Long Beach, California, where 85% of the students entering classrooms speak Spanish as their first language; students with special needs in a middle school in North Carolina making performance leaps of over three years’ growth in mathematics; girls from a single-sex, independent, K–12 school in New Zealand rising over four years to the top of that nation’s educational ladder; and entering junior college students in Mississippi significantly shifting reading comprehension scores, while those in the nursing program dramatically outperform their peers of previous years. You will also hear about the Pass Christian School District, landfall for Hurricane Katrina, rising over the years to become the top-performing school system in Louisiana. The authors of the chapters before you bring forth insights grounded in practical examples and experiences from their work to transform teaching and learning.

This new edition presents eight powerful visual models that boost all learners’ metacognitive and critical thinking skills. Updates include new research, examples, and applications.

"Helps teachers think about what they are doing in the classroom with graphic organizers and how they can use them more effectively." —Mark Johnson, Principal Glenwood Elementary School, Kearney, NE "With an emphasis on transforming information into knowledge, everyone who considers themselves a learner or a facilitator of someone else′s learning would benefit from the author′s message and ideas." —Judith A. Rogers, Professional Learning Specialist Tucson Unified School District, AZ Develop students′ thinking, note-taking, and study skills with powerful visual tools! Visual tools have the unique capacity to communicate rich patterns of thinking and help students take control of their own learning. This second edition of A Field Guide to Using Visual Tools shows teachers of all grades and disciplines how to use these tools to improve instruction and generate significant positive changes in students′ cognitive development and classroom performance. Expert David Hyerle describes three basic types of visual tools: brainstorming webs that nurture creativity, graphic organizers that build analytical skills and help process specific content, and concept maps that promote cognitive development and critical thinking. Updated with new research and applications for three kinds of Thinking Maps®, this essential resource: Expands teacher skills with practical guides for using each type of tool Presents recent research on effective instructional strategies, reading comprehension, and how the brain works Includes templates, examples, and more than 70 figures that show classroom applications By utilizing these powerful, brain-compatible learning aids, teachers can help students strengthen higher-order thinking skills, master content and conceptual knowledge, and become independent learners!

WhatÊandÊhowÊyoung children are thinking are typically expressed and shared at home and school through verbal and written modes of communication. As a visual language framework conceived and developed by David Hyerle, Thinking Maps® offers an additional way for learners to represent their ideas by visually mapping their fundamental patterns of thinking. The authors offer a wide range of materials, strategies, and evidence-based practices for implementing Thinking Maps (and the metacognitive framing strategy that each map promotes) in ways that are developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive, and more inclusive with the full range of pre-K–second-grade children. Since 1990, Thinking Maps have been implemented by teachers in over 15,000 schools across the United States and around the world, including countrywide implementation in Malaysia. This guide provides a whole-child approach with practical ideas and best applications for working with emergent readers and writers across developmental domains, curricula, and executive function. Book Features: Promotes systematic support of every students’ cognitive development in whole schools (pre-K–2).Demonstrates how to use visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic activities and materials to increase student engagement.Recommends Universally Designed Learning strategies to ensure full access and inclusion with diverse learners and children with disabilities.Includes graphically designed examples of Thinking Maps across content areas.Provides examples of student work, lesson planning ideas, and curriculum design based on cognitive education.Links language and thinking in everyday classroom learning for individual and cooperative learning.

This volume focuses on the implications of digital technologies for educators and educational decision makers that are not widely represented in the literature. The chapters contained in the volume are based on the presentations at the 2020 edition of the CELDA conference and cover multiple developments in the field such as deploying learning technologies, proposing pedagogical approaches and practices to address digital transformation, and presenting case studies of specific technologies and contexts. The chapters form a lively debate and provide a comprehensive analysis of the contribution of learning technologies designed to improve the learning process and the experience of the students as well as to develop key competences.

Differentiated instruction is a nice idea, but what happens when it comes to assessing and grading students? How can you capture student progress, growth, and soft skill development and still provide an equitable grading environment?' An internationally recognized expert on grading practices, author Rick Wormeli revisits these questions in this thoroughly updated second edition of Fair Isn' t Always Equal: Assessment and Grading in the Differentiated Classroom.' Wormeli reflects on current grading and assessment practices and how they can exist with high-stakes, accountable classrooms. Important and sometimes controversial issues are tackled constructively in this book, incorporating modern pedagogy and addressing the challenges of teaching diverse groups of students across all learning levels.' Middle- and high-school educators will easily recognize' gray areas of grading and how important it is to have a shared school vision. In this second edition, new sections address sports eligibility, honor roll, descriptive feedback techniques, and gifted/talented students.' Previous chapters on test questions, redos/retakes, grading scales, and grading effort and behavior have been revised extensively. This important book clearly explains the principles behind best grading practices so that you' re ready for all grading questions or scenarios that you may encounter in your classrooms and schools.

Supplying a foundation for understanding the development of the brain and the learning process, this text examines the physical and environmental factors that influence how we acquire and retain information throughout our lives. The book also lays out practical strategies that educators can take directly into the classroom. Comprising more than 100 entries, From the Brain to the Classroom: The Encyclopedia of Learning gathers experts in the fields of education, neuroscience, and psychology to examine how specific areas of the brain work in thought processes, and identifies how educators can apply what neuroscience has discovered to refine their teaching and instructional techniques. The wide range of subjects—organized within the main categories of student characteristics, classroom instructional topics, and learning challenges—include at-risk behaviors; cognitive neuroscience; autism; the lifespan of the brain, from prenatal brain development to the aging brain; technology-based learning tools; and addiction. Any reader who is interested in learning about how the brain works and how it relates to everyday life will find this work fascinating, while educators will find this book particularly helpful in validating or improving their teaching methods to increase academic achievement.