"Introduces the reader on how to work together in certain situations"--

Directed to teachers, facilitators, and counselors, offers more than 170 cooperative activities for classrooms, summer camps, and family occasions designed to improve children's problem-solving skills and ability to collaborate.

Collaboration drives progress in every area of life and industry. From business to politics, collaboration is an in-demand skill that today's students need--so why does the modern education system focus almost exclusively on individual tasks and assessments that leave students unprepared for the collaborative world? Maybe it's because of how difficult group work has been to plan, manage, and assess. In The Collaborative Classroom, Trevor Muir brings to light the dynamic possibilities that occur when students learn to work together. Muir shares how to teach students to do it effectively so that teachers can actually love group work. He shares the tools, techniques, processes, and inspiration developed from his own classroom and from the insights and experience gained from master educators and industry leaders. This book is for you if you want to . . . Effectively manage collaborative work time Design the optimal groups Help students give and receive constructive criticism Facilitate student-led collaborative class discussions Empower all students, introverts and extroverts from any grade and any subject area, to purposefully and meaningfully collaborate "The Collaborative Classroom is a practical guide for teaching all students--whether in a K-12, college, or beauty school---to combine their gifts and successfully collaborate." --Winn Claybaugh, founder and dean of Paul Mitchell Schools "Trevor skillfully provides the blueprint for intentional teaching of collaboration skills by sharing a repertoire of strategies, resources, and tools that are eminently practical and yield a higher level of problem solving. . . . This is a must-read for any teacher or administrator." --Kim Austin, principal of Kate Waller Barrett Elementary School "Trevor Muir has crafted a practical guide that helps teachers tackle one of the biggest challenges they face: how to cultivate meaningful collaboration. As a master storyteller, he shares powerful examples of what happens when teachers take collaboration to the next level with their students." --John Spencer, professor and coauthor of Launch and Empower

Provides advice for elementary teachers on collaborating with parents to enhance a child's educational experience.

Students who know how to collaborate successfully in the classroom will be better prepared for professional success in a world where we are expected to work well with others. Students learn collaboratively, and acquire the skills needed to organize and complete collaborative work, when they participate in thoughtfully-designed learning activities.Learning to Collaborate, Collaborating to Learn uses the author’s Taxonomy of Online Collaboration to illustrate levels of progressively more complex and integrated collaborative activities.- Part I introduces the Taxonomy of Online Collaboration and offers theoretical and research foundations.- Part II focuses on ways to use Taxonomy of Online Collaboration, including, clarifying roles and developing trust, communicating effectively, organizing project tasks and systems.- Part III offers ways to design collaborative learning activities, assignments or projects, and ways to fairly assess participants’ performance.Learning to Collaborate, Collaborating to Learn is a professional guide intended for faculty, curriculum planners, or instructional designers who want to design, teach, facilitate, and assess collaborative learning. The book covers the use of information and communication technology tools by collaborative partners who may or may not be co-located. As such, the book will be appropriate for all-online, blended learning, or conventional classrooms that infuse technology with “flipped” instructional techniques.

‘Tom Bennett is the voice of the modern teacher.’ - Stephen Drew, Senior Vice-Principal, Passmores Academy, UK, featured on Channel 4’s Educating Essex Do the findings from educational science ever really improve the day-to-day practice of classroom teachers? Education is awash with theories about how pupils best learn and teachers best teach, most often propped up with the inevitable research that ‘proves’ the case in point. But what can teachers do to find the proof within the pudding, and how can this actually help them on wet Wednesday afternoon?. Drawing from a wide range of recent and popular education theories and strategies, Tom Bennett highlights how much of what we think we know in schools hasn’t been ‘proven’ in any meaningful sense at all. He inspires teachers to decide for themselves what good and bad education really is, empowering them as professionals and raising their confidence in the classroom and the staffroom alike. Readers are encouraged to question and reflect on issues such as: the most common ideas in modern education and where these ideas were born the crisis in research right now how research is commissioned and used by the people who make policy in the UK and beyond the provenance of education research: who instigates it, who writes it, and how to spot when a claim is based on evidence and when it isn’t the different way that data can be analysed what happens to the research conclusions once they escape the laboratory. Controversial, erudite and yet unremittingly entertaining, Tom includes practical suggestions for the classroom throughout. This book will be an ally to every teacher who’s been handed an instruction on a platter and been told, ‘the research proves it.’

How do you create effective STEM classrooms that energize students, help them grow into creative thinkers and collaborators, and prepare them for their futures? This practical book from expert Anne Jolly has all the answers and tools you need to get started or enhance your current program. Based on the author’s popular MiddleWeb blog of the same name, STEM by Design reveals the secrets to successful lessons in which students use science, math, and technology to solve real-world engineering design problems. You’ll learn how to: Select and adapt quality existing STEM lessons that present authentic problems, allow for creative approaches, and engage students in meaningful teamwork; Create your own student-centered STEM lessons based on the Engineering Design Process; Assess students’ understanding of basic STEM concepts, their problem-solving abilities, and their level of engagement with the material; Teach STEM in after-school programs to further build on concepts covered in class; Empower girls to aspire to careers in STEM and break down the barriers of gender bias; Tap into STEM's project-based learning style to attract and engage all students. Throughout this user-friendly book, you’ll find design tools such as checklists, activities, and assessments to aid you in developing or adapting STEM lessons. These tools, as well as additional teacher resources, are also available as free downloads from the book’s website, http://www.stem-by-design.com.