The Learning on Purpose step-by-step approach helps students take control of their own learning. Your child will learn to evaluate his/her learning strengths and goals, prioritize and maximize study time, identify and solve study problems, improve comprehension, and apply effective test-taking strategies. The program allows each student to work independently at his/her own pace. Step-by-step examples and lessons are filled with helpful concept maps, organizers, and diagrams that explain study terms, skills, and goals. Added features include assessment, inventory, and tracking charts as well as continual encouragement that helps students develop an "I can do it" study philosophy.

Students become attentive, curious, and passionate about learning when they can see its relevance to their lives and when they're empowered to use that learning to solve problems that matter. Regardless of the subject or grade level you teach, you can infuse your instruction with the meaning students crave by implementing design thinking. Design thinking prompts students to consider: "I've learned it. Now what am I going to do with it?" In Designed to Learn, cognitive scientist and educator Lindsay Portnoy shares the amazing teaching and learning that take place in design thinking classrooms. To set the stage, she provides easy-to-implement strategies, classroom examples, and clear tools to scaffold the processes of inquiry, discovery, design, and reflection. Because formative assessment is crucial to the process, Portnoy includes sample assessments that measure student learning and ensure that learners take the lead in their own learning. As the author guides you through the five elements of design thinking (understand and empathize, identify and research, communicate to ideate, prototype and test, and iterate and reflect), you'll learn how to support students as they - Use the content you teach to solve a problem in their community or in the world around them. - Isolate a concern for their designed solution to address. - Communicate ideas and provide valid reasoning for potential solutions. - Prototype a solution and test it. - Revise their design for maximum impact and reflect on the process. Equipped with the strategies and supports in Designed to Learn, teachers will be able to ensure that learning in their classrooms is visible, student-centered, and measurable—by design.

"Teaching is a daunting, challenging endeavor, but author Karen Gazith seeks to help teachers incorporate best practices into their classrooms. Her book The Mindful and Purposeful Teacher: Research-Informed Practice for Every Student in Every Classroom is built on seven well-researched principles that can assist teachers in creating a classroom environment conducive to learning for every student present. The topics covered range from classroom management to establishing learning goals and are applicable to new and veteran teachers alike. These seven principles construct a robust picture of what education can and should be: a safe place of learning and growth"--

Building on both cutting-edge research and professional learning practice, Amanda Datnow and Vicki Park explore how professional collaboration can support deeper learning for students and teachers alike. While many schools and systems support teacher collaboration, they often fall short of their intended goals of improving teaching and learning. This book provides concrete guidance for creating the conditions for collaboration in which teachers are moved toward—rather than repelled—by joint work. The authors explore how collaborative settings can provide a space for working through the inevitable challenges that accompany the changing nature of teaching in the age of accountability and show the motivation, inspiration, and energy that teachers personally--and collectively--gain from collaborating to improve student learning. Ultimately, they show how teacher empowerment towards working together builds equitable and excellent learning environments.

Learning Not Schooling: Reimagining the Purpose of Education examines how both the curiosity and the initiative of students in their formative years can be stimulated by partnering local schools with the world of adult work and professional expertise. This tactic addresses some of the issues that seem to continually plague us, such as how to help students learn more effectively in the modern age, or how to more fully address some of the perpetual inequities between different socioeconomic groupings. Drawing on his experiences from founding and directing a private school for students age six to fourteen, Lyn Lesch presents a new model for education in which learning for students increasingly occurs in the world of adult expertise, with classroom teachers taking on the role of conduits that not only prepare students to learn from professionals working in various fields but also assist them in absorbing the advanced information and knowledge they will be acquiring.

The author gives us a vision of educational reform that transcends standards, curriculum, and instructional strategies. He argues for a paradigm shift-a schoolwide embrace of an "ethic of excellence" and with a passion for quality describes what's possible when teachers, students, and parents commit to nothing less than the best. The author tells exactly how this can be done, from the blackboard to the blacktop to the school boardroom.

Put learning back into the hands of the learner! Through personalized learning, education as we know it is transformed as learners are empowered to take control of their own learning. This thorough and timely resource draws on Universal Design for Learning® principles to create a powerful shift in classroom dynamics by guiding learners to become self-directed, self-monitoring, and self-motivated. You’ll discover: A system that includes tools and strategies to reduce barriers and maximize learning for all learners A clear explanation distinguishing personalized learning from differentiation and individualized instruction Teachers’ personal stories of moving through the Stages of Personalized Learning Environments to transform teacher and learner roles and school culture Background information on developing a rationale on why to personalize learning Strategies to create the change that occurs with the culture shift that happens in classrooms and schools as you personalize learning. Recognized authorities in personalized learning, the authors have led educational innovation for almost three decades. "As an educator for more than 30 years, I have seen a myriad of ideas to improve education. Personalized learning could truly be the game-changer! Barbara and Kathleen have certainly done their homework in clearly defining what it means to personalize learning. They identify stages that can help teachers gradually adapt their role, moving from a teacher-centered classroom to a learner-driven environment. This book will serve as a valuable handbook as educators make the decision to empower their learners!" - Betty Wottreng, Director of Technology Services, Verona Area School District, Wisconsin