This edited volume provides novice teachers with a practical guide to help them transition from teacher education students to independent, reflective and autonomous classroom teachers. It also serves as a scaffolding tool for mentor teachers assigned to support novice teachers during their first years in the field. Novice teachers can use this comprehensive resource as a way to connect the overarching conceptual themes and big ideas from their Teacher Education courses to their classroom practices. This book is designed to encourage novice teachers to make more intentional and pedagogically sound decisions during their beginning teaching experiences, whether it is fieldwork observations, student teaching, or the first years in the classroom. The book covers a variety of issues, including: getting to know your students, families and communities; curriculum development; and pedagogical decisions. Each of these sections contain specific chapters devoted to a particular concept such as assessment, instruction for diversity, integrating technology across the curriculum, action research and more. This book serves as a bridge between pedagogical theory and the realities of the 21st century classroom.

Teaching is a rewarding, yet demanding profession, one in which a person needs to be fully prepared. This book focuses on the applied psychological skills, strategies and resources, which will help to ensure you are equipped with personal and professional expertise to survive in the classroom. In the book you will find: - An overview of important psychological themes within teaching such as confidence, motivation and self esteem - Explorations of physical issues related to successful psychological functioning, such as fitness and nutrition - Advice and activities which will show you how to learn and use psychological skills and techniques directly Readily accessible to a wide audience, including internationally, the book assumes no prior knowledge of psychology. The authors give specific examples taken from a diverse range of professional situations, always with relevant theoretical underpinning, and the structure allows you to dip in and out of chapters and sections. The text provides support to students on teacher training courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. It will also help teachers in their formative professional years.

Teaching For Success is a comprehensive guide for navigating the process of becoming an effective teacher in the wake of contemporary and systemic challenges. Focusing on the core concept of teacher identity in clear, invigorating prose, the book illuminates how teachers can arrange, adjust, and assemble their own personal and professional teaching influences in conjunction with educational research into a coherent, unique, and successful whole. Olsen’s attention to classroom practice, social justice issues, personal satisfaction, and teacher success stories offers a sharp and useful guide for teacher development. This revised second edition has been updated and includes a new chapter that guides both new and experienced teachers through emerging, thorny issues in educational policy and practice, including high-stakes testing, blended learning, the demands of networking, and the Common Core State Standards.

Lately, our nation's strategy for improving our schools is mostly limited to "getting tough" with teachers. Blaming teachers for poor outcomes, we spend almost all of our energy trying to control teachers' behavior and school operations. But what if all of this is exactly the opposite of what is needed? What if teachers are the answer and not the problem? What if trusting teachers, and not controlling them, is the key to school success? Examining the experiences of teachers who are already trusted to call the shots, this book answers: What would teachers do if they had the autonomy not just to make classroom decisions, but to collectively--with their colleagues--make the decisions influencing whole school success? Decisions such as school curriculum, how to allocate the school budget, and whom to hire. Teachers with decision-making authority create the schools that many of us profess to want. They individualize learning. Their students are active (not passive) learners who gain academic and life skills. The teachers create school cultures that are the same as those in high-performing organizations. They accept accountability and innovate, and make efficient use of resources. These promising results suggest: it's time to trust teachers.

Teachers have questions too! In a world of high-stakes exams, crowded classrooms, and ever fewer resources, new teachers don’t have time to start from scratch. Written by a highly experienced teacher and staff developer, this guide shows how to prepare for the first day of school; ways to use a textbook and not to use; presentation tips that keep students active and involved; how to work with parents; and much more. • Covers both the elementary and secondary school level, with specific tips for each • Great resource for those who come to teaching as a second career • Author is an experienced classroom teacher of all levels: elementary, secondary, and college • Experienced teachers will find the tips, cautions, and real-life stories from experienced classroom teachers helpful

Success in the classroom is what every teacher strives for, but not all achieve. They pour their hearts and souls into the profession, devote long hours with minimal pay, and have the best of intentions, but in the end, almost never achieve extra-ordinary results. What is the difference between teachers who are extraordinary, the ones who have this flow, this rapport, this routine and style and the teachers who struggle with everything from classroom management to participation, to just making any type progress in general? In other words, what makes a great teacher great? That has been my driving question for the past 12 years and the reason for developing this manual you see here today. In an effort to better myself and my abilities, I delved into everything from brain-based research, to cutting edge speaking, selling, and rapport-building strategies, to even seeing how other countries handle education successfully. I spent countless hours interviewing and observing some of the greatest teachers at work, and after everything, I found some tendencies that seem to bring about the most effective results with the least effort. The order in which the strategies are covered is not significant because any strategy alone will produce immediate results. Use any one of these techniques and your success as a teacher grows geometrically, but use any combination and your success grows exponentially. After reading this manual, you will be armed with the proper strategies to help you get the most out of what you do and get the results you've always wanted. You are at this point of power to affect and change people's lives, and you now have tools in which to do it more effectively and efficiently. Build those bridges, develop those relationships, and use these strategies to become unforgettable, unstoppable and incredible.

While most educators believe working in teams is valuable, not all team efforts lead to instructional improvement. Through richly detailed case studies The Power of Teacher Teams demonstrates how schools can transform their teams into more effective learning communities that foster teacher leadership. The benefits of successful teacher teams include: improved performance for both teachers and students; meaningful professional development; group adoption of a new curriculum; shared insights into student work; better classroom management; support for new teachers; new roles for teacher leaders; and opportuniteis for mentor support.School leaders will find guidelines, methods, and concrete steps for building and sustaining effective teacher teams. Also included is a DVD with video case studies and one CD with reproducibles. The most important reason for building teacher teams is to enhance student learning through improved instruction, and that story is at the heart of this book.