Rethinking Teacher Supervision and Evaluation

Rethinking Teacher Supervision and Evaluation
Author: Kim Marshall
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2009-10-30
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0470553995

In this important book, education expert Kim Marshall shows how to break away from the typical and often ineffective evaluation approaches in which principals use infrequent classroom visits or rely on standardized test scores to assess a teacher's performance. Marshall proposes a broader framework for supervision and evaluation that enlists teachers in improving the performance of all students. Emphasizing trust-building and teamwork, Marshall's innovative, four-part framework shifts the focus from periodically evaluating teaching to continuously analyzing learning. This book offers school principals a guide for implementing Marshall's framework and shows how to make frequent, informal classroom visits followed by candid feedback to each teacher; work with teacher teams to plan thoughtful curriculum units rather than focusing on individual lessons; get teachers as teams involved in low-stakes analysis of interim assessment results to fine-tune their teaching and help struggling students; and use compact rubrics for summative teacher evaluation. This vital resource also includes extensive tools and advice for managing time as well as ideas for using supervision and evaluation practices to foster teacher professional development.

Instructional Supervision

Instructional Supervision
Author: Sally J. Zepeda
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 329
Release: 2013-09-27
Genre: Education
ISBN: 131792794X

This highly regarded book is a must-have resource for all graduate level students and prospective school leaders enrolled in courses in instructional supervision. It is also a valuable guide for anyone currently in a leadership position with responsibility for supervising student teachers. Dr. Zepeda provides both practical tools and strategies needed for classroom observations and pre- and post-observation conferences, laying a strong foundation for effective instructional supervision in preK-12 schools. The updated third edition includes... research-supported strategies to help supervisors work successfully with teachers,authentic case studies, classroom examples, and field experiences, in-depth coverage of professional development and its link to teacher evaluation, reflection prompts, pragmatic tips, self-assessments, and suggested activities

Leisure and Pleasure

Leisure and Pleasure
Author: Caroline Daley
Publisher: Auckland University Press
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2013-10-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 177558108X

This exploration of an unexpected aspect of New Zealand social history examines the human body at leisure in the years 1900&–1960. This book studies bodybuilding, especially the famous strongman Eugen Sandow; growing ideas about fitness, health, and exercise; the rise of beauty contests; the culture of the beach and the pool; nudism; and children's play and the appearance of playgrounds. The central aim is to explore how bodies—men's, women's and children's—were shaped and displayed through various leisure pursuits in 20th-century New Zealand.

Making Things See

Making Things See
Author: Greg Borenstein
Publisher: Maker Media, Inc.
Total Pages: 669
Release: 2012-01-13
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1449327788

This detailed, hands-on guide provides the technical and conceptual information you need to build cool applications with Microsoft’s Kinect, the amazing motion-sensing device that enables computers to see. Through half a dozen meaty projects, you’ll learn how to create gestural interfaces for software, use motion capture for easy 3D character animation, 3D scanning for custom fabrication, and many other applications. Perfect for hobbyists, makers, artists, and gamers, Making Things See shows you how to build every project with inexpensive off-the-shelf components, including the open source Processing programming language and the Arduino microcontroller. You’ll learn basic skills that will enable you to pursue your own creative applications with Kinect. Create Kinect applications on Mac OS X, Windows, or Linux Track people with pose detection and skeletonization, and use blob tracking to detect objects Analyze and manipulate point clouds Make models for design and fabrication, using 3D scanning technology Use MakerBot, RepRap, or Shapeways to print 3D objects Delve into motion tracking for animation and games Build a simple robot arm that can imitate your arm movements Discover how skilled artists have used Kinect to build fascinating projects

Effective Supervision

Effective Supervision
Author: Robert J. Marzano
Publisher: ASCD
Total Pages: 190
Release: 2011-05-05
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1416613196

In Effective Supervision, Robert J. Marzano, Tony Frontier, and David Livingston show school and district-level administrators how to set the priorities and support the practices that will help all teachers become expert teachers. Their five-part framework is based on what research tells us about how expertise develops. When these five conditions are attended to in a systematic way, teachers do improve their skills: * A well-articulated knowledge base for teaching * Opportunities for teachers to practice specific strategies or behaviors and to receive feedback * Opportunities for teachers to observe and discuss expertise * Clear criteria for success and help constructing professional growth and development plans * Recognition of the different stages of development progressing toward expertise. The focus is on developing a collegial atmosphere in which teachers can freely share effective practices with each other, observe one another's classrooms, and receive focused feedback on their teaching strategies. The constructive dynamics of this approach always keep in sight the aim of enhancing students' well-being and achievement. As the authors note, "The ultimate criterion for expert performance in the classroom is student achievement. Anything else misses the point."