A Learning Community of Reflective Teachers

A Learning Community of Reflective Teachers
Author: Neeraja Raghavan
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 262
Release: 2024-02-06
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 100383373X

Teachers possess a wealth of untapped wisdom and valuable experience. Whether it’s in matter of educational policy, curriculum development or textbook selection, teachers carry a trove of information and insights to share. Traditionally, teacher development has been driven by administrators of schools, and it often takes the form of a ‘mentor’ teaching the staff of a school. But what happens when teachers across different locations collaborate and learn together? This volume documents such an initiative, sparked off by the Covid-19 pandemic, which brought people together online. It underscores the power of teachers debating, discussing, and learning from each other. Based on an Indian experience, the book addresses a range of issues teachers and educators face across the world — encompassing pedagogy, classroom management, school culture and teacher development. A unique story of community building and teacher education, this book also contains key outcomes and insights which take us through their action research projects and showcases a model of teacher development that can be adopted by interested readers. Above all, it brings out the crying need for a teacher’s voice to be heard — for far too long, teachers have been mere implementers of decisions taken by policy makers or managements of schools. By means of networking communities such as the one described in this book, the transformation of teachers going from whispers to resonance is greatly amplified. An important intervention in the domain of teacher development, this volume will be of great interest to students, researchers and practitioners of education, teacher education, and sociology of education. It will also be useful for teacher trainees, academicians, teacher educators, policymakers, schoolteachers, curriculum developers, teacher training institutes, and universities offering teacher education programs.

Building Teaching and Learning Communities

Building Teaching and Learning Communities
Author: Craig Gibson
Publisher:
Total Pages: 114
Release: 2019
Genre: Electronic books
ISBN: 9780838946572

"Teaching and learning communities are communities of practice in which a group of faculty and staff from across disciplines regularly meet to discuss topics of common interest and to learn together how to enhance teaching and learning. Since these teaching and learning communities can bring together members who might not have otherwise interacted, new ideas, practices, and synergies can arise. The role of librarians in teaching and learning has been reexamined and reinvigorated by the introduction of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, which offers a conceptual approach and theoretical foundations that are new and challenging. Building Teaching and Learning Communities: Creating Shared Meaning and Purpose goes beyond the library profession for inspiration and insights from leading experts in higher education pedagogy and educational development across North America to open a window on the wider world of teaching and learning, and includes discussion of pedagogical theories and practices including threshold concepts and stuck places; the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL); disciplinary approaches to pedagogy; the role of signature pedagogies; inclusion of student voices; metaliteracy; reflective practice; affective, behavioral, and cognitive aspects of learning; liminal spaces; and faculty as learners. This unique collection asks each of the authors to address this question: What do we as educators need to learn (or unlearn) and experience so we can create teaching and learning communities across disciplines and learning levels based on shared meaning and purpose? Six fascinating chapters explore this question in different ways ... Building Teaching and Learning Communities is an entry into some of the most interesting conversations in higher education and offers ways for librarians to socialize in learning theory and begin 'thinking together' with faculty. It proposes questions, challenges assumptions, provides examples to be used and adapted, and can help you better prepare as teachers and pursue the essential role of conversation and collaboration with faculty and students."--

The Reflective Educator’s Guide to Professional Development

The Reflective Educator’s Guide to Professional Development
Author: Nancy Fichtman Dana
Publisher: Corwin Press
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2008-05-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1452239258

"A tool box overflowing with ideas that will help every staff developer craft a school culture hospitable to adult and student learning." —Roland S. Barth, Author, Lessons Learned "The book speaks to many audiences, including instructional coaches, PLC leaders, action researchers and group leaders, and university professors working with action researchers and PLCs." —Gail Ritchie, Coleader, Teacher Researcher Network Fairfax County Public Schools, VA "A terrific resource for connecting teacher networks and action research to create powerful professional development opportunities. This book is a joy to read." —Ellen Meyers, Senior Vice President Teachers Network Powerful tools for facilitating teachers′ professional development and optimizing school improvement efforts! Professional learning communities (PLCs) and action research are popular and proven frameworks for professional development. While both can greatly improve teaching and learning, few resources have combined the two practices into one coherent approach. The Reflective Educator′s Guide to Professional Development provides educators with strategies, activities, and tools to develop inquiry-oriented PLCs. Nationally known school reform experts Nancy Fichtman Dana and Diane Yendol-Hoppey cover the ten essential elements of a healthy PLC, provide case studies of actual inquiry-based PLCs, and present lessons learned to help good coaches become great coaches. With this step-by-step guide, readers will be able to: Organize, assess, and maintain high-functioning, inquiry-oriented PLCs Facilitate the development of study questions Establish the trust and collective commitment necessary for successful action research Enable PLC members to develop, analyze, and share research results Lead successful renewal and reform efforts By combining two powerful training practices, coaches, workshop leaders, and staff developers can ensure continuous, robust school-based professional development.

Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher

Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher
Author: Stephen D. Brookfield
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 311
Release: 2017-02-13
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1119049709

A practical guide to the essential practice that builds better teachers. Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher is the landmark guide to critical reflection, providing expert insight and practical tools to facilitate a journey of constructive self-critique. Stephen Brookfield shows how you can uncover and assess your assumptions about practice by viewing them through the lens of your students' eyes, your colleagues' perceptions, relevant theory and research, and your own personal experience. Practicing critical reflection will help you… Align your teaching with desired student outcomes See your practice from new perspectives Engage learners via multiple teaching formats Understand and manage classroom power dynamics Model critical thinking for your students Manage the complex rhythms of diverse classrooms This fully revised second edition features a wealth of new material, including new chapters on critical reflection in the context of social media, teaching race and racism, leadership in a critically reflective key, and team teaching as critical reflection. In addition, all chapters have been thoroughly updated and expanded to align with today's classrooms, whether online or face-to-face, in large lecture formats or small groups. In his own personal voice Stephen Brookfield draws from over 45 years of experience to illustrate the clear benefits of critical reflection. Assumptions guide practice and only when we base our actions on accurate assumptions will we achieve the results we want. Educators with the courage to challenge their own assumptions in an effort to improve learning are the invaluable role models our students need. Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher provides the foundational information and practical tools that help teachers reach their true potential.

The Craft of Community-Engaged Teaching and Learning

The Craft of Community-Engaged Teaching and Learning
Author: Marshall Welch
Publisher: Campus Compact
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2019-09-05
Genre: Education
ISBN: 173390283X

Using a conversational voice, the authors provide a foundation as well as a blueprint and tools to craft a community-engaged course. Based on extensive research, the book provides a scope and sequence of information and skills ranging from an introduction to community engagement, to designing, implementing, and assessing a course, to advancing the craft to prepare for promotion and tenure as well as how to become a citizen-scholar and reflective practitioner. An interactive workbook that can be downloaded from Campus Compact accompanies this tool kit with interactive activities that are interspersed throughout the chapters. The book and workbook can be used by individual readers or with a learning community.

Reflecting in Communities of Practice

Reflecting in Communities of Practice
Author: Deb Curtis
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2013
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9781605541488

The latest resource from esteemed early childhood authors Margie Carter and Deb Curtis, and introducing Wendy Cividanes and Debbie Lebo.

Reflective Practice to Improve Schools

Reflective Practice to Improve Schools
Author: Jennifer York-Barr
Publisher: Corwin Press
Total Pages: 345
Release: 2005-12-21
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1483361772

This reference tool for mastering reflective practice and initiating it in your school offers ideas for reflective practice alone, with partners, in small groups, and schoolwide.

Teach Me, Teacher

Teach Me, Teacher
Author: Jacob Chastain
Publisher:
Total Pages: 194
Release: 2019-06-20
Genre:
ISBN: 9781949595468

The Power to Save a Life Jacob Chastain grew up in an environment filled with drugs and violence. Inside the home that should have felt safe, fear and anxiety were the desperate norm. Stability and security eluded him as he was shuffled between family and friends that would take him in. But at school, things were different. There, day after day, year after year, Chastain's teachers saved him. Teach Me, Teacher is the true story of a childhood marked by heartache--a story that may be similar to that of the children sitting in your classroom. It's the story that shaped Jacob Chastain into the educator he is today. Lessons learned from his experiences as a child and as a growing educator offer reflections on the trials and triumphs facing teachers and students everywhere. From these lessons, we learn that one's darkest moments can ultimately lead to a meaningful and fulfilling life when someone cares enough to step in and make a difference. Written in celebration of teachers and the power of education, Teach Me, Teacher affirms that you have the power to save a life. "Jacob Chastain pours his heart out on the pages of Teach Me, Teacher by sharing his personal journey through childhood trauma. His message that "action is the antidote to suffering" is a powerful reminder to us all to do more, be more, understand more, and care more for our students." --Kim Bearden, co-founder and executive director, The Ron Clark Academy, author of Talk to Me "Teach Me, Teacher is one of the most courageous, heartbreaking, hopeful books I've ever read." --Regie Routman, author of Literacy Essentials "Jacob Chastain's raw honesty is something that we need more of in the education world." --Halee Sikorski, A Latte Learning "Teach Me, Teacher is both an uplifting memoir and a message to all of us in education of the power we have to build relationships and make a difference for all of our students." --Dr. Sue Szachowicz, senior fellow, Successful Practices Network "Jacob Chastain takes us on a transformational journey where past and present converge into possibility. His story of resilience and hope is a celebration of the impact each of us can have when professional purpose leads the way." --Dr. Mary Howard, author of Good to Great Teaching

Reflective Teaching

Reflective Teaching
Author: Kenneth M. Zeichner
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 111
Release: 2013-05-13
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1136763570

This volume outlines the assumptions and beliefs that distinguish the concept of the reflective teacher from the view of the teacher as passive and a mere technician -- a view that teacher education programs and schools have historically promoted. The authors demonstrate how various conceptions of reflective teaching differ from one another. They believe that it is only through teachers' reflections on their own teaching that they become more skilled, more capable, and in general better teachers. This is the first volume in the "Reflective Teaching and the Social Conditions of Schooling" series. The major goal of both this book and of all of the volumes to follow in this series is to help teachers explore and define their own positions with regard to the topics and issues at hand within the context of the aims of education in a democratic society.

On Common Ground

On Common Ground
Author: Richard DuFour
Publisher: Solution Tree Press
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2009-04-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1934009865

This anthology presents the recommendations of education leaders, and each chapter contributes to a sound conceptual framework and offers specific strategies for developing PLCs. These leaders have found common ground in expressing their belief in the power of PLCs although clear differences emerge regarding their perspectives on the most effective strategy for making PLCs the norm in North America.