In addition to a wonderful fiction,nonfiction and reference collection, the Gribbin Library is home to a great Professional Collection, with titles about assessment, school leadership, student needs, Catholic education and more. Below are examples of just a few. The books are on the shelf behind the circulation desk. Come and check them out!
Role Reversal by
Want to make your students more responsible for their own learning? Want to create an academic environment in which students thrive and develop a genuine thirst for knowledge? Want to improve your students' standardized test results but avoid a "teach-to-the-test" mentality that throttles creativity and freedom? In this book, Mark Barnes introduces and outlines the Results Only Learning Environment--a place that embraces the final result of learning rather than the traditional methods for arriving at that result. A results-only classroom is rich with individual and cooperative learning activities that help students demonstrate mastery learning on their own terms, without being constrained by standards and pedagogy. By embracing results-only learning, you will be able to transform your classroom into a bustling community of learners in which? * Students collaborate daily on a number of long-term, ongoing projects. * Students receive constant narrative feedback. * Yearlong projects target learning outcomes more meaningfully than worksheets, homework, tests, and quizzes. * Freedom and independence are valued over punitive points, percentages, and letter grades. * Students manage themselves and all but eliminate the need for traditional classroom management. Learn how your students can take charge of their own achievement in an enjoyable, project-based, workshop setting that challenges them with real-world learning scenarios--and helps them attain uncommonly excellent results.
Getting Started by
This book answers the question that many schools ask when seeking to transform themselves into Professional Learning Communities: ?Where do we begin?? The authors offer suggestions for finding the time for transformation, lessons learned from one school?s transition, a conversation with the authors that answers many of your questions, and a section with tools and samples.
Hanging In by
Many students arrive at school with unique mixtures of family histories, traumatic experiences, and special needs that test our skills and try our patience. In Hanging In: Strategies for Teaching the Students Who Challenge Us Most, veteran educator Jeffrey Benson shows educators the value of tenacity and building connections in teaching the students who most need our help. This essential guide includes * Detailed portraits based on real-life students whose serious challenges inhibited their classroom experience--and how they eventually achieved success; * Strategies for how to analyze students' challenges and develop individualized plans to help them discover a sense of comfort with learning--with in-depth examples of plans in action; * Recommendations for teachers and support team on how to gain skills and support and not lose hope through the ups and downs of the work; and * Specific advice for administrators on constructing systems and procedures that give all our students the best chance for success. Just as teaching the students who challenge us is among our most frustrating experiences as educators, sticking with students until they finally "get it" is among our most rewarding. In Hanging In, you'll find the inspiration and field-tested ideas necessary to create a patient and supportive environment for even the most demanding cases in the classroom.
How to Design Questions and Tasks to Assess Student Thinking by
With new standards emphasizing higher-order thinking skills, students will have to demonstrate their ability to do far more than simply remember facts and procedures. But what's the best way for teachers to ensure that students have such skills? In this highly accessible guide, author Susan M. Brookhart shows how to do just that, by providing specific guidelines for designing targeted questions and tasks that align with standards and assess students' ability to think at higher levels. Aided by dozens of examples across grade levels and subject areas, readers will learn how to * Take a student perspective and view assessment questions and tasks as problems to solve.* Design multiple-choice questions that require higher-order thinking.* Understand the difference between open and closed questions and how to use open questions effectively.* Vary and control the features of performance assessment tasks, including cognitive level and difficulty, to target different thinking skills.* Manage the assessment of higher-order thinking within the larger context of teaching and learning. Brookhart also provides an idea bank that teachers can use to jump-start their own thinking as they create assessments. Timely and practical, How to Design Questions and Tasks to Assess Student Thinking is essential reading for 21st century teachers who want their students to excel in the classroom and beyond.
Assignments Matter by
What exactly is an "assignment," and why does it matter? How can educators ensure that their teaching meets the rigorous demands of the Common Core State Standards, so that all students are well prepared for college or careers? Drawing from her extensive experience as a teacher coach, author Eleanor Dougherty answers these questions and many more, with two aims in mind: (1) to guide teachers and administrators in crafting high-quality assignments, and (2) to help educators understand the powerful impact that assignments can have on teaching and learning. The book explains the critical differences among "assignments," "activities," and "assessments" and thoroughly describes the key elements of an assignment: prompts, rubrics, products, and instructional plans. Readers will learn how to * Follow a seven-step process for crafting effective assignments; * Link assignments to units and courses; * Devise "Anchor" assignments for collaboration and consistency across grades; * Tap into instructional "touchstones" that can enrich any assignment; * Create classroom and school environments that support assignment-making; and * Use assignments as a source of data about teaching and learning. Equipped with the knowledge and expertise gained from Assignments Matter, readers will be able to create meaningful learning experiences for their students and come to appreciate the author's belief that "assignments may well be the missing link in school reform efforts to improve student achievement."
How to Assess Higher-Order Thinking Skills in Your Classroom by
Educators know it's important to get students to engage in "higher-order thinking." But what does higher-order thinking actually look like? And how can K-12 classroom teachers assess it across the disciplines? Author, consultant, and former classroom teacher Susan M. Brookhart answers these questions and more in this straightforward, practical guide to assessment that can help teachers determine if students are actually displaying the kind of complex thinking that current content standards emphasize. Brookhart begins by laying out principles for assessment in general and for assessment of higher-order thinking in particular. She then defines and describes aspects of higher-order thinking according to the categories established in leading taxonomies, giving specific guidance on how to assess students in the following areas: * Analysis, evaluation, and creation * Logic and reasoning * Judgment * Problem solving * Creativity and creative thinking Examples drawn from the National Assessment of Educational Progress and from actual classroom teachers include multiple-choice items, constructed-response (essay) items, and performance assessment tasks. Readers will learn how to use formative assessment to improve student work and then use summative assessment for grading or scoring. Aimed at elementary, middle, and high school teachers in all subject areas, How to Assess Higher-Order Thinking Skills in Your Classroom provides essential background, sound advice, and thoughtful insight into an area of increasing importance for the success of students in the classroom--and in life.
Grading Smarter, Not Harder by
This book shows how to design an effective assessment system that accurately reflects student learning and motivates students to meet learning objectives.
How to Give Effective Feedback to Your Students by
A teacher's feedback on student schoolwork can be a powerful force for learning--if it contains a helpful message and is delivered with certain considerations in mind. But what kind of content makes a feedback message helpful to a student? And what kinds of strategies work best for delivering feedback? In How to Give Effective Feedback to Your Students, Susan M. Brookhart answers these questions by describing important elements of feedback content (focus, comparison, function, valence, clarity, specificity, and tone) and strategy (timing, amount, mode, and audience). Grounded in what researchers have learned about effective feedback, the book provides practical suggestions and classroom examples that demonstrate what to do--and not do--to have a positive impact on students. In addition to general guidelines for good feedback, readers will learn what kinds of feedback work best in the various content areas, and how to adjust feedback for different kinds of learners, including successful students, struggling students, and English language learners. Done well, feedback has a two-pronged effect: it influences cognitive factors by helping students understand where they are in their learning and where they need to go next, and it influences motivational factors by helping students develop a feeling of control over their own learning. Taken together, these factors explain why learning how to give good feedback should be at the top of every teacher's to-do list.
Learning Targets by
In Learning Targets, Connie M. Moss and Susan M. Brookhart contend that improving student learning and achievement happens in the immediacy of an individual lesson--what they call "today's lesson"--or it doesn't happen at all. The key to making today's lesson meaningful? Learning targets. Written from students' point of view, a learning target describes a lesson-sized chunk of information and skills that students will come to know deeply. Each lesson's learning target connects to the next lesson's target, enabling students to master a coherent series of challenges that ultimately lead to important curricular standards. Drawing from the authors' extensive research and professional learning partnerships with classrooms, schools, and school districts, this practical book * Situates learning targets in a theory of action that students, teachers, principals, and central-office administrators can use to unify their efforts to raise student achievement and create a culture of evidence-based, results-oriented practice. * Provides strategies for designing learning targets that promote higher-order thinking and foster student goal setting, self-assessment, and self-regulation. * Explains how to design a strong performance of understanding, an activity that produces evidence of students' progress toward the learning target. * Shows how to use learning targets to guide summative assessment and grading. Learning Targets also includes reproducible planning forms, a classroom walk-through guide, a lesson-planning process guide, and guides to teacher and student self-assessment. What students are actually doing during today's lesson is both the source of and the yardstick for school improvement efforts. By applying the insights in this book to your own work, you can improve your teaching expertise and dramatically empower all students as stakeholders in their own learning.
Connecting Teachers, Students, and Standards by
Creating and sustaining a classroom where every learner succeeds is a challenge for any teacher--especially when the elements of diversity and inclusion are added to the mix. How can teachers differentiate instruction in ways that help all students meet standards and develop lifelong learning skills? The authors of Connecting Teachers, Students, and Standards provide a comprehensive framework for reaching and teaching English language learners, students from culturally diverse backgrounds, and students with disabilities. In this book, you'll learn how to * Select the best instructional methods and materials for diverse learners * Create classrooms that are welcoming, practical, and conducive to learning * Develop classroom content that allows every student to achieve standards while meeting the individual needs of diverse learners * Collaborate effectively with fellow teachers and education specialists * Administer assessments that challenge and accommodate diverse learners The book includes helpful, real-world scenarios that provide tips for connecting with diverse students in the classroom, communicating with their families, and coordinating efforts with colleagues. Packed with practical strategies for handling difficult issues, this is a go-to guide for any teacher facing the complexities of helping diverse learners flourish at school and beyond.