Teaching matters most : a school leader's guide to improving classroom instruction / Thomas M. McCann, Alan C. Jones, Gail A. Aronoff ; foreword by Deborah Meier.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McCann, Thomas M.

Jones, Alan C., author.

Aronoff, Gail A., author.

Contributor:

Meier, Deborah, writer of supplementary textual content.

Series:

Gale eBooks

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Teachers--In-service training.

Teachers.

School improvement programs.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xx, 181 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Thousand Oaks, Calif. : Corwin/Learning Forward, c2012.

Thousand Oaks, California : Corwin, [2012]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Saying 'teaching matters most' is easy, and seems obvious. Making it the top priority for school leaders and staff is not so easy - in fact, it's messy. If we want to change how students write, compute, and think, then teachers must change how they teach. They must transform the old 'assign-and-assess' model into engaging, compassionate, coherent, and rigorous instruction. The authors show school leaders how to make this happen amidst myriad distractions, initiatives, and interruptions.

Contents:

Teaching Matters Most

Front Cover; Teaching Matters Most; Contents; Foreword; Preface: Lessons Learned From Experience; A "NEW" TAKE IN SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT; CENTRAL THEME; ORGANIZATION OF THE BOOK; WHAT MAKES THIS BOOK DISTINCTIVE; Acknowledgments; About the Authors; 1. What are common practices in schools?; WHAT WE FOUND IN CLASSROOMS; TRUTHS HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW; TRANSFORMING ACCOUNTABILITY; NEW DIRECTION; ARE THERE "BEST PRACTICES" IN TEACHING?; BRINGING BEST PRACTICES TO SCALE; ARE SOME PRACTICES BETTER THAN OTHERS?; THE POVERTY OF PRESCRIBING BEST PRACTICES; SUMMARY

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTIONACTION STEPS FOR GETTING STARTED; 2. What distinguishes quality teaching?; THREE CLASSROOMS, THREE PRACTITIONERS; A SIMPLE TRUTH HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW; High-Quality Teaching and Satisfactory Teaching; DISJOINTED TEACHING; WHY TEACHERS ARE FRUSTRATED; WHAT IS QUALITY TEACHING?; OBSERVING HIGH-QUALITY TEACHING; 1. Are the observed teaching behaviors appropriate for the objectives and the types of students in the classroom?; 2. How did the teacher demonstrate to assist students with understanding and applying knowledge?

3. How did the teacher demonstrate clarity of instruction?4. How did the teacher demonstrate knowledge of subject matter?; 5. How did the teacher create a caring classroom?; INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS; THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED; SUMMARY; QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION; ACTION STEPS FOR GETTING STARTED; 3. How do we learn about the quality of our teaching?; HOW TO MAKE THE CASE FOR AN EMPHASIS ON TEACHER QUALITY; THREE LEADERSHIP REQUIREMENTS; DEFINING QUALITY TEACHING; HOW TO ENGAGE SCHOOL PERSONNEL IN DEVISING A VISION OF QUALITY INSTRUCTION; SOME RUDIMENTS OF QUALITY TEACHING

THE IMPORTANCE OF CURRICULUM COHERENCELEARNING FROM STUDENTS; What Students Say They Want in Their Classes; THE CURRENT STATE OF TEACHING IN YOUR SCHOOL; HOW TO EVALUATE THE QUALITY OF TEACHING IN YOUR SCHOOL; SUMMARY; QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION; ACTION STEPS FOR ASSESSING THE STATE OF TEACHING; 4. What should induction and mentoring look like?; BASIC COMPONENTS OF A TEACHER MENTOR PROGRAM; FACING CRITICAL JUNCTURES TOGETHER; Learning From Good Experienced Teachers; The Power of Collaboration; Mentoring as a Team Effort; PLANNING FOR NEW TEACHERS' SUCCESS; SUMMARY

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTIONACTION STEPS FOR INDUCTION AND MENTORING; 5. What should professional development look like?; WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT; THE DISREGARDED TRUTHS OF PROFESSIONALDEVELOPMENT; Two Architectures of Learning; THE COMPONENTS OF A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING CULTURE; Instructional Worldview; Method of Inquiry; Organizational Capacity; Training Regimes; The Process of Adult Learning; BUILDING BLOCKS OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING; Trust; Direction; Documentation; Reflection; LEADING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES; SUMMARY

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781452283883

1452283885

9781452269771

1452269777

9781483387666

1483387666

OCLC:

875679660