Retired teacher and principal and now math tutor Beth Ferguson wants to develop students’ ability not just to manipulate numbers but communicate their math understanding. She has found both research and plenty of tools in Teaching Students to Communicate Mathematically.
Qualities of Effective Teachers is a profoundly useful tool for all educators, helping them to reflect on their own teaching or the teaching they may be observing and identifying areas of strength and areas for improvement, writes educator Jennifer Peters.
If your goal is to improve curriculum, instruction, and assessment in your classroom, building, or district, then read Six Steps to Boost Student Learning. Education consultant Anne Anderson notes the concise, focused book is filled with resources.
Jerry Burkhart’s explorations challenge accelerated students with Common Core based math study while engaging other students with creative, and differentiated, problems to solve. Kathleen Palmieri notes the fully developed resources that support the explorations.
In Leading School Change, Todd Whitaker focuses on strategies to successfully navigate cultural changes, using specific examples. Educator Laura Von Staden particularly likes his coverage of how standardization has as a cost, often holding back the best teachers.
If every elementary, English and history teacher did even one of the book’s activities each year, our understanding of our students would deepen immeasurably, as would their appreciation of their families and their communities, both local and global, writes Sarah Cooper.
In Group Work That Works, Paul Vermette and Cynthia Kline draw on research and experience to provide a thorough plan, supported by extensive resources, for implementing collaborative learning. Educator Linda Biondi recommends the book to hesitant secondary teachers.
No matter your content area or whether your students are in special ed, AP, or ELL classes, Mary Tedrow’s Write Think Learn can help you implement a daily writing program. A “must read” says consultant Anne Anderson and a rich source of practical ideas and activities.
Teacher Rebecca Crockett writes author Jessica Shumway has given her all the tools she needs to really commit to using number sense routines with her fifth graders, including explaining routine types, building community, and engaging all students in the discussion.
Sarah Tantillo uses an inferential approach, in which students analyze how the grammar works. She follows the Common Core standards to structure the book. ELA teacher Amanda Berry appreciates Tantillo’s insights and humor but concludes the self-published book needed an editor.
