Mock trials can bring project-based learning alive in English and social studies classes. In Judging for Themselves, David Sherrin provides everything teachers will need to put Galileo, Tom Robinson and others on trial, says social studies teacher Joanne Bell.
Jenny Grant Rankin’s First Aid for Teacher Burnout: How You Can Find Peace and Success is the perfect salve for the tired teacher’s soul. This short book is packed full of great ideas to relieve, rejuvenate, and energize, says teacher-librarian Rita Platt.
Ben Curran offers a future classic on lesson planning as a reflective, deliberate, on-going practice built with precision and thought. Teacher Linda Biondi thinks pre-service teachers, teacher educators and classroom veterans will all benefit from his practical advice.
If a school can agree to have both ELA and content area teachers use the ideas in “Strategic Journeys for Building Logical Reasoning” there is potential for students to achieve more intense thinking rather than surface learning, says reviewer Mary Langer Thompson.
If you are looking for ways to connect your classroom or school to parents in nonthreatening, collaborative, and productive ways, you’ll love Alisa Hindin and Mary Mueller’s book, Getting Parents on Board, says teacher/librarian Rita Platt.
In Handbook on Teacher Portfolios, longtime education researchers Tucker, Stronge, and Gareis present a comprehensive case for using teacher portfolios for teacher evaluation and professional learning. Highly recommended by writing project director Diana Grady.
Curious about the “Cart of good and evil” (Tip #153)? Retired principal Mary Thompson finds lots to like in Francy Fleck’s tips for succeeding in the challenging position of school leader. Quotations and research support the tips, and Thompson offers a rich sample.
Cathie E. West packs her book with key concepts and skills, charts to help explain these, engagement strategies and step-by-step activities, all to help achieve teacher – and subsequently student – engagement. Literacy coach Janice Rustico finds it a keeper.
Math Running Records in Action by Dr. Nicki Newton is an easy-to-read book that offers a helpful framework for assessing, teaching and practicing math facts. Reviewer Rita Platt says “this book was a revelation to me” for its focus on how students think about math.
Principals and other school based leaders will find succinct, useful discussions of building level concerns in Williamson and Blackburn’s The Principalship from A-Z. Educational leadership professor Margaret Jones-Carey also recommends the book’s online resources.
