Foreword Stephen Sroka xi
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xv
About the Authors xvii
1 Interacting and Collaborating With Students 1
1 Use different motivational strategies for girls and boys. 1
2 Add humor to student interactions. 3
3 Be sensitive to possible gender and ethnic differences. 5
4 Look at homework through the eyes of students. 6
5 Use the jigsaw technique as an effective cooperative learning strategy. 8
6 Manage student-controlled peer interaction within a cooperative framework. 11
7 Teach students to use self-questioning and think-aloud techniques. 14
8 Lighten the load by training students to be tutors. 18
9 Address gender issues in the classroom. 19
10 Reduce the emotional distances between teachers and students. 22
11 Help students make an effective transition from eighth to ninth grade. 25
2 Managing the Classroom Environment, Time, and Discipline 27
Post an agenda before the start of class. 27
Become knowledgeable about youth culture. 30
Utilize the most successful strategies for preventing and managing classroom discipline problems. 32
Recognize how peer influence determines the quality of classroom engagement, interaction, and discourse. 35
Share discipline-related problems with a colleague. 38
Save voice by engaging students in curricular conversations. 41
Recruit a teaching Partner as a peer coach. 43
Manage the special challenges within block scheduling. 45
Become a classroom manager before becoming a content specialist. 48
Fill in the time by varying instructional strategies within block scheduling. 50
3 Organizing Curricular Goals, Lesson Plans, and Instructional Delivery 53
Recognize that less is more andstreamline the content curriculum. 53
Master the art of questioning by building in wait time. 54
Fight boredom by using classroom strategies that stimulate student interest. 56
Fit it all in by making realistic time estimates during lesson planning. 57
Teach beyond subject or content knowledge. 59
Use state and national standards to establish benchmarks for assessing students' literacy. 62
Use out-of-school learning environments. 64
Use student peers to scaffold students' learning. 66
Increase understanding of personal learning styles. 68
Expand the range of opportunities rubrics offer. 69
Establish scaffolds for complex skills and procedures. 72
Create more stimulating and successful questioning techniques 74
Make the most of one-on-one student contacts. 78
4 Using Student Assessment and Feedback to Maximize Instructional Effectiveness 81
35 Improve student performance with specific teacher feedback. 81
36 When grading student writing, consider what is done well before noting what needs improvement. 84
37 Use assessment as a teaching and learning opportunity. 85
38 Learn when to de-emphasize grades. 89
39 Be prompt in giving students feedback about their performance. 90
40 Move beyond paper to a digital portfolio as an assessment alternative. 91
41 Interface assessment strategies to instructional goals for powerful learning. 93
42 Consider alternate assessment instruments. 95
43 Keep feedback positive to bolster student confidence. 97
44 Help students embrace their errors for more meaningful instruction. 98
45 Look beyond test scores by keeping a range of student work. 100
46 Consider the use of open-book tests. 102
5 Celebrating Diversity in the Classroom 105
47 Welcome the diversity of today's classrooms. 105
48 Confront personal ethnic and cultural stereotypes. 108
49 Become culturally literate when entering diverse school districts. 110
50 Be aware of the wide range of specific factors associated with underachievement. 112
51 Support the needs of challenged students with a team effort. 115
52 Tap the strengths of students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). 118
53 Be patient with learners who require more reading practice than other students. 119
54 Think beyond content, as English-language learners come with a variety of challenges and needs. 121
55 Be sensitive to issues affecting gay and lesbian youth. 122
56 Eliminate signs of subtle gender bias in classroom discourse. 124
57 Understand that immersion experience can be the best teacher. 127
58 Avoid creating expectations based on students' racial and ethnic backgrounds. 130
59 Include multicultural works when developing a quality English curriculum. 131
60 Help boys make positive connections between masculinity and success as readers. 134
6 Integrating Technology in the Classroom 137
Use the Internet as a classroom. 137
Balance the rigors of new technology with content goals. 139
Don't let technology overwhelm subject matter. 141
Use multiple strategies to help combat digital plagiarism. 143
Become Web site literate. 146
Develop Internet-based literacies. 149
Maximize effectiveness of available technology. 152
Learn what the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) says about standards and student learning. 155
Look to out-of-school uses of the Internet for instructional literacy strategies. 157
Balance the demands of traditional teaching with contemporary technological tools. 161
Accept that new technologies alter certain fundamentals of language and literacy. 165
7 Enhancing Reading and Literacy Skills 169
72 Keep in mind the three key elements of reading fluency. 169
73 Make it routine practice to foster self-efficacy and motivation in readers. 171
74 Find the "out-of-classroom" forces that shape reading habits and reading choices. 174
75 Explore ways to encourage students' interaction with text. 177
76 Reexamine the nature of "content literacy." 178
77 Utilize a variety of print materials to inspire student reading and writing. 182
78 Use scaffolding to improve reading comprehension. 183
79 Remember that deficits in reading ability are often associated with a complex range of issues. 185
80 Explore what it means to be literate. 188
81 Select literacy instructional design principles that have been documented. 193
82 Display a variety of literacies as they provide insights into how literacy is practiced and valued. 196
83 Read Recommended Literature: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve on the California DePartment of Education's Web site. 198
8 Developing a Professional Identity 201
84 Create the right perception through professional attire. 201
85 Explore and discover the natural teaching styles within. 203
86 Take time to recognize and remedy stressful situations. 205
87 Avoid burnout by choosing mentors carefully. 209
88 Use conflict and tension as an opportunity for personal growth and change. 212
89 Exchange ideas with colleagues as a means of professional development. 214
90 Surround yourself with mentors. 216
91 Look behind the scenes when assessing the teaching styles of others. 218
9 Fostering a Positive Relationship With Families and Community 221
92 Treat parents as Part of the solution. 221
93 Literacy programs work best when they involve the whole family. 223
94 Learn what teacher education programs don't teach about parent conferences. 225
95 Be aware that there is more than one model of emotional intelligence. 228
96 Rearrange elements of the school day instruction to maximize social and emotional teaching and learning opportunities. 229
97 Develop individual strategies for students who "don't do" school. 232
98 Reflect on what teens have to say about their experience with adolescence. 237
99 Consider engaging parents in the mutual monitoring of their students' work in mathematics. 240
100 Encourage students to Participate in service learning opportunities. 242
101 Make an extra effort to recruit minority and culturally diverse parents. 244
Index 247
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