Growing Independent Learners

Debbie Diller has revolutionized literacy instruction in countless classrooms over the years, demonstrating how to effectively use literacy workstations to engage students in critical literacy learning. In Growing Independent Learners: From Literacy Standards to Stations, K-3, she provides a comprehensive guide to help you plan instruction focused on literacy standards, organize your classroom for maximum benefit, and lead your students to independence through whole-group lessons, small-group focus, and partner learning at literacy stations. The first four chapters lay the foundation with planning, organizing, and instruction that are essential for success with literacy workstations. From creating a model classroom and developing planning tools to using anchor charts, Diller gives you creative ideas for making the most of your classroom environment to support student independence. Later chapters focus on standards-based instruction built around key reading, writing, and foundational skills as well as speaking, listening, and language standards. Each of these chapters provides the following:Detailed explanations of each standard's importance and real-world application examples Planning tools including academic vocabulary, modifiable lesson plans for whole group instruction, and suggestions for literacy workstations Mentor texts to use during whole group, small group, or stations Over 400 full-color photos demonstrating workstations in action Ways to connect lessons into other areas of daily instruction, including independent reading time, small-group instruction, and workstations ' Growing Independent Learners will help you create a vibrant classroom filled with independent learners. This book will quickly become an essential resource for any teacher who believes that all children can learn to work independently in a classroom that's well organized and mindfully planned. '

Louise Ho is a Chinese poet from Hong Kong who finds her feet in English. Since her first publications more than thirty years ago, her poetry collected here has been a reflection of the fortunes of the city and its people, their hopes and anxieties, their achievements, crises, dispersals and renewals.

How do we create independent learners? What can we do to help our students think for themselves, make good decisions and work off their own initiative? In this book, bestselling author and trainer Mike Gershon brings together 50 strategies, activities and techniques you can use to help all the students you teach think, learn and act independently. These practical, classroom-ready ideas can be used across the curriculum and with different age groups. Each one presents you with a different way to build the confidence and learning power of your students. Throughout, the emphasis is firmly focused on finding ways to give students agency, so they can see that they have the means to take control of their own learning - and to learn more as a result. This book is a must-buy for any teacher who wants to help their students develop as learners. It gives you tools, techniques and ideas that you can instantly build into your practice, helping you to tweak, develop and change the way you work, all with the ultimate goal of making your learners more independent. To find out more about Mike;s work, his other books and his free resources, visit mikegershon.com

A Practical Guide to Assessment for Learning: Grades N-3 is one book in the Creating Independent Student Learners set. The set includes guides for N-9 teachers and school leaders. The books can be used individually or as a set. This resource offers practical ways to help students become independent learners through 'assessment for learning.' The book is organized around an eight-step framework for good assessment. The authors include a detailed explanation of each step, recommendations for getting started, and teachers' anecdotes of their experiences using the steps. The book includes rubrics, working charts, thoughtful essays, and reproducibles.Practical learning approaches for each grade level are provided. These include:- Expanding one-word responses from students;- Helping students find the spelling of words without asking the teacher; and- Helping students to look more positively at their artwork.

From birth, human beings are striving to make sense of the world. They learn through interaction, modelling first hand experience and independent action. Most children arrive at school with the notion that being independent and having the desire to take responsibility has been seen, in their homes, as a good thing. However, what often happens is that responsibility may be denied them in school and further bids for independence are viewed as negative behaviour. This book argues that independence in the classroom should be seen as beneficial for learners and also for teachers. Jill Williams makes a compelling case for a climate in which decision making is valued, where children are enabled to solve problems and where children and adults respect each others point of view, arguing that this will be a climate in which independence flourishes. In turn the benefits in terms of teaching and learning will be apparent for both the children and the teachers. The notion of independence in the classroom is explored through vivid cameos showing positive relationships between teachers and learners, inspirational classroom organization and management and examples of children taking their learning forward in an environment where they have choices. The careful monitoring, assessment and discussion of teaching and learning which is presented highlights the benefits for both learners and teachers when there is a focus on independence.

Practical Guide to Assessment for Learning: Grades N-3 is one book in the Creating Independent Student Learners set. The set includes guides for N-9 teachers and school leaders. The books can be used individually or as a set.This resource offers practical ways to help students become independent learners through 'assessment for learning.' The book is organized around an eight-step framework for good assessment. The authors include a detailed explanation of each step, recommendations for getting started, and teachers' anecdotes of their experiences using the steps. The book includes rubrics, working charts, thoughtful essays, and reproducibles.Practical learning approaches for each grade level are provided. These include:expanding one-word responses from students helping students find the spelling of words without asking the teacher helping students to look more positively at their artwork

Classrooms are increasingly being viewed as places where students learn how to learn. Central to this objective is developing students' capacity to work independently and manage themselves as learners. This book offers teachers a repertoire of effective strategies to nurture independent learning in primary school students.