Learner Centered Classroom Practices And Assessments

Publisher description

In this much needed resource, Maryellen Weimer-one of the nation's most highly regarded authorities on effective college teaching-offers a comprehensive work on the topic of learner-centered teaching in the college and university classroom. As the author explains, learner-centered teaching focuses attention on what the student is learning, how the student is learning, the conditions under which the student is learning, whether the student is retaining and applying the learning, and how current learning positions the student for future learning. To help educators accomplish the goals of learner-centered teaching, this important book presents the meaning, practice, and ramifications of the learner-centered approach, and how this approach transforms the college classroom environment. Learner-Centered Teaching shows how to tie teaching and curriculum to the process and objectives of learning rather than to the content delivery alone.

The book elucidates the fundamental importance of high-quality assessment to student academic well-being and promotes the development of student self-assessment as a critically important life skill.Provides a clear, common sense description of all assessment methods (selected response, essay, performance, and personal communication) and how to align them with relevant achievement targets (knowledge, reasoning, skills, products, and dispositions). Easy-to-read and free of technical jargon, this book focuses squarely on what teachers need to know in order to make assessment work in classrooms.

Use this book's curated collection of strategies to reconnect with professional and personal aspirations, build an energized and mutually respectful classroom community, and deliver instruction that feels alive to you and your students. Carol Ann Tomlinson's role in defining and popularizing differentiated instruction has made her one of the most influential voices in modern education. In So Each May Soar, she illuminates the next step forward: creating learner-centered classrooms to help all students gain a deeper understanding of themselves, others, and the world. Join Tomlinson as she explores principles and practices of learner-centered classrooms, including * What it means for teachers to honor themselves, each learner, and the content they teach. * How to assemble a curriculum that ignites students' imaginations and drives discovery. * How to guide classroom experiences that develop the mind of each learner in accordance with that learner's marvelous individuality. * How to shape curriculum, assessment, and instruction to support both equity and excellence. Examples from all kinds of learner-centered classrooms clarify what this approach looks like across grade levels and subject areas and confirm its viability in schools with budgets both big and small. A must-have touchstone for veterans, a beacon for middle-career educators, and a mission statement for those just beginning their careers, So Each May Soar celebrates the commitment of teachers and the opportunity they have to help each young person in their care build a better future and lead a wonderful life.

The authors provide teachers and staff developers with a research-based process for establishing quality instructional goals and implementing ongoing formative assessment to help students reach learning goals.

"Although the term is often used loosely, a student-centered approach does not mean anything goes. To be effective, any approach to teaching must meet challenging criteria, and a student-centered approach is no exception. The Student-Centered Classroom: Transforming Your Teaching and Grading Practices lays out six teaching practices that will help teachers create a coherent, effective, and immensely satisfying student-centered approach. Author Jeanetta Jones Miller calls upon years of hands-on classroom teaching experience to guide teachers through trying something new, even when everyone else seems content to do things the way they always have"--

"This resource is a well constructed introduction to learner-centered assessment, complete with practical, ready-to-implement assessment techniques. Designed to bring you up to speed quickly, the book is grounded in the principles of constructivist learning theory and continuous improvement. It helps you to connect with what you already know about assessment, integrate that knowledge with new information, and try new approaches to enhance your students' learning. You see clearly what it means to shift from a teacher-centered paradigm of instruction to a learner-centered paradigm."--BOOK JACKET.

The book elucidates the fundamental importance of high-quality assessment to student academic well-being and promotes the development of student self-assessment as a critically important life skill.Provides a clear, common sense description of all assessment methods (selected response, essay, performance, and personal communication) and how to align them with relevant achievement targets (knowledge, reasoning, skills, products, and dispositions). Easy-to-read and free of technical jargon, this book focuses squarely on what teachers need to know in order to make assessment work in classrooms.