Learning Begins

Learning Begins, written by a teacher for teachers, translates current brain research into practical classroom strategies. Because students learn with their brains, it simply makes sense for teachers to explore educational psychology and neuroscience. And yet, information in these fields can be daunting and contradictory. Worse still, few researchers can clearly explain the specific classroom uses of their remarkable discoveries. Learning Begins both explains this research and makes it useful for teachers and administrators. Part I investigates the science of working memory: a cognitive capacity essential to all school work. When teachers recognize the many classroom perils that can overwhelm working memory, they can use research-aligned strategies to protect it, and thereby promote student learning. Part II reveals the complexities of student attention. By understanding the three neural sub-processes that create attention, teachers can structure their classrooms and their lessons to help students focus on and understand new material. Written in a lively and approachable voice, based on years of classroom experience and a decade of scientific study, Learning Begins makes educational psychology and neuroscience clear and useful in schools and classrooms.

First published in 1968, Learning Begins at Home records an attempt by two researchers to initiate and assess an innovation in a school in a working-class neighbourhood. The influence of parents upon children’s achievement is a platitude of education. The vital question is whether schools can become centres for education for adults as well as children, influencing the parents directly, and the children indirectly through the parents. The research reported in this book suggests that it would be worthwhile for teachers to give more of their time to cooperation with parents. This book will be of interest to students of education and sociology.

What They Didn’t Teach You in School: Lessons for STEM Students and Professionals Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math education has been described as, “drinking from a firehose.” STEM students are required to absorb an overwhelming amount of technical information before they can earn their undergraduate degrees. But it takes more than a thorough understanding of math, science, and engineering concepts to become successful in today’s job market. NASA’s former Chief Knowledge Officer, Roger Forsgren, was responsible for training the agency’s technical workforce and provides critical lessons learned for STEM students and graduates to build successful careers as they compete in today’s workplace. Being an introvert in an extroverts’ world: You may certainly be the smartest person in the room but that may not be enough to convince a client, make a persuasive presentation, or effectively manage others. Learn how to remain in your comfort zone yet still make a compelling impact by becoming an ambivert. Communication Skills: How to get your point across and express yourself in a cogent, concise manner. How to make yourself heard, and respected, in a group of experienced professionals. Critical Thinking: Avoid jumping to conclusions by training yourself to look beyond the obvious for the real clues to a problem or situation. Ethics: STEM professionals possess unique skills, but such technical expertise also requires a sense of personal responsibility ensuring your talents are being put to the best use for yourself and for society. Case studies have proven to be valuable learning tools and Roger Forsgren includes twelve compelling historical case studies that demonstrate the critical knowledge needed for STEM students as they progress through their careers.

This resource book is intended to aid parents of children aged 2 to 5 years in teaching geography. The book offers ideas about how to encourage and give direction to enable young children to develop the vocabulary, awareness, and curiosity necessary to lay the foundation for the study of geography. Suggested activities are included and are organized around five specific themes. The themes are: (1) "Where are things located?" (2)"What characteristics make a place special?" (3) "What are the relationships among people and places?" (4) "What are the patterns of movement of people, products, and information?" and (5) "How can the Earth be divided into regions for study?" Each chapter begins with background, examples of questions geographers ask, and explanations of the early developmental skills that are involved. A 16-item reference list and glossary conclude the book, along with maps, a resource list with suggestions of where to get free maps, and a list of easy reading or picture books related to geography. (LB)

In this Stenciling book, you will learn how to use stencils in many, many ways using different products, giving different effects. Using varied techniques and products with the one stencil will ensure your stencil purchase is not only affordable but versatile. There is also a section on how to create your own stencils including punches, dies and using an electronic machine such as the Brother Scan n Cut.

What comes to mind when you think about lesson planning? If you're like most teachers, you focus on the material you need to present, what you will do and say, what you will ask students to do, and the assessments you will create and administer. And if you're like most teachers, you also know what it's like to be disappointed when this careful planning doesn't always lead to the deep understanding and mastery you'd intended. There's a better way to approach instructional design says author and teacher-educator Ann R. Reeves, and it's within every teacher's grasp. It begins with a simple mental shift from "planning for activities" to "planning for learning outcomes" and a critical concentration on learning objectives. Remarkable for its clarity and filled with vivid examples, Where Great Teaching Begins is a step-by-step walk through the crucial, behind-the-scenes intellectual work necessary to make instruction truly effective and help students learn deeply and meaningfully. Here, you'll discover how to * Translate even the most inscrutable standards into strong, learning-focused objectives. * Use effective objectives as the basis for excellent assessment. * Craft engaging learning activities that incorporate both targeted content and necessary thinking skills. * Pull objectives, assessments, and learning activities together into powerful plans for learning. Whether you're a novice instructional designer or a veteran seeking a new, streamlined process, this book is a must-read take on how to plan and achieve the excellent learning all teachers aim for and all students deserve.

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

In The Contemplative Mind in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Patricia Owen-Smith considers how contemplative practices may find a place in higher education. By creating a bridge between contemplative practices and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), Owen-Smith brings awareness of contemplative pedagogy to a larger audience of college instructors, while also offering classroom models and outlining the ongoing challenges of both defining these practices and assessing their impact in education. Ultimately, Owen-Smith asserts that such practices have the potential to deepen a student’s development and understanding of the self as a learner, knower, and citizen of the world.