The Learner Directed Classroom

Educators at all levels want their students to develop habits of self-directed learning and critical problem-solving skills that encourage ownership and growth. In The Learner-Directed Classroom, practicing art educators (PreK–16) offer both a comprehensive framework for understanding student-directed learning and concrete pedagogical strategies to implement student-direct learning activities in school. In addition, research-based assessment strategies provide educators with evidence of student mastery and achievement. Teachers who structure self-directed learning activities can facilitate effective differentiation as students engage in the curriculum at their level. This book provides evidence-based, practical examples of how to transform the classroom into a creative and highly focused learning environment. Book Features: Guidance for implementing a learner-directed program, including advocacy, management, differentiated instruction, and resources.Attention to the needs of specific groups of students, including preadolescents, gifted and talented learners, boys, and those with learning differences.Insights into reflective practice and strategies for assessment of learning. Contributors: Catherine Adelman, Marvin Bartel, Katherine Douglas, Ellyn Gaspardi, Clyde Gaw, Lois Hetland, Pauline Joseph, Tannis Longmore, Linda Papanicolaou, Cameron Sesto, George Szekely, Ilona Szekely, Dale Zalmstra “In the present standards-based learning environment, this book is a welcome addition because it presents an alternative pedagogy that puts learners’ needs and interests at the core. Experienced and novice art teachers at all levels who read this book will be motivated to teach in open-ended environments where their choices can make a difference in their students’ lives.” —Enid Zimmerman, Professor Emerita of Art Education and High Ability Programs, Indiana University “From the comfortable couch of the foreword to the exhortative poem at the book’s conclusion, the reader journeys through remarkable classrooms with insightful educators. Practical AND inspirational, the educational principles and points so deftly illustrated herein apply across the disciplines and age spans. An important read for all teachers. A timeless and necessary pedagogy for all classrooms.” —Jacqueline Grennon Brooks, Professor, School of Education, Hofstra University “It is easy to proclaim creativity important and criticize current practices and then offer no actual solutions. This volume is filled with practical tips and hands-on advice aimed at improving self-directed student learning. Any classroom teacher interested in helping students learn, discover, and create will want to read and reread this book.” —James C. Kaufman, Professor of Psychology, California State University, San Bernardino, and Editor, International Journal of Creativity and Problem Solving “Here at last is a meaningful, practical, and hands-on textbook giving guidance to the classroom teacher about beginning or enriching a choice-based program for students, rather than the traditional regimented art curricula meant to please adults. I highly recommend this book to all who are involved in pedagogy, including parents” —Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Artist Diane B. Jaquith is a K–5 art teacher in Newton, MA and a co-founder of Teaching for Artistic Behavior, Inc., a choice-based art education advocacy organization. She is the co-author of Engaging Learners Through Artmaking: Choice-Based Art Education in the Classroom. Nan E. Hathaway is a middle school art teacher in Duxbury, Vermont. She is a gifted education specialist and is on the board of directors for Teaching for Artistic Behavior, Inc.

Publisher description

This book comes at the right time with answers for teachers, principals, and schools who want to be on the cutting edge of the effective use of technology, the internet, and teacher pedagogy.

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 Learner-Centered Music Classroom: Models and Possibilities is a resource for practicing music teachers, providing them with practical ideas and lesson plans for implementing learner-centered pedagogical concepts into their music classrooms. The purpose of this book is to propose a variety of learner-centered models for music teaching and learning through the use of a variety of autoethnographic viewpoints. Nine contributors provide working and concrete examples of learner-centered models from their classrooms. Offering lesson plan ideas in each of these areas, the contributors provide practical approaches for implementation of learner-centered approaches in music instruction across a variety of landscapes. Learner-centered teaching provides an approach to music education that encourages social, interactive, culturally responsive, creative, peer-based, open-formed, facilitated and democratic learning. Chapter 1 defines the what, why, and perceived benefits of learner-centered approaches in music teaching and learning contexts Chapters 2-10 will include example lesson plans, rubrics, etc. as models for teachers. The contributors to this book suggest that learner-centered approaches, when embedded into the culture and curricular framework of a music classroom, offer exciting approaches for teaching music in ways that are culturally and educationally appropriate in contemporary education.

Drawing from progressive educational thought, this guide helps teachers translate theory into classroom practice in seven crucial areas, including developing communities of learners, planning instruction, and more.

Creating a Learner-centred Primary Classroom is an essential resource to improve teaching practice, examining the key elements that contribute to a learner-centred classroom and offering strategies to encourage children to take a shared role in their learning. Including case studies describing teachers’ methods for linking theory to practice, this user-friendly, photocopiable resource demonstrates how to: construct a learning community encourage collaborative learning share strategies for engaging individual learners provide a scaffold for strategic thinking in the classroom link assessment procedures to learning showcase the practice and outcomes of purposeful curriculum planning. Any teacher who wants to practically tailor their teaching practice to meet the needs of individual learners will find this an invaluable resource.

“What a learned-centered perspective and model helps educators understand is that individual learners, young and old, students and teachers—like all human beings—bring with them a complex array of unique viewpoints, needs, capacities, and strengths. At the same time, they share certain fundamental qualities. The inherent need to grow, live, and develop in a positive direction, for example, is common to all learners. What best supports these inherent capacities and distinctive characteristics? To find out, we asked students and educators what they thought produced the highest levels of learning in not only academic areas but also personal, social, and vocational realms.”—from the Preface The Learner-Centered Classroom and School shows educators and administrators how they can create classrooms and schools that foster student motivation, learning, and achievement. The learner-centered approach provides a dual focus on both learner and learning. It focuses on learners by respecting them, trusting them to be responsible for their own learning, and designing practices that are sensitive to individual needs, abilities, and interests. It focuses on learning by designing practices that help students meet high academic standards in challenging, personally relevant, and important content areas. The book is filled with useful examples and practical suggestions for implementing learner-centered concepts in any school or classroom. It will help educators examine beliefs and assumptions related to learner-centered practices and make changes that enhance student motivation and achievement.