The Relevant Classroom

Students need to connect to the real world, be engaged, and learn deeply. But how are teachers supposed to ensure that students meet these objectives in the current school system? In The Relevant Classroom, Eric Hardie presents six strategies derived from his two decades of experience as an elementary and secondary teacher and principal to show teachers ways to foster real-world connections, genuine engagement, and deeper learning: 1. Make meaning central to student work. 2. Contextualize the curriculum. 3. Create space to learn. 4. Connect student work to the community. 5. Follow the (student) leaders. 6. Reenvision feedback and evaluation. This practical volume includes advice on how to get started, vivid examples, reflection questions, and tips on how to overcome common obstacles. The Relevant Classroom is about recognizing that teachers who tap into students' capacities for creativity, collaboration, and innovation can create learning experiences that are truly meaningful for students.

A bold, brain-based teaching approach to culturally responsive instruction To close the achievement gap, diverse classrooms need a proven framework for optimizing student engagement. Culturally responsive instruction has shown promise, but many teachers have struggled with its implementation—until now. In this book, Zaretta Hammond draws on cutting-edge neuroscience research to offer an innovative approach for designing and implementing brain-compatible culturally responsive instruction. The book includes: Information on how one’s culture programs the brain to process data and affects learning relationships Ten “key moves” to build students’ learner operating systems and prepare them to become independent learners Prompts for action and valuable self-reflection

Writing Instruction in the Culturally Relevant Classroom_ offers specific ideas for how to teach writing well and in a culturally relevant way. Drawing on research-based understandings from _NCTE Beliefs about the Teaching of Writing_, Winn and Johnson demonstrate how these principles support an approach to writing instruction that can help all students succeed.

How can we ensure that all students, regardless of cultural background or socioeconomic status, are granted equitable opportunities to succeed in the classroom and beyond? In Keeping It Real and Relevant: Building Authentic Relationships in Your Diverse Classroom, author and veteran educator Ignacio Lopez offers hard-won lessons that educators at all levels can apply to teaching, assessing, counseling, and designing interventions for learners from all walks of life. These insights are all rooted in the same core principle: building deep and meaningful relationships with students is the key driver of their success. In addition to examining the pivotal role of relationship-building among teachers and students in preparing the latter to perform at the highest level, this book offers * Real-life examples of challenging classroom situations, each with a detailed breakdown of how they were peacefully and non-punitively resolved; * Strategies for designing learning environments suited to the individual needs of students and reflective of their cultural backgrounds; * Ideas for scaffolding students as they experience and internalize epiphanies about what works and what doesn't, both academically and behaviorally; and * Activities and reflection questions for use in professional development. Many teachers find balancing the needs of increasingly diverse classrooms made up of learners from increasingly diverse backgrounds to be a difficult and often thankless task—and one that takes precious time away from instructional planning. Here, Lopezoutlines simple but ingenious steps for addressing these needs holistically, in a way that takes no extra time yet amply enhances the learning experience for students. Clear, practical, and much-needed, Keeping It Real and Relevant is the ultimate blueprint for creating a harmonious and successful classroom for kids of all colors, creeds, and cultures.

A teacher’s guide to empowering students with modern thinking skills that will help them throughout life. Design thinking is a wonderful teaching strategy to inspire your students and boost creativity and problem solving. With tips and techniques for teachers K through 12, this book provides all the resources you need to implement Design Thinking concepts and activities in your classroom right away. These new techniques will empower your students with the modern thinking skills needed to succeed as they progress in school and beyond. These easy-to-use exercises are specifically designed to help students learn lifelong skills like creative problem solving, idea generation, prototype construction, and more. From kindergarten to high school, this book is the perfect resource for successfully implementing Design Thinking into your classroom.

Filled with day-to-day literacy practices, this book will help elementary school teachers understand their role in dismantling the imbalance of privilege in literacy education. Chapters take readers into classrooms where they will see, hear, and feel decolonizing and humanizing culturally relevant pedagogies as students learn literacy and a critical stance through musical literacies, oral histories, heritage lessons, and building a critical consciousness. The authors also share strategies to help teachers examine their own educational spaces, start the school year in culturally relevant ways, build reciprocal relationships with families and communities, and teach within standards and testing mandates while challenging unjust systems. Practices are brought to life through students, families, and community members who voice the realities of pedagogical privilege and oppression and urge educators to take action for change. “Teachers of every child must acknowledge that ‘we’ve been doing it your way long enough’—this is the brilliance of the book and the work that lies ahead for all who commit to choosing the culturally relevant classroom.” —Valerie Kinloch, dean, University of Pittsburgh School of Education “Captures the heart of culturally relevant teaching. It is impossible to read this book and return to the same old pedagogies and practices.” —Nathaniel Bryan, Miami University “This volume seamlessly embeds guidance for creating liberating pedagogical practices in order to transform schools for all students and teachers.” —Gloria Boutte, University of South Carolina

Customize lesson plans, boost student engagement, and give elementary school kids a thirst for knowledge with this classroom-ready and teacher-friendly guide to student-centered learning. Student-centered learning, or the concept of giving students a more active role in their own learning, is taking the education world by storm. This resource book is filled with student-centered learning classroom activities to help you teach any subject in a fun and engaging way. Educators will learn to expand upon basic worksheets and lectures and shift the focus from teacher to student with small group discussions, experiments, case studies, presentations, and other interactive lessons. Inside you’ll find: An explanation of student-centered learning and its many benefits How best to engage and encourage elementary-aged students A variety of student-centered learning activities ready to be implemented in the classroom And much more! Whether searching for a way to make science class spectacular or reading time remarkable, Classroom-Ready Resources for Student-Centered Learning has everything you need to elevate your students' learning quickly and easily!

This book is a practical, research-based, classroom-ready resource for English language arts teachers interested in learning how to incorporate culturally relevant pedagogy into all aspects of their instruction, including writing, reading, and vocabulary lessons. It also provides suggestions for building an inclusive classroom environment in which all students’ backgrounds are valued. Topics covered: Writing strategies and diverse texts Dialect and student writing Applying reading strategies to texts that represent diverse backgrounds Using reading strategies in out-of-school contexts Considering students’ funds of knowledge and language awareness Connecting linguistic diversity to word-root instruction Building an inclusive classroom environment The appendix features several useful tools, including a study guide, a comprehensive list of suggested texts, recommendations for parent communication, and reproducible tools for the classroom. The study guide and reproducibles are available for free download from our website at www.routledge.com/9781138393318.