Thinker Learner Dreamer Doer

Master the Age of Complexity through innovative growth. From COVID-19 to global environmental and economic concerns, how can schools adapt learning environments to foster innovative thinking when the Age of Complexity is always at the forefront? The authors explore this and more by reimagining learning cultures that bring out the innovative seeds of brilliance in every student. Built on the philosophy that the prosperity of any organization is directly proportional to how it values its people, this book provides: A new way to define brilliance, and 10 specific ways you can shift your organization to prepare your school and community for our Age of Complexity Detailed case studies from schools excelling in the Age of Complexity Links to videos showcasing real-world students and educators in action Key takeaways highlighting each chapter's critical content Reflective questions to facilitate application of ideas Actionable strategies to use in classrooms and school communities

Master the Age of Complexity through innovative growth. From COVID-19 to global environmental and economic concerns, how can schools adapt learning environments to foster innovative thinking when the Age of Complexity is always at the forefront? The authors explore this and more by reimagining learning cultures that bring out the innovative seeds of brilliance in every student. Built on the philosophy that the prosperity of any organization is directly proportional to how it values its people, this book provides: A new way to define brilliance, and 10 specific ways you can shift your organization to prepare your school and community for our Age of Complexity Detailed case studies from schools excelling in the Age of Complexity Links to videos showcasing real-world students and educators in action Key takeaways highlighting each chapter’s critical content Reflective questions to facilitate application of ideas Actionable strategies to use in classrooms and school communities

21st-century educators face a new frontier beyond the boundaries of traditional teaching practice and pedagogical praxis. Imagination Creativity Education (ICE) creates fresh opportunities for teachers who are committed to genuine, empowering, experiential learning. In Crushing ICE: Short-on-Theoretical, Long-on-Practical Approaches to Imagination Creativity Education, teachers will discover how to: • take risks and transition with confidence from conventional to imaginative and creative approaches • promote collaborative learning • enrich the efficacy, esteem, and identity of learners • implement learning-centred strategies, activities, and practices informed by diverse theoretical perspectives • advance meaningful inquiry and relational learning that engages learners at a deep level Every day, teachers—confronted with student exceptionalities, multi-age groupings, overemphasis on provincial standardized testing, and intransigent administrative practices and directives—struggle to promote curiosity, imagination, creativity, innovation, creative process, and risk-taking in their classrooms. ICE teaches a practical, alternative approach that recognizes the importance of these constructs within the self as teacher, the other as learner, and all together in a community of learnership. An exposition of ICE, Crushing ICE shows educators how to challenge the status quo enroute to fostering innovative learning in regular courses, visual-arts, performing arts, and educational transitions. This book is an instructional resource text focused on pre-service and in-service teachers for creativity-based education. Crushing ICE is a unique compilation of scholarly yet practical writings by nationally and internationally recognized teachers and teacher educators who present a predominantly pan-Canadian perspective. It can equally serve as a supplementary text or core text in university courses.

Learn the four conditions most effective for fostering creativity Sometimes our attempts to foster creativity can actually stifle it. Author Peter Gamwell, a former teacher and superintendent who has spent more than three decades studying creativity, shares a fresh perspective on how to nurture creativity, innovation, leadership, and engagement in a variety of settings. You’ll learn how to: Tap the creative and leadership potential in everyone Think bigger by moving from a deficit model of thinking to a strength-based approach Develop the lost arts of listening and storytelling to optimize learning Handle the inevitable pushback and fear that transformational change can bring "I love this book. I am a huge fan of storytelling, and this book is one great story blended with cutting-edge academic work in the field of human mind and creativity. In The Wonder Wall Peter Gamwell and Jane Daly bring together decades of firsthand experience in creativity, leadership and learning into this volume that I indeed will, as the authors suggest, read twice. I would urge you to do the same if you want to be in the frontline of finding ways to improve your schools." —Pasi Sahlberg, Author Finnish Lessons 2.0: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland, Helsinki, Finland "Take everything you know about learning and turn it upside down. It is there that you will find Peter Gamwell, Jane Daly and their Wonder Wall of creativity wallowing in wisdom. Yes, we have three imperatives, and four conditions, and therein you will find a treasure trove of ideas for creativity. You don’t have to leave the school system to upend it. Just read Wonder Wall and you will be swept along into doing things that engage all students and teachers. You will even get ideas about how to evaluate creativity. The timing is perfect. Go beyond skills and knowledge, light the sparks that lead to learning. Be excited about the limitless possibilities of education." —Michael Fullan, Professor Emeritus OISE, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada "Be brilliant at what you′re best at. Build on your strengths. Belong to something. These are the three imperatives that this great book sets out for young people and those who teach them. It does so with wit, wisdom, up-close experience and a magnificent capacity to tell a good tale of why all people in schools really matter. This book is its own Wonder Wall. When you′ve closed your Ken Robinson book, open this next. You′ll not be disappointed." —Andy Hargreaves, Brennan Chair in Education Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA

A comprehensive, practical guide to using data effectively for school improvement! This hands-on guidebook explains essential statistical and assessment information to help principals make critical and sustainable choices to promote student learning. Broad-based strategies include collecting and analyzing various types of data about student achievement, professional development, allocation of resources, family involvement, and community standards. Part of theLeadership for Learning series, this resource: Supports school leaders in developing and sustaining continuous improvement Links data-based decision making with issues of accountability and shared mission and goals Includes numerous examples and cases, a glossary, school improvement template, sample forms, and data tools

A community-empowered school is one in which administrators, teachers, staff, students, parents, and members of the community at large feel that they have a stake in the success of that school. Despite common reservations about the involvement of parents and volunteers in the classroom, this book makes clear the long-term advantages of onsite parent centers offering ESL classes, computer literacy/job-training classes, and classes in how to help students learn at home. The sources of financial and other help need not be limited to local businesses. District personnel, legislators, nonprofit agencies, and corporations can discover that they will benefit as a school succeeds. Chapter 1 examines what attracts community involvement, providing specific plans for volunteer programs and resource development. Chapter 2 identifies the stakeholders and what they can offer a school. Chapter 3 describes policies and procedures for program monitoring. Chapter 4 offers specific material for a workshop to train teachers in the use of tutors and mentors in the classroom, including overheads, worksheets, and memos. Chapter 5 outlines strategies using volunteers that increase literacy for students and their families. Chapter 6 addresses sources of funding. Chapter 7 explains the cost-effective nature of community support, and Chapter 8 shows how all the stockholders can affect public policy to increase the number of community-empowered schools. (Contains 43 references.) (RKJ)

Designed to support appropriate use of technology for teaching and learning, this reader-friendly resource helps school leaders create, implement, and maintain effective instructional technology policies.

This solid, sustainable, and laser-sharp focus on instructional leadership helps leaders hone, model and lead new learning through deliberate practice.