Developed in response to the growing interest in examining individual schools as they undergo change, this book features eight case studies of urban elementary and high schools as they face problems and attempt to find solutions in their quest to reform themselves. The cases, with all their pitfalls and problems, provide examples of the very bumpy road of change and of the individual school cultures that sometimes support and often impede reform. Told in the individual voices of various school leaders, the narratives reflect the inevitable biases of people immersed in their work. Their richness derives from the passion with which these stories are told. Textured and complex, these chronicles invite readers to think deeply about the many layers involved in the process of changing schools. School Leadership in Times of Urban Reform is a powerful text for courses in educational leadership, school reform, and the politics of education. Engaging pedagogical features at the end of each case facilitate its use: Each case ends with an "Analysis of Leadership" section and "Extended Thinking" questions and activities. Sections 2-5 conclude with "Reflections" to help the reader uncover the major themes and issues. Section 1 is an introductory analysis of reform and school leadership; it provides a frame of reference for examining the case studies that follow. Sections 2-5 are organized around eight case studies (two per section) that address questions of how the leadership roles of school principals and teachers have been shaped by the reform initiative; how parents and local communities have contributed to school reform; and how the culture of the school, and teaching and learning, have been shaped by reform. The final section synthesizes and analyzes what the authors have learned through these cases concerning the leadership roles of principals, parents, community members, and teachers during the period of reform; how the cultures of sc

The Effectiveness of Mathematics Teaching in Primary Schools: Lessons from England and China provides a unique insight into the mathematics classrooms of these two countries and arrives at a time when the world is eager to know how Chinese learners consistently excel at learning mathematics and other core subjects. Showcasing the kinds of teaching methods that work within and across countries, this book presents a rich collection of views, including those from teachers, their native colleagues, their foreign colleagues and the researcher, regarding the quality of mathematics teaching today. Interweaving scientific results about teaching and learning evaluations with multiple perspectives of various roles in and out of the classroom, Miao and Reynolds offer insights into how and why different approaches of teaching have led to different learning outcomes in mathematics internationally. Building on rigid and robust analyses of the most up-to-date data in England and China, the book indicates that it is through changing teaching rather than changing teachers that mathematics learning can be improved, because it is what teachers do in the classroom that really makes a big difference. Containing four decades of wisdom from the field of teaching effectiveness research, this book is essential reading for all who want to improve the quality of mathematics teaching worldwide. This book is particularly relevant for educational researchers, postgraduate students and teachers, as well as school leaders, policymakers and parents.

This key text provides essential tools for understanding legislation, policy, provision and practice for children in the early years, particularly young children with special educational needs and disability (SEND). Based on extensive research and the four areas of need as defined in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0 to 25 Years (DfE, 2015), the book charts the development of young children and their growing constructions of learning, communication, language, motor movement and emotion. Providing material that translates into practice in a straightforward and practical way, this text is packed full of personal accounts and case studies, enabling readers to appreciate what the experience of SEND in the early years means for families and professionals, and also to learn more about how they might understand and respond appropriately to a child's needs. Understanding Special Educational Needs and Disability in the Early Years will be of interest to students studying Early Years courses, families, SENDCOs, teachers and other staff supporting young children with a range of special educational needs and disabilities.

By clearly outlining how ICT can enhance and improve children's learning, this book unlocks the full potential of ICT within the classroom. Stimulating, useful and free of jargon, the book provides many practical examples to show teachers where, when and how ICT can be used effectively within literacy teaching. It provides advice on: teaching creatively using ICT in the Foundation Stage making the most of your resources planning and assessment. Rooted in the practical realities of the classroom, this book will support both trainee and qualified teachers in providing rich and creative literacy experiences through the use of technology.

Originally published in 1992. This book is designed to help the teacher facing the challenge posed by multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-language classes. The contributions, from teachers and Higher Education tutors, are based on experience and research in this area and their emphasis is practical with theoretical support being provided where relevant. Part one considers issues of difference, including looking at oral language development, issues of assessment, and the particular needs of traveller children, among other topics. The second part looks at stories and books while the third looks at active language use in writing and drama. Part four suggests useful resources.

Originally published in 1989. The practical application of multicultural education to the British elementary school classroom is discussed. The first part explores the historical development of multicultural education, considering sex and class inequality and local and national educational practices; and makes suggestions for improvement. Part two suggests practical ideas for explicit and hidden curricula. Seven themes for ethnically diverse topics are suggested and for each area, teacher aims and pupil objectives are defined and potential resources are listed. Five areas of aspects of social and personal development in a multicultural context are then explored. Includes a foreword by Lord Swann.

Originally published in 1997. By drawing on the experiences of children aged 3 to 8 attending schools in Britain, Germany, Iceland, Australia and the USA, the authors of these eleven case studies provide insights into what it means for young children to enter a new language and culture in school. They look at the scope of out-of-school language and learning practices (the role of care givers, siblings and community language classes) and go on to look at the ways in which the teacher can act as mediator of a new language and culture in school. This book helps teachers develop culturally responsive teaching programmes based on an awareness of the knowledge children bring from home and the community. The book will be of interest to early years and primary school teachers working in multilingual classrooms and students.

Jumpstart! Spanish and Italian presents a collection of simple to use, multi-sensory games and activities which will jumpstart students understanding of modern languages in action. If you are one of the thousands of teachers looking for a range of practical and fun ideas to teach languages engagingly, then this is also the perfect book for you. A range of innovative ideas to help you set the scene in your language classroom are presented first. These are followed by a feast of short and simple activities designed to help you make quick starts with your students and hold their attention. The focus throughout is on communicative action, bringing languages alive with all activities presented in two languages: Spanish and Italian. Specifically written to help teachers work within the guidelines of the new curriculum, activities in the book will help pupils to:- Listen, respond and understand key elements of the target language; Speak in phrases and sentences with appropriate pronunciation; Express and communicate simple ideas with clarity; Write phrases and short sentences; Develop an understanding of basic grammar; Learn songs and simple poems in the language studied; Engage in active learning through a range of varied activities. Jumpstart! Spanish and Italian will celebrate the joys of language, and coherent expression; of finding just the right words or phrases to express what you want to say.

The Really Useful Drama Book offers busy primary school teachers a collection of step-by-step drama sessions, inspired by high-quality picturebooks, that will engage children and promote enjoyable learning across the curriculum. Lively and thoughtful, the interactive drama sessions are structured around a wide range of texts, including wordless picturebooks, postmodern picturebooks, short stories, well-known texts by recognisable authors and some you may not have come across before, all chosen for their power to foster curiosity. The step-by-step sessions can also be adapted to incorporate your own ideas and passions, allowing you to structure them for the topics you're exploring with your class. Each session is structured around two texts and offers a guide to the drama strategies used, teaching objectives, ideas for writing opportunities, problems, emotions and challenges to explore, and a clear guide to exploring each text. Ten key themes are explored: Suspense Prejudice Friendship Rhyme and rhythm War and conflict Nature Overcoming fear Possessions and obsessions Dreams Short stories With a focus on the crucial role of imagination in the classroom, The Really Useful Drama Book helps reclaim a purposeful, passionate pedagogy and shows teachers how drama can place children right at the heart of a story, encouraging their desire to ask questions, solve problems and search out new information.

Promoting British Values in the Early Years explores what is meant by British values and how these can be promoted in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The book encourages practitioners to reflect on their own attitudes and beliefs and highlights the importance of parents, children and practitioners working together to create inclusive communities. It also examines how and why it is important to foster a sense of belonging, provide inspiration and promote positive attitudes in order to improve outcomes for children.With case studies and useful links to the EYFS, this book will help readers to nurture children's sense of identity and support them in becoming responsible citizens, celebrating diversity and valuing different cultures, customs and practices. It offers practical guidance on how to develop children's understanding of liberty and democracy, and a mutual tolerance and respect for different faiths and beliefs. This book will be of interest to Early Years practitioners and primary school teachers, as well as undergraduates studying relevant Early Years and Childhood Studies courses. It is also relevant to parents of young children.

Developing Young Children's Mathematical Learning Outdoors provides detailed guidance and practical advice on planning mathematical experiences for young children outdoors. By examining the key features of a mathematically rich outdoor environment, it illustrates how this can motivate children in leading their own learning and mathematical thinking. Drawing upon the author's wealth of experience, the book provides support for students and early years' practitioners in developing a deeper understanding of how to plan quality experiences, which combine pedagogy with effective practice. Covering all aspects of mathematics, it identifies meaningful contexts and shows how adults can use open-ended questions and prompts to promote children's mathematical play outside. With rich case studies and reflective questions included throughout, as well as suggestions for useful resources to put the ideas in the book into practice, it is essential reading for all those that want to develop curious and creative mathematical thinkers in the early years.

Today, India s education sector remains a victim of poor policies, restrictive regulations and orthodoxy. Despite being enrolled in schools, children are not learning adequately. Increasingly, parents are seeking alternatives through private inputs in school and tuition. Students are dropping out from secondary school in spite of high financial returns of secondary education, and those who do complete it have inferior conceptual knowledge. Higher education is over-regulated and under-governed, keeping away serious private providers and reputed global institutes. Graduates from high schools, colleges and universities are not readily employable, and few are willing to pay for skill development. Ironically, the Right to Education Act, if strictly enforced, will result in closure of thousands of non-state schools, and millions of poor children will be left without access to education. Eleventh in the series, India Infrastructure Report 2012 discusses challenges in the education sector elementary, secondary, higher, and vocational and explores strategies for constructive change and opportunities for the private sector. It suggests that immediate steps are required to reform the sector to reap the benefits from India s demographic dividend due to a rise in the working age population. Result of a collective effort led by the IDFC Foundation, this Report brings together a range of perspectives from academics, researchers and practitioners committed to enhancing educational practices. It will be an invaluable resource for policymakers, researchers and corporates.

Teaching Music Differently explores what music teachers do and why. It offers insightful analysis of eight in-depth studies of teachers in a range of settings - the early years, a special school, primary and secondary schools, a college, a prison, a conservatoire and a community choir - and demonstrates that pedagogy is not simply the delivery of a curriculum or an enactment of a teaching plan. Rather, a teacher's pedagogy is complex, nuanced and influenced by a multitude of factors. Exploring the theories teachers hold about their own teaching, it reveals that, even when teachers are engaged with the same subject, their teaching varies substantially. It analyses the differences in terms of agency - the knowledge and skills that teachers bring to teaching, their expectations shaped by their life histories, the ways in which they relate to their students and the subject and their ideas about the content they teach - what is important, what is interesting, what is difficult for students to grasp. It also explores the constraints that are imposed upon the teachers - by curriculum, policy, institutions, society and the students themselves. Together with discussion of key ideas for understanding the case studies, historical influences on music pedagogy and the main discourses around music teaching, Teaching Music Differently invites all music education professionals to consider their own responses to pedagogical discourses and to use these discourses to further the development of the profession as a whole.

Talk Box supports teachers implementing the new curriculum, who are looking for fresh ideas with a focus on teaching talk skills, encouraging discussion and developing articulate children. It sets out different types of teaching involving children learning collaboratively through discussion with peers and centres on step-by-step lesson plans to develop hidden potential across the entire classroom. At the heart of the lesson plans is the 'talk box' - a collection of interesting objects which provide a focus for class discussion and where the activities are based on these linked ideas: * Young children need their teachers to help them make sense of the world; * The most effective medium for explaining, discussing, describing with children, is talk; * Children learn very well from one another when taught how to do so, and are a good resource for one another in the classroom; * Children may be able to talk, but they are not often aware what sort of talk can help them to get the best from their education; * Direct teaching of essential talk skills and understanding is straightforward and should be undertaken in school classrooms. The numerous lesson plans included in this book are each built around specific learning objectives for speaking and listening and cover subjects such as literacy, numeracy, science, citizenship, ICT and Computing. Each lesson includes a resources list and photocopiable worksheets and range from whole class to small group work. This book will help you teach children to engage in the educationally effective kind of discussion known as Exploratory Talk, where everyone's viewpoint is considered, opinions are justified with reasons, and decisions are made together. This new edition includes updated curriculum links, new research findings, a home-school link section and contain additional EAL and SEN materials.

First published in 1973, this book considers the differences between mainstream schools and special educational needs schools, for children with learning disabilities. It contains a wealth of research data, case history material and reference to existing literature, designed to answer many questions which parents, heads, and schoolteachers have asked. Questions considered include whether children with disabilities do as well in ordinary schools as children without, whether they are as happy and well adjusted, and how they fit into the social structure of the class. The book also looks at whether much teasing occurs and how practical difficulties can be overcome.

Jumpstart! Study Skills presents a collection of engaging and simple-to-use games and activities that will jumpstart students' understanding of working independently and as part of a group and how to develop the study skills necessary to succeed at school. Providing teachers with a range of practical ideas and strategies to promote active learning in Key Stage 2, the activities in this book will help students to: create plans for investigations and assignments; improve their organisational skills: time management and teamwork; collect data using methods such as observations, surveys and interviews; develop their reading and notetaking skills; engage in meaningful discussions and develop their talk skills; advance their computer skills to sift and record data; create strategies for revising and preparing for tests; analyse data and draw conclusions; improve their ability to write reports; evaluate their own achievements and identify future targets. Jumpstart! Study Skills is an essential classroom resource that will encourage children's development and help teachers to deliver effective lessons that promote active learning in Key Stage 2.

Jumpstart! Study Skills presents a collection of engaging and simple-to-use games and activities that will jumpstart students' understanding of working independently and as part of a group and how to develop the study skills necessary to succeed at school. Providing teachers with a range of practical ideas and strategies to promote active learning in Key Stage 2, the activities in this book will help students to: create plans for investigations and assignments; improve their organisational skills: time management and teamwork; collect data using methods such as observations, surveys and interviews; develop their reading and notetaking skills; engage in meaningful discussions and develop their talk skills; advance their computer skills to sift and record data; create strategies for revising and preparing for tests; analyse data and draw conclusions; improve their ability to write reports; evaluate their own achievements and identify future targets. Jumpstart! Study Skills is an essential classroom resource that will encourage children's development and help teachers to deliver effective lessons that promote active learning in Key Stage 2.

Mathematics and Multi-Ethnic Students provides detailed profiles of teachers across the nation who have implemented effective mathematics instruction for diverse student populations. In this revised edition, Yvelyne Germain-McCarthy expands upon the popular case studies and adds two new chapters to highlight the latest educational research and practices that are reflected in the case studies. A third new chapter introduces the concept of the Life-Long Learning Laboratory where courageous questions on issues such as the impact of race on student learning are discussed. Featuring useful framing tools including the Discussion with Colleagues and Commentary sections, Mathematics and Multi-Ethnic Students translates concrete instances of access and equity into generalized problem-solving methods for promoting ethnic diversity across grade levels. An important resource for pre-service and in-service educators, researchers, administrators, and policy makers, this volume highlights the work of teachers who have gone beyond mere awareness of reform recommendations in mathematics instruction. By uniting the goals of multicultural education with those of the mathematics curriculum, educators will learn to conceptualize and implement best practices for effective, equitable teaching and learning of mathematics for their students.

While many initial education benchmarks are being met, new and continuing challenges exist for adolescent girls in the developing world. Discrimination, violence, marginalization, and health-related issues prevail, making proper education at the middle school level crucial during this unique development time. As we continue to see the expectations for girls grow, education for girls must also find a new place within the evolving norms of political, economic, cultural and social life. This volume takes a global look at the obstacles and enablers in girls' education that can have lasting institutional, psychological and social consequences. It looks at many complex issues affecting education for adolescent girls around the world, including the underlying global demands for women in the formal workforce and the universal impact of gender-based violence, and provides a critical framework through which researchers may explore and critique these complexities.

If you are teaching - or learning - to teach primary science, this is the toolkit to support you!Highly respected and widely used, Essential Primary Science 2E blends essential subject knowledge with a vast array of teacher activities. Updated and revised throughout to reflect the requirements of the new National Curriculum, it covers the essential knowledge and understanding that you need; plus it offers over 200 great ideas for teaching primary science at KS1 and KS2 - so no more late nights thinking up creative new ways to teach key concepts!Written in a friendly and supportive style this new edition offers: Over 200 original and new activities to complement the new curriculum, ready for you to try out in the classroomTips on how to ensure each lesson includes both practical and investigative elementsSuggestions on how to make your lessons engaging, memorable and inclusiveHow to deal with learners' common scientific misconceptions in each topicTwo new chapters on working scientifically and how to tackle assessmentNew up-to-date web links to quality free resources Drawing on their own extensive teaching experience and understanding of the new National Curriculum, the authors provide the essential guide to teaching primary science for both trainee teachers and qualified teachers who are not science specialists.

This book explores a new way of thinking about teaching and learning. Its central goal is to help us understand how we think and learn; it will also help teachers understand children and offers a new and helpful perspective on the role of teaching. The book provides an orientation or way of thinking about the psychological dimensions of teaching and learning. This orientation is discussed in relation to cultural shifts that have influenced all fields of study; in education and psychology, the shift is reflected in the works of such scholars as Piaget, Vygotsky, Bruner, and others. Their work marks a change from a mechanical view of learning to a view of learning as dynamic transformation. In Learning Is a Verb, Sherrie Reynolds discusses how thinking about teaching and learning must change so that we can create conditions that help children think and interact with one another in helpful, healthy ways. Her engaging, conversational style, together with many examples and observations, will lead readers from reflection on their experiences to a deeper understanding of the changes needed in our educational system.

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has been the focus of much debate and development within education, especially in the primary sector. This text offers tried and tested ideas for using IT effectively across the whole primary curriculum.

This study, first published in 1982, approaches children from an ethogenic viewpoint. It records their own accounts of their social world and sees them as members of a distinct culture with its own perspective, code of behaviour and strategies for making sense of their lives. The author suggests that teachers who can take the pupil's perspective into account will work together more successfully with these pupils in the process of communicating their adult knowledge to the children. This title will be of interest to students of sociology and education.

In this study, first published in 1985, the author explores the construction of educational ideologies and assesses to what extent they are put into practice by the teachers. He examines the 'politics' of education within the school; the extent to which the head teacher, as the bureaucratic authority in the school, seeks to impose his or her own views and the degree to which teachers see themselves as possessing professional autonomy. The study also pays attention to status differentiation within the education of the working class and explores the educational consequences of ethnic and gender status group membership. This title will be of interest to sociology and education.

First published in 1981, this work is based on the author's research in the playgrounds of two Oxford schools. It describes the order amongst the apparent chaos by relating the playtime activities - the games, rhymes and taunts of five-to-ten-year-olds in first and middle schools - to children's goals, problems and solutions. It shows how children learn and display in the playground a remarkably complex set of social skills and the study clearly demonstrates the importance of playtime for preparing a child to cope in the adult world.