This insightful volume offers an overview of the fundamentals of lesson student practice in US teacher education as well as examples from math and science teacher educators using lesson study in their local contexts. The number of teacher educators using lesson study with preservice teachers is small but growing. This book is aimed at teacher educators who may want to try lesson study in university contexts without the challenge of translating the practice from the K-12 context on their own. In this volume, lesson study is broadly overviewed, attention is given to its constituent steps, and examples of lesson study in preservice contexts are shared. Given the broad array of teacher education program designs, numerous contingencies guide teacher educators in their implementation of lesson study, given their contextual affordances and limitations. The lesson study descriptions and cases in this book will support teacher educators and scholars across subject specialities and geographic lines, as they seek instructional frameworks to advance their pedagogical goals.

This insightful volume offers an overview of the fundamentals of lesson student practice in US teacher education as well as examples from math and science teacher educators using lesson study in their local contexts. The number of teacher educators using lesson study with preservice teachers is small but growing. This book is aimed at teacher educators who may want to try lesson study in university contexts without the challenge of translating the practice from the K-12 context on their own. In this volume, lesson study is broadly overviewed, attention is given to its constituent steps, and examples of lesson study in preservice contexts are shared. Given the broad array of teacher education program designs, numerous contingencies guide teacher educators in their implementation of lesson study, given their contextual affordances and limitations. The lesson study descriptions and cases in this book will support teacher educators and scholars across subject specialities and geographic lines, as they seek instructional frameworks to advance their pedagogical goals.

A Good Fit for All Kids supports teachers in constructing research-based, collaborative approaches to teaching writing, in print and technology-mediated forms, for diverse, inclusive classrooms. Based on lessons drawn from an experimental writing enrichment program, the book illustrates how teachers and students benefit from a well-sequenced writing curriculum with high expectations for a heterogeneous population of participants, including students who have often been poorly served by writing instruction in schools. Former high school teacher and teacher educator Kelly Chandler-Olcott delves into detail on key topics such as planning, inquiry stance, modeling, and conferring, and shows how each can be better adapted to inclusive classrooms with innovative uses of writers' notebooks, ""noticings"" activities, and ""on the fly"" conferencing. The book also includes lesson plan templates, protocols for examining student work, routines for balancing explicit instruction with group work, and ideas for strategic grouping at different stages of composing, among other tested tools. A teacher-friendly resource grounded in empirical research yet filled with practical advice, A Good Fit for All Kids is uniquely suited for educators interested in making high-quality writing a special focus for professional learning communities and other collaborative efforts.

Clinical Simulations as Signature Pedagogy explores the use of live-actor simulations as an engaging training tool to better prepare educational professionals for school-wide challenges. In this volume, editors Benjamin H. Dotger and Kelly Chandler-Olcott present a persuasive overview of this effective method of professional development and show how it resonates with other practice-based initiatives. Through original case studies, the book’s contributors demonstrate how live-actor simulations serve as valuable assets in the training of teachers, school counselors, and school leaders. They show how simulations provide a safe shared-learning environment that closely approximates authentic problems of practice while reducing the complexity of the instructional context in manageable ways. The contributors point out how the method standardizes training, ensuring that all candidates have comparable opportunities to practice and master key skills and habits of mind, among other advantages. Each case study showcases a distinct way in which educational simulations have been used to address common issues confronting educators, such as educational equity, community building, and cultural responsiveness. In addition, the cases highlight subject-specific concerns, from fostering inclusivity in physical education to presenting differing approaches to mathematical problems, for which live-actor simulations provide a dynamic learning context. Ultimately, this book illustrates why clinical simulations have emerged as a powerful pedagogical tool that holds promise for the professional preparation and continuing education of educators, counselors, and school leaders.