reseńas educativas (Spanish)
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Brief reviews for October 2007
Avergon, Diana J. & Avergon, Eugene B. (2006). Naturally Occurring Art: Cross-Curricular Lesson Plans Grades 7- 12. Fort Atkinson, WI: Nasco.
Pages: 31 Price: $15.75 ISBN: n/a
Naturally Occurring Art by Diane and Eugene Avergon is an excellent lesson plan resource focused on grades 7 through 12, although several of the lessons could easily be adapted for grades K through 6 for age appropriate results. This thematic compilation of 28 lesson plans is on durable card stock in a sturdy clear envelope making it convenient to use in the classroom setting. The lessons revolve around natural forms and explore mixed media, painting, and drawing in 2-D forms of art.
Each lesson is clearly outlined including Focus, Objectives, Resources, Materials, and Procedures, and could be used effectively to create cross-curricular connections between contents (such as art and science). No specific directions are given on how the art making lesson could be incorporated into mainstream content areas, but the lessons presented include ideas relating to the solar system, land forms and oceans, and things related to nature.
If you are a teacher in any content area and would like to incorporate art or are an art teacher looking for new art lesson ideas, this set would serve you well. The lesson plans are easy to read and give clear visual examples. No national art standards or content area related standards are stated as part of these lesson plans. I believe these authors have not included standards because they vary for each state, however they could have attempted to add national standards at least for art to give each lesson a measure of credibility. Teachers who use this resource would likely know their state and national standards which they can apply in the lesson.
This set is an easy, usable resource for those classroom teachers looking for quick access to art activities for their students.
Reviewed by Dr. Heidi C. Mullins, Assistant Professor of Art and Art Education, Eastern Washington University
Ben-Hur, Meir (2006). Concept-Rich Mathematics Instruction: Building a Strong Foundation for Reasoning and Problem Solving. Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Pages: 152 Price: $25.95 ISBN: 1-4166-0359-X
When searching for effective methods of mathematics instruction, teachers are often looking for something that will assist them in practically addressing the needs of students who struggle to grasp mathematical concepts. More than likely all math teachers have expressed the following sentiments at one time or another: "When my students left yesterday, I thought they knew how to divide fractions; but none of them accurately completed their homework;" or "They could do the practice problems, but when they got to the word problems, they didnŐt have a clue what to do."
In Concept-Rich Mathematics Instruction, Meir Ben-Hur offers practical insights that address these and other problems often expressed by math teachers. Beginning with a discussion of why students need to have a conceptual understanding of math lessons, Ben-Hur explores the differences between direct and mediated learning experiences. He introduces what he refers to as Concept-Rich Instruction, which is characterized by the importance of developing cognitive processes within students. Further, Concept-Rich Instruction promotes reflective thinking on the part of both the student and the teacher.
Ben-Hur suggests that as teachers think reflectively about student errors, they better understand student misconceptions and adjust instruction accordingly. By adequately identifying these specific misconceptions (e.g., there are no numbers smaller than zero or algebraic misunderstandings related to the nature of rational numbers), math teachers can better meet the diverse needs of their students. The book provides authentic interactions between students and teachers engaged in various math lessons, providing the reader with a clear understanding of Concept-Rich Instruction.
Ben-Hur offers specific strategies that promote metacognition and higher order thinking. Teachers who wrestle with how to integrate word problems will find practical suggestions for helping their students develop the thinking skills needed to independently solve such problems. The book concludes with a discussion of process-oriented assessments in a variety of formats, which includes journaling, self- assessments, portfolios, and even the often controversial issue of homework. Upper elementary, middle school, and high school teachers will greatly benefit from carefully examining Concept-Rich Mathematics Instruction.
Reviewed by Kathy Evans and Jessica Lester, The University of Tennessee
Coggins, Debra; Kravin, Drew; Coates, Grace Dávila & Carroll, Maria Dreux (2007). English Language Learners in the Mathematics Classroom. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Pages: 144 Price: $61.95(hardcover); $27.95(paperback) ISBN: 9781412937597(hardcover); 9781412937603(paperback)
The population of English language learners (ELLs) in U.S. schools continues to grow as educators struggle to provide appropriate and effective mathematics instruction for students from linguistically diverse backgrounds. Some educators understand mathematics to be a "universal language" and do not provide ELLs adequate instructional support in accessing mathematical content and building language skills (Khisty & Morales, 2004). Other teachers receive little training on how to teach ELLs, especially in mathematics, and simply do not have the requisite skills to meet the academic and linguistic needs of second language learners (Téllez & Waxman, 2006). In light of these challenges facing ELLs and their mathematics teachers, English Language Learners in the Mathematics Classroom offers educators helpful tools for improving classroom practice with second language learners.
What makes this text so valuable for classroom teachers is its level of specificity. Instead of offering broad suggestions for instructing ELLs, such as "activate prior knowledge" or "create an interactive classroom environment," the authors describe specific instructional strategies that simultaneously teach content and develop language and are appropriate for use with both elementary and secondary students. Additionally, the text addresses the use of the instructional strategies with ELLs of varied English proficiency levels. The first chapter, "Developing Conversational Language" and the second chapter, "Developing Academic Language," highlight the importance of communication for ELLs in the mathematics classroom. Chapters three through six focus on scaffolding, concrete materials, visual learning and questioning strategies, and the last chapter, "Comprehensible Input" helps teachers combine multiple strategies to provide ELLs mathematics instruction that is both rigorous and accessible. Each of the seven chapters includes a teacher-friendly overview of the scholarly research that supports the instructional strategy, an example from a real classroom complete with student work samples in which the strategy was used, an analysis of the classroom example in terms of mathematics content and language development, a list of practical teacher tips for implementing the instructional strategy, and finally, a thorough description of the instructional strategy. The chapters end with questions that encourage teachers to reflect on prior practice and to plan for implementation of the instructional strategies with second language learners.
While Coggins, Kravin, Coates, and Carroll premise the book by stating that the use of the primary language is the best way for ELLs to build mathematical concepts and skills, the authors concede the reality of U.S. classrooms in which most ELLs are taught by teachers who are not proficient in the students' home languages and cannot utilize the primary language for mathematics instruction. The book is intended for teachers working in settings such as self-contained classrooms, departmentalized mathematics classrooms or in programs specifically geared to language learners, and although the book is not presented as an exhaustive source on teaching mathematics to second language learners, the contents offer help to all types of teachers. Pre-service teachers will appreciate the explicit connections between theory and practice, novice in-service teachers will benefit from the specific classroom examples that encourage appropriate implementation, and the reflective questions will afford more experienced teachers the opportunity to analyze and improve upon practice. One area in which the authors could provide increased guidance to teachers is in the delivery of culturally relevant mathematics instruction. While the authors note at the outset the importance of "identifying cultural connections" (p. ix) in mathematics instruction with ELLs, specifics on the process of creating meaningful cultural connections would be helpful as embedded pieces of the classroom examples.
This text presents a toolbox of strategies for teachers who wish to empower ELLs to master mathematical concepts and skills while also developing English language in meaningful contexts. The included overviews of research allow teachers to make informed instructional decisions in their work with ELLs, and the classroom examples detail the process through which the instructional strategies are appropriately implemented. The accessible and specific nature of this text makes it a valuable resource for teachers who serve language learners in the mathematics classroom.
References
Khisty, L. L., & Morales, H. Jr. (2004). Discourse matters: Equity, access, and Latinos' learning mathematics. Retrieved March 21, 2007, from http://www.icme- organisers.dk/tsg25/subgroups/khisty.doc.
Téllez, K., & Waxman, H. C. (2006). Preparing quality teachers for English Language Learners: An overview of the critical issues. In K. Téllez & H. C. Waxman (Eds.), Improving educator quality for English Language Learners: Research, policies, and practices (pp. 1- 22). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Reviewed by Brooke Kandel-Cisco, Research assistant & doctoral student, Texas A&M University. Her research focuses on literacy instruction for middle school second language learners and the professional development of teachers who work with English language learners.
Fletcher, Ralph (2006). Boy Writers: Reclaiming Their Voices. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.
Pages: 176 Price: $17.50 ISBN: 978-157110-425-0
When I was in fourth grade, I wrote a mildly violent story about two hardened criminals who break into the Michigan Space and Science Center, steal some moon rocks and other precious artifacts, and make their escape by commandeering a moon rover from one of the exhibits. The bulk of the narrative is devoted to a lengthy car chase with police, marked by lots of gun fighting, crazy stunt driving and general mayhem. Ultimately, it doesn't end well for the protagonists, who go out in a proverbial blaze of glory. Mrs. Shafer, my language arts teacher that year, indulged my fascination with action movie conventions by letting me write, illustrate and publish "The Hijacked Center" for a storybook-making project, and politely based her grading on my ability to write a coherent narrative, if not an entirely believable one. I'm still not sure where I got the idea that a moon rover could outrun a police cruiser, but it did make for some interesting illustrations.
In eighth grade, instead of forcing me to write ten decontextualized sentences to demonstrate my mastery of each week's vocabulary words, my English teacher Dr. Cameron gave me free rein to weave my new words into brief narrative sketches, most of which ended up substantially longer than ten sentences and featured plotlines borrowed from Stephen King and The Twilight Zone. I was lucky enough to have her for English again in ninth grade, where I had the opportunity to select any topic I desired for the end of the year research project. I chose to write about The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a decision Dr. Cameron supported with a smile and which resulted in one of my most self-actualizing writing experiences prior to college. I tracked down every reference to Rocky Horror that I could find in a decade's run of the Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature, and even had my first experience placing a special order at the local bookstore to obtain an out-of-print copy of The Rocky Horror Picture Show Book (Henkin, 1979). I went well beyond the minimum of five sources and handwrote the final copy of my research paper in my very first all- night writing frenzy, accompanied by the Rocky Horror audience participation album spinning on my turntable over and over again. I still have that paper, which was well-received incidentally, along with most of the short stories I wrote for Dr. Cameron, and I've never forgotten the lines she wrote in my yearbook: "When you're as famous as Stephen King, I'll say I remember him when…"
At the heart of Ralph Fletcher's Boy Writers: Reclaiming Their Voices lies the provocative notion that writing instruction isn't about teaching writing; it's about teaching writers, and upon this central premise Fletcher bases all of his ideas about how to nurture boys in the "dangerous, supervised sport" (p. 49) of writing. Some of my own teachers, like Mrs. Shafer and Dr. Cameron, seemed to have accepted that premise long ago, but reading Fletcher's book made me appreciate how progressive those teachers were, and, unfortunately, how atypical my formative experiences as a boy writer were. In contrast to Fletcher's popular Craft Lessons books, Boy Writers does not offer readers a nuts and bolts methods book of lesson plans and writing prompts. Rather, Fletcher aims for something more ambitious: a paradigm shift in the way we relate to young writers, boys in particular. While classroom teachers should find Fletcher's advice especially thought-provoking and useful, Boy Writers is written for a broader audience, including parents, teacher educators, literacy advocates and perhaps even policy makers and boys themselves, anyone with an interest in helping young men and boys become enthusiastic and expressive writers.
In a series of quick, concise chapters, Boy Writers covers a broad spectrum of issues revolving around boys' underachievement in and disengagement from writing, including teachers' frequent reluctance to embrace the kinds of writing that many boys are most eager to craft and the overly judgmental atmosphere that often pervades the writing classroom, with its meticulous focus on exact spelling, perfect mechanics and near-calligraphic handwriting. In advocating that teachers offer more opportunities for boys to write about topics and in genres of personal interest and that they spend more time collaborating closely with boys to discover what they're passionate about and how they've chosen to express those passions in their writing, Fletcher asks teachers to keep one question in mind at all times when conceiving writing assignments or activities, "will this serve my goal of creating lifelong writers?" (p. 166). While Boy Writers is firmly engaged with the mainstream of recent publications on boys and literacy (readers familiar with the literature will quickly recognize Fletcher's common cause with the work of Tom Newkirk, Michael Gurian, Jeff Wilhelm and Michael Smith), the emphasis Fletcher places on the power of choice, pleasure and close mentorship in fostering motivation to write results in a conceptual framework for writing instruction that should prove beneficial for all students.
Fletcher's determination to give his book "a boy flavor" (p. 7) by including a rich selection of anecdotes, interviews and samples of boys' writing makes for an engaging and personal read. Boy Writers is grounded in empirical research into boys' writing habits and motivations for writing (a useful home writing survey instrument is included as an appendix, and interview transcripts throughout model a protocol for talking with students about writing), although literacy researchers looking for guidance in studying boys' writing may be frustrated that Fletcher does not lay out his methods and data more explicitly. However, as Fletcher notes early on, "the issue feels abstract until you start thinking in terms of actual boys and their experiences expressing themselves through written words," (p. 14) and by privileging the words and images of actual boys throughout the book, Fletcher succeeds in reclaiming boys' voices for educators to hear. As a former boy writer, I appreciated Fletcher's validation of the approaches taken by the teachers who created memorably engaging environments for me to explore and lay claim to my own writing voice. As a current teacher educator, I am glad that Fletcher has not only added his powerful voice to the chorus advocating for more student- centered literacy instruction, but more importantly that he has also provided in Boy Writers a principled way to think about how to transform classrooms to achieve that end.
References
Henkin, B. (1979). The Rocky Horror Picture Show book. New York: Plume.
Reviewed by Sean Kottke, Faculty of Reading/Language Arts, The Robert B. Miller College, Binda School of Education.
Harvey, Stephanie & Goudvis, Anne (2007) Strategies That Work: Teaching Comprehension to Enhance Understanding. Second edition. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.
Pages: 339 Price: $30.00 ISBN: 978-1-57110-481-6
The process of reading is not a half sleep, but, in the highest sense, an exercise, a gymnast's struggle; that the reader is to do something for himself, must be on the alert, must himself or herself construct indeed the poem, argument, history, metaphysical essay- the text furnishing the hints, the clue, the start of frame- work. — Walt WhitmanIn the current educational landscape, there is a great deal of scrutiny and emphasis placed on the instruction of reading. Many educators wrestle with the process of teaching reading comprehension and how to effectively instruct their students to become active readers. Strategies That Work (second edition) is a "must read" for beginning or veteran teachers, pre-service teachers, reading specialists, administrators, and parents who desire to assist students as they juggle their way into becoming thoughtful and independent readers.As reading practitioners, the authors have spent the last twenty years applying research in their classroom practice. Their passion for writing about reading comprehension reflects their varied backgrounds as classroom teacher, special education teacher, staff developer, and adjunct professor. In 1999, they co-authored Strategies That Work and now seven years later have written a second edition which reflects new reading research and what they have learned about reading comprehension instruction in the last seven years.
A new theme threading its way throughout the book is called active literacy. Typically, a teacher who promotes active literacy within his or her classroom will actively engage students in reading, writing, talking, listening, and investigating across the curriculum (p. 2). In addition to the theme of active literacy, the authors also emphasize the role of background knowledge and its role in activating the student's ability to comprehend the thinking and reading done in the classroom. Twenty new lessons have been added with most emphasizing the relationship of activating background knowledge to all of the comprehension strategies described in the book.
According to Harvey and Goudvis, the purpose of comprehension instruction is to teach strategies as tools which can be used in many circumstances and with a variety of texts. Thus, Strategies That Work is a practical resource packed with a repertoire of reading strategies and ideas that can immediately be incorporated in the classroom. The authors have succinctly written specific steps describing how to incorporate the reading strategies into classroom instruction. Harvey and Goudvis provide examples of students' written and spoken work as well as examples of classroom vignettes which model how reading strategies might be used in a real classroom setting.
The new edition is organized into four sections:
- Part I explains the meaning of comprehension and the principles that guide reading instruction. There is a review of recent research and a new section on assessments. In addition, a new chapter, "Tools for Active Literacy: The Nuts and Bolts of Comprehension Instruction," expands ways to engage students in interactive literacy through think- alouds, read-alouds, guided discussions, and authentic written responses.
- Part II is practical in nature. Chapters are organized by strategies such as monitoring, activating background knowledge, questioning, visualizing and inferring, determining the importance in expository text, and summarizing and synthesizing information. Each chapter includes lessons and practices which highlight the use of strategies to strengthen the teaching of reading comprehension. The authors have included learning goals at the end of each strategy chapter which are helpful for assessing students' learning. They also include examples of student work and suggestions for differentiation.
- Part III is a new section in which the authors share practical ways to integrate comprehension and content instruction across the curriculum. Included in this section are chapters on social studies and science textbook reading and topic study research. The last chapter is devoted to teaching students specific strategies for test reading. Educators will find the hints and suggestions helpful as they prepare their students for standardized assessments.
- Part IV, "Resources that Support Strategy Instruction" is brimming with a plethora of resources intended to augment the instruction of reading. Most educators and parents will find the thirty-three page list of great books for teaching literacy extremely helpful. In addition, a list of magazines and newspapers (grades 2-12), websites, and professional journals that review children's books will be instrumental in helping teachers design their reading instruction. The authors have included an index as well as a reference for many children's books and adult resources.
Overall, Strategies That Work (second edition) is a well written, well organized, practical anthology of reading strategies, comprehension lessons, assessments, and resources. The authors' purpose in writing the second edition is to expand the breadth and depth of reading instruction through strategies which help increase student engagement in reading across the curriculum. Readers who are familiar with the first edition will note the addition of new chapters as well as the revised chapters which have been rewritten to reflect new stories and research. Although one can read through the entire book, Harvey and Goudvis encourage readers to pick and choose chapters which most fit their needs. Many of the lessons presented in the book represent a wide range of grade levels and can be easily adapted.
As a veteran teacher of twenty plus years, this reader highly recommends Strategies That Work (second edition) to anyone working with students in the area of reading. The authors have synthesized reading research into practical instruction which teachers can easily implement to help their students become active readers, capable of thinking critically across the curriculum.
References
Whitman, W. (1871). Democratic Vistas. Paragraph 129. Retrieved 9/20/07 from http://www.bartleby.com/2 29/20025.html.
Reviewed by Patricia L. Burgess, University of the Pacific, Benerd School of Education.
Hillocks, Jr., George (2007). Narrative Writing: Learning a New Model for Teaching. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Pages: 164 Price: $19.50 ISBN: 0-325-00842-6
Csikszentmihalyi (1990) writes:
First of all, writing gives the mind a disciplined means of expression. It allows one to record events and experiences so that they can be easily recalled, and relived in the future. It is a way to analyze and understand experiences, a self-communication that brings order to them (p. 131).Despite this potentially empowering definition of writing, one is left to question: How does writing give the mind a disciplined means of expression, how does one record events and experiences, and how does one write to analyze and understand experience? What does this theory of writing look like in practice?Drawing on more than twenty years of teaching in diverse urban environments, George Hillocks, Jr. in Narrative Writing: Learning a New Model for Teaching seeks to answer these questions as he outlines a method for teaching narrative writing. He focuses on procedural knowledge in order to "engage students in thinking creatively and critically in meaningful contexts" (p. 13). To do this work, Hillocks provides a research-based approach using narrative classroom teaching examples from his experiences with the Master of Arts Teaching English Program at the University of Chicago, student work, and quantitative data that is presented in Appendix A, "An Assessment of Teaching Narrative in Inner-City Schools." The book is organized in such a way that the reader enters into one of Hillocks classrooms and follows the flow of instruction as students and teachers work together to produce narrative writing that gives the mind a disciplined means of expression, ways to record events and experiences, and ways to analyze and understand those experiences.
Hillocks focuses his definition of high quality narrative writing on three components – specificity, style, and elaboration. Each chapter presents lessons that aim to help students establish procedural knowledge about these three components. Using object analysis, mentor texts, and teacher writing, the lessons move from large group to small group to individual work as students develop a more complex understanding of the components. By incorporating the three components and the methods used to teach the components, teachers will be able to extend narrative writing to more sophisticated levels that will challenge middle and high school writers from all backgrounds.
Hillocks derives his notions about elaboration from story grammar theory that "include[s] a statement of setting or ongoing action and an episode consisting of an initiating event … an internal response … some attempt by the protagonist to achieve the goal … a consequence indicating whether the goal was achieved …, and a reaction(s) to the consequence" (p. 15-16). In one of his numerous reproducible graphic organizers, Hillocks provides a way to guide students through this process of achieving the integral components of elaboration in narratives thereby achieving a disciplined and complex means of expression. Hillocks' focus on elaboration presents a more refined and structured view of narrative writing and sets the foundation for his ideas about specificity and style.
In this book, Hillocks addresses a common myth in writing classrooms: in order to attain a high level of concrete details, many adjectives are needed. Hillocks debunks this myth by counting the adjectives in passages from Toni Morrison and Charles Dickens where he finds that an overwhelming amount of the detail provided by these authors is accomplished through the use of verbs and nouns, not a heavy reliance on adjectives. For Hillocks, specificity is a more complex syntactical approach than simply adding lots of adjectives. Accordingly, Hillocks defines specificity as "the quality of concreteness, or specificity, deriv[ing] from the imagery produced largely by nouns and verbs and the function words that hold them together" (p. 21). Therefore, Hillocks departs from descriptive adjectives towards an active specificity in which detail, figurative language, dialogue, thoughts, feelings, and sensations work together to produce a concrete narrative. Focusing on nouns and verbs instead of adjectives allows for students to record events and experiences with the vivacity of the lived moment. The focus of specificity moves away from a heavy reliance on adjectives to how sentences and passages are syntactically constructed to achieve concrete and action-packed details.
Helping students to polish their own writing style can sometimes be a difficult task. As middle and high school students mature and navigate the world, narrative writing "is a way to examine the stories of [their] lives" (p. 1). In keeping with his detailed methods of teaching elaborate narrative structure and specificity, Hillocks provides methods that help students to develop a "forcefulness of language and syntax and control over various stylistic devices, including arresting openings and endings and the effective use of humor, suspense, and so forth – aspects of writing that reveal the writer's voice" (p. 25). In other words, Hillocks teaches students how to use language to construct a unique writer's voice. To do this work, Hillocks employs mentor texts to explore "how the works of professional writers are constructed" (p. 1). Using mentor texts that display a range of styles, students are furnished with a collection of avenues to help them develop their own styles and voices.
Using the components – specificity, style, and elaboration – Hillocks offers a comprehensive rubric (p. 27-29) to be used not only "to evaluate student writing, before, during, and after a unit on writing" (p. 15) but also to help teachers "plan what lessons to include from day to day, set the objectives for each lesson, develop a concrete notion of what we need to teach toward in each lesson, and reflect upon the effects of each lesson" (p. 15). Therefore, Hillocks advocates a reflective teaching process where teachers "must critically examine the goals, means, and effects of their teaching and be prepared to revise the goals and means of the teaching process even as it is in progress" (p. 139). The classroom teaching narratives presented throughout the book illustrate what this process looks like and how teachers cultivate a procedural reflective knowledge about the teaching of writing. The teachers presented in the book constantly question their instructional decisions as they deepen their knowledge about the students and their writing. Hillocks couples the narrative examples of reflective teaching alongside reproducible handouts and checklists that delineate such a process, thereby making the synchronous process of planning, teaching, and evaluating as transparent as possible and easily implemented in any classroom.
Hillocks writes, "My students and I would argue that the kinds of activities described in the ensuing chapters result in flow experience for teacher and students alike and result in gains in writing…" (p. 13). Indeed, Hillocks puts Csikszentmihalyi's (1990) theory into practice as he outlines the procedural knowledge that allows for students with differing ability levels and backgrounds to expand the writing skills that "give the mind a disciplined means of expression" (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990, p. 131) by recording the events and experiences in order to analyze and understand them. The sense of flow is not just for student learning. Hillocks' emphasis on reflexive teaching, the simultaneous weaving of planning, teaching, and evaluation, also benefits the teacher by providing a disciplined way to think about the teaching of narrative writing.
Hillocks' book is an elaborate, specific, and stylistic method for teaching writing to students of differing ability levels as well as various cultural and linguistic backgrounds. In addition to providing readers with methods to teach narrative writing, Hillocks supplies teachers with methods that can be extended to other areas of writing instruction. Hillocks' book produces a smart amalgamation of writing theory and practice that will create a sense of flow in any classroom.
References
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York: Harper Perennial.
Reviewed by Susan Nordstrom, a doctoral student in the Language and Literacy Education Department at The University of Georgia
Johnson, Susan Moore (2004 [paperback dated 2007]). Finders and Keepers: Helping New Teachers Survive and Thrive in Our Schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey- Bass.
Pages: 336 Price: $24.95(hardcover); $17.95(paperback) ISBN: 978-0-7879-8764-0(hardcover); 978-0-7879-8764-0(paperback)
In 1999, Susan Moore Johnson and a group of Harvard Education doctoral students instigated the Project on the Next Generation of Teachers with research questions about motivation, priorities and experiences of the new teachers. The study centered on fifty first- and second-year Massachusetts teachers who entered teaching via various paths. The study group included new teachers from traditional teacher education programs, individuals from a fast-track alternative certification program and teachers from charter schools who were not required to hold state licenses. The sample also varied by race, gender, ethnicity and career stage (first career vs. mid-career entrants). In interviewing, the research group explored the teachers' experiences from an organizational perspective to develop implications for how to organize schools so that teachers can succeed and thrive. Understanding how the mindset and culture of the generation of new teachers varies from the generation of retiring teachers is essential to this campus organization.
Finders and Keepers examines issues such as career pathways, salary schedules and incentive pay. Factors contributing to the success of novice teachers include the relationship with the principal; the professional culture of the school; appropriate teaching assignments with instructional leadership, curriculum support, and adequate supplies and equipment; focused induction; making better matches in hiring; and deliberate mentoring. Schools that are successful in keeping new teachers purposefully engage new teachers in the practices and professional culture of the school. These schools are organized to achieve clear purposes and to use time and resources efficiently. The schools have a compelling mission that focuses on student learning. The new teachers became in engaged in a joint professional enterprise that affirms their contribution.
This book is a valuable resource for school administrators in examining hiring and induction practices, as well as understanding the expectations of the new generation of teachers. It is a valuable resource for policy-makers in developing new policies or restructuring old ones to support schools in finding and keeping excellent teachers. The strength of the book comes from the examination of the mindset and expectations of new teachers compared to the culture of what has been the norm for over 40 years in U.S. schools. It is not a definitive guide in finding and keeping teachers, but the structure is the story of what happened to the teachers in the study and factors that may have contributed to the attrition, retention or migration of that teacher. The "ideal" situations described in the hiring and induction process are logical, but are far from the reality of what happens in today's schools. I have found myself pondering how I could encourage the implementation of such processes in some high-need schools.
Finders and Keepers is well-written and thought-provoking. It is not a book of answers. The issue of finding and keeping excellent teachers can no longer be one of getting teachers to fit into the outdated mold, but revising the mold to take advantage of the talents and cultural mindset of the next generation of teachers.
Reviewed by Lee Ann Dumas, the director of Educator Excellence for the Texas Education Agency. This office just awarded $13M in grants to almost 500 campuses in Texas to implement teacher mentoring and induction programs.
Settlage, John & Southerland, Sherry A. (2007). Teaching Science to Every Child: Using Culture as a Starting Point. New York: Routledge.
Pages: 383 Price: $37.95 ISBN: 0415956374
In a guest editorial that Okhee Lee (1997) wrote for The Journal of Research in Science Teaching she posed three questions for science educators to answer. The questions were:
First, what is the nature of science in the science community, and how is this issue related to students from diverse cultures and languages? Second, what is the norm of instructional practices in science classrooms, and how is this related to students from diverse cultures and languages? Finally, what are the ways to achieve scientific literacy for all students, and what courses of action can science educators take? (p. 219).The answers to these questions come from John Settlage of University of Connecticut and Sherry Southerland of Florida State University, both Associate Professors of science education, exactly a decade later. In their new book entitled, Teaching Science to Every Child; Using Culture As a Starting Point Settlage and Southerland explain what science looks like in the context of cultural diversity, how can we teach science in a culturally sensitive fashion and what science educators need to do to prepare future teachers to make science learning more equitable while maintaining excellence.
The book is organized around a conceptual framework that provides teachers and those who want to become teachers with a reformed-based yet practical process of promoting excellence and equity in science teaching. Teacher educators can greatly benefit from this book for instilling dispositions critical to teaching science for all and teaching for students' development of a scientific habit of mind. However, school principles and practicing teachers will also find something to benefit by reading this book.
The content and the presentation of the book connect everyone around the central goal of making Science for All (AAAS, 1993) a reality. The authors mesh their theoretical knowledge of pedagogical approaches to science education with their extensive classroom experiences to make the case for an all inclusive approach to science teaching. The authors provide real examples and ideas not only to assist science teachers to make science accessible to all students but also help them teach science with a purpose.
The book presents three main themes; teaching science as inquiry, accounting for diversity in science instruction, and continuous professional development. The first three chapters of the book focus on the purpose of science education and is an attempt to answer the questions of "What does it mean to be scientifically literate?" and "What does it mean to develop a scientific habit of mind?" in the context of cultural, racial and linguistic diversity.
The authors move on to discuss various effective instructional models that hold potential for reaching all students in the classroom while maintaining rigor in reinforcing students' conceptual understanding and their acquisition of scientific inquiry skills. They draw upon their extensive classroom teaching experiences and their expertise in research to convince the future generations of science teachers that it is possible to make science learning culturally relevant, accessible and challenging.
Not only does the book empower readers with the knowledge and insight necessary to make a deep commitment to the teaching of science for all but it also provides a set of practical examples that teachers can use in their classrooms. At the end of each chapter there is a "favorite lesson" section which embodies the principles of inclusive science instruction that the authors discuss at the beginning of each chapter. However, these activities are not included for you to photocopy and use as it is in your classrooms, rather they are intended to help you design your own lessons. The authors make explicit connections to the National Science Education Standards throughout the chapters. There are questions for reflection and discussion in each chapter to help readers to construct their own ideas about science teaching and learning. Also, the internet companion that can be found on the publisher's website includes vignettes of an intern trying to struggle in her own teaching with some of the ideas that the authors discuss.
The authors describe the characteristics of science as an enterprise and the behaviors of those who practice science. They emphasize that the learning of science is no longer a matter of acquisition of established scientific facts and principles but rather as Lee (1997) suggested it "involves cultivation of a scientific habit of mind that is characterized by the values and attitudes shared and practiced in the scientific community" (p. 220). Then they describe the characteristics of a scientific habit of mind such as ability to make observations, to question, to classify, to measure, to predict, to draw inferences and to formulate logical argumentations based on evidence (AAAS, 1993; Gallagher, 2006, Hurd, 1998; NRC, 1996).
Not only do they provide an elaborate discussion about the nature of scientific knowledge and the characteristics of a scientific habit of mind but they also guide the reader to find practical ways of helping students to understand the nature of scientific knowledge and to promote a scientific habit of mind in science classrooms. Settlage and Southerland emphasize that it is important for someone who is planning to teach science to know what those characteristics and behaviors are so they can teach science as inquiry and scaffold instruction around the goal of promoting a scientific habit of mind among all students.
The remaining chapters of the book focus on strategies for integrating science with other subject matters, finding relevant resources, classroom management and the infusion of technology in science teaching and learning.
In closing, this book serves as an invaluable guide for the teachers of science and science teacher educators who want to create a rigorous learning environment that provides all students with positive and equitable learning experiences in science classrooms.
References
American Association for the Advancement of Science. (1989). Science for all Americans. New York: Oxford.
American Association for the Advancement of Science. (1993). Benchmarks for science literacy. New York: Oxford.
Gallagher, J. J. (2006). Teaching science for understanding: A practical guide for middle and high school teachers. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hal.
Hurd, P. D. (1998). Scientific literacy: New minds for a changing world. Science Education, 82(3), 407-16.
Lee, O. (1997). Scientific literacy for all: What is it, and how can we achieve it? Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 34(3), 219- 22.
National Research Council. (1996). National science education standards. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Retrieved 9/10/07 from http://books.nap.edu/html/nses/
Reviewed by Dr. Mehmet Aydeniz, Assistant Professor of Science Education at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
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