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Creative thinking is something that should be infused into every existing subject area at all year levels, but how do we teach it? SCAMPER, according to its creator Bob Eberle, is an engaging introduction to creative thinking. SCAMPER is an acronym, each letter referring to a different verb. These verbs are techniques to use to encourage creative thinking. When thinkers guide their thoughts using a certain technique they achieve a new outcome and/or idea. Creative thinking is integrated into every learning area of the Australian Curriculum including the F-10 and the Senior Secondary curricula. The activities in SCAMPER Revisited are designed to push students to their creative limits, and help to lay the foundations for continued creative thinking throughout their schooling.

In this lively and eye-opening book, educator Myron Dueck reveals how many of the assessment policies that teachers adopt can actually prove detrimental to student motivation and achievement and shows how we can tailor policies to address what really matters: student understanding of content. Grading Smarter, Not Harder is brimming with reproducible forms, templates, and real-life examples of grading solutions developed to allow students every opportunity to demonstrate their learning. Written with abundant humor and heart, this book is a must-read for all teachers who want their grades to contribute to, rather than hinder, their students' success.

For years, students in the United States have lagged behind students in many other countries on such measures of achievement as the PISA and TIMSS assessments. In an increasingly globalised world, such a gap is worrisome. Armed with statistics, examples and cautionary tales from Scandinavia to Japan, James H. Stronge and Xianxuan Xu have written a book that can help educators better prepare students and close that gap. Educators in every country must ensure that their students are as prepared as possible to lead a future generation of citizens. This though-provoking and copiously researched book provides educators with a blueprint for radical improvement based on the hard-learned experiences of their peers around the world.

Research suggests that metacognition is key to higher student achievement, but studies of classroom practice indicate that few students are taught to use metacognition and the supporting cognitive strategies that make learning easier. You can teach metacognition to your students, so why wouldn't you? Metacognition is a tool that helps students unlock their brain's amazing power and take control of their learning. With that in mind, Wilson and Conyers explain metacognition and how it also equips students to meet today's rigorous education standards. They present a unique blend of useful metaphors, learning strategies and instructional tips you can use to teach your students to be the boss of their brains.

Why are all teachers responsible for teaching reading? The answer is simple. An emphasis on reading and literacy skills in the content areas has an exponential effect on learning in every discipline. Teaching Reading in the Content Areas: If Not Me, Then Who? 3rd Edition draws from new research on the impact of new technologies, the population boom of English language learners and the influence of government standards on student performance, and uses this information to promote better reading strategies and practices in students. This book also includes 40 strategies designed to help students in every year level and across the content areas develop their vocabularies, comprehend informational and narrative texts, and engage in meaningful discussions of what they read.

The Essentials for Achieving Rigour series of instructional guides helps educators become highly skilled at implementing, monitoring and adapting instruction. Readers can put the guides to practical use immediately, adopting day-to-day examples as models for application in their own classrooms.

This comprehensive textbook introduces readers to the most influential theories and models of reading and literacy, ranging from behaviourism and early information-processing theories to social constructionist and critical theories. Focusing on how these theories connect with different curricular approaches to literacy instruction (preschool to Year 12), the author shows how they both shape and are shaped by everyday literacy practices in classrooms. Readers are invited to explore detailed vignettes that offer a practice-based view of theories as they are brought to life in the classroom. This book devotes substantial attention to linguistically and culturally diverse classrooms and 21st-century technologies.

You may be able to design creative, compelling lessons. But if your classroom is chaotic or its inhabitants are disrespectful, your students will not be learning well. And you will be anywhere from dissatisfied to miserable! Kim Campbell knows the ins and outs of classroom management. She's a real, live, practising middle years teacher with a great gift of humour, a straight-talking approach and a parade of 12- to 15-year-old culturally mixed students to keep her honest. This is her story of what works, what doesn’t and what she’s learned from her students, parents and colleagues. In the manner of a teacher having a chat with another teacher, Kim shares strategies, stories and ideas for how to stop creating behaviour and management problems yourself, and more.

Standards, curricula and assessment have been built and rebuilt to provide excellence and achievement. Now we're faced with the one variable that can turn all this effort into ash: the students. Navigate the hot topic of student engagement with a true expert. The author explores the many factors involved in bringing out the best in students, such as relationships, emotions, environment and expectations. Discover how to create an environment in which students feel confident and safe enough to take risks, make mistakes and immerse themselves in learning experiences. Above all, become empowered to demand an authentic joy for learning in your classroom.

Veteran educator Marilee Sprenger explains how to teach the essential, high-frequency words that appear in academic contexts - and reverse the disadvantages of what she calls "word poverty". Drawing on research and experience, Sprenger provides a rich array of engaging strategies to help educators across all content areas and year levels not only teach students a large quantity of words but also ensure that they know these words well. This comprehensive resource has everything you need to help your students profoundly expand their vocabulary, enabling them to speak, read and write with greater understanding and confidence.

This book provides school administrators with practical, easy-to-use and inexpensive ways to reward and recognise the efforts of their staff. More than 100 ideas are divided into three categories based on the amount of effort they require. Recognising and rewarding your staff can be as simple as writing a heartfelt thank-you note to a bus driver or as unexpected as taking a teacher's marking duty for a night. This invaluable guide will help principals and administrators everywhere bring out the best in their teachers and staff members. The best part is that rewarding and inspiring your staff will be rewarding and inspiring for you too.

Pique your students' interest with these 180 icebreakers for all ages to strengthen critical thinking and problem solving skills. Each activity includes  an intriguing fact, a point to ponder, and a project to pursue. Incorporating William's and Bloom's taxonomies, the 'icebreakers' address each of the intelligences and the six levels of thinking. These activities will promote independent thinking and will assist students to succeed in school and life.