Books

In this timely and thoughtful call to action, author and educator Starr Sackstein examines the critical intersection between assessment and social and emotional learning (SEL), particularly as it affects students of colour and other marginalised groups. The book addresses the five SEL competencies identified by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) – self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making – and explains how teaching students to develop their abilities in these areas can help them improve their learning and assessment experiences.

With ever-changing demands and diverse learning needs, teaching is a daunting, challenging endeavour. Author Karen Gazith seeks to help teachers meet this challenge by incorporating best practices into their classrooms. Teaching with purpose: How to thoughtfully implement evidence-based practices in your classroom is built on seven well-researched principles that can assist teachers in creating a classroom environment conducive to learning for every student present. Ranging from improving classroom management to establishing and communicating learning goals, the principles are applicable to both new and veteran teachers alike. These seven principles construct a robust picture of what the classroom can and should be: a safe place of learning and growth.

Best practices at Tier 2: Supplemental interventions for additional student support, elementary offers Years F–5 teachers proven response to intervention (RTI) strategies for responding to students who need additional support after core instruction.

Removing the mask provides research that shows gifted children from poverty may respond or behave differently than children who come from more affluent backgrounds. Case studies illustrate how limited resources impact individual students’ academic achievement. When teachers look at children’s potential instead of their demonstrated achievement, they will discover the brightest and most creative minds in any classroom.

Personalised competency-based education (PCBE) is a system of education in which students each learn at the individual pace and progress depends on mastery rather than age. While PCBE has countless benefits, one challenge of adopting this system is scheduling classes and organising learning on a daily basis. Scheduling for personalized competency-based education guides F–12 school leaders and teachers through resolving this issue. The authors offer an overview of the PCBE system, describe the use of student data as the foundation for PCBE scheduling and address various considerations related to creating a schedule that prioritises students’ learning needs. They detail the processes for structuring and transitioning to two types of PCBE schedules: (1) horizontal and (2) vertical.

As schools are filled with increasingly diverse student populations with diverse learning needs, inclusive education becomes more important by the day. In Inclusion strategies and interventions, second edition, author Toby J Karten aims to help educators provide consistent and strong learning pathways and create classrooms conducive to learning for both general education learners and learners with special needs.

With warmth and wisdom informed by her experience as a school administrator, autism educator, clinician and a parent of a son on the spectrum, Barbara Boroson provides a holistic look at the challenges students on the spectrum face in the areas of anxiety, executive function, sensation, communication, socialisation, engagement and cognitive acquisition. You’ll learn to decode the functional and behavioural manifestations of the challenges and you’ll gain practical and research-based pre-emptive, supportive and responsive strategies.

Bridges out of poverty is a uniquely powerful tool designed for social, health and legal services professionals. Based in part on Dr Ruby K Payne’s myth-shattering A framework for understanding poverty, Bridges reaches out to millions of service providers and businesses whose daily work connects them with people in poverty.

The autism lens helps teachers connect to students with autism and support them confidently within inclusive classrooms. Exploring communication difficulties that affect socialisation and learning, this book removes the guesswork by offering practical solutions.

In Best practices at Tier 3, the authors provide Years F–5 educators with research-based response to intervention (RTI) strategies to meet the needs of students who have fallen the furthest behind in the classroom. Using this guide, educators will ascertain how to improve their school’s Tier 3 intensive interventions so that they give these students the support they need to learn at the highest levels.

The power of place offers a comprehensive and compelling case for making communities the locus of learning for students of all ages and backgrounds, dispelling the notion that place-based education is an approach limited to those who can afford it.

Searching for the golden ticket to teaching and learning? You won’t find one here - you’ll find many. You’ll find the right one for you. A one-size-fits-all approach to teaching doesn’t work. Empowering students through personalised learning does. Far from being another teaching fad, empowering students through personalised learning can increase equity, encourage self-directed learning and improve outcomes for all students. Inspiring student empowerment shows you how to out this vision into practice with strategies, frameworks, examples, suggestions, templates and tools. Each chapter has discussion questions and a link to a video where the author shares more information for reflection and further exploration.