Secondary School Teaching: A Guide to Methods and Resources Book

CHAPTER 1: Secondary School Teaching Today: Recognizing and Understanding the Challenge

The Classroom in a Nation of Diversity and Shifting Demographics

 Skill Areas Around Which This Resource Guide is Centered

 The Realities of Teaching Today

 A Rather Recent and in Our Opinion Unfortunate Addition to the Challenge

Orientation: No Single Shoe Fits All

 Start of the School Year Orientation

 The School Year and Teachers’ Schedules

 Teaching Teams

 The Community of Learners Concept

 Nontraditional Scheduling

 Quality Education for Every Student

 Instruction that is Differentiated

 Responsive Practices for Helping Each Student Succeed

Middle-Level Schools

High Schools

The Fundamental Characteristic of Quality Education

 Committed Teachers

 Reflective Decision Making

 School Leadership

 Effects of No Child Left Behind Legislation

Parents, Guardians, and the Community

 Community Service Learning

The Emergent Overall Picture: Current Actions, Trends, Problems, and Issues

 Key Trends and Positive Practices

 Major Problems, Concerns, and Issues

Meeting the Challenge: Initial Guidelines for Recognizing and Providing for Student Differences Thereby Effectively Differentiating the Instruction

Reviewing The Developmental Characteristics of Young People of Particular Age Groups

 Young Adolescents (Ages 9–14)

 Older Adolescents (Ages 15–19)

Summary

Questions for Class Discussion

Exercises

References

CHAPTER 2: Teacher ProfessionalResponsibilities

The Teacher as a Reflective Decision Maker

 Decision-Making Phases of Instruction

 Reflection, Locus of Control, Sense of Self-Efficacy, and Teacher Responsibility

Selected Legal Guidelines

 Student Rights

 Cellular Phones and Other Handheld Electronic Devices in the Classroom

 Teacher Liability and Insurance

 Student Safety Should Always be on Your Mind

Teaching Style

 Multilevel Instruction, Individualized Instruction, and Differentiated Instruction: A Clarification of Terms

 The Theoretical Origins of Teaching Styles and Their Relation to Constructivism

Commitment and Professionalism

 Noninstructional Responsibilities

 Instructional Responsibilities

Identifying and Building Your Instructional Competencies

 Characteristics of the Competent Classroom Teacher: An Annotated List

Teacher Behaviors Necessary to Facilitate Student Learning

 Three Basic Rules for Becoming a Competent Teacher

 Facilitating Behaviors and Instructional Strategies: A Clarification

 Structuring the Learning Environment

 Accepting and Sharing Instructional Accountability

 Demonstrating Withitness and Overlapping

 Providing a Variety of Motivating and Challenging Activities

 Modeling Appropriate Behaviors

 Facilitating Student Acquisition of Data

 Creating a Psychologically Safe Environment

 Clarifying Whenever Necessary

 Using Periods of Silence

 Questioning Thoughtfully

Tools For Instruction

 The Internet

 Professional Journals and Periodicals

  The ERIC Information Network

 Copying Printed Materials

 The Classroom Writing Board

 The Classroom Bulletin Board and Other Nonprojected Visual Displays

 The Community as a Resource

 Guest Speaker or Presenter

 Field Trips

 Media Tools

 Computers and Computer-Based Instructional Tools

 Using Copyrighted Video, Computer, and Multimedia Programs

 Distance Learning

Summary

Questions For Class Discussion

Exercises

References

CHAPTER 3: Thinking and Questioning: Skills for Meaningful Learning

Teaching Thinking for Intelligent Behavior

 Characteristics of Intelligent Behavior

 Direct Teaching for Thinking and Intelligent Behavior

Purposes for Using Questioning

 Questions to Avoid Asking

Types of Cognitive Questions: A Glossary

 Analytic Question

 Clarifying Question

 Convergent-Thinking Question

 Cueing Question

 Divergent-Thinking Question

 Evaluative Question

 Focus Question

 Probing Question

Socratic Questioning

Levels of Cognitive Questions and Student Thinking

Guidelines for Using Questioning

 Preparing Questions

 Implementing Questioning

Using an Audience Response Student Clicker System

Questions From Students: The Question-Driven Classroom and Curriculum

 Questioning: The Cornerstone of Critical Thinking, Real-World Problem Solving, and Meaningful Learning

Summary

Questions For Class Discussion

Exercises

References

CHAPTER 4: The Classroom Learning Environment

The Importance of Perceptions

Classroom Control–Its Meaning–Past and Present

 Historical Meaning of Classroom Control

 Today’s Meaning of Classroom Control and the Concept of Classroom  

Management

 Classroom Management: Contributions of Some Leading Authorities

Developing Your Own Effective Approach to Classroom Management

Providing a Supportive Learning Environment

 Consider the Physical Layout    Create a Positive Ambiance

 Behaviors to Avoid When Using Encouragement to Motivate Students

 Get to Know Your Students as People

Preparation Provides Confidence and Success

 Effective Organization and Administration of Activities and Materials

 Natural Interruptions and Disruptions to Routine

Classroom Procedures and Guidelines for Acceptable Behavior

 Starting the School Term Well

 Procedures Rather Than Rules; Consequences Rather Than Punishment

 The First Day

 Procedural Matters: What Students Need to Understand Early On

Using Positive Rewards as Motivators

Managing Class Sessions

 Opening Activities

 Smooth Implementation of the Lesson

 Transitions Within Lessons

Inappropriate Student Behavior

 Transient Nondisruptive Behaviors

 Disruptions to Learning

 Defiance, Cheating, Lying, and Stealing

 Bullying, Fighting, Sexual Misconduct, and Violence

Teacher Response to Student Misbehavior

 Direct Versus Indirect Assertive Intervention Strategies: A Clarification

 Order of Behavior Intervention Strategies

Teacher-Caused Student Misbehavior

 Scenarios for Case Study Review

 Preventing a Ship From Sinking is Much Easier Than is Saving a Sinking One: Mistakes to Avoid

Situational Case Studies for Additional Review

Summary

Questions for Class Discussion

Exercises

References

CHAPTER 5: The Curriculum: Selecting and Setting Learning Expectations

Program Organization: Providing Successful Transitions

 Curriculum and Instruction: Clarification of Terms

 Core Curriculum

 Curriculum Content: Essential Versus Supplemental

 Exploratory Opportunities

 Co-Curricular Versus Extracurricular

 Advisory/Homebase Program

Planning for Instruction: Three Levels

 Teacher–Student Collaborative Team Planning

 Reasons for Planning

 Components of an Instructional Plan

 Curriculum Content Selection: Documents that Provide Guidance

Curriculum Standards

 Curriculum Standards and High-Stakes Testing

Student Textbooks

 Benefit of Textbooks to Student Learning

 Problems with Reliance on a Single Textbook

 Guidelines for Textbook Use

 Multitext and Multireadings Approach

Beginning to Think About the Sequencing of Content

Preparing for and Dealing with Controversy

Aims, Goals, and Objectives: The Anticipated Learning Outcomes

 Instructional Objectives and Their Relationship to Aligned Curriculum and Authentic Assessment

 Learning Targets and Goal Indicators

 Overt and Covert Performance Outcomes

 Balance of Behaviorism and Constructivism

 Teaching Toward Multiple Objectives, Understandings, and Appreciations: The Reality of Classroom Instruction

 Preparing Instructional Objectives

 Components of a Complete Objective Classifying Instructional Objectives The Domains of Learning and the Developmental Needs of   Students

 Cognitive Domain Hierarchy

 Affective Domain Hierarchy

 Psychomotor Domain Hierarchy

Using the Taxonomies

 Observing for Connected (Meaningful) Learning: Logs, Portfolios, and Journals

 Character Education and the Domains Of Learning

Learning That Is Not Immediately Observable

Integrated Curriculum

 Level 1 Curriculum Integration

 Level 2 Curriculum Integration

 Level 3 Curriculum Integration

 Level 4 Curriculum Integration

 Level 5 Curriculum Integration

 Integrated Curriculum in a Standards-Based Environment

Planning for Instruction: A Seven-Step Process

The Syllabus

 Use and Development of a Syllabus

 Content of a Syllabus

Summary

Questions for Class Discussion

Exercises

References

CHAPTER 6: Planning the Instruction

The Instructional Unit

 Planning and Developing any Unit of Instruction

 Unit Format, Inclusive Elements, and Time Duration

Theoretical Considerations for the Selection of Instructional Strategies

 Decision Making and Strategy Selection

 Direct and Indirect Instruction: A Clarification of Terms

 Degrees of Directness

 Principles of Classroom Instruction and Learning: A Synopsis

 Conceptual and Procedural Knowledge

 Direct Versus Indirect Instructional Modes: Strengths and Weaknesses of Each

Selecting Learning Activities that are Developmentally Appropriate

Styles of Learning and Implications for Teaching

 Learning Modalities

 Learning Styles

 The Three-Phase Learning Cycle

 Learning Capacities: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences

The Learning Experiences Ladder

 Direct, Simulated, and Vicarious Experiences Help Connect Student Learning

Planning and Developing an Interdisciplinary Thematic Unit

 Specific Guidelines for Developing an Interdisciplinary Thematic Unit

 Developing the Learning Activities: The Heart and Spirit of the ITU

 The Common Thread

 Initiating Activities

 Developmental Activities

 Culminating Activity

Preparing the Lesson Plan

 Rationale for Preparing Written Plans

 Assumptions about Lesson Planning

 A Continual Process

 Well Planned but Open to Last-Minute Change

 The Problem of Time

 The Pressure of Standards-Based and High-Stakes Testing and the Felt Need to “Cover” the Prescribed Curriculum

 Caution about “The Weekly Planning Book”

Constructing a Lesson Plan: Format, Elements, and Samples

 For Guidance, Reflection, and Reference

 Basic Elements in a Lesson Plan

 Descriptive Data

 Goals and Objectives

Setting the Learning Objectives

 A Common Error and How to Avoid It

 No Need to Include All Domains and Hierarchies in Every Lesson

 Rationale

 Procedure

 Assignments

 Special Considerations, Notes, and Reminders

 Materials and Equipment to be Used

 Assessment, Reflection, and Revision

Summary

Questions for Class Discussion

Exercises

References

CHAPTER 7: Assessing and Reporting Student Achievement

Purposes and Principles of Assessment

The Language of Assessment

 Assessment and Evaluation

 Measurement and Assessment

 Validity and Reliability

 Authentic Assessment: Advantages and Disadvantages

 Diagnostic, Formative, and Summative Assessment

Assessing Student Learning: Three Avenues

 Assessing What a Student Says and Does

 Assessing What a Student Writes

 Assessment for Affective and Psychomotor Domain Learning

Student Involvement in Assessment

 Using Portfolios

 Using Checklists

Maintaining Records of Student Achievement

 Recording Teacher Observations and Judgments

Grading and Marking Student Achievement

 Criterion-Referenced Versus Norm-Referenced Grading

 Determining Grades

Testing for Achievement

 Standardized (Formal) Versus Nonstandardized (Informal) Tests

 Purposes for Informal Testing

 Frequency for Informal Testing

 Anxiety: Symptom Recognition and Helping Students (and Yourself) Deal with It

 Test Construction

 Administering Tests

 Controlling Cheating

 Determining the Time Needed to Take a Test

Preparing Assessment Items

 Classification of Assessment Items

 Performance Testing

 General Guidelines for Preparing for Informal Assessment of Student Learning

 Attaining Content Validity

Assessment Items: Descriptions, Examples, and Guidelines for Preparing and Using 12 Types

 Arrangement

 Completion Drawing

 Completion Statement

 Correction

 Essay

 Grouping

 Identification

 Matching

 Multiple Choice

 Performance

 Short Explanation

 True–False

Reporting Student Achievement

 The Grade Report

Teacher Parental/Guardian Connections

 Contacting Parents/Guardians

 Meeting Parents/Guardians

 Parent/Guardian Conference

 Dealing with an Angry Parent or Guardian

Summary

Questions for Class Discussion

Exercises

References

CHAPTER 8: The Thinking Curriculum: Using Teacher Talk, Demonstrations, Inquiry, and Games

Teacher Talk: Formal and Informal

 Cautions in Using Teacher Talk

 Teacher Talk: General Guidelines

 Teacher Talk: Specific Guidelines

Demonstration

 Reasons for Using Demonstrations

 Guidelines for Using Demonstrations

Inquiry Teaching and Discovery Learning

 Problem Solving

 Inquiry Versus Discovery

 True Inquiry

 The Critical Thinking Skills of Discovery and Inquiry

Integrating Strategies for Integrated Learning

Educational Games

 Classification of Educational Games

 Functions of Educational Games

Summary

Questions for Class Discussion

Exercises

References

CHAPTER 9: Mastery Learning and Differentiated Instruction

Today’s Emphasis: Quality Learning for Every Student

 Assumptions About Mastery, or Quality, Learning

 Elements of Any Mastery Learning Model: The Cycle of Teaching

 Strategies for Personalizing (Individualizing) the Instruction Now!

Working with and Individualizing the Learning Experiences for Specific Learners

 Recognizing and Working with Students with Special Needs

 Recognizing and Working with Students of Diversity and Differences

 Language-Minority Students

 Recognizing and Working with Students Who are Gifted

 Curriculum Tracking

 Meaningful Curriculum Options: Multiple Pathways to Success

 Recognizing and Working with Students Who Take More Time but are Willing to Try

 Recognizing and Working with Recalcitrant Learners

 Recognizing and Working with Abused Children

Learning Alone

Summary

Questions For Class Discussion

References

CHAPTER 10: Organizing and Guiding Student Learning in Groups

Learning in Pairs

 The Learning Center

Learning in Small Groups

 Purposes for Using Small Groups

Cooperative Learning

 The Cooperative Learning Group (CLG)

 The Theory and Use of Cooperative Learning

 Roles Within the Cooperative Learning Group

 What Students and the Teacher Do When Using Cooperative Learning Groups

 When to Use Cooperative Learning Groups

 Cooperative Group Learning, Assessment, and Grading

 Why Some Teachers Experience Difficulty Using CLGs

Learning in Large Groups

 Student Presentations

 Whole-Class Discussion

Equality in the Classroom

 Ensuring Equity

Learning from Assignments and Homework

 Purposes for Assignments

 Guidelines for Using Assignments

 Opportunities for Recovery

 How to Avoid Having So Many Papers to Grade that Time for Effective Planning is Restricted

Project-Centered Learning: Guiding Learning from Independent and Group Investigations, Papers, and Oral Reports

 Values and Purposes of Project-Centered Learning

 Guidelines for Guiding Students in Project-Centered Learning

 Writing as a Required Component of Project-Centered Learning

 Assessing the Final Product

Writing Across the Curriculum

 Kinds of WritingPreventing Plagiarism

  Journals and Blogs

A Collection of 130 Annotated Motivational Teaching Strategies with Ideas for Lessons, Interdisciplinary Teaching, Transcultural Studies, and Student Projects

 The Visual and Performing Arts

 Family and Consumer Economics, Foods, and Textiles

 English, Languages, and the Language Arts

 Mathematics

 Physical Education

 Science

 Social Studies/History

 Vocational Career Education

Summary

Questions For Class Discussion

Content Area Websites

References

CHAPTER 11: Professional Development: A Continuing Process

Professional Development Through Student Teaching or Internship

 Whether Student Teaching or Intern Teaching, It Is the Real Thing

 Getting Ready for the Beginning Teaching Experience

 First Impressions

 Continuing to Get Ready

 Student Teaching from the Cooperating Teacher’s Point of View

 Comments from the University Supervisor

 What to do Before an Observation

 What to do During an Observation

 What to do During an Observation Conference

 What to do After the Supervisor Leaves

Finding a Teaching Position

 Guidelines for Locating a Teaching Position

 The Professional Career Portfolio (Or How to Get Hired by Really Trying)

 Resources for Locating Teaching Vacancies

 The Professional Résumé

 The In-Person Interview

Professional Development Through Reflection and Self-Assessment

Professional Development Through Mentoring

 It is Helpful to Have a Mentor, Sometimes More Than One

 When Should I Seek Help?

 Coping Strategies: Avoiding Feelings of Aloneness

 Make Career Plans: A Life Plan Map

Professional Development Through Inservice and Graduate Study

Professional Development Through Participation in Professional Organizations

Professional Development Through Communications with Teachers

Professional Development Through Off-Teaching Work Experience

Professional Development Through Micro Peer Teaching

Questions for Class Discussion

Summary

References

GLOSSARY

SUBJECT INDEX