Research Spotlight on Best Practices in Education Found In: teaching strategies Want to know what the research says about your profession? You've come to the right place. Periodically NEA highlights professional research on one educational topic. You'll find a brief article on the research, with links to related materials. Topics Academic Ability Grouping Ability grouping, also known as tracking, is the practice of grouping children together according to their talents in the classroom. Alternative Routes to Teacher Certification Alternative pathways to teacher certification must be equal in rigor to traditional programs and every teacher candidate must meet identical standards and measures in order to receive a professional teaching license in a given state. Block Scheduling Block scheduling is becoming more popular throughout the United States. Community Schools The community school model allows schools to become centers of the community, where they're open to everyone - all day, every day, evenings, and weekends.
Lesson Planning: Teacher Resources for Strategic Classroom Planning Teachers can save time and decrease stress if they create the right kind of lesson plans. These lesson plans are strategic (if they are streamlined and effective). These lesson plans are not strategic if they follow a curriculum guide, textbook, or high-stakes testing map of objectives. There are several issues that must be resolved concerning lesson plans: What works What is for show What has to be turned in What the team teacher or team agrees upon What has to be left for the substitute What the lessons will be during an evaluation Except for the first item, "What works," the other important considerations have little to do with instruction. Requirements for a "What Works" lesson plan (that saves time and is effective) A lesson planning system is "What Works." The components of a system such as this include: It maps to a yearly plan so that nothing is left out It is automated so you don't waste time copying It motivates students and focuses upon how they learn It is easy to reference and refer to
Kagan Australia Walk-Throughs Are On the Move! Classroom walk-throughs are a trend that is on the move! The non-threatening, non-evaluative walk-throughs give principals a quick snapshot of student learning. That snapshot is used to engage teachers in conversations about how to improve teaching. School leaders are under a lot of stress -- but if exercise is a stress antidote, then principals might be among the healthiest managers around. The walk-through technique is based on the work of Carolyn Downey and others (authors of The Three-Minute Classroom Walk-Through: Changing School Supervisory Practice One Teacher at a Time). The walk-through process can benefit teachers in many ways, according to Kathy Larson of the Cooperative Education Service Agency #2 in Milton, Wisconsin. As one teacher put it, walk-throughs "allow us to see where we want to go, with the students' best interests in mind." Principals who have been trained to use the walk-through observation technique speak clearly about its benefits.
Kagan Publishing & Professional Development - KaganOnline.com Athena Online The idea behind MyQuickCoach is as simple as it is powerful. We believe that short, frequent learning interventions aid in employee development and retention. MyQuickCoach delivers on this promise through almost 2,000 concise video lessons called SmartBytes™. We work with faculty, consultants and authors who can explain how to implement the ideas in your company, not just how they did it in theirs. We combine these lessons with a customized portal that adds aspects of social media encouraging people to share lessons and add their own knowledge.