Synopses & Reviews
What should your school be? What could it be? Myers and Simpson want you to ask yourself these two questions. And then they want to help you answer them. This practical guide shows you how to re-create your school so that everyone is continually learning how to learn; - and so that the accumulation of knowledge is considered a privilege. Find out how to * Visualize your ideal school * Assess your school's starting point * Work toward goals you and your teachers set together * Monitor progress and make course corrections Build an authentic learning community in your school to encourage teaching as professional practice. Make your school into one in which teachers and students work together to construct their own knowledge instead of just receiving it from others. Recognize and realize student learning and student interest in learning as your school's primary mission. Start by emphasizing teachers' professional expertise and encouraging their decision-making capabilities. Help teachers acquire, develop, and use their professional competence and knowledge to improve their teaching practice. Myers and Simpson can help you, your teachers, and your students get to the heart of the matter - higher levels of learning for everyone at your school.
Synopsis
Their book presents a vision of a school in which teachers and students construct their knowledge rather than receive it from others. It gives practical steps to achieve this and addresses the necessary role changes of educators.
Table of Contents
Envisioning what could be -- Rethinking old myths -- Why current reform, restructuring, and partnerships are not enough -- Reform, restructuring, and partnership endeavors as starting points -- An alternative vision -- Context of interconnectedness -- Revisioning schools and learning -- Schools as morally based learning communities -- Learning as experience based intellectual construction -- Revisioning teaching and professional growth -- Teaching as professional practice -- Professional knowledge, competence, and values -- Getting there from here -- Pursuing images -- A difficult journey -- Attitude, attitude, attitude -- Assessing current school conditions and practices -- The nature of the journeys -- Monitoring, assessing, and celebrating -- A different perspective on assessment -- Assessment using other parallel standards.