You likely have dreams for your early childhood environment that are greater than rating scales, regulations, and room arrangements. Designs for Living and Learning has been a favorite resource among educators and caregivers for more than a decade, and this new edition is packed with even more ideas that can be used as you create captivating environments that nurture children, families, and staff while supporting children's learning. With hundreds of all-new colorful photographs o...

Make the complex task of creating a child-centered curriculum easier with the practical guidelines and ideas in this updated and expanded handbook. Learn how to sharpen your observation and documentation skills, set up your space, and transform your teaching to reflect children’s interests and needs. Insightful classroom stories, assessment tools, checklists, comparative charts, and activities encourage new approaches and self-reflection as you plan your curriculum and put it into practice...

An inspiring and practical guide to creating a larger vision in early child care, this popular professional development tool has been thoroughly revised and offers a concrete framework for organizing an early childhood center director's ideas and work. Updated and expanded, it reflects new requirements and initiatives for center directors and addresses topics including cultivating a vision, developing "systems thinking" for management roles, implementing principles and strategies for mento...

Offering an alternative approach to standardization and data-driven mandates, this book puts children at the center of planning your curriculum. Rather than a prescriptive curriculum, by using The Thinking Lens® protocol, teachers can translate educational theories into concrete ideas for working with children and families. Learn to create a welcoming classroom culture, develop routines for self-regulation, and use Learning Stories to enhance experiences for the children in your care....

School is one option for education; homeschooling is the second, and unschooling is the third.Many parents are frustrated by the school system, perhaps because of bullying, crowded classrooms, and outdated, dull, online courses. Disengaged learners that have no say in their coerced curriculum tend to act out, tune out, or drop out. Education must change and unschooling is the fastest-growing alternative method of learning.Two decades ago, students registered with their loca...

Energize your classrooms with these key techniques for college teachingStudents say the best teachers get them excited about learning, stretch their thinking, and keep them actively involved in class. But with increasingly diverse classrooms and constantly changing technology, each semester throws up new challenges for engaging students.Discover how to keep your teaching, and your students, energized with The Skillful Teacher, a practical guide to ...

Praise for the Second Edition of The Handbook for Student Leadership Development"This is a must-have book for leadership educators and all student affairs professionals who want to develop impactful leadership programs and the leadership capacity of students. Buy it. Read it. Use it to develop the needed leadership for our collective future."- CYNTHIA CHERREY, vice president for campus life, Princeton University, and president, the ...

How do we teach with rigor to our youngest learners? How do we implement standards that spell out quite clearly what students must know—but do not give us either the methods or materials that help our students achieve such skills? This professional resource provides practical routines and developmentally appropriate activities that foster an environment where our youngest learners can thrive in mastering core kindergarten content along with the Common Core standards. The routines and activ...

This book is designed for teachers, administrators, and staff development coordinators who are interested in a resource that provides an overview of current issues and the answers to some difficult educational questions. Through the use of case studies, current information, and reader exercises, this collection provides a manageable developmental resource for effective instructional practices and promotes the understanding of special topics and questions faced by the classroom teacher. The...

Children are expected to read, write, count, and sit still at younger and younger ages. As these unrealistic expectations mount, family members and teachers alike continue to believe that these activities will prepare young children for school. But there is a better way—one that helps children build school readiness through developmentally appropriate activities. Best of all? The children can have fun!Building on Emergent Curriculum guides preschool teachers to tap into yo...

This book has been written to provide a current, practical, Australian-based approach to designing and developing curriculum. The demands of schools and educational systems today are such that teachers with practical curriculum skills are highly valued and this book provides a vital source for teachers who wish to build their skills in the field of curriculum design and development.The book addresses the needs of curriculum developers by examining the nature of the curriculum proce...

Measure the difference you make in students′ academic, career, and personal/social development!Today′s school counselors are under enormous pressure to document their effectiveness by using data and producing quantitative accountability reports—whether or not they′ve had the appropriate training. This authoritative guide from highly respected counselor educators and trainers gives preservice and inservice school counselors the tools to knowledgeably identi...