This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Angela M. Kohnen, Don S. Balka, Bridget Royce, Margo DelliCarpini, Orlando Alonso, Cathy J. Kinzer, Mary E. Dietz, Libby Baker, Ruth Harbin Miles, and Sherri Ann Cianca.
(2013). Success with ELLs: Working with English Language Learners–Looking Back, Moving Forward, English Journal. In the years since 2008, when the "Success with ELLs" column started, these authors have seen many changes to the educational landscape, not dealing specifically with ELLs, but having implications for their education. Probably, the most significant change has been the adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), which have no specific guidelines for the education of ELLs or other nontraditional populations. As teacher educators and professional developers, Margo DelliCarpini and Orlando Alonso have spent time with teachers and administrators who are struggling with how to apply the CCSS to ELLs and what the implications for instruction are. In the Department of Middle and High School Education at Lehman College they have developed a number of initiatives that address ways to support mainstream teachers who work with ELLs and ESL teachers in effectively building the types of academic language functions ELLs need to be successful in their content classrooms. One of the most promising and innovative methods is a collaborative practice that develops skills in both mainstream content and ESL. This complementary development of two sets of skills enables teachers to address the academic language needs of ELLs in content classes and in ESL classes. The authors have called this approach "Two-Way Content-Based Instruction." [More] Descriptors: English Language Learners, Standards, Language Teachers, English (Second Language)
(2013). Go Figure: Math and the Common Core, Educational Leadership. In this article about the Common Core State Standards and mathematics, the author wanted to point out what's familiar in these standards and to give teachers clear access to what's different about them. She wanted to emphasize what has made her passionate about the Common Core standards–which is their two-part structure: Standards for Mathematical Practice and Standards for Mathematical Content, both equally important. The Standards for Mathematical Practice include the same eight standards for all grades. These practice standards describe the "expertise that mathematics educators at all levels should seek to develop in their students"–that is, the ways they want students to engage with the mathematics they're learning. In contrast, the Standards for Mathematical Content include many more standards, which are different for each grade. These content standards "define what students should understand and be able to do." They are organized into domains, each of which includes clusters of related standards so as to present mathematics as a subject of closely related, connected ideas. Teaching to the Common Core standards calls for making both the practice standards and the content standards integral to classroom instruction. The challenge of the Common Core standards is to help all students develop enough mathematical expertise to be prepared for college or the workplace–and successful futures. [More] Descriptors: State Standards, Mathematics Education, Academic Standards, Educational Policy
(2013). Bird Boxes Build Content Area Knowledge, Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School. This article describes a preservice teacher training in line with meeting the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) using geometric reasoning, spatial sense, measurement, representation, communication, and problem solving. The author infers that when preservice teachers lack pedagogical content knowledge they cannot successfully translate this competence for teaching content with meaning. Teachers with weak pedagogical content knowledge will fail to plan meaningful lessons or anticipate areas where students might struggle; they will be unprepared to answer students' questions or detect students' misconceptions; and, inevitably, their students may acquire distorted meanings. In response to this challenge the author explored the impact of a bird house nesting box activity on participants' geometric subject matter knowledge. The nesting box task integrated across mathematical domains (number and operations, algebraic thinking, measurement, and geometry) and across subject areas (ornithology, the scientific study of birds; flight, geography, migration; state birds; art; music; and carpentry). Preservice teachers can take these idea with them into student teaching placements and future classrooms. [More] Descriptors: Preservice Teacher Education, Mathematics Instruction, Teaching Methods, Pedagogical Content Knowledge
(2013). Mastering Fact Fluency: Are They Game?, Teaching Children Mathematics. Math games can be powerful tools in helping students achieve automaticity in basic addition and related subtraction facts if both teachers and students use them purposefully. According to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM 2000), developing a solid mathematical foundation is essential for every child in prekindergarten through second grade. This grounding must include a strong number sense as well as computational fluency in basic addition and related subtraction facts where both addends are less than ten. The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics document (CCSSI 2010) suggests that first-grade students be fluent in all combinations to ten. Second graders must use mental strategies to fluently add and subtract within twenty. By the end of second grade, students should know all sums of two one-digit numbers from memory. If math games are played purposefully, with discourse and a goal of fact mastery in mind, they can help children build number sense, fact fluency, and confidence in their mathematical abilities. [More] Descriptors: Mathematics Instruction, Mathematics Skills, Educational Games, Arithmetic
(2013). The MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Challenges for School Leadership. "The MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Challenges for School Leadership" (2012) was conducted by Harris Interactive and is the twenty-ninth in a series sponsored annually by MetLife since 1984 to give voice to those closest to the classroom. This report examines the views of teachers and principals on the responsibilities and challenges facing school leaders, including the changing roles of principals and teachers, budget and resources, professional satisfaction, and implementation of the Common Core State Standards for college and career readiness. This research combined both quantitative and qualitative methods to gain a clear picture of attitudes and perceptions among teachers and principals. Major findings include: (1) Principals take responsibility for leadership of their schools; (2) The job of principal is becoming more complex and stressful; (3) Teachers take leadership in schools and think principals are doing a good job; (4) The biggest challenges leaders face are beyond the capacity of schools alone to address; (5) Principals and teachers have similar views on academic challenges, but diverge somewhat on their priorities for leadership; (6) Teacher satisfaction continues to decline; (7) Challenges cited by educators are greater in high-needs schools; and (8) Educators are confident about implementing the Common Core, less so about its potential for increasing student success. Appended are: (1) Methodology; and (2) Questionnaires. [More] Descriptors: State Standards, Principals, Instructional Leadership, Career Readiness
(2013). The Authenticity Spectrum: The Case of a Science Journalism Writing Project, English Journal. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) explicitly call for a wide variety of writing assignments in all subjects, with special emphasis on informational writing and argumentation (National Governors Association). In a footnote to the 6-12 writing standards, the CCSS point out that "these broad types of writing include many subgenres" (English 41), yet the importance of genre is never explored. Instead, all informational and argumentative genres are treated equally; the standards implicitly suggest that students will benefit in similar ways from a well-designed assignment in any informational or argumentative genre. Through a case study reported here, the author argues that this is not necessarily the case. Deliberately selecting a specific genre and teaching it authentically can result in genre-specific student learning that goes significantly beyond the written product or even the writing itself. However, to engage students in writing most effectively, educators must design writing activities that exhibit not just what the author calls "latent authenticity," but "functional authenticity." [More] Descriptors: Academic Standards, Core Curriculum, Writing Assignments, High Schools
(2013). Multicultural Teaching in the Early Childhood Classroom: Approaches, Strategies and Tools, Preschool-2nd Grade, Teachers College Press. This unique book features an array of approaches, strategies, and tools for teaching multiculturally in the early years. The teachers and classrooms portrayed here provide young children with rich educational experiences that empower them to understand themselves in relation to others. You will see how amazing teachers engage in culturally responsive teaching that fosters educational equity while also meeting state and national standards (such as the Common Core State Standards). This engaging book is sprinkled with questions for reflection and implementation that encourage educators to start planning ways of enhancing their own teaching, making their early childhood setting a more equitable learning space. Book Features include: (1) Multicultural education in action, including the everyday issues and tensions experienced by children and their families; (2) Powerful vignettes from diverse Head Start, preschool, kindergarten, 1st- and 2nd-grade classrooms throughout the United States; (3)Sections on "Getting Started" and "Considering Obstacles and Exploring Possibilities" in each chapter; and (4) A list of multicultural children's books and resources for further reading. [More] Descriptors: Multicultural Education, Early Childhood Education, Preschool Education, Kindergarten
(2013). Mathematical Rigor in the Common Core, Principal Leadership. A whirlwind of activity surrounds the topic of teaching and learning mathematics. The driving forces are a combination of changes in assessment and advances in technology that are being spurred on by the introduction of content in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematical Practice. Although the issues are certainly complex, the same forces driving the change initiative are fortunately providing clear directional arrows toward success. Technological advances are expanding the ways mathematics teachers can assess students' learning. These assessment advances in technology will affect every state, and the end result is that classroom assessments will become more rigorous. The shift in classroom instruction and assessments will demand that students learn and perform differently. To meet this shift in assessments and demand for rigor, classroom instruction must change. Luckily, there is also direction provided for those mathematical shifts in the form of the Common Core's Standards for Mathematical Practice. The practices associated with the standards, when used intentionally and deeply, promote mathematical rigor. To be attained, however, mathematical rigor must be clearly understood as it relates to the practices and forthcoming assessments. This article defines rigor, provides a rigor comparison chart showing current practices versus future demands, and provides two sample problems that accentuate the differences between between a current classroom and a future, rigorous classroom. [More] Descriptors: Principals, Administrator Role, Mathematics Instruction, Student Evaluation
(2013). Reading, Writing, "and" Rubrics: Norming Process Guides Teachers as They Evaluate Student Work, Journal of Staff Development. Common Core State Standards are raising expectations nationwide about what teachers impart to their students and the depth of knowledge those students attain. The goal is for students to receive instruction that enables them to synthesize and creatively use what they have learned, thus equipping them for post-secondary school challenges. Quality curriculum and teaching are essential elements in this equation. Meaningful assessment is another critical component. Well-designed and implemented assessments don't just verify success–they help achieve it. What does it take for teachers to make the most of these new tests? In addition to needing skills for developing more in-depth assessments, teachers must know how to take advantage of the data they provide. This calls for the ability to analyze students' more complex work, which requires a mental model of multiple levels of student performance ranging from well below to well above the standard. This mental model is a foundation for establishing expectations and identifying learning gaps as well as gaps in instruction upon which the assessment is based. The key to helping teachers grow in their ability to properly evaluate and respond to student work is through norming, scoring, and calibrating. These terms are defined and described in this article, as related to evaluating student work. [More] Descriptors: State Standards, Academic Standards, Educational Objectives, College Readiness
(2013). The Distributive Property: The Core of Multiplication, Teaching Children Mathematics. This article presents a sequence of learning activities that lead to using the area model of multiplication to understand the distributive property (DP). The connection between area and multiplication is an important one, both for algebraic thinking and for geometry, as indicated in two of the critical areas for the third grade in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics: (1) Students develop an understanding of the meanings of multiplication and division of whole numbers through activities and problems involving equal-size groups, arrays, and area models; and (2) Students recognize area as an attribute of two-dimensional regions….By decomposing rectangles into rectangular arrays of squares, students connect area to multiplication. This article explains the DP for teacher reference, then describes the five steps of pre-K to grade 3 learning progression necessary in understanding multiplication,. The five steps are: (1) Decomposing small numbers; (2) Fluent mental addition of a one- and a two-digit number; (3) Connecting area and addition; (4) Connecting area and multiplication; and (5) Use the area model and the DP to make connections between multiplication problems. The article then presents five corresponding learning activities that illustrate the steps of the learning progression through games and drawing activities to build and deepen understanding. [More] Descriptors: Mathematics Instruction, Multiplication, Learning Activities, Mathematical Concepts
(2013). Dropping in on the Math of Plinko, Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School. The game of Plinko offers students an exciting real-world example of the applications of probability and data analysis. The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSI 2010) and the Guidelines for Assessment in Statistics Education (GAISE) (Franklin et al. 2007) suggest that students in grades 6-8 be given ample opportunities to engage in activities and simulations to make predictions and to gather experimental data to test and validate their predictions. Plinko-based mathematical explorations allow students to use technology to generate simulations and employ the data to make informed predictions and inferences. Several mathematical concepts can be explored using a Plinko board. Documented Plinko-related mathematical investigations have highlighted high school students' notions of Pascal's triangle, experimental and theoretical probability, and expected value (Lanier and Barrs 2003; Lemon 1997; Haws 1995). For this lesson, the authors made a conscious decision to focus on experimental probability because the goals were to give students an opportunity to engage in an interesting activity, perform simulations, generate conjectures, and use experimental data to test the conjectures. This approach aligns with the Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) recommendations that "probability experiments should focus on obtaining empirical data to develop relative frequency interpretations" (Franklin et al. 2007, p. 34). This article describes how students design game boards and gather experimental data to better understand the hidden mathematics in a common television game show. A bibliography is provided. [More] Descriptors: Mathematics Instruction, Probability, Data Analysis, Educational Games
(2013). Professional Learning Policy Review: A Workbook for States and Districts, Learning Forward (NJ). Educators face significant changes today that affect their daily work lives. Chief among those changes is the national expectation that every student will graduate from high school, college and career ready. Common core state standards adopted in 46 states, as well as college- and career-ready standards established in other states, define what students are expected to know and be able to do to enter and to succeed in 21st century postsecondary education or in careers. Changes such as new educator effectiveness systems, student assessments, and accountability for student success are also underway in education systems. Such changes affect what educators do daily. Now, with the demand for more effective professional learning to prepare and support educators to meet new expectations, state and school systems leaders can seize ideal opportunities for reevaluating their current policies and practices related to professional learning. By strengthening policies and practices, education leaders increase the leverage effective professional learning exerts on the achievement of higher standards for student and educator performance. This workbook provides states and local school districts with guidance to conduct a review of existing policies related to professional learning. The review process includes discovery, analysis, recommendations for possible policy revision, and follow-up. Appendices include: (1) Initiation Phase Tools; (2) Discovery Phase Tools; (3) Analysis Phase Tools; (4) Recommendations Phase Tools; (5) Reporting Phase Tools; and (6) Follow-Up Phase Tools. [More] Descriptors: State Standards, Educational Change, Workbooks, Professional Development
(2013). Overcoming the "Run" Response, Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School. Recent research suggests that it is not simply experiencing anxiety that affects mathematics performance but also how one responds to and regulates that anxiety (Lyons and Beilock 2011). Most people have faced mathematics problems that have triggered their "run response." The issue is not whether one wants to run, but rather "how" one ultimately turns around and re-engages with the problem. This article examines both teachers' and students' emotional reactions to challenging mathematics problems and, more important, the strategies they use to cope with anxiety and to re-engage and grapple with these problems. These coping skills are embedded components of the first essential Standard for Mathematical Practice identified in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics: "Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them" (CCSSI 2010, p. 6). Self-awareness and regulation are essential, and often ignored, components of mathematical problem solving. This article examines how these skills can be modeled, taught, and learned. [More] Descriptors: Mathematics Instruction, Mathematics Anxiety, Teaching Methods, Emotional Response
(2013). The Dangers and Opportunities of the Common Core, Educational Leadership. So much has changed in the last 30 years. Diversity is on the verge of extinction–diversity of curriculum, instructional practices, and assessment. The nation is moving into an era that will link Common Core standards with a Common Core curriculum taught by teachers who will assess student learning through a slate of Common Core exams and be evaluated with a common rubric that uses scores on these exams as measures of teacher quality. Some think this is progress. The authors don't. They think it deflects energy away from opportunities for building a collegial professional culture aimed at real teaching and learning. They point out that the Common Core State Standards Initiative is not the solution for what ails education; standardization can never be the solution. In place of the current initiative, they propose using the common standards to support cultures within schools that put teacher professionalism and student learning at the center. The standards themselves can enhance professional conversations about teaching and learning. The power and efficacy of the programs that schools offer students derive from the knowledge constructed in such conversations, and are built on trusting relationships that revolve around the core mission of schooling: to light up children's worlds with opportunities for learning. [More] Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Teacher Effectiveness, State Standards, Teaching Methods
(2013). Instructional Leadership and the Common Core, Leadership. Following the 2012-13 administrators welcome back kick-off meeting, superintendent Pat highlighted the district's plan to roll-out of the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS), including integration of learning experiences that would prepare students for the new Common Core assessments from the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC). Thoughtfully considering the links between the CCSS, the SBAC assessments, and the collaborative structures used by her teachers to immerse themselves in Assessment for Learning strategies and unit planning through a "backward design" model, Pat began the plan. She was sure she could begin by connecting this new learning to those guiding questions that teachers and students need to be able to answer about student learning: (1) Where am I going?; (2) Where am I now?; and (3) How do I close the gap? As an instructional leader, Pat wanted her teachers to see the implementation of the CCSS and the new assessment as directly related to the work they had already been doing, particularly since these efforts were showing positive results with students. [More] Descriptors: State Standards, Curriculum Development, Learning Strategies, Instructional Leadership