From Sentences to Essays: A Guide to Reflective Writing through Reflective Thinking

Student's Edition

Mara Cogni, Oslo Adult Education Center Sinsen, Norway

There is hardly any doubt that reading and writing are related activities, and that both rely on creating meaning. When we read, as well as when we write, we find ourselves in the process of becoming. We change our knowledge and understanding along the way. However, writing is a daunting activity not only for language learners but for anyone who wants to communicate their thoughts and ideas persuasively and accurately. When students engage in speaking activities, they are often able to communicate extraordinarily interesting ideas with few problems. Yet, when asked to form these ideas into coherent texts, they seem helpless. From basic sentence structure to writing persuasively, this book aims to help students tackle the various challenges and difficulties they face when writing. Divided into three accessible sections, Cogni presents a comprehensive and reflective approach to writing that combines grammar, vocabulary, and literature into a simultaneous and coherent whole. Cogni acknowledges that today more than ever learning a language needs to be perceived as a deeply meaningful process, and this book seeks to make that possible.

Argumentation Strategies in the Classroom

Chrysi Rapanta, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal

Argumentation as a teaching and learning method in the K-12 curriculum has received increasing attention across the globe. The reason for this is simple: argumentation helps students develop necessary critical thinking skills. However, teaching this method is not as straightforward as it may appear. Placing the classroom at the centre of the investigation, this book seeks to throw light onto argumentation as a teaching practice by asking: What does it take to teach as argument? What does it mean to be ‘argumentative’ teachers? And, how can we create classroom environments that will help and encourage young people to develop their argument skills? Based on first-hand experience and extensive research, this volume guides the reader through argumentation with the focus placed on the relationship between this teaching method and effective learning and the need to investigate the role of teachers in encouraging argumentation in the classroom. Although there are a considerable number of tools and techniques that promote argumentation in the K-12 classroom, many teachers struggle to successfully implement them in the classroom. Aimed at addressing this issue, this book endeavours to instruct teachers on how to apply argumentation effectively in their day-to-day classes and to clarify argumentation as a teaching and learning strategy. As an important contribution to the field of argumentation and education, this book will be of interest to researchers, post-graduate students, and secondary school teachers, alike.

Creating Compassionate Classrooms: Understanding the Continuum of Disabilities and Effective Educational Interventions

Nicholas D. Young, American International College et al.

Throughout the chapters of this book, the reader will be introduced to the thirteen disability categories included in IDEA (specific learning disabilities, emotional/behavioral disorders, autism, other health impaired, intellectually disabled, multiple disabilities, speech or language impairments, traumatic brain injury, hearing impairment, deaf/blind, deafness, visual impairment, and orthopedic impairment), using the legally established definitions. Lengthy descriptions of best practices, modifications and accommodations follow, offering a complete picture of each disability and how educators and parents collaboratively can assist the struggling student. To set the stage, the book begins with chapters that discuss special education in general, response to intervention as an intermediary step in the academic continuum of support, and the individualized education plan process. Subsequent chapters examine each of the thirteen aforementioned IDEA disability categories, which have not been commonly incorporated into one comprehensive resource; however, for the sake of brevity, some disability categories have been combined when doing so did not impact practice implications. Emphasis is placed on effective classroom strategies and interventions associated with each disability category with the intent of providing practitioners and those who support them with the information and tools necessary to support students with identified educational needs. To the extent possible, the primary authors sought to ensure this resource was practical and user-friendly for educators who work directly with students with the range of recognized disabilities. This book demystifies the special education process and disability categories as well as offers educators and their families the tools to help our students, who have one or more disabilities, find life-long success. Ensuring the best for our students with disabilities requires that we first acknowledge and support the hard work and deep commitment of those professionals and parents/guardians who devote their lives to teaching, reaching, mentoring and advocating for those most vulnerable in our classrooms.

Liberal Education and the Idea of the University

Arguments and Reflections on Theory and Practice

Edited by Karim Dharamsi, Mount Royal University, Canada and James Zimmer, Mount Royal University, Canada

The idea of the university and the idea of liberal education share a family resemblance. However, it is not always explicitly clear what they have in common and what differentiates them. This collection brings together arguments and reflections on the nature of the university and the place of liberal learning in the 21st century. It is divided into two parts. In the first part authors examine the values and ideals that shape our understanding of liberal learning and the university; in the second part authors consider pedagogies informing our practices, asking after what underlying presuppositions, when made explicit, guide our liberal education classrooms in higher education. Unique in its approaches, this volume includes defenses of liberal education’s intrinsic value, the commodification of some of its best ideals, as well as utilitarian defenses that challenge some orthodox conceptions of liberal learning and its justifications. Each in its own right understands liberal learning as essential to the defense of a democratic order. On the pedagogical side, included are essays that defend a view of liberal education from the vantage of STEM subjects, including architecture, as well as those we typically associate with the liberal arts. This volume will aid academics and students seeking to better grasp an understanding of liberal education, but also those seeking to advance their pedagogical ideas about liberal learning. Researchers and students in education, higher education and those interested in the liberal arts and sciences will find this volume a useful addition to their collection.

The Potency of the Principalship: Action-Oriented Leadership at the Heart of School Improvement

Nicholas D. Young, American International College et al.

This book examines the diverse responsibilities of the 21st century principal, who is tasked with continuous school improvement. Recognizing that principals must lead educators and staff in all facets of school life, this book reviews research-based strategies, practices and theories that can be readily translated into the enhanced praxis. The authors present an in-depth analysis into principal identity, working effectively with families, how a collaborative school culture can offer dividends, helping teachers educate an increasingly diverse student body, and successful instructional leadership approaches. Additional emphasis is placed on school law, teachers’ unions, hiring and evaluation, budgeting, curriculum and program assessment, professional development, and the use of technology. Notably, throughout their investigation, the authors bear in mind cutting-edge practices that can be employed in these areas to leverage the best from schools and those that inhabit their halls. The reader will be left with an expanded understanding of principal practices that directly and indirectly improve student achievement as well as a resource section for further consideration and use.