Many job postings in postsecondary and PK--12 dance education will ask applicants for a statement of teaching philosophy. This is most commonly a one- to two-page written statement that summarizes your beliefs about teaching and learning that underpin the way you go about structuring learning activities, curriculum, student engagement, and…

There is growing recognition of the value of the Arts in helping shape understandings and capabilities for life essential for meeting the challenges of the 21st century. Consequently, in Australia, the Arts are now mandated for all students from kindergarten to year 9. In the lower secondary setting, this has led to a high demand for educators…

Filling a vital need, this is the first comprehensive guide to supporting K-12 teachers in effective implementation of classwide positive behavioral interventions and supports (CWPBIS). The book presents a roadmap for designing and delivering professional development based on behavioral principles. Procedures are outlined for providing data-driven…

Take a deeper dive into understanding the five practices-anticipating, monitoring, selecting, sequencing, and connecting-for facilitating productive mathematical conversations in your middle school classrooms and learn to apply them with confidence. This follow-up to the modern classic, "The 5 Practices in Practice: Successfully Orchestrating…

This comprehensive volume provides important and timely information about how best to teach literacy to ELLs. Contributors have come together to share their ideas on important topics such as increasing engagement and motivation, improving content area instruction, addressing writing instruction, strengthening home-school connections, and providing…

This playbook draws from the findings of "Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades," the largest empirical study of this grade level conducted to date. The "Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades" study was designed to find out what higher-performing schools do differently. The result is a compelling set of specific, actionable…

Presents suggestions for using agendas to structure team meetings and for encouraging dialog among team members at middle schools. Discusses the importance of considering dialog in planning agendas and concludes that team dialogs can help to create a new version of collaboration in schools and new connections for students. (KB)

Offers "A Modest Proposal" to assist teachers and other school personnel in their attempts to anticipate censorship trouble directed most particularly at middle school language arts teachers. Suggests the creation of a "Published Materials List," and outlines steps for creating and disseminating a list. Discusses several benefits with the use and…

This book presents a modern fable for middle school teachers. It is a fanciful account of finding and sharing the "Jamal papers," the minutes of that first committee thousands of years ago in which a camel was created by reconstituting a horse. The tale provides a way to bring front and center such concerns as team isolation, personality…

More districts are turning to one-to-one computing, which puts a laptop in the hands of every student. This ambitious undertaking can bring challenges when it comes to training teachers how to use the technology--and how to teach students to use it. In 2005, Springfield Public Schools in Springfield, Oregon, provided Apple laptops for 300 middle…

This staff development kit contains materials and suggestions to help a faculty in its early efforts to implement the middle school concept. It is equally applicable in schools already organized as middle schools but not yet true middle schools in terms of program and/or procedures and in schools making the transition from the junior high school…

Describes how one middle school uses teacher portfolios for gathering information about teacher practice and evaluating progress made toward stated goals. Teachers develop portfolios in five sections and submit them to their principal mid-year. At this time, they reflect on their work and complete conferences with peers and supervisors. A sidebar…

Offers advice for middle school teachers regarding preparation for next year: collect paper clips, plan ahead, and pamper yourself. (SR)

Discusses the need for middle school teaching teams to maintain boundary relations with other parts of the school. Provides a framework for dealing with group boundaries and recommends actions to preserve intergroup relations, including intergroup communication, acquiring a total-school perspective, and deliberately attending to boundary matters.…

Details steps for implementing a site-based scheduling model for middle schools. Six steps are: forming the scheduling committee, conducting a needs assessment, setting and prioritizing goals, examining other working schedules, developing the master schedule, and adjusting the master schedule. (KB)