The benefits of play for children's learning are well-documented and well-researched. The evidence for its positive impact on brain development, social interactions, emotional wellbeing, and motor skills is widespread. So, why should this practice stop after the early years? "A Practical Guide to Play in Education" encourages teachers to…

Workshops, committees, teams, and study groups are a regular part of an educator's professional life, and any educator can find themselves in the facilitator role, with a responsibility to aid the group in achieving its goals. "The Effective Facilitator's Handbook" is here to help. Professional development expert Cathy A. Toll has…

"Blended learning" is an educational approach that combines online and face-to-face components in the classroom, and it is becoming popular in American schools. But the quality of these programs is inconsistent; some are based on scientific findings on how children learn, while others lack such support. In fact, very little reliable…

A clear and comprehensive guide to evaluating and supporting instructional coaches and coaching programs, including how to recruit, hire, and retain effective coaches. With sound practices in place to evaluate coaching programs, instructional coaches will become better partners, teachers will become better mentors, and students will become better…

This book considers the past, present and future directions of innovation in US-based Intensive English Programs (IEPs), which provide international students with an immersion-style environment for learning academic English, prior to matriculating into a full-time college or university degree program. IEPs frequently serve as sites for pre-service…

Yes! We know that coaching can increase teacher effectiveness and student learning. This new edition of "Coaching Matters" builds on the authors' ongoing research and work with school systems to design coaching programs that improve learning. The result is a book that clarifies the complex issues and operational details of effective…

This book challenges the dominant expertise professionalism rationale for music education by responding to the call to develop 'ecological awareness' at a time when all professions have a moral obligation to place sustainable and interdependent life at the center. The book aims to expand music education's professional horizons to acknowledge the…

In "Core Practices in Teacher Education," Pam Grossman and Urban Fraefel bring together international voices in a global showcase of practice-based approaches to teacher education. This generous volume presents the work of teacher educators and researchers from Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland, among others,…

Despite continued growth in enrollments, graduate program attrition rates are of great concern to academic program coordinators. It is estimated that only 40 to 50 percent of students who begin Ph.D. programs complete their degrees. This book describes programs, initiatives, and interventions that lead to overall student retention and success.…

Finding and prioritizing time for professional learning is a persistent challenge for schools and educators. To address that challenge, this workbook guides districts and schools as they develop, vet, implement, and evaluate a plan to increase collaborative learning time for educators. The tools in the workbook can be used to identify and analyze…

The book analyses and evaluates several key community college reform programs that emerged after the Recession of 2008 and as a result of major initiatives in California, New York, Tennessee, Florida, Connecticut and Wisconsin. Because of the economic downturn in the early 21st Century, an already eroding financial base for public higher education…

This volume proposes solutions to the gentrification of dual language, bilingual and immersion education by examining how it operates across diverse school and community contexts. It brings together studies in a number of areas including instruction, curriculum development, classroom interaction, school leadership, parent and community engagement,…

Faculty in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines face intensifying pressures in the 21st century, including multiple roles as educator, researcher, and entrepreneur. In addition to continuously increasing teaching and service expectations, faculty are engaged in substantive research that requires securing…

This case study is derived from a systematic literature review (SLR) examining the efficacy of flipped learning in teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) within higher education. It explores the methodological rigor of synthesizing qualitative and quantitative research findings to evaluate educational pedagogies. Central to this case study…

Drawing on three decades of practical investigations, this book establishes new understandings about the importance of learning through work, outlining its purposes, contributions, conceptions and the curriculum, pedagogical and personal practices that shape its effectiveness. Against views proposing it as being informal and leading to concrete…