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Learner-Centered Classroom Practices and Assessments

Maximizing Student Motivation, Learning, and Achievement

By: Barbara L. McCombs, Lynda Miller

Create a learner-centered environment that promotes individual student achievement!

Using core principles of educational psychology, this research–based resource provides instructional strategies and assessment tools that emphasize learning partnerships between teachers and students as they rally support from parents, community, administrators, school staff, and other teachers. The research–based, learner–centered model supports student growth, development, and achievement by focusing on such key factors as cognition, metacognition, motivation, affect, and individual differences. This teacher–friendly guide also features:

Interactive training exercises
Self–assessments and reflection tools
Real–life success stories and models
Extensive reproducibles and illustrations
A comprehensive glossary and research resources

Full description

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Product Details

Grade Level: K-12
ISBN: 9781412926911
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2006
Page Count: 200
Publication date: November 22, 2006

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Description

"I loved the connections that were made between the suggested practices to improve teaching and real-life uses of those practices!"
—Brigitte Tennis, Head Teacher, Stella Schola Middle School, Redmond, WA

"One of the most well–written books on educational theory. Goes to the heart of teaching—the students."
—Betty Brandenburg Yundt, Fifth–Grade Teacher, Walker Intermediate School, Fort Knox, KY

"Offers practical suggestions for how to create a learner–centered environment."
—Judi Elman, English Teacher, Highland Park High School, IL

Create a learner–centered environment that promotes individual student achievement!

Using core principles of educational psychology, this research–based resource provides instructional strategies and assessment tools that emphasize learning partnerships between teachers and students as they rally support from parents, community, administrators, school staff, and other teachers. The sound psychological foundation of the learner–centered model supports student growth, development, and achievement by focusing on such key factors as cognition, metacognition, motivation, affect, and individual differences. This teacher–friendly guide also features:

Interactive training exercises
Self–assessments and reflection tools
Real–life success stories and models
Extensive reproducibles and illustrations
A comprehensive glossary and research resources

Appropriate for preservice and inservice use, Learner–Centered Classroom Practices and Assessments provides teachers with essential and practical tools for maximizing learning collaborations among teachers, students, and parents.

Key features

Teacher-friendly guide to learner-centered instructional strategies and student assessments.
All strategies are evidence-based and aligned with core principles from educational psychology.
Designed for pre-service and in-service use.
Includes interactive training exercises, self-assessments, reflection tools, illustrations, glossary, research resources, index, and more.

Author(s)

Barbara L. McCombs

Barbara L. McCombs directs the Human Motivation, Learning, and Development Center at the University of Denver. The center focuses on the professional development of educators, personal and organizational change, systemic educational reform, and school violence prevention.

McCombs’ current research is directed at new leadership models for redesigning outdated views of schooling and learning. This research has led to her international and national recognition in areas that include transformational teacher development approaches, motivating hard-to-reach students, and the use of technology as a primary tool for empowering youth and facilitating relevant learning.

The author has begun a series of books published by Corwin Press. Learner-Centered Classroom Practices and Assessments: Maximizing Student Motivation, Learning, and Achievement (2006) was co-authored with Lynda Miller and written for teachers. Her second book in the series, written for school administrators and other school leaders, was also co-authored with Lynda Miller and is titled A School Leader’s Guide to Creating Learner-Centered Education: From Complexity to Simplicity (2008).

McCombs is the primary author of Learner-Centered Psychological Principles (LCPs): Guidelines for School Redesign and Reform. She has developed research-validated learner-centered models of teaching and learning based on the LCPs.

Through collaborations with colleagues at the University of Bristol in England, she developed an online version of her Assessment of Learner-Centered Practices (ALCP) teacher and student surveys. These surveys have been validated with over 35,000 students and their teachers in Grades K-3, 4-8, 9-12, and college level. The ALCP surveys are being used in numerous national and international K-12 schools as well as colleges.

Lynda Miller

Lynda Miller began her professional career as a junior high school English teacher in Westminster, Colorado. Her interest in language and cognitive development led her to graduate studies, which culminated in a PhD in language development and disorders and learning disabilities. She has held teaching positions at the University of Colorado, the University of Montana, and the University of Texas at Austin, where she pursued her research on cognition, learning styles, and intelligence. Her research and teaching focused on identifying and describing students’ learning strengths and abilities, and on translating that information into instructional strategies designed to support students’ developing skills as motivated, self-responsible learners. Miller is the author of numerous publications on a variety of topics, the majority of which focus on the learner and learning as the essential features of successful instruction.

Table of Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

1. What We Know About Learning

How Do You Learn Best?

What Does the Evidence Show About Supporting Natural Learning?

Teachers and Students as Co-Learners: An Invitation

What’s Next?

2. What Is Learner Centered From an Evidence-Based Perspective?

What Does “Learner Centered” Mean?

Seeing the Big Picture: Education as a Complex Living System

Domains of Schools as Living Systems

The Learner-Centered Model

What Are the Learner-Centered Principles?

Factors Affecting Learners and Learning

What’s Next?

3. What Teachers and Students Tell Us About Learner-Centered Practices

What Teachers Have Recognized About the LCPs

Translating the LCPs Into Practice

The LCPs, Testing, and Accountability

What Do the LCPs Mean for Teaching and Learning?

What the Evidence Shows: Characteristics of Effective Teachers

What Students Say

Strategies for Honoring Student Voice

Forming a Student Union

Involving Students in Action Research Projects

Students as Meaningful Partners: International Evidence

Reflection

What’s Next?

4. The Learner-Centered Principles: One By One

Domain 1: Cognitive and Metacognitive Factors

LCP 1: Nature of the Learning Process

LCP 2: Goals of the Learning Process

LCP 3: Construction of Knowledge

LCP 4: Strategic Thinking

LCP 5: Thinking About Thinking

LCP 6: Context of Learning

Domain 2: Motivational and Affective Factors

LCP 7: Motivational and Emotional Influences on Learning

LCP 8: Intrinsic Motivation to Learn

LCP 9: Effects of Motivation on Effort

Domain 3: Developmental and Social Factors

LCP 10: Developmental Influence on Learning

LCP 11: Social Influences on Learning

Domain 4: Individual Differences Factors

LCP 12: Individual Differences in Learning

LCP 13: Learning and Diversity

LCP 14: Standards and Assessment

Finding Examples of LCPs in Your Own Practices

What’s Next?

5. Learner-Centered Practices

Turning Principles Into Practices

Glasser’s Six Conditions for Quality Schoolwork

Classroom Climate

Relevance of Learner-Centered Practices in the Context of Standards and Assessment

The Achievement Gap Issue

What Students Say About the Achievement Gap

Reflection

What’s Next?

6. Effective Learner-Centered Practices

Effective Learner-Centered Practices for Students in K–3

Effective Learner-Centered Practices for Students in Grades 4–12

What Happened to “Classroom Management”?

Strategies for Creating Learner-Centered, Resilient Classrooms

Insights and Reflections: What Needs to Change in My Classroom?

What's Next?

7. What Tools Do I Need to Become Learner Centered?

Who’s in Charge of My Learning?

Who’s in Charge of Students’ Learning?

Implications for Practice

Implications for Policy

The Learner-Centered Surveys

Characteristics of Learner-Centered Tools

The Assessment of Learner-Centered Practices (ALCP):Tools for Creating Learner-Centered Classrooms and Departments

Research-Validated Definition of “Learner Centered”

ALCP Feedback Process for Teachers

Understanding Sample ALCP Feedback: Table of Teacher Variables Compared to the Learner-Centered Rubric for One Teacher

Becoming a Magnet for Change in My School and District

Reassessing My Beliefs

What Is My Vision for Schools?

My Plan for a Learner-Centered Classroom

How Can I Manage Resistance to Change?

Obtaining the Necessary Support for Learner-Centered Schools

Where Do I Go From Here?

Resource A: Teacher Strategy Ideas

Resource B: Contacts: Learner-Centered Projects and Schools

Resource C: Books and Journals Worth a Read

Resource D:Learner-Centered Glossary: Some Definitions

References

Index

Reviews

"This book offers practical suggestions for how to create a learner-centered environment, which I believe teachers want to do—they just need to know how!"

Judi Elman, English Teacher
Highland Park High School, IL

"I loved the connections that were made between the suggested practices to improve teaching and real life uses of those practices!"

Brigitte Tennis, Head Teacher
Stella Schola Middle School, Redmond, WA

"This is one of the most well-written books on educational theory that I have read, because it goes to the heart of teaching—the students."

Betty Brandenburg Yundt, Fifth Grade Teacher
Walker Intermediate School, Fort Knox, KY

"Well-organized, it practices what it preaches. The authors used varied techniques to build the readers' understanding of learner-centered concepts, techniques, and advocacy. The evidence for learner-based principles and techniques provides credibility to the concepts."

Ellen Carlton Herbert, Teacher
Longview High School, TX

Other Titles in: Student Assessment | Teaching Methods & Learning Styles | School Counseling

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