Mindful Learning
101 Proven Strategies for Student and Teacher Success

Second Edition

Other Titles in:
Learning Styles | Teaching At-Risk Students | Teaching Methods & Learning Styles

October 2008 | 216 pages | Corwin

Mindful Learning, Second Edition is an ideal resource for any classroom teacher who wants an answer to the question, 'How can I make my teaching more effective?' With a focus on activating students' prior knowledge and facilitating active learning through varied instructional methods, Linda Campbell and new coauthor, Bruce Campbell, offer 101 teaching strategies that are grounded in best classroom practices and research from the cognitive sciences. Every technique has a proven track record with students of diverse ages, languages, abilities, and socioeconomic status and teachers of every grade level will find strategies for any content area to apply or adapt to individual classroom needs. Each strategy contains all checklists, forms, and rubrics necessary for immediate implementation. This revised edition features:

Up to 50% new content reflecting the latest research on improving student learning

A greater emphasis on teaching students in special populations

New strategies and graphics based on the most current brain-based research

Reorganized strategies to help readers find information easily.

Preface to the Second Edition

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

Introduction

1. Beginning With What Students Know: The Role of Prior Knowledge in Learning

What Role Does Background Knowledge Play in Learning?

What Do Research Studies Show About Prior Knowledge?

#1: The Known and the Unknown

#2: Things I Know, Think I Know, Want to Know

#3: What I Know, Want to Know, and Learned

#4: Getting Organized Graphically

#5: Visual Sequencing

#6: Visualizing Cause and Effect

#7: Seeing Similarities and Differences

#8: The Whole Pie

#9: Speaking Categorically

#10: Commonly Shared Prior Experiences

#11: Charting a Colorful Course

#12: Asking the Right Questions

#13: Guided Anticipation

#14: Thinking Out Loud

#15: Using Prior Knowledge Before, During, and After a Lesson

#16: It’s About the Words

#17: Word Diagramming

#18: Tracking Progress With Words

#19: Math Dilemmas

Suggestions for Further Information About Prior Knowledge

2. Active Learning: Differentiated Strategies for All Learners

What Do Research Studies Show About Active Learning?

Active Learning in the Classroom

#20: Give Me Five! An Active Learning Wheel for Teachers and Students

#21: A Collaborative and Active Learning Sequence

#22: A Day of Active Division

#23: Visually Introducing a Unit

#24: Structured Concepts

#25: Visual Report Writing

#26: Charting Skills: Estimation

#27: Visual Story Mapping

#28: Mass Media’s Messages

#29: Active Listening

#30: Active Reading

#31: Textbooks Are Friends!

#32: Active Involvement Through Discussion

#33: It’s Notable

#34: Thinking From A to V

#35: That’s Debatable

#36: Jigsaw Cards and Puzzles

#37: I’m Game

#38: Musical Learning

#39: Narrative Pantomime

#40: Role-Playing to Learn

#41: A Week’s Worth of Journaling

#42: Student Goal Setting

#43: Project-Based Learning

#44: Pulling It Together: Class Books

Suggestions for Further Information About Active Learning

3. Ensuring Gender-Fair Instruction

What Do Research Studies Show About Gender-Equitable Approaches to Improving Student Achievement?

#45: Conducting a Classroom Gender Audit

#46: Seeking Student Feedback on Gender Dynamics

#47: Assessing Bias in Curricular Materials

#48: Quality Questioning

#49: Using Inclusive Language

#50: Thinking While Listening

#51: Mix and Match

#52: Playing Games

#53: Sequence Cards

#54: Paper Plate Review

#55: Headbands

#56: A Word Tool Kit

#57: Bite-Size Reading

#58: Teaching Boys to Write

#59: Six Tips for Tech-Savvy Girls

#60: Creating a “Boy-Friendly” Classroom

#61: Exploring New Roles at School

#62: Peer Support Networks

#63: Orienting Eighth and Ninth Graders to High School

#64: Middle School Academic Preparation for High School Success

#65: Gender Equity Bookmark

Suggestions for Further Information About Gender Equity

4. Teaching Diverse Students: Addressing Language, Class, Culture, and Ability Differences in the Classroom

The Diversity of the U.S. Educational System

The Diversity of K-12 Students in the United States

Defining Racial Diversity

Defining the Concept of Students With Disabilities

Defining Students in Poverty

Defining Limited English Proficient Students

Implications of Student Diversity for the Classroom

Teaching Students With Special Needs in Mainstream Classrooms

Integrating Limited English Proficient Students Into Mainstream Classrooms

Teaching Racially Diverse Students

Teaching Students in Poverty

Reflecting on Teaching in Diverse Classrooms

#66: Tiered Instruction

#67: Tiered Spelling

#68: Do They Get It? Assessing Student Understanding in Inclusive Classrooms

#69: Teaching Elementary Readers

#70: Helping Struggling Intermediate Readers

#71: Teaching Reading in the Content Areas

#72: Helping Struggling Adolescent Readers

#73: Using Tutors to Increase Reading Achievement

#74: An Extra Net: Using Web Sites to Support the Needs of Diverse Learners

#75: Engaging the Gifted

#76: Helping New and Incoming Students

#77: Meeting the Needs of Preliterate English Language Learner Students

#78: Using English Effectively With English Language Learners

#79: Geometric Collaboration

#80: Collaborative Note Taking

#81: Teaching Standard English in the Multicultural Classroom

#82: High-Performing Teachers of High-Poverty Students

#83: Reducing Prejudice by Increasing Critical Thinking

#84: Multicultural Math

#85: Multicultural Literature

Suggestions for Further Information About Teaching Diverse Students

5. Assessing Student Performance

Defining Assessment Terms

What Does the Research Say About Using Assessment to Improve Teaching and Learning?

The Power of Performance Assessment

Using Performance Assessment in the Classroom

#86: It's Not Business as Usual: Planning for Assessment

#87: Beginning With the End in Mind

#88: Taking Stock: Student Self-Assessment

#89: Collaborative-Assessment Conferences

#90: Test-Taking Matters

#91: Test-Taking Rules for Students

#92: Getting to Know You: Entry Interviews

#93: Saying Goodbye: Exit Interviews

#94: Taking Note With Anecdotal Records

#95: Making Rubrics

#96: Assessing Orally

#97: Observation Logs

#98: Checking Their Lists: Student Checklists

#99: Learning Logs

#100: Assessing Nontraditional Results

#101: Scheduling Assessment

Suggestions for Further Information About Assessing Student Performance

6. Some Concluding Thoughts

References

Index

"This book is a teacher’s toolbox, full of strategies that will strengthen student achievement. Once a teacher receives this resource, everyone in the school will want a copy!"

Nancy Betler, Instructional Support Specialist

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, NC

"Compiles what many teachers have discovered through years of trial and error into an easy-to-implement format. While some strategies are similar to those used by master teachers, others are refreshingly new."

Angela Becton, Instructional Support Specialist

Johnston County Schools, NC

"For teachers who want to use more research-based strategies but have little time, this book is a gem. The simple format, great diagrams, additional reading sources, and research-supported strategies are all time-savers for busy educators."

Pattie Thomas, School Improvement Specialist

Talladega City Schools, AL