Understanding, Navigating, and Leading the Process
"Coping with change is perhaps the most fundamental aspect of life and certainly critical for successful teaching. This book provides an essential guide to how teachers might successfully address the ongoing and expected change associated with effective teaching." -Sharon Vaughn, H. E. Hartfelder/Southland Corp Regents Chair University of Texas "Perhaps no other job in our society today experiences as much change as classroom teaching. Stivers and Cramer are two experts with tremendous insight and experience in both the theoretical and practical dimensions of personal, organizational, and systemwide change. Heartwarming, insightful stories explore how dozens of teachers overcome the challenges of living and leading through change every day, blended with rock-solid theory and extensive research on how to live through change successfully." -Chris Edgelow, Founder and President Sundance Consulting Inc. Energize your learning community by transforming change into opportunity! Throughout their careers, teachers will face a myriad of inevitable changes, both inside and outside the classroom. Ideal for use both in professional development settings and as a personal resource, A Teacher's Guide to Change engages K-12 teachers in the process of anticipating and responding to change. Through a step-by-step approach, teachers can learn to prepare for change, which enhances their career satisfaction and effectiveness as professionals. Emphasizing that change is something teachers can understand, manage, become invested in, and even champion, the authors provide practical skills for facing and adjusting to change, whether it is mandated or chosen. Offering a wealth of conceptual, reflective, interpersonal, and strategic tools, this guide also includes: Survey results from more than 100 teachers who share not only their experiences with change but also advice and encouragement, inviting educators to learn from each other Reflective exercises to help teachers understand and approach change A five-step process for initiating and implementing plans for change Systematic strategies for leading change, both in smaller and larger spheres of influence Vivid school-based examples that can be directly applied to personal experience This accessible resource is invaluable for all teachers. Whether or not change is voluntary, opportunities for professional growth are abundant, leading to improved student learning and greater teacher retention.
Understanding, Navigating, and Leading the Process
"Coping with change is perhaps the most fundamental aspect of life and certainly critical for successful teaching. This book provides an essential guide to how teachers might successfully address the ongoing and expected change associated with effective teaching." -Sharon Vaughn, H. E. Hartfelder/Southland Corp Regents Chair University of Texas "Perhaps no other job in our society today experiences as much change as classroom teaching. Stivers and Cramer are two experts with tremendous insight and experience in both the theoretical and practical dimensions of personal, organizational, and systemwide change. Heartwarming, insightful stories explore how dozens of teachers overcome the challenges of living and leading through change every day, blended with rock-solid theory and extensive research on how to live through change successfully." -Chris Edgelow, Founder and President Sundance Consulting Inc. Energize your learning community by transforming change into opportunity! Throughout their careers, teachers will face a myriad of inevitable changes, both inside and outside the classroom. Ideal for use both in professional development settings and as a personal resource, A Teacher's Guide to Change engages K-12 teachers in the process of anticipating and responding to change. Through a step-by-step approach, teachers can learn to prepare for change, which enhances their career satisfaction and effectiveness as professionals. Emphasizing that change is something teachers can understand, manage, become invested in, and even champion, the authors provide practical skills for facing and adjusting to change, whether it is mandated or chosen. Offering a wealth of conceptual, reflective, interpersonal, and strategic tools, this guide also includes: Survey results from more than 100 teachers who share not only their experiences with change but also advice and encouragement, inviting educators to learn from each other Reflective exercises to help teachers understand and approach change A five-step process for initiating and implementing plans for change Systematic strategies for leading change, both in smaller and larger spheres of influence Vivid school-based examples that can be directly applied to personal experience This accessible resource is invaluable for all teachers. Whether or not change is voluntary, opportunities for professional growth are abundant, leading to improved student learning and greater teacher retention.
Improving Relationships With Co-Teachers, Teams, and Families
'The valuable information and numerous strategies and resources make this a must have book for all teachers striving for effective collaborative relationships' - Spencer J. Salend, Professor, SUNY, The College at New Paltz General and special education teachers working side by side on a daily basis must move beyond basic communication to improve collaborative relationships in and outside the classroom. Author Sharon F. Cramer delves into the art of the collaborative process through a series of practical exercises coupled with relevant research, and outlines a plan to make collaboration a life-long part of teaching. Pre-service teachers, in-service teachers, and staff developers alike can use the activities in the book as is or adapt them to fit their own unique circumstances. Whether used for personal improvement or by a group for professional development purposes, these invaluable set of relationship-building tools will empower teachers and give them the motivation, understanding, and skills to transform unsatisfactory co-teaching relationships into productive, truly collaborative relationships. Special features include: o Case stories and data from among 1,000 collaboration projects supervised by the author o Up-to-date research, including an overview of current literature on collaboration o "Idea try-outs"-step-by-step reflection activities for promoting independent, innovative thinking o "Project try-outs"-structured research and interview activities that provide readers with focused ways to test their collaboration skills When teachers become curious, motivated learners, not only will they discover the many benefits of collaborative relationships with their peers, but they will also enrich the learning environment for their students.
