Free Download | Mathematics content for elementary teachers

Intended as a core textbook for courses on mathematics contents for elementary teachers; it will help teachers develop appropriate background and understanding of the mathematics they will be teaching. THE book for elementary education mathematics content courses! Designed to help prospective teachers of elementary school mathematics learn content beyond the rote level, this text stimulates readers to think beyond just getting the problem right and fosters their development into thoughtful, reflective, self-motivated, life-long learners. It stresses the what and why of elementary school mathematics content. 

Hints are provided about how to teach the content but this is mostly left to courses and texts that are dedicated to that purpose.The text is organized around the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics' Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. The Standards dictate the basic sections of the text. Within each section, appropriate specific topics are developed, intertwined with technology, problem solving, assessment, equity issues, planning, teaching skills, use of manipulatives, sequencing, and much more. In addition, major focal points of the Standards are emphasized throughout: effective teachers of mathematics should be able to motivate all students to learn, should understand the developmental levels of how children learn, should concentrate on what children need to become active participants in the learning environment, and should be engaged in ongoing investigations of new mathematical concepts and teaching strategies.Mathematics Content for Elementary Teachers is based on several fundamental premises:*The focus of mathematics education should be on the process, not the answer.

*Elementary teachers should know the mathematics content they are teaching, know more than the content they are teaching, and teach from the overflow of knowledge.*It is important for teachers to be flexible in allowing students to use different procedures--teaching from the "overflow of knowledge" implies knowing how to do a given operation more than one way and being willing to examine many different ways.*Teachers need to learn to carefully cover the topics to be taught, to reflect upon them, and to be able to organize them. To help prospective elementary teachers concentrate on the mathematics content they will be expected to teach and begin to build the foundation for the methods they will use, this text includes only elementary mathematics content and does not address middle school concepts.Pedagogical features:*The text is organized according to NCTM Standards.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011 | 0 comments | Read More

Free Download | International Handbook on the Continuing Professional Development of Teachers

Christopher Day and Judyth Sachs have done a remarkable job of pulling together an outstanding collection of essays on professional development that reflect its stunning diversity in different regions around the world. They have done for readers what no one else has accomplished in nearly a quarter century: Combine in a single volume a clear and concise description of professional development’s past, present, and projected future internationally.†Thomas R. Guskey, University of Kentucky. "an engaging text through out and can be dipped in to or read from beginning to end... The editors and authors of this book have done a great service to teachers and professional development educators worldwide" Journal of Inservice Education

Tuesday, June 14, 2011 | 0 comments | Read More

Free Download | Reflective Practice in Arts Education | Pamela Burnard, Sarah Hennessy

This book is focused on the role of reflective practice, as a source and resource for teaching and learning and research in the arts (here being Art and Design, Dance, Drama and Music). It aims to investigate the concept of reflection and its application to a range of contemporary arts education contexts for both teachers and learners. Authors investigate how and in what ways reflection is practised in arts education, and argue for the central importance of reflection within the professional arts community. The book will provide a resource for those seeking to engage in individual and collective professional development which, by its nature, involves reflecting on practice. Many of the authors are both arts educators and researchers who reflect current trends in arts education, and consider the relationships between teachers, artists and learners in and across disciplines. Through explanation and discussion of examples of practice both in and out of school, and in with a range of age phases, readers will gain insight into a variety of ways of working and ways of understanding how learning in the arts is nurtured.

Monday, May 30, 2011 | 0 comments | Read More

Free Download | Music Education for Changing Times | Thomas A. Regelski, J. Terry Gates

Based on topics that frame the debate about the future of professional music education, this book explores the issues that music teachers must confront in a rapidly shifting educational landscape. The book aims to challenge thought and change minds. It presents a star cast of internationally prominent thinkers in and beyond music education. These thinkers deliberately challenge many time-worn traditions in music education with regard to musicianship, culture and society, leadership, institutions, interdisciplinarity, research and theory, and curriculum. This is the first book to confront these issues in this way. This unique book has emerged from fifteen years of international dialog by The MayDay Group, an organization of more than 250 music educators from over 20 countries who meet yearly to confront issues in music teaching and learning.

Monday, May 30, 2011 | 0 comments | Read More

Free Download | Progressing Science Education: Constructing the Scientific Research Programme into the Contingent Nature of Learning Science (Science & Technology Education Library) | Keith S. Taber

Exploring one of the central themes in science education theory, this volume examines how science education can be considered as a scientific activity within a broad post-positivist notion of science. Many students find learning science extremely problematic, whatever level of education they have reached. At the end of the 1970s a new approach to tackling learning difficulties in science was developed, drawing on ideas from psychology and cognitive science, and centred on the way students build up new knowledge in reference to their existing ideas. ‘Constructivism’ became the dominant paradigm in science education research for two decades, spawning a vast body of literature reporting aspects of learners’ ideas in different science topics. However, Constructivism came under fire as it was recognised that the research did not offer immediate and simple prescriptions for effective science teaching. The whole approach was widely criticised, in particular by those who saw it as having ‘anti-science’ leanings.

In this book, the notion of scientific research programmes is used to understand the development, limitations and potential of constructivism. It is shown that constructivist work in science education fits into a coherent programme exploring the contingencies of learning science. The author goes further to address criticisms of constructivism; evaluate progress in the field; and suggest directions for future research. It is concluded that constructivism has provided the foundations for a progressive research programme that continues to guide enquiry into learning and teaching science.

Monday, May 30, 2011 | 0 comments | Read More

Free Download | Development of Achievement Motivation | PDF

Author : Allan Wigfield, Jacquelynne Eccles

This book discusses research and theory on how motivation changes as children progress through school, gender differences in motivation, and motivational differences as an aspect of ethnicity. Motivation is discussed within the context of school achievement as well as athletic and musical performance.

Key Features
* Coverage of the major theories and constructs in the motivation field
* Focus on developmental issues across the elementary and secondary school period
* Discussion of instructional and theoretical issues regarding motivation
* Consideration of gender and ethnic differences in motivation

Tuesday, May 10, 2011 | 0 comments | Read More

Free Download | Second International Handbook of Educational Change

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The two volumes of the second edition of the International Handbook of Educational Change comprise a totally new, and updated collection of the most critical and cutting-edge ideas in educational change. Written by the most influential thinkers in the field, these volumes cover educational change at both the theoretical and practical levels. The updated handbook remains connected to the classical concerns of the field, such as educational innovation, reform, and change management, and also offers new insights into educational change that have been brought about by social change and shifting contexts of educational reform.

Friday, May 06, 2011 | 0 comments | Read More

Free Download | Transforming Undergraduate Education for Future Research Biologists

Biological sciences have been revolutionized, not only in the way research is conducted -- with the introduction of techniques such as recombinant DNA and digital technology -- but also in how research findings are communicated among professionals and to the public. Yet, the undergraduate programs that train biology researchers remain much the same as they were before these fundamental changes came on the scene.

This new volume provides a blueprint for bringing undergraduate biology education up to the speed of today’s research fast track. It includes recommendations for teaching the next generation of life science investigators, through:

• Building a strong interdisciplinary curriculum that includes physical science, information technology, and mathematics.
• Eliminating the administrative and financial barriers to cross-departmental collaboration.
• Evaluating the impact of medical college admissions testing on undergraduate biology education.
• Creating early opportunities for independent research.
• Designing meaningful laboratory experiences into the curriculum.
  

The committee presents a dozen brief case studies of exemplary programs at leading institutions and lists many resources for biology educators. This volume will be important to biology faculty, administrators, practitioners, professional societies, research and education funders, and the biotechnology industry.

Friday, April 29, 2011 | 0 comments | Read More

Free Download | Higher Education in Asia Pacific: Quality and the Public Good (International and Development Education)

The past two decades have witnessed a vast expansion of higher education in the Asia Pacific with education universally accepted as a necessary condition of economic growth. Countries throughout the region have rapidly expanded access to higher education, often by loosening restrictions on the private sector to stimulate its provision. In the process, the status of higher education has shifted from a widely accepted public good to a commodity provided and purchased through market mechanisms. Expansion and privatization have created new concerns over the quality of education throughout the region. The essays in this volume underscore the fundamental interrelationships between quality, educational expansion, and the pervasive challenges of privatization.

Friday, April 29, 2011 | 0 comments | Read More

Free Download | Online Education For Dummies

From admission to graduation-your personal guide to studying online. Online Education For Dummies explains the ins and outs of attending a virtual classroom, and provides you with the tools you need to hone your skills or obtain additional certification and degrees. This practical reference not only helps you get the most out of an online course, but also offers a wealth of advice to help you pick the one that matches your interests and needs.

• Identifies the software and hardware needed to study online
• Reveals how to get financial aid, transfer credits, and manage online time
• Explains how to locate legitimate online programs and avoid scams

Whether you want to earn a degree or just increase your knowledge through an online course, Online Education For Dummies is the only guide you need.

Friday, April 29, 2011 | 0 comments | Read More