Always a Lesson - Teacher Essentials for Classroom and Career Success

Step-by-step advice to help teachers master classroom management, lesson design, student engagement, and beyond

Always a Lesson: Teacher Essentials for Classroom and Career Success is the book that can turn every good teacher into a great teacher. The art and science of teaching can be difficult to navigate. There are moving pieces that change how teachers should approach instruction, like unique student needs year after year, curriculum changes, updated research on best practices and more. It's essential that teachers of all levels continue to learn and develop their craft so that they can best manage these moving pieces. Using personal stories and tangible next steps gained from her experience as a teacher and teacher leader, author Gretchen Bridgers can level-up your teaching, filling the gap left between traditional teacher-training programs and the real world.

With high teacher turnover rates in the wake of the great resignation that occurred post-COVID, teach ers need support more than ever. Always a Lesson offers a systematic process for strengthening the skillset of any teacher. The sequence of what teachers work on is the key to move through obstacles and increase effectiveness. No matter their level of expertise, Bridgers takes the stance that all teachers are learners. By applying the principles and strategies in this book, novice to veteran teachers will see a positive impact on student learning and their proficiency as an elite educator.

K-12 teachers, teacher mentors, instructional coaches, school administrators, and anyone else with an interest in improving teacher retention will thank their lucky stars for this book.

Inhaltsverzeichnis:

PART ONE | THE BEGINNING, THE PATHWAY, AND THE FORMULA

Prologue: Where It All Began

Lessons from the Trenches

Introduction: The Teacher Essentials Pathway

How to Use This Book

How This Book Will Help You

Chapter 1: The Formula

More Than a Toolbox

The Teacher Success Pathway

PART TWO | BRICK 1: LESSON DESIGN

Chapter 2: Obstacles to Lesson Design

Less Time to Plan

Too Much to Plan

The Vortex "Plan"

Less Time to Collaborate

Chapter 3: Lesson Design Phase Overview

Backwards Design

Gradual Release

Chapter 4: Effective Design

Pacing/Time Management

Checks for Understanding (CFU)

Transition Routes

Teacher/Student Actions

Material Organization and Distribution

Differentiation

Chapter 5: Getting Started with Lesson Design

Lesson Plan Components

Sample Practice Script

Ch apter 6: Mastering Lesson Design, Part 1

Standard, Objective, and Assessment Example

Direct Instruction Example

Guided Practice Example

Independent Practice Example

Chapter 7: Mastering Lesson Design, Part 2

Creating In-Class Data Collection Procedures

Developing Your Own Systems and Habits

Lesson Design Scenario Practice

PART THREE | BRICK 2: CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

Chapter 8: Understanding Classroom Management

The Three R's of Classroom Management

The Impact of Classroom Management

Chapter 9: Getting Started with Classroom Management

R #1: Relationships

R #2: Routines

Chapter 10: Addressing Misbehaviors

Chapter 11: Mastering Classroom Management

R #3: Rope Students into Your Lesson

PART FOUR | BRICK 3: STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

Chapter 12: Understanding Student Engagement

What Student Engagement Does

Why Student Eng agement Matters

Chapter 13: Getting Started with Student Engagement

Approaching Engagement from Three Directions

Building Engagement into Your Lesson

Chapter 14: Mastering Student Engagement

PART FIVE | BRICK 4: STUDENT CHOICE AND OWNERSHIP

Chapter 15: Understanding Student Choice and Ownership

Why Student Choice and Ownership Matters

Building-In Student Choice and Ownership

Chapter 16: Getting Started with Student Choice and Ownership

Characteristics of Student Choice

Chapter 17: Mastering Student Choice and Ownership

PART SIX | IMPLEMENTING YOUR NEW LEARNING

Chapter 18: Teacher Essentials Next Steps

Chapter 19: Ongoing Learning

Ongoing Learning Opportunities

Continuous Collaboration

Chapter 20: Conclusion

Appendix 1: Reproducibles

Appendix 2: Using This Book to Mentor Others

Book Study Questions

References