Reflective Analysis of Student Work: Improving Teaching Through Collaboration - Paperback

by Norene J. Bella (Author)

"Any school wishing to maximize conditions for their staff to grow professionally from within will want to acquire, test, and incorporate the suggestions in this book."
Arthur L. Costa, Emeritus Professor of Education
California State University, Sacramento

Improve the quality of your instruction through this innovative form of professional development!

In an era of structured trainings and top-down mandates, this visionary guide offers a new approach, solidly founded on research, which empowers teachers to take charge of the learning process. It encourages a shift from isolation to collaboration, from imparting to participating, and from content-focused to process-oriented learning, in order to simultaneously boost student achievement and teacher′s professional development.

Bringing the focus back to teaching students how to learn, the author promotes a process of teamwork and modeling that challenges educators to reflect on their curriculum, instruction, and assessment techniques to collaboratively work to improve them.

Highlights include:

• Ideas on how to powerfully engage students by becoming a co-learner and facilitator in the classroom
• Tips for analyzing student work with the help of co-workers, and how to incorporate these findings into the lesson plan cycle
• Adaptable schedules for sessions that last one-half hour to several hours--perfect for time-strapped teachers
• Calendar of collaborative professional development activities to last the entire school year

Author Biography

Norene Bella graduated cum laude from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. She is currently a fourth grade teacher in the Stow-Munroe Falls City School System in Stow, Ohio. She is a member of the National Education Association, Ohio Education Association, Kent State University Alumni Association, Kappa Delta Pi (International Honor Society in Education), Ohio's Coalition of National Board Certified Teachers, and Phi Delta Kappa (International Education Honorary Society). In 1997 Miss Bella was one of the first one hundred teachers in the state of Ohio to gain her National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification. She has served as a National Board presenter and facilitator for Kent State University, Cleveland State University, Mount Union College, and Washington D.C. City Schools. She has presented at national education conferences on professional development and national board certification. She is listed twice in Who's Who Among America's Teachers. In 1997 Miss Bella was honored with the State of Ohio Governor's Educational Leadership Award. Miss Bella lives in Kent, Ohio with her family.