Promoting Early Reading: Research, Resources, and Best Practices

Bringing together leading scholars, this book describes proven ways to enhance early literacy skills in 3- and 4-year-olds, especially those from low-income families. Presented are scientifically based methods and approaches that are being applied in Early Reading First programs around the country.

Capacity Building for School Improvement: Revisited

This book presents a model of capacity building for school improvement grounded in everyday practice. It highlights organisational attributes and capacity building practices that facilitate improvement. Though patterns may vary across schools, the attributes, practices and themes identified in this book based on a case study of one school are considered applicable to other sites. Taken together, attributes, practices and themes provide a sound basis to discuss the hallmarks of a model on capacity building for school improvement.

Modern teachers increasingly encounter students who enter their classroom with low motivation, learning problems, or disruptive behavior. The mission of this book is to provide teachers and other human service professionals specific tools they can use to teach more effectively without using the punitive methods that are too often part of educational practices. At the same time, the book explains the behavioral science on which behavioral practices are based.

Assuming no knowledge of linguistics, Understanding Digital Literacies provides an accessible and timely introduction to new media literacies. It supplies readers with the theoretical and analytical tools with which to explore the linguistic and social impact of a host of new digital literacy practices. Each chapter in the volume covers a different topic, presenting an overview of the major concepts, issues, problems and debates surrounding the topic, while also encouraging students to reflect on and critically evaluate their own language and communication practices.

Assessment for learning [AfL] is bound up with students becoming autonomous lifelong learners who are active participants in the classroom and beyond. This book explores teacher and student experiences of AfL interactions in primary science and technology classrooms. Working from a sociocultural perspective, the book's fundamental premise is that AfL has a contribution to make to students developing identities as accomplished learners and knowers. The focus is on understanding and enhancing teacher practices that align with the spirit of AfL.