"The best educators are the best learners. It's all about teaching, learning, and feedback, and this book brings common sense to common practice." --Raymond J. McNulty, Senior Vice President International Center for Leadership in Education "At last, a diagnostic classroom observation tool that moves beyond generic criteria for examining teaching and learning. This is a must-have resource for teachers, administrators, and professional developers who want to look beyond the veneer of 'best practice' and use evidence-based, content-focused criteria to get to the heart of deep, conceptual teaching and learning." --Page Keeley, Senior Program Director Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance A complete instructional leadership system for improving classroom practice! Providing effective classroom evaluation is a critical function of authentic instructional leadership. Diagnostic classroom observation (DCO) is a research-based system that helps principals and other supervisors carry out classroom observations and evaluations to support effective teaching practices. Developed in collaboration with NWREL and the Vermont Institutes, the DCO model covers the entire supervision process, from preconference analysis to postconference follow-up, and includes protocols for observing math, science, and literacy instruction. Program users can determine classroom quality and student engagement by evaluating four critical aspects of instructional practice: lesson planning, lesson implementation, lesson content, and classroom culture. Additionally, the author supplies readers with: - Classroom observation forms to help identify instructor strengths and weaknesses - Scoring forms to assist with the final evaluation and review process - Real-world vignettes that clearly illustrate key indicators of quality teaching - Methods for matching student learning assessments with appropriate instructional strategies - Guidance for introducing DCO into any school or school district Diagnostic Classroom Observation offers principals and teacher leaders a thoroughly tested and validated classroom observation system that improves instructional performance and enhances student learning.

First released in the Spring of 1999, How People Learn has been expanded to show how the theories and insights from the original book can translate into actions and practice, now making a real connection between classroom activities and learning behavior. This edition includes far-reaching suggestions for research that could increase the impact that classroom teaching has on actual learning. Like the original edition, this book offers exciting new research about the mind and the brain that provides answers to a number of compelling questions. When do infants begin to learn? How do experts learn and how is this different from non-experts? What can teachers and schools do-with curricula, classroom settings, and teaching methods--to help children learn most effectively? New evidence from many branches of science has significantly added to our understanding of what it means to know, from the neural processes that occur during learning to the influence of culture on what people see and absorb. How People Learn examines these findings and their implications for what we teach, how we teach it, and how we assess what our children learn. The book uses exemplary teaching to illustrate how approaches based on what we now know result in in-depth learning. This new knowledge calls into question concepts and practices firmly entrenched in our current education system. Topics include: How learning actually changes the physical structure of the brain. How existing knowledge affects what people notice and how they learn. What the thought processes of experts tell us about how to teach. The amazing learning potential of infants. The relationship of classroom learning and everyday settings of community and workplace. Learning needs and opportunities for teachers. A realistic look at the role of technology in education.

"The best educators are the best learners. It′s all about teaching, learning, and feedback, and this book brings common sense to common practice." —Raymond J. McNulty, Senior Vice President International Center for Leadership in Education "At last, a diagnostic classroom observation tool that moves beyond generic criteria for examining teaching and learning. This is a must-have resource for teachers, administrators, and professional developers who want to look beyond the veneer of ′best practice′ and use evidence-based, content-focused criteria to get to the heart of deep, conceptual teaching and learning." —Page Keeley, Senior Program Director Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance A complete instructional leadership system for improving classroom practice! Providing effective classroom evaluation is a critical function of authentic instructional leadership. Diagnostic classroom observation (DCO) is a research-based system that helps principals and other supervisors carry out classroom observations and evaluations to support effective teaching practices. Based on the Vermont Classroom Observation Tool, the DCO model covers the entire supervision process, from preconference analysis to postconference follow-up, and includes protocols for observing math, science, and literacy instruction. Program users can determine classroom quality and student engagement by evaluating four critical aspects of instructional practice: lesson planning, lesson implementation, lesson content, and classroom culture. Additionally, the author supplies readers with: Classroom observation forms to help identify instructor strengths and weaknesses Scoring forms to assist with the final evaluation and review process Real-world vignettes that clearly illustrate key indicators of quality teaching Methods for matching student learning assessments with appropriate instructional strategies Guidance for introducing DCO into any school or school district Diagnostic Classroom Observation offers principals and teacher leaders a thoroughly tested and validated classroom observation system that improves instructional performance and enhances student learning.