This book presents the practice and vision of classrooms that operate as learning communities.

Building Online Learning Communities further explores the development of virtual classroom environments that foster a sense of community and empower students to take charge of their learning to successfully achieve learning outcomes. This is the second edition of the groundbreaking book by Rena Palloff and Keith Pratt and has been completely updated and expanded to include the most current information on effective online course development and delivery. A practical, hands-on guide, this resource is filled with illustrative case studies, vignettes, and examples from a wide variety of successful online courses. The authors offer proven strategies for handling challenges that include: Engaging students in the formation of an online learning community. Establishing a sense of presence online. Maximizing participation. Developing effective courses that include collaboration and reflection. Assessing student performance. Written for faculty in any distance learning environment, this revised edition is based on the authors many years of work in faculty development for online teaching as well as their extensive personal experience as faculty in online distance education. Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt share insights designed to guide readers through the steps of online course design and delivery.

Student learning communities (SLCs) are more than just a different way of doing group work. Like the professional learning communities they resemble, SLCs provide students with a structured way to solve problems, share insight, and help one another continually develop new skills and expertise. With the right planning and support, dynamic collaborative learning can thrive everywhere. In this book, educators Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and John Almarode explain how to create and sustain student learning communities by - Designing group experiences and tasks that encourage dialogue; - Fostering the relational conditions that advance academic, social, and emotional development; - Providing explicit instruction on goal setting and opportunities to practice progress monitoring; - Using thoughtful teaming practices to build cognitive, metacognitive, and emotional regulation skills; - Teaching students to seek, give, and receive feedback that amplifies their own and others' learning; and - Developing the specific leadership skills and strategies that promote individual and group success. Examples from face-to-face and virtual K–12 classrooms help to illustrate what SLCs are, and teacher voices testify to what they can achieve. No more hoping the group work you're assigning will be good enough—or that collaboration will be its own reward. No more crossing your fingers for productive outcomes or struggling to keep order, assess individual student contributions, and ensure fairness. Student Learning Communities shows you how to equip your students with what they need to learn in a way that is truly collective, makes them smarter together than they would be alone, creates a more positive classroom culture, and enables continuous academic and social-emotional growth.

In classrooms that operate as learning communities, the social and learning purposes advance together through all participants being involved and engaged in building knowledge. This book demonstrates a new way of seeing and managing classrooms through: an integration of what's best in learning and what's best in the social life of classrooms a vision of the role of the teacher that is more creative and more related to the commitments of teachers a more connected view of schools in contrast to the mechanistic view that currently dominates an answer to the short-term performance pressures of politicians - better performance. The practice and vision of classrooms that operate as learning communities is presented clearly and encourages teachers to take steps towards building a more effective classroom with the aspects of learning communities they choose.

The author details and celebrates an approach to teaching that emphasizes connections among school, community, and environment.

Most would agree that a learning community of practice cultivates social and intellectual development in educational settings but what are the other benefits and what does a learning community actually look like in practice? This book explores such questions as: “Are learning communities essential in education?” “How are they designed and developed?” “What difference do they make in learning?” The book contains contributions of educators who share their research and practice in designing and implementing learning communities in school, university, and professional network settings. It presents their experiences, and the “how to” of these educators who are passionate about building and sustaining learning communities to make a real difference for students, teachers, faculty, and communities. Combining scholarly and practitioner research, the book offers practical information to teachers, school and university administrators, teacher educators, and community educators.

ENABLES K-12 EDUCATORS TO CREATE SUCCESSFUL LEARNING COMMUNITIES — THE FULLY UPDATED NEW EDITION Effective classroom management plans are essential for creating environments that foster appropriate social interactions and engaged learning for students in K-12 settings. New and early-career teachers often face difficulties addressing student discipline, upholding classroom rules and procedures, and establishing positive teacher-student relationships. The seventh edition of Classroom Management is the leading resource for helping educators prevent student misbehavior, respond to challenging situations, and involve their students in building positive classroom communities. This popular textbook covers every vital aspect of classroom management, from planning for the school year and conducting instruction, to managing diverse classrooms and collaborating with colleagues and families. Fully revised to reflect recent changes in K-12 education and address the needs of today's educators, this edition features new and updated methods for fostering positive student behavior, insights on the root causes of misbehavior, strategies for helping students set high expectations, and much more. Written by a respected expert in teaching methods, classroom management, and instructional leadership, this valuable teacher's reference: Covers contemporary topics, methods, and discipline models in classroom management Reflects current InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards and Praxis assessments Features descriptions of classroom management methods used by elementary, middle, and high school teachers in various regions and communities Provides new and unique stories and case studies of real-world classroom situations Offers end-of-chapter summaries and questions, supplemental activities, further reading suggestions, and complete references Includes new tables, charts, and figures that make information more accessible to different types of learners Classroom Management: Creating a Successful K-12 Learning Community, Seventh Edition is an ideal text for college professors, teachers in training, and K-12 educators, as well as school administrators and general readers involved in education.

Growing evidence supports the important relationship between trauma and academic failure. Along with the failure of “zero tolerance” policies to resolve issues of school safety and a new understanding of children’s disruptive behavior, educators are changing the way they view children’s academic and social problems. In response, the trauma-sensitive schools movement presents a new vision for promoting children’s success. This book introduces this promising approach and provides K–5 education professionals with clear explanations of current research and dozens of practical, creative ideas to help them. Integrating research on children’s neurodevelopment and educational best practices, this important book will build the capacity of teachers and school administrators to successfully manage the behavior of children with symptoms of complex developmental trauma. “Kudos! Susan Craig has done it again. After Reaching and Teaching Children Who Hurt, she has written a book that will help administrators and educators truly make schoolwide trauma sensitivity a regular part of the way their schools are run. A major contribution to education reform.” —Susan Cole, director, Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative, Massachusetts Advocates for Children, and Harvard Law School. “Dr. Craig’s message is clear that promoting self-reflection, self-regulation and integration gives traumatized children the chance at learning that they’re not getting in traditional approaches. And she bravely points out that it’s critical for teachers to recognize the toll that this emotional work can take and the need for self-care. Being mindful of both the importance of trauma sensitive systems and the enormity of the task of helping vulnerable children build resilience is so critical for everyone working with and caring for our children.” —Julie Beem, MBA, Executive Director of the Attachment & Trauma Network, Inc.

Defining the nature and significance of the learning community for the learning society, this work shows how schools have the potential to become role models for society and its institutions as a whole. It is intended for policy makers, researchers, sociologists, teachers and educational managers.

Written for faculty, instructors, and trainers in any distance learning environment, Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace shows how to create a virtual classroom environment that helps students excel academically, while fostering a sense of community. This practical, hands-on guide is filled with illustrative case studies, vignettes, and examples from a wide variety of successful online courses.