Theories of action are the common reference points that assist educators to identify, design, implement and evaluate teaching and leadership practices. 'Curiosity and powerful learning' describes ten theories of action and suggests strategies for using them to increase curiosity and powerful learning.

Written by 3 pre-eminent educationalists, this long awaited text is a case study of the successful reform in the Northern Metro Region resulting in massive improvement in student performance. It discusses teaching strategies, organisational structure and policy and how they can be changed to support improvement plans in schools. The reform strategy is an inside-out approach to school improvement based on the commitment to every student reaching their potential, and is not just about improving literacy or numeracy but also the desire to learn. It is seen as quite the model for educational system reform due to the innovative approach and successful results. There has been .

"In an era where personalized learning has often come to be associated with isolated one-to-one device technology, we thirst for this personal, constructivist, collaborative approach to digital inquiry." --Stephanie Harvey From Curiosity to Deep Learning: Personal Digital Inquiry in Grades K-5 reveals the powerful learning that results when you integrate purposeful technology into a classroom culture that values curiosity and deep learning. The centerpiece of this practical guide is Personal Digital Inquiry (PDI), a framework developed by Julie Coiro and implemented in classrooms by her co-authors, Elizabeth Dobler and Karen Pelekis. Clear, detailed examples offer ideas for K-5 teachers and school librarians to support their teaching. Personal emphasizes the significance of the personal relationship between teachers and students, and the role that students have in the learning process. Digital reflects the important role that digital texts and tools have come to play in both learning and teaching with inquiry. Inquiry lies at the core of PDI, because learners grow and change with opportunities to identify problems, generate personal wonderings, and engage in collaborative dialogue, making learning relevant and lasting. From Curiosity to Deep Learning: Personal Digital Inquiry in Grades K-5 shows you how to integrate inquiry with a range of digital tools and resources that will create a dynamic classroom for both you and your students.

In The Learning Power Approach: Teaching learners to teach themselves Guy Claxton sets out the design principles of a pedagogical formula that aims to strengthen students' learning muscles and develop their independence, initiative, determination, and love of learning. Foreword by Carol S. Dweck. Learning is learnable! Educators can explicitly teach not just content, knowledge, and skills, but also the positive habits of mind that will better prepare students to flourish both in school and in later life. And as 'traditionalists' fight for rigour and knowledge, and 'progressives' defend the increasing focus on character and well-being, Guy Claxton's Learning Power Approach (LPA) brings resolution to this phoney and unnecessary war by offering teachers a win-win pedagogical formula that delivers good academic results while simultaneously turbocharging students' independence, initiative, and love of learning. In this groundbreaking book Guy distils fifteen years' experience with his influential Building Learning Power method to provide a set of design principles for strengthening students' learning muscles, and together with a wealth of practical strategies and the supporting evidence that underpins them details the small tweaks to daily practice that will help teachers attend more closely to the ways in which they can shape their students' learning dispositions and attitudes. Complemented by engaging and informative classroom examples of the LPA in action and drawing from research into the fields of mindset, metacognition, grit, and collaborative learning The Learning Power Approach describes in detail the suite of beliefs, values, attitudes, and habits of mind that go in to making up learning power, and offers a thorough explanation of what its intentions and guiding principles are. Furthermore, in order to help those who are just setting out on their LPA journey, Guy presents teachers with an attractive menu of customisable strategies and activities to choose from as they begin to embed the LPA principles into their own classroom culture, and also includes at the end of each chapter a Wondering section that serves to prompt reflection, conversation, and action among teachers. Suitable for teachers and leaders in all educational settings, The Learning Power Approach carefully lays the groundwork for a series of books to follow that are specifically tailored to primary teaching, secondary teaching, and school leadership.

Why the education system is failing our kids and how we can start the revolution that will save our schools With their emphasis on regurgitated knowledge and stressful exams, today’s schools actually do more harm than good. Guiding readers past the sterile debates about City Academies and dumbed-down exams, Claxton proves that education’s key responsibility should be to create enthusiastic learners who will go on to thrive as adults in a swiftly-changing, dynamic world. Students must be encouraged to sharpen their wits, ask questions, and think for themselves - all without chucking out Shakespeare or the Periodic Table. Blending down-to-earth examples with the latest advances in brain science, and written with passion, wit, and authority, this brilliant book will inspire teachers, parents, and readers of all backgrounds to join a practical revolution and foster in the next generation a natural curiosity and the spirit of adventure.

Give your students a leg up and improve learning outcomes with this revolutionary, hands-on approach to teaching In Cultivating Curiosity: Teaching and Learning Reimagined, distinguished educator and author Doreen Gehry Nelson inspires anyone yearning to break away from formulaic teaching. Told from dozens of powerful and personal perspectives, the effectiveness and versatility of the Doreen Nelson Method of Design-Based Learning described in the book is backed by years of quantitative and qualitative data. You’ll learn how applying this cross-curricular methodology can transform your K-12 teaching practice, regardless of changes in content standards. The book includes: Discussions about how to launch creative and critical thinking in your students Explanations of the methodology’s 6 1⁄2 Steps of Backward ThinkingTM that invigorate the teaching experience and dramatically improve learning The inception of the methodology and the experiences of K-12 teachers who practice it in their classrooms. Perfect for K-12 educators seeking a methodology that consistently engages students in applying what they learn, Cultivating Curiosity is also an ideal resource for teachers-in-training, administrators, and post-secondary educators.

The authors of Make Just One Change argue that formulating one’s own questions is “the single most essential skill for learning”—and one that should be taught to all students. They also argue that it should be taught in the simplest way possible. Drawing on twenty years of experience, the authors present the Question Formulation Technique, a concise and powerful protocol that enables learners to produce their own questions, improve their questions, and strategize how to use them. Make Just One Change features the voices and experiences of teachers in classrooms across the country to illustrate the use of the Question Formulation Technique across grade levels and subject areas and with different kinds of learners.

This text argues that, for 'every school a great school' to become a reality, requires a move from individual school improvement efforts and short term objectives to a sustainable system-wide response that seeks to re-establish a balance between national prescription and schools leading reform.

Praise for How Learning Works "How Learning Works is the perfect title for this excellent book. Drawing upon new research in psychology, education, and cognitive science, the authors have demystified a complex topic into clear explanations of seven powerful learning principles. Full of great ideas and practical suggestions, all based on solid research evidence, this book is essential reading for instructors at all levels who wish to improve their students' learning." —Barbara Gross Davis, assistant vice chancellor for educational development, University of California, Berkeley, and author, Tools for Teaching "This book is a must-read for every instructor, new or experienced. Although I have been teaching for almost thirty years, as I read this book I found myself resonating with many of its ideas, and I discovered new ways of thinking about teaching." —Eugenia T. Paulus, professor of chemistry, North Hennepin Community College, and 2008 U.S. Community Colleges Professor of the Year from The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education "Thank you Carnegie Mellon for making accessible what has previously been inaccessible to those of us who are not learning scientists. Your focus on the essence of learning combined with concrete examples of the daily challenges of teaching and clear tactical strategies for faculty to consider is a welcome work. I will recommend this book to all my colleagues." —Catherine M. Casserly, senior partner, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching "As you read about each of the seven basic learning principles in this book, you will find advice that is grounded in learning theory, based on research evidence, relevant to college teaching, and easy to understand. The authors have extensive knowledge and experience in applying the science of learning to college teaching, and they graciously share it with you in this organized and readable book." —From the Foreword by Richard E. Mayer, professor of psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara; coauthor, e-Learning and the Science of Instruction; and author, Multimedia Learning

This book describes how teachers can create a structured, student-centered environment that allows for openness and surprise, and where inquiry guides authentic learning. Strategies for fostering student curiosity through exploration, novelty, and play; questioning and critical thinking; and experimenting and problem solving are also provided.