Search results for the alchemy of teaching

With an alchemical verve, educators have been shaping the very direction of students' lives since time immemorial. With millions of teachers currently serving in the Tk-12 sector and millions more serving in higher education spaces, the need for quality educator development is essential.

For Tk-12 educators, while there are teacher preparation programs to help shape their teacher identities, the challenge of neatly integrating all the rich content provided into a set of actions is considerable. For college educators writ large, there is no conspicuous preparation for teaching, leaving many to flounder early in their careers. In addition, homeschooled students, whose population has nearly doubled in recent years, also need and deserve access to professional training.

While chiefly focused on Tk-12 educators, The Alchemy of Teaching supplies support for educators in all sectors and covers an array of topics germane to educators everywhere. Accordingly, this work draws on the early notions of alchemy, which is the art of transforming mundane metals into gold, to develop a template for educators to succeed while infusing essential, hard-earned wisdom along the way. Using the metals of alchemy as metaphors, the effective elements of teaching are parsed out in commonsensical and pragmatic ways, designed to give all those who educate students a template for strengthening their practice and the learning outcomes of their students.

Written by highly experienced educators, this book is made up of three sections, with each detailing some of the prominent struggles educators regularly have in particular areas. Each author also elucidates the gold practices and provides techniques for avoiding some of the early pitfalls often experienced by educators.

Each chapter of this book is dedicated to the practice of changing or transforming educator practices. It is a valuable tool for educators across the teaching spectrum to bring greater hope and success to their classrooms.

Perfect for courses such as: Teacher Education; Classroom Management; Education Psychology; Social Justice; Foundational Courses in Teacher Education; Courses in Differentiation; Methods Courses in Mathematics

In Transforming Teaching Through the Cycle of Care: A Comprehensive Guide to Empowering Education Through Relationships, Listening, Thinking, and Responding, author Mona Beth Zignego introduces a groundbreaking model that reshapes the way educators approach their profession. Drawing from decades of experience as a teacher, mentor, and researcher, Zignego offers a unique perspective on the vital role of care in the classroom. Through her "Cycle of Care" model, she breaks down the process of care into four critical elements: relationships, listening, thinking, and responding. This powerful framework is designed to help teachers not only support their students academically but also foster environments of trust, empathy, and social justice.

Zignego dives deeply into real-life examples from her own experience and research, illustrating both the profound impact of care on student outcomes and the devastating effects of its absence. From stories of students like Emily, who struggled under an uncaring teacher’s response, to educators like Mr. Price, who embodied the very essence of care in his practice, Transforming Teaching Through the Cycle of Care illuminates the path toward transformative education. A key focus of the book is the concept of self-directed care for teachers—a practice Zignego argues is essential for preventing burnout and for sustaining a healthy, effective teaching career. She acknowledges the emotional, physical, and professional challenges teachers face and provides practical tools to help them navigate these challenges while maintaining a caring, student-centered approach. With exercises like the "Emotionater Tool" and the "Teaching Identity Map," she guides teachers in reflecting on their own needs, biases, and emotional well-being, ensuring that care is directed not only at students but also at themselves.

This book is an invaluable resource for teachers, administrators, and anyone involved in education who wants to cultivate a nurturing and inclusive learning environment. Zignego’s insights remind us that care is the foundation upon which all meaningful education is built, and that by embracing care in teaching, we can create classrooms where every student feels seen, valued, and capable of success. Whether you are a new teacher seeking guidance or an experienced educator looking to deepen your practice, Transforming Teaching Through the Cycle of Care offers the inspiration and tools you need to transform your teaching through the power of care.

Perfect for courses such as: Foundations of Culturally Responsive Teaching; Principles of Classroom Management and Relationships; Introduction to Social and Emotional Learning in Education; Educating for Equity and Social Justice; Foundations of Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Practice; Introduction to School Leadership and Improvement; Teaching in a Diverse Society; Supportive Classroom Communities; Sociocultural Perspectives in Education; and Teacher Leadership and Professional Collaboration

John Dewey's Imaginative Vision of Teaching explores key philosophical topics in John Dewey’s work, including epistemology, ethics, and aesthetics, and relates them to teacher practice and education policy. Each chapter begins with theory and ends with practical implications. While there are numerous books on Dewey, there are relatively few that connect his philosophy of education to actual practice. By linking primary fields of philosophy with classroom teaching and education policy, Boyles suggests that the binary between theory and practice is a false chasm that can and should be bridged if teaching and learning are to change into more dynamic, reflexive, and authentic interactions.

Perfect for courses such as: Becoming a Teacher | Applying Theory to Practice | John Dewey and U.S. Schools | Historical and Philosophical Ideas In Practice | Progressive Teaching

A key distinction between an education doctorate, or Ed.D., and other doctorates in the field of education is the development of scholar practitioners armed with knowledge and skills to successfully lead change in their profession. Critical inquiry is one such skill, increasingly taught in many Ed.D. programs in some form of applied research methodology. Teaching Critical Inquiry and Applied Research: Moving Beyond Traditional Methods gathers insights from Ed.D. faculty regarding how the teaching of applied research occurs to develop scholar practitioners prepared to bring change to their respective professional fields. The 13 chapters provide a broad coverage of related topics, which includes advocacy and leadership through research, innovative features of methods courses, and methodology-focused program redesign. Each chapter includes strategies and recommendations for others interested in implementing something similar in their courses and programs. This book also captures student voices, in the form of vignettes written by students within each chapter, to illustrate the powerful impact of learning related to critical inquiry and applied research. Teaching Critical Inquiry and Applied Research is an excellent text for classrooms devoted to critical research, critical pedagogy, and other courses.

A 2022 SPE Outstanding Book Honorable Mention

Teaching Improvement Science in Educational Leadership: A Pedagogical Guide presents the reader with a range of pedagogies from a variety of viewpoints and approaches. The book provides a holistic picture for how one might develop stakeholder competency and capacity with improvement science as a signature problem-solving methodology for educational leaders. And while there are books that provide foundational knowledge on the field of improvement science (including the list of titles from Myers Education Press), this book differs in that it presents varying approaches for teaching others about improvement science. For those who want to develop the methodology but who need resources, the book provides the illustrations, examples, and other concrete applications so that those involved in teaching the subject matter can connect foundational knowledge of improvement to the applied context. This book serves as the guide for education leaders who wish to have the know-how for developing the knowledge, skills and dispositions relative to the field of improvement science—the education leader’s signature problem-solving methodology.

To learn more about Improvement Science and see our full list of books in this area, please click through to the Myers Education Press Improvement Science website.

Perfect for courses such as: Introduction to Improvement Science | Educational Research for Administrators | Introduction to Program Evaluation | Action Research for School Practitioners | Educational Research | School Improvement | Teacher Leadership

2021 SPE Outstanding Book Award Winner

The first edition of Acts of Resistance: Subversive Teaching in the English Language Arts (ELA) Classroom won the 2021 Society of Professors of Education's Outstanding Book Award and garnered other nominations. The second edition includes a foreword by Ashley Hope Pérez, author of the young adult literature novel Out of Darkness, one of the most frequently banned books across U.S. classrooms. Four new chapters reflect sociopolitical changes since the book's publication, including a widespread, coordinated uptick in the banning of books centering authors and characters from marginalized communities; the COVID-19 pandemic and with it, increased acts of violence against folks identifying as Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander; the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless other victims of police brutality; the January 6th insurrection; the closing of the Trump era; the passing of anti-CRT and anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation; and a "school choice" movement that defunds public schools, deprofessionalizes educators, and places democracy in peril. Chapters specifically illustrate the storied practices of subversive teachers across the 6-12 ELA context. They provide educators with instructional ideas on how to do anti-oppressive work while also meeting traditional ELA disciplinary elements.

The Science I Know: Culturally Relevant Science Lessons from Secondary Classrooms is a collection of culturally relevant lesson plans written by secondary science teachers. Each lesson discusses how the tenets of academic success, cultural competence and critical consciousness that are part of the theory of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) are addressed (Ladson-Billings, 1995). Additionally, each lesson plan is structured following the 5E learning cycle (Bybee, 2006) and aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NAS, 2012). The goal of this book is to help science teachers understand how to go about designing lessons that are culturally relevant. The hope is that the lessons that are detailed in each chapter will inspire teachers to draw the cultural knowledge from their students and capitalize on it when designing science lessons.

After an introductory chapter that discusses how science education has shifted in recent decades to address the needs of diverse students, the main body of the text is divided into three sections. The first part introduces Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) as a framework; this is important for those readers unfamiliar with Gloria Ladson-Billings’ work. It addresses and discusses the three tenets of CRP (Academic Success, Cultural Competence and Critical Consciousness) and it includes an explanation of how each area can be observed and addressed in science education specifically. The second part features lesson plans from secondary science classrooms written by teachers from different subject areas (i.e., life science, physical science, earth science, etc.). The lesson plans follow the 5E Instructional Model (Bybee et. al., 2006). This model promotes inquiry by guiding teachers in the design of lesson plans that are “based upon cognitive psychology, constructivist-learning theory, and best practices in science teaching.” (Duran & Duran, 2004). A brief snapshot of each teacher precedes each lesson plan. A discussion about how each of the CRP tenets is observed appears after each lesson plan. Finally, each plan featured has a section that addresses the concepts of Funds of Knowledge (Moll et al., 1992). This concept guides teachers in the process of identifying and maximizing students’ cultural capital in the classroom. Each lesson plan chapter concludes with questions for further consideration for teachers. The last part of the book features best practices for teachers when preparing and planning to implement culturally relevant practices in their classrooms, as well as a lesson plan template for teachers.

The Science I Know is not only essential reading for all science teachers interested in utilizing culturally relevant instructional practices in their classroom, but also a valuable tool in the instruction of pre-service teachers in Colleges of Education. The book’s structure is ideal for classroom use.

Perfect for courses such as: Foundations of Cultural Studies in Education; Education and Culture; Learner Differences; Secondary Science Pedagogy; Culturally Relevant Science; and Multicultural Education

A 2023 SPE Outstanding Book Award Winner

Social studies education over its hundred-year history has often focused on predominantly white and male narratives. This has not only been detrimental to the increasingly diverse population of the U.S., but it has also meant that social studies as a field of scholarship has systematically excluded and marginalized the voices, teaching, and research of women, scholars of color, queer scholars, and scholars whose politics challenge the dominant traditions of history, geography, economics, and civics education.

Insurgent Social Studies intervenes in the field of social studies education by highlighting those whose work has often been deemed “too radical.” Insurgent Social Studies is essential reading to all researchers and practitioners in social studies, and is perfect as an adopted text in the social studies curriculum at Colleges of Education.

Perfect for courses such as:  Foundations of Education │ Social Studies Methods │ Multicultural Education │ Critical Studies of Education │ Culturally Relevant Pedagogy │ Social Education