Full Description
"Provides a clear understanding of the instructor's responsibilities when teaching in the block, explains what a brain-compatible class looks like, and gives sample lesson plans."
—Randy Thompson, Educational Consultant
"Educators who teach in a school system that utilizes block scheduling will find this text very useful."
—Melissa Awenowicz, Coordinator of Field Placement
University of Pittsburgh
Use brain-friendly teaching strategies to maximize the benefits of extended time formats!
Believing that block scheduling is one of the best environments for applying brain-compatible instructional methods, the authors have compiled a rich resource to show both novice and veteran teachers how to use brain-friendly strategies in extended time periods to deliver highly effective instruction and enhance learning for all students.
A practical toolbox for teaching in block schedule formats, Brain-Compatible Learning for the Block, Second Edition focuses on a four-phase lesson model of inquiring, gathering, processing, and applying. This approach helps learners identify what they already know about the concepts or skills to be covered in the lesson, collect new information related to the lesson topic, engage in activities that will help the brain store new information, and transfer what they've learned to real-life settings.
Written for middle school and high school educators, this second edition:
Provides detailed sample lesson plans
Examines how extended time formats impact student achievement
Illustrates how to focus the learning experience for students
Explores various alternative scheduling formats
Offers updated research related to brain-based learning and block scheduling
This book provides educators with concrete and accessible ideas for combining brain-based strategies with extended time formats and is an essential resource for making the most of block scheduling.
Contents
List of Tables and Figures
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Introduction: Tools of the Trade
1. Physiology and Philosophy
The Brain's Structure and Function
Brain-Compatibility and Multifaceted Learning
Brain-Compatible Learning Climate
Sample Four-Phase Lesson--What's On Your Mind?
Reflective Questions
2. Four-Phase Lesson and Unit Design
Inquiring-Gathering-Processing-Applying
Four Phases Assist in Schema Development
Essential Questions
Attend--Experience--Reflect
Internal Structure
Integrated Assessment
Compare/Contrast Four-Phase Lesson With Traditional Lessons
Benefits of Four-Phase Lesson Design
Planning a Unit and a Lesson
Reflective Questions
3. Extended Time Formats Including Block Scheduling
Time for Brain-Compatible Learning
Alternative Scheduling Formats
Sample Four-Phase Lesson: Can Prejudice Kill a Mockingbird?
Reflective Questions
4. Content and Curriculum
To Cover or to Catalyze Learning?
Prioritizing Curriculum in Extended Time Formats
Brain-Compatible Curriculum
Sample Four-Phase Lesson: Circles That Cycle
Reflective Questions
5. The Art and Science of Teaching in Extended Time Formats
Opportunity for Growth and Change
Energizing Educational Principles
Brain-Compatible Instructional Strategies
Professional Learning Communities: Pathway to a New Paradigm
Reflective Questions
6. Assessment: Measuring Achievement and Growth in Extended Time Formats
The Right Stuff
Caught in the Act of Learning: Authentic Assessment
Assessment for Learning
No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
Testing Matters
Assessment in Four-Phase Lesson and Unit Design
Sample Four Phase Lesson: Science Schmience or Who Framed Sir Isaac
Reflective Questions
Bibliography
Index
