Instructional Planning for Effective Teaching (Toolkit for Building Quality Lessons and Topical Handouts for School Leaders to Self-Assess Their Work)

Cultivate meaningful learning schoolwide. Taking a practical approach to instructional planning, the authors outline research-based planning tools and illustrate how teachers, leaders, and administrators can use these tools in everyday practice. Discover powerful strategies and guidelines for developing quality lessons, setting learning objectives, planning differentiated instruction, and designing technology-integrated learning to effectively teach and challenge every student.

Benefits:

• Explore specific planning methods to foster growth and development in teachers and students.
• Consider research that establishes the effectiveness of instructional planning strategies and methods.
• Discover how to move from research to practice in delivering effective planning and instruction.
• Access ready-to-use handouts to immediately implement proven planning methods and strategies.
• Review principles for planning instructional practices as a team.

Contents:

Part I: Strategies for Unit and Lesson Planning
Chapter 1: Tactical Planning for Building Better Unit and Lesson Plans
Chapter 2: Setting Learning Objectives
Chapter 3: Organizing Learning Activities
Chapter 4: Selecting Meaningful and Purposeful Learning Materials
Chapter 5: Using Student Learning Data for Planning
Chapter 6: Designing Engaging Opening and Closing Activities

Part II: Strategies for Effective Instructional Planning
Chapter 7: Strategic Planning for Teachers
Chapter 8: Planning Differentiated Instruction for Gifted and High-Ability Learners
Chapter 9: Planning Differentiated Instruction for Struggling Learners
Chapter 10: Planning for Cross-Disciplinary Instruction
Chapter 11: Planning for Technology-Integrated Learning
Chapter 12: Team Planning

James H. Stronge, PhD, is president of Stronge and Associates Educational Consulting, an educational consulting company that focuses on teacher and leader effectiveness with projects internationally and in many U.S. states. Additionally, he is the Heritage Professor of Education, a distinguished professorship in the Educational Policy, Planning, and Leadership program at the College of William and Mary, in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Dr. Stronge's research interests include policy and practice related to teacher effectiveness, teacher and administrator evaluation, and teacher selection. He has worked with state departments of education, school districts, and U.S. and international education organizations to design and implement evaluation and hiring systems for teachers, administrators, and support personnel. He completed work on new teacher and principal evaluation systems for American international schools in conjunction with the Association of American Schools in South America and supported by the U.S. Department of State. Dr. Stronge has made more than 350 presentations at regional, national, and international conferences and has conducted workshops for educational organizations extensively throughout the United States and internationally. Among his research projects are international comparative studies of national award-winning teachers in the United States and China and influences of economic and societal trends on student academic performance in countries globally.

Dr. Stronge has authored, coauthored, or edited twenty-six books and approximately two hundred articles, chapters, and technical reports. His 1994 book, Educating Homeless Children and Adolescents: Evaluating Policy and Practice received the Outstanding Academic Book Award from the American Library Association.

Dr. Stronge is a founding member of the board of directors for the Consortium for Research on Educational Accountability and Teacher Evaluation (CREATE). In 2011, he was honored with the Frank E. Flora Lamp of Knowledge Award, presented by the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals for bringing honor to the profession and his record of outstanding contributions. He was selected as the 2012 national recipient of the Millman Award from CREATE in recognition of his work in the field of teacher and administrator evaluation.

Xianxuan Xu, PhD, is a senior research associate at Stronge and Associates Educational Consulting. Dr. Xu received her doctorate from the College of William and Mary's Educational Policy, Planning, and Leadership program. Her research interests are teacher effectiveness, professional development, and teacher and principal evaluation. She is also particularly interested in researching the relationship between culture and educational issues such as teaching, learning, and leadership. She has presented research findings at various U.S. conferences, including the American Educational Research Association, University Council for Educational Administration, and National Evaluation Institute. She is also a contributing author to Principal Evaluation: Standards, Rubrics, and Tools for Effective Performance and West Meets East: Best Practices From Expert Teachers in the U.S. and China.