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Pressured by standardized testing and rigid pacing guidelines, many schools are forced to cover too much content too quickly, without being able to meet the needs of individual students. In this powerful book from acclaimed author and presenter Bob Sornson, you'll learn how shifting from curriculum-based instruction to competency based, personalized learning can help students become more successful, confident, and engaged learners. Each chapter is easy to digest and provides compelling research, strategies, and anecdotes to inspire conversation and action. This second edition provides updated statistics and examples of schools successfully using competency based learning models to help you bring about meaningful change.Teachers, administrators, and community leaders will all find practical resources and a clear rationale for transforming our current educational system into a new, dynamic model of teaching and learning.

This book offers a careful look at how we came to have our traditional education system, and how it met the needs of a different time. By looking back at the past we can take on the task of change without casting blame, but with understanding. We will consider the systems design of the curriculum driven one-size-fits-all educational model, why it no longer meets our needs, and how to devise a system which can deliver a better future for our children and for ourselves as educators.

The curriculum-driven instructional model has been the standard method of teaching for more than a century, but it is consistently failing to produce well-educated citizens and lifelong learners. Pressured by standardized testing and rigid pacing guidelines, teachers are forced to cover too much content too quickly, without being able to meet the needs of individual students. In this powerful new book from acclaimed author and speaker Bob Sornson, you'll learn how shifting from curriculum-based instruction to competency based learning can help students become more successful, confident, and engaged learners. Topics include: Understanding the curriculum-driven model and the problems with'cover and sort'methodology; Making the transition from curriculum-driven to competency based learning; Identifying crucial learning outcomes and giving students all the time and instruction needed to fully master these outcomes; Building a positive teaching and learning environment; And more! Each chapter is short and easy to digest, and provides compelling research, strategies, and anecdotes to inspire conversation and action. Teachers, administrators, and community leaders will all find helpful resources and arguments for re-working our current educational system into a new, dynamic model of teaching and learning.

Support and assess the learning of essential skills needed for students'mathematics success! Created to support College and Career Readiness and other state standards, this resource is a great tool for educators. This must-have professional book allows teachers to systematically monitor students'progress toward proficiency in every essential skill. The 250 activities provide a rich menu of math learning experiences, which includes the use of manipulatives, activities, exploration, inquiry, and play. Digital resources are also provided and include student activity pages and teacher resources.

'This book is a joy to read! Positive and practical are the two best words to describe it. Every early childhood educator would benefit from reading Fanatically Formative.'—Richard L. Allington, Professor of Literacy StudiesUniversity of Tennessee, Knoxville'I could not put this book down. The captivating message reignited my passion for quality and joyful teaching. The discussion questions at the end of each chapter will serve as springboards for stimulating discourse.'—Kathleen A. Robbins, PrincipalMacGowan School, Redford, MITransform your K-3 classrooms into effective centers of learning!Helping children experience early learning success and acquire essential skills by third grade is a crucial part of any school reform effort. Yet, many teachers and children are overwhelmed by the ineffective curriculum-driven education system and the'rush to cover'climate in schools.Fanatically Formative shows how you can rediscover the joy of teaching and help children fall in love with learning again. This book traces the journey of a teacher as she works through the challenges of formative assessment and responsive instruction to discover the practices that will help her students succeed. K-3 teachers, principals, and district administrators will learn how to:Set clear, attainable learning outcomesMake teaching responsive to the whole childMonitor student progress toward essential skillsBuild a truly positive classroom and school cultureCollaborate to help young children succeedWith surveys, lists of essential skills, study questions for PLC groups, and highlighted summaries of key points, Fanatically Formative offers a clear and powerful vision for your early learning success initiative along with the action steps to achieve your goals.