"A
teaching family in central New York has created an anthology
of innovative classroom ideas.
After
years of swapping classroom strategies in conversations around
the dinner table, three family members decided to put it all
down on paper, after collecting ideas from many teaching sources.
Teacher to Teacher: How to Find, Define & Refine Your
Unique Style of Creative Teaching was compiled by Karol Gibson
of the West Genesee District Teachers Association; her daughter-in-law,
Jodee Szakacs of the Oneida TA; and her sister, Kathy Kobliski,
a former high school biology teacher.
'Creativity
is absolutely everywhere,' said Kobliski. 'A creative chem
lesson can be created into a history or English lesson. The
book is a place to look for creativity.'
The
anthology offers ideas and lessons from 33 educators from
the U.S., Russia and Sweden. One was French teacher Barbara
Gordon of the United Liverpool Faculty Association, who was
the 2002 New York State Teacher of the Year.
In
one lesson by Illinois health teacher Thomas Loew, teachers
use a hollow stick filled with small pebbles to demonstrate
the addictive nature of alcohol and drugs. One end of the
stick is said to represent experimentation, the other addiction.
When students lift the experimenting side of the stick the
interior stones rattle downward into the addiction side, graphically
illustrating how experimentation can lead to addiction."
--
Brendan Tompkins, New York Teacher (State Edition)
|
"Teacher
to Teacher, presents a compendium that evidences inspired performance
by master teachers. It is refreshing to read the varied strategies
used by teachers to motivate, cajole, induce students to learn.
Many of the activities clearly reflect current theoretical applications.
Another attractive feature of this publication is the attention
to diversity with which it is colored. It includes activities
from the classrooms of regular and special education teachers
in special, regular, and inclusive classes. An enriching addition
is the global perspective reflected in the different ethnic
groups represented by the teachers and the diverse cultural
milieus they target. This book should be an excellent CO-text
for a methods course or student teaching." -- Professor
Helen Bessent-Byrd, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA
"As
we continue to rely on the school building as the focus of instructional
attention and commit ourselves to establishing an autonomous
teacher/learner climate, the experimental knowledge base of
the teacher emerges as a necessary and prominent educational
resource. The authors of Teacher to Teacher, refer to it as
'enthusiastic and imaginative teaching.' This book is a collection
of best practices from the hearts of dedicated teachers and
identifies them as quintessential professionals."
-- Dr. Frank Ambrosie, Coordinator/Syracuse University/West
Genesee Teaching Center, Teaching and Leadership Programs
"The
contributors to this book bring the ordinary act of teaching
to life. The segments cover the gamut of disciplines, techniques
and individuals. Some will reinforce what you already do, but
that is encouraging; some will prompt a response of, 'I never
thought of that!' but that is motivating; still others might
produce a thought of, 'I would not do that!' but to this you
should ask, 'Why?' As the book indicates many times, as teachers
we need to be creative if we want our students to be creative
and that requires risk, trying what we have never tried before.
Teacher to Teacher provides a dialogue between teachers to enable
them to help one another become more creative and thus better
teachers, producing students who think critically and creatively.
More publications of this nature would be helpful to this end."
--
Douglas C. Wilbur, retired high school Chemistry/Physics teacher
at Canastota Central Schools in Canastota, NY and former adjunct
Chemistry Professor Utica College of Syracuse University
"Those
who fail to understand the complexity of teaching periodically
attempt to reduce teaching to a recipe. One recent initiative
went so far as to script daily lessons and then mandate teachers
to follow the script. This book is not for those people. It
is, however, for those who recognize and celebrate the creativity,
insight, and diversity that characterizes great teaching. You
will enjoy the stories of these wonderful teachers, learn from
their eclectic approaches to planning instruction, and appreciate
the passion that fuels them." -- Dr. Richard P. DuFour,
Superintendent of Stevenson High School District 125, Lincolnshire,
IL, and co-author of Professional Learning Communities at Work:
Best Practices for Enhancing Student Achievement |
