Learner-Centered Classroom Practices and Assessments: Maximizing Student Motivation, Learning, and Achievement / Edition 1

by Barbara L. McCombs

Overview

Using core principles of educational psychology, this research–based resource provides instructional strategies and assessment tools that emphasize learning partnerships between teachers and students as they rally support from parents, community, administrators, school staff, and other teachers. The sound psychological foundation of the learner–centered model supports student growth, development, and achievement by focusing on such key factors as cognition, metacognition, motivation, affect, and individual differences. This teacher–friendly guide also features:

• Interactive training exercises
• Self–assessments and reflection tools
• Real–life success stories and models
• Extensive reproducibles and illustrations
• A comprehensive glossary and research resources

Appropriate for preservice and inservice use, Learner–Centered Classroom Practices and Assessments provides teachers with essential and practical tools for maximizing learning collaborations among teachers, students, and parents.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	2901412926910
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	11/10/2006
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Barbara L. Mc Combs directs the Human Motivation, Learning, and Development Center at the University of Denver. The center focuses on the professional development of educators, personal and organizational change, systemic educational reform, and school violence prevention.

Mc Combs’ current research is directed at new leadership models for redesigning outdated views of schooling and learning. This research has led to her international and national recognition in areas that include transformational teacher development approaches, motivating hard-to-reach students, and the use of technology as a primary tool for empowering youth and facilitating relevant learning.

The author has begun a series of books published by Corwin Press. Learner-Centered Classroom Practices and Assessments: Maximizing Student Motivation, Learning, and Achievement (2006) was co-authored with Lynda Miller and written for teachers. Her second book in the series, written for school administrators and other school leaders, was also co-authored with Lynda Miller and is titled A School Leader’s Guide to Creating Learner-Centered Education: From Complexity to Simplicity (2008).

Mc Combs is the primary author of Learner-Centered Psychological Principles (LCPs): Guidelines for School Redesign and Reform. She has developed research-validated learner-centered models of teaching and learning based on the LCPs.

Through collaborations with colleagues at the University of Bristol in England, she developed an online version of her Assessment of Learner-Centered Practices (ALCP) teacher and student surveys. These surveys have been validated with over 35,000 students and their teachers in Grades K-3, 4-8, 9-12, and college level. The ALCP surveys are being used in numerous national and international K-12 schools as well as colleges.

Lynda Miller began her professional career as a junior high school English teacher in Westminster, Colorado. Her interest in language and cognitive development led her to graduate studies, which culminated in a Ph D in language development and disorders and learning disabilities. She has held teaching positions at the University of Colorado, the University of Montana, and the University of Texas at Austin, where she pursued her research on cognition, learning styles, and intelligence. Her research and teaching focused on identifying and describing students’ learning strengths and abilities, and on translating that information into instructional strategies designed to support students’ developing skills as motivated, self-responsible learners. Miller is the author of numerous publications on a variety of topics, the majority of which focus on the learner and learning as the essential features of successful instruction.

Table of Contents

Preface     ix
Acknowledgments     xii
About the Authors     xv
What We Know About Learning     1
How Do You Learn Best?     2
What Does the Evidence Show About Supporting Natural Learning?     4
Teachers and Students as Co-Learners: An Invitation     7
What's Next?     9
What Is Learner Centered From an Evidence-Based Perspective?     15
What Does "Learner Centered" Mean?     15
Seeing the Big Picture: Education as a Complex Living System     17
Domains of Schools as Living Systems     19
The Learner-Centered Model     21
What Are the Learner-Centered Principles?     24
Factors Affecting Learners and Learning     32
What's Next?     32
What Teachers and Students Tell Us About Learner-Centered Practices     33
What Teachers Have Recognized About the LCPs     33
Translating the LCPs Into Practice     33
The LCPs, Testing, and Accountability     34
What Do the LCPs Mean for Teaching and Learning?     35
What the Evidence Shows: Characteristics of Effective Teachers     36
What Students Say     36
Strategies for Honoring Student Voice     38
Forming a Student Forum     39
Involving Students in Action Research Projects     40
Students as Meaningful Partners: International Evidence     41
Reflection     42
What's Next?     42
The Learner-Centered Principles: One by One     45
Cognitive and Metacognitive Factors     46
Nature of the Learning Process     47
Goals of the Learning Process     47
Construction of Knowledge     49
Strategic Thinking     49
Thinking About Thinking     50
Context of Learning     51
Motivational and Affective Factors     52
Motivational and Emotional Influences on Learning     52
Intrinsic Motivation to Learn     53
Effects of Motivation on Effort     54
Developmental and Social Factors     55
Developmental Influence on Learning     56
Social Influences on Learning     57
Individual Differences Factors     58
Individual Differences in Learning     59
Learning and Diversity     60
Standards and Assessment     62
Finding Examples of LCPs in Your Own Practices     63
What's Next?      67
Learner-Centered Practices     71
Turning Principles Into Practices     72
Glasser's Six Conditions for Quality Schoolwork     74
Classroom Climate     75
Relevance of Learner-Centered Practices in the Context of Standards and Assessment     78
The Achievement Gap Issue     79
What Students Say About the Achievement Gap     81
Reflection     85
What's Next?     86
Effective Learner-Centered Practices     87
Effective Learner-Centered Practices for Students in K-3     87
Effective Learner-Centered Practices for Students in Grades 4-12     89
What Happened to "Classroom Management"?     93
Strategies for Creating Learner-Centered, Resilient Classrooms     96
Insights and Reflections: What Needs to Change in My Classroom?     101
What's Next?     101
What Tools Do I Need to Become Learner Centered?     103
Who's in Charge of My Learning?     105
Who's in Charge of Students' Learning?     107
Implications for Practice     112
Implications for Policy     113
The Learner-Centered Surveys     115
Characteristics of Learner-Centered Tools     115
The Assessment of Learner-Centered Practices (ALCP): Tools for Creating Learner-Centered Classrooms and Departments     117
Research-Validated Definition of "Learner Centered"     120
ALCP Feedback Process for Teachers     121
Understanding Sample ALCP Feedback: Tabie of Teacher Variables Compared to the Learner-Centered Rubric for One Teacher     123
Becoming a Magnet for Change in My School and District     126
Reassessing My Beliefs     129
What Is My Vision for Schools?     129
My Plan for a Learner-Centered Classroom     135
How Can I Manage Resistance to Change?     136
Obtaining the Necessary Support for Learner-Centered Schools     138
Where Do I Go From Here?     142
Teacher Strategy Ideas     147
Contacts: Learner-Centered Projects and Schools     153
Books and Journals Worth a Read     155
Learner-Centered Glossary: Some Definitions     157
References     161
Index     173

Editorial Reviews

"Well-organized, it practices what it preaches. The authors used varied techniques to build the readers' understanding of learner-centered concepts, techniques, and advocacy. The evidence for learner-based principles and techniques provides credibility to the concepts. "

Ellen Carlton Herbert

"This book offers practical suggestions for how to create a learner-centered environment, which I believe teachers want to do—they just need to know how!"

Judi Elman

"This is one of the most well-written books on educational theory that I have read, because it goes to the heart of teaching—the students."

Betty Brandenburg Yundt

"I loved the connections that were made between the suggested practices to improve teaching and real life uses of those practices!"

Brigitte Tennis