Table of Contents
- i-Preface- Exploration; The power of Recognition; Character Traits of a Great Teacher; Active Observation of Teaching; Brushes with Greatness; Lessons from Greatness; Acknowledgments
- x-Introduction: Criteria for Selecting Great Teachers- Finding our Role Models: Varied Teaching Settings; National Recognition; Holistic View: Multiple Disciplines; Mixed Teaching Methodologies; Sufficient Evidence; Beyond Personality: Defining Greatness; Who Didn’t Make the List? What a Great Teacher is Not; Great Moments; Great Adversity; Summary
- 1-Chapter One: From Theory to Practice- Education Philosophy—What’s the Point?; What is an Approach?; Instructing vs. Teaching; Methodology and Strategy; Great Communication in the Classroom; The Learning Triad: A New Learning Theory; The Learning Triad Step 1: Deliver Instruction with Intention; The Learning Triad Step 2: Allow Students to Reflect on Content; The Learning Triad Step 3: Require a Demonstration of Learning; Educational Psychology & Great Teachers; Using This Book—a Path for Personal Growth; Summary; Reflection
- 16-Chapter Two: Best Practices of Great Teachers- Great Teacher Practice 1: Deconstruct or “Chunk” Concepts; Great Teacher Practice 2: Master Formative Assessment; Great Teacher Practice 3: Use a Hybrid Approach; Great Teacher Practice 4: Know Your Students’ Learning Styles; Great Teacher Practice 5: Depth over Breadth—Do not “Cover” Content; Great Teacher Great Teacher Practice 6: Generate Metacognition to Maximize Learning; Great Teacher Practice 7: Generate Multi-sensory Learning Opportunities; Great Teacher Practice 8: Create an Atmosphere of Trust; Great Teacher Practice 9: Make it Relevant; Summary; Reflection
- 34-Chapter Three: James Percoco, U.S. History (Ashburn, Virginia) -“Historical” Approach to History Education—I See Dead People; The Percoco Method: Origin of the Method; Applied History: A Model for Modern Classrooms?; Historical Inquiry: (IBL) Methodology for History Education; Percoco Strategy #1: Guide Connections through Historical Inquiry; Percoco Strategy #2: Use Themes, Not Textbooks; Percoco Strategy #3: For Problem-based Learning, Decentralize the Class; Percoco Strategy #4: Create an Atmosphere for Discussion; Percoco Strategy #5: Make Your Course Relevant; Percoco Strategy #6: Create a Spiral Discussion Flow; Percoco Strategy #7: Get into “Good Trouble” by Putting Modern Issues into Historical Context; Percoco Strategy #8: Use Quality Sources to Promote Critical Thinking; Percoco Strategy #9: Create Action-oriented Assignments; Summary; Reflection
- 57-Chapter Four: John Passarini, Special Education (Wayland, Massachusetts)- An Exceptional Child; Special Education in America; The Passarini Method; Passarini Strategy #1: Rely on Short-term Goals, not Long-term Goals; Passarini Strategy #2: Make Mentoring a Priority; Passarini Strategy #3: Become Obsessed with Learning; Passarini Strategy #4: Assess Quickly and Move On; Passarini Strategy #5: Don’t Define Success through Test Scores; Passarini Strategy #6: Establish Trust; Passarini Strategy #7: Develop a Strong Philosophy; Bonus Profile: The Story of Katie Lynch; Passarini Strategy #8: Include Mainstream Students and Faculty; Summary; Reflection
- 82-Chapter Five: Morgan Wooten, Athletics (Hyattsville, Maryland)- The Godfather of High School Basketball; Morgan Wooten: Defining Success…by the Numbers; A Champion Endorsement; A New Job; Wootten’s 3-point Model of Success; The Greatest Basketball Game Ever Played; The Wootten Method: Wootten Strategy #1: Build a Winner by Recruiting Good People; Wootten Strategy #2: Establish a Winning Effort; Wootten Strategy #3: Discipline Positively; Wootten Strategy #4: Use Team Rules to Reinforce your Philosophy; Bonus Profile: A Lesson about Being Flexible; Wootten Strategy #5: Make a Game Plan by Chunking; Wootten Strategy #6: Communicate your Plan through a “Why Statement;” Wootten Strategy #7: Put Winning in Perspective; Summary; Reflection
- 102-Chapter Six: Christa McAuliffe, Social Studies (Concord, New Hampshire) -The “Field Trip Teacher; An Extraordinary “Ordinary” Person; The McAuliffe Approach: McAuliffe Strategy #1: Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously; McAuliffe Strategy #2: Take Command of Your Classroom; McAuliffe Strategy #3: Generate Metacognitive Opportunities; McAuliffe Strategy #4: Don’t Forget Oral Communication; McAuliffe Strategy #5: Promote Experiential Learning; Bonus Profile: McAuliffe’s First Year as a Teacher; Summary; Reflection
- 126-Chapter Seven: Leonard Bernstein, Music (New York, NY)- A Passion for Teaching; Music in our Schools; Emerging Patterns; Observing Aesthetics; The Bernstein Method: Bernstein Strategy #1: Begin and End with Demonstration; Bernstein Strategy #2: Teach Active Listening; Bernstein Strategy #3: Focus on Formative Assessment; Bernstein Strategy #4: Teach Students to Self-correct; Bernstein Strategy #5: State the Objective in the Form of a Question; Bernstein Strategy #6: Answer the Question in Stages; Bernstein Strategy #7: Use the Deductive Method to Introduce Concepts; Bernstein Strategy #8: Use Figurative Language to Clarify Abstract Ideas; Bernstein Strategy #9: Generate Audience Participation; Summary; Reflection
- 149-Chapter Eight: Connie Bagley, Reading Instruction (San Marcos, Texas) -Teacher of the Year?; Changing the Rulebook; Dyslexia-More Common than You Think; The Bagley Method: Origins of the Bagley Method; Bagley Strategy #1: Adapt the Method to Fit Your Situation; Bagley Strategy #2: Engage Students Immediately Through Oral Language; Bagley Strategy #3: Use a “Why Statement” to Engage Students; Bagley Strategy #4: Use Multi-sensory Drills; Bagley Strategy #5: Know your Students’ Capabilities; Bagley Strategy #6: Build Students Up; Bonus Profile: The “Fonz”; Bagley Strategy #7: Learn to Pivot; Bagley Strategy #8: Close the Lesson with a Mastery Learning Model; Bonus Profile 2: William’s Story; Summary; Afterward; Reflection
- 167-Chapter Nine: Ken Stewart, World Languages (Chapel Hill, North Carolina) -Two Surprises; Historical Problems with Modern Language Instruction; The Stewart Method: Stewart Strategy #1: Establish Relevance Through Exploration; Stewart Strategy #2: Get Connected & Stay Connected; Stewart Strategy #3: Engage Students by Personalizing Content; Stewart Strategy #4: Allow (and Even Encourage) Mistakes; Stewart Strategy #5: Move Students to Higher Levels of Proficiency; Summary; Reflection
- 192-Chapter Ten: Jeffrey Charbonneau, Science (Zillah, Washington) -The Scientific Method and the Learning Triad; Charbonneau Approach: Initial Challenges; Part I: Charbonneau the Teacher: Charbonneau Strategy #1: Prioritize Global Citizenry; Charbonneau Strategy #2: Move Expectations from “I Can’t” to “We Can”; Charbonneau Strategy #3: Make it Harder, not Easier; Charbonneau Strategy #4: Empower Students with an Active Classroom; Charbonneau Strategy #5: Stimulate Reasoning with Inquiry-based Learning; Origins of IBL; 5 Phases of IBL; Part II: Charbonneau the Administrator; Charbonneau Admin Strategy #1: Be an Empathetic Teacher/Leader; Charbonneau Admin Strategy #2: Treat Teachers Like You Treat Your Students; Charbonneau Admin Strategy #3: Tell Them “NO”…the Right Way; Charbonneau Admin Strategy #4: Telling Does Not Work; Getting Results; Summary; Reflection
- 221-Chapter Eleven: Making Sense of Greatness: 11 Lessons- Different Teachers, Similar Results; If You Want to be Great…1-you must develop self-reflection as the foundation for all learning; 2-you must embrace failure; 3-you must delve deeply into concepts; 4-you must get everyone involved; 5-you must hold students accountable; 6-you must develop student leaders; 7-you must develop situational awareness; 8-you must work hard; 9-you must make learning fun; 10-you must prioritize student welfare over personal achievement; 11-you must emphasize the affective over the cognitive domain; Summary; Reflection
- 235-Glossary of Terms
- 263-Appendices Appendix 1: Great Teachers Full Classroom Observation Tool (Generic) Appendix 1a: Great Teachers Full Classroom Observation Tool (Abridged) Appendix 2: Great Teachers Full Classroom Observation Tool (Modern Languages) Appendix 3: Great Teachers Full Classroom Observation Tool (Music) Appendix 4: Great Teachers Full Classroom Observation Tool (History/Social Studies) Appendix 5: Great Teachers Full Classroom Observation Tool (PE/Adapted PE) Appendix 6: Great Teachers Full Classroom Observation Tool (Reading) Appendix 7: Great Teachers Full Classroom Observation Tool (Science)
2013 National TOY Receives Award from President Obama