The middle school years are a maze of academic duties, human growth and self-development, discovering self identity, and increasing social interaction with other people. This maze can be an adventure of achievement and opportunity, or it can be a struggle of difficulty and disappointment. As these experiences are the impetus or foundation for many later achievements in academics, careers, and personal life, it is imperative that educators maximize these formative years by helping middle school students successfully travel through this maze despite its ups and downs, its twists and turns, and its new challenges to master and the old issues to resolve. For instance, educators must support students who have fallen behind, so as to thwart their reduced likelihood of turnaround in high school. Likewise, educators must challenge exceptional students, in order to perpetuate their enthusiasm for learning and prepare them for college studies. By discussing the comprehensive roles and duties of school administrators, counselors, and teachers, The Power of Middle School addresses how to maximize middle school curriculum and extra-curricular activities for the academic, personal, and professional benefits of all students.

"I strongly recommend this book to people working in the area of intellectual disabilities...It may open new vistas that are not always available in the traditional disability literature. It will especially challenge psychologists working in this field."--Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities "For years, Robert Sternberg has produced renowned, groundbreaking work, and now some of it is captured in one volume:The Essential Sternberg...Established scholars and novices to the field will find this book a useful addition to their libraries."--Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts "[Sternberg] approaches the definition of intelligence from a very pragmatic perspective...Sternberg's focus on success in the real world is refreshing."--Teacher's College Record Any follower of Sternberg and theories of intelligence will need this collection on their bookshelf. Robert J. Sternberg has argued that the conventional idea of intelligence is, at best, incomplete. Therefore, he has redefined the core concept of intelligence: Sternberg's groundbreaking, triarchic theory proposes that intelligence is measured not just by factual knowledge or "book smarts," but also by the integration of creative ability, practical know-how, and analytic reasoning. As the former President of the American Psychological Association, current Dean of Tufts University, and one of the top 100 psychologists of the 20th century, according to the APA Monitor on Psychology, Sternberg is listed as one of ISI's most highly cited authors (top .5%) in psychology. Sternberg has authored over 1,000 journal articles, book chapters, and books. This comprehensive collection compiles the best of Sternberg-his most influential, career-defining articles culled from over 30 years of research. Serving as an introduction to and summary of his most critical contributions to the field, this book: Presents articles that track the development and progression of Sternberg's theory of successful intelligence Includes his most influential articles, such as "The nature of creativity" and "The Rainbow Project: Enhancing the SAT" Features articles on educational policy and how Sternberg's intelligence models can be used to improve student performance and supplement traditional exams Contains new articles on Sternberg's most recent theory, the Wisdom, Intelligence, Creativity, Synthesized (WICS) model

A practical, hands-on guide that helps teachers fulfill the promise of RTI Filled with practical tools and step-by-step guidelines, this book shows teachers how to implement RTI effectively. This valuable resource helps teachers assess a school's or classroom's readiness to begin the implementation process, and offers extensive resources to help educators identify appropriate screening and progress monitoring tools for students. DeRuvo provides dozens of effective research-based interventions and instructional strategies that teachers can implement immediately in their classrooms, and offers guidelines for selecting additional curricula and strategies to support students with diverse needs. Includes easy and efficient progress monitoring strategies to measure RTI effectiveness Written by veteran educator and active teacher trainer, Silva DeRuvo Provides helpful advice for effective collaboration between teachers The book includes strategies for joint curriculum mapping, as well as for measuring student mastery of identified content area standards.

This comprehensive and exhaustive reference work on the subject of education from the primary grades through higher education combines educational theory with practice, making it a unique contribution to the educational reference market. Issues related to human development and learning are examined by individuals whose specializations are in diverse areas including education, psychology, sociology, philosophy, law, and medicine. The book focuses on important themes in education and human development. Authors consider each entry from the perspective of its social and political conditions as well as historical underpinnings. The book also explores the people whose contributions have played a seminal role in the shaping of educational ideas, institutions, and organizations, and includes entries on these institutions and organizations. This work integrates numerous theoretical frameworks with field based applications from many areas in educational research.

This book informs an international audience of teachers, scholars and policymakers about the development of learning progressions for primary and secondary geography education in various countries and regions of the world. The book represents an important contribution to learning progressions research and practice. The different chapters explore how curriculum standards and frameworks in different countries portray progress and sophistication in the learning of geography. The book compares educational systems and how teachers and curriculum developers use the concept of “learning progression” to guide educational practices. As an approach to educational research, learning progressions offer considerable potential for understanding how children develop understanding of geographic concepts and practices across grade bands and in relation to national geography standards. The book analyzes the general conditions of learning progressions within the context of a globalized world. Important themes are addressed such as: knowledge acquisition in formal education; measuring learning progressions in informal settings; learning progressions for one curriculum standard or several standards; conditions to assess progression in the learning of facts, concepts, and skills; and multiple pathways for understanding or learning geography. The contributing authors are experienced scientists in the field from all around the world giving specific insights into the practices of their countries. The book appeals to K-12 teachers, school administrators, policymakers, researchers in geography education, professors and lecturers at universities around the world.

This comprehensive professional resource and text is based on cutting-edge research. In each chapter, leading scholars provide an overview of a particular aspect of comprehension, offer best-practice instructional guidelines and policy recommendations, present key research questions still to be answered, and conclude with stimulating questions for individual study or discussion. Coverage includes such timely topics as differentiated instruction, technology and reading comprehension, teaching English language learners, and the implications of current neuroscientific findings.

Soft skills make the hard skills work! Soft skills are the personal qualities that make you a great communicator, problem solver, and leader on the job—and in your personal life. Soft Skills For Dummies helps you hone in on the traits you already have—or fine tune the ones that may need some extra attention—to market yourself as a workplace leader who’s in touch with what today’s employers are looking for: people who can lead and inspire through interpersonal communication, cultural awareness, time management, teamwork, critical thinking, and problem solving. • Sharpen the skills you need for a successful career • Improve your ability to work with others • Become a more confident job seeker and leader • Grasp the concept of soft skills through real-world applications, inspirational stories, and industry spotlights With content based on a time-tested curriculum designed to prepare you for work and life success, this book is packed with everything you need to build your soft skills to make the strongest impact possible.

This book presents the perspectives of nanotechnology educators from around the world. Experts present the pressing challenges of teaching nanoscience and engineering to students in all levels of education, postsecondary and informal environments. The book was inspired by the 2014 NSF workshop for Nanoscience and Engineering Education. Since nanotechnology is a relatively new field, authors present recommendations for designing nanotechnology education programs. The chapters describe methods to teach specific topics, such as probe microscopy, size and scale, and nanomaterial safety, in classrooms around the world. Other chapters describe the ways that organizations like NNIN and the NISE Network have influenced informal nanotechnology education. Information technology plays a growing role in all types of education and several chapters are devoted to describing ways how educators can use online curricula for teaching nanotechnology to students from preschool to graduate school.