About the Book
"Serena Pariser and Victoria Lentfer provide answers to common questions that linger in the brain of a newer teacher. As a newer teacher myself, I wish a book like this existed when I started out. This book is engaging, informative, and so much more. Each section includes helpful tips and is easily organized and accessible. This book is truly an amazing guide for newer teachers, and I highly recommend it as it will form the perfect basis for that exciting and powerful start of a new journey. Teaching can be many things, but this book is truly a game changer for anyone starting out."
—Susan Jachymiak
Teacher, Leader, and Author
Create a positive and energetic classroom where learning can flourish.
This insightful, friendly guide to establishing a dynamic classroom is a lifeline of practical support for teachers, providing answers to your biggest questions at the moment you most need them.
Through instructional tools, teaching tips, classroom examples, reading suggestions, and more, Answers to Your Biggest Questions about Creating a Dynamic Classroom equips teachers to embark on the path of success toward building a positive and energetic learning environment. It details brief, actionable answers to your most pressing questions in five areas of effort:
How do I build an affirming classroom community?
How do I keep students at the center?
How can I design effective, fun, and engaging learning for students?
How can I make assessments work for me and my students?
What are the things I need to know that are rarely discussed in a teacher training program?
This is a resource to keep handy on your desk and reach for often for establishing a vibrant and welcoming classroom community. Practical guidance on topics such as communicating with parents, asking for administrator support, and maintaining a work/life balance, help teachers not only succeed in the early years of teaching, but thrive.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Chapter 1: How Do I Build an Affirming Classroom Community?
Chapter 2: How Do I Keep Students at the Center?
Chapter 3: How Can I Design Effective, Fun, and Engaging Learning for Students?
Chapter 4: How Can I Make Assessments Work for Me and My Students?
Chapter 5: What Are the Things I Need to Know.. But Are Rarely Discussed in a Teacher Training Program?
References
About the Author :
Serena Pariser is the best-selling author of several professional books for educators, including Real Talk About Classroom Management: 50 Best
Practices That Work and Show You Believe in Your Students (Corwin, 2018) and Real Talk About Time Management: 35 Best Practices for Educators (Corwin, 2020). She is a coauthor of Five to Thrive: Answers to Your Biggest Questions About Creating a Dynamic Classroom (Corwin, 2022) and It Starts in the Classroom: Character Education for a Better Tomorrow (Rowman & Littlefield, 2022).
Serena taught English language arts for many years, primarily in San Diego, California, and in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She has experience
working with most grades in a variety of school settings across the spectrum, from underresourced urban public schools to affluent private schools. Serena was honored as Teacher of the Year at Gompers Preparatory Academy, located in San Diego.
She served as assistant director of field experience at the University of San Diego, where she taught graduate and undergraduate classes for
teachers in training. In addition, Serena was selected to be a national evaluator for Schools of Character. A Fulbright scholar, Serena coaches educators across the United States and around the globe, from California to Kathmandu. Her passions include progressive classroom management best practices, bringing curriculum to life, time management for teachers, and weaving character education into the curriculum.
In her spare time, Serena travels and loves to experience the world for weeks at a time with just a backpack strapped to her back and a smile
on her face.
Serena’s website can be found at www.serenapariser.com, where she writes educational articles that are enjoyed by a large audience of teachers. She is most active on social media on X @SerenaPariser and maintains a blog at www.serenapariser.com, where she writes articles for educators. She can also be directly contacted at serena.pariser@gmail.com.
Dr. Victoria Lentfer is an education instructor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She teaches classroom management and middle level courses. She is an educational consultant and founder of the CALM Classroom Management Program, which is a comprehensive behavior management and teacher leader program that provides communication models to guide teachers and students to an inclusive and productive classroom. She has more than 20 years of experience of providing instructional support and teaching at both the middle and high school urban districts, and extensive work with incarcerated youth. Victoria has also been a Trailblazer Leader and keynote speaker for the Association of Middle Level Education (AMLE).
Review :
A must-read for classroom teachers, for teacher leaders/mentors, for teachers–intraining, and for teachers’ instructors. All great teachers know that there are five essential things that they need to know and do to create a dynamic classroom. This book answers the five "big questions." In our current environment, teachers are asking for help creating a dynamic classroom. There isn’t another book on the market like it. This book is the answer to how to create a dynamic classroom that is student-centered, engaging, relationship-building, goal-oriented, and lively.
Serena Pariser and Victoria Lentfer offer us exemplary classroom practices, teacher wisdom, and a healthy dose of optimism. They encourage us to "take a deep breath" and intentionally choose our next small step. The answers in this book can minimize stress, help teachers avoid burnout, and improve teacher retention.
Serena Pariser and Victoria Lentfer’s Answers to Your Biggest Questions About Creating a Dynamic Classroom provides newer teachers with answers to common questions that linger in the brain of a newer teacher. As a newer teacher myself, I wish a book like this existed when I started out. This book is engaging, informative, and so much more. If you know a new teacher, work with a new teacher, or are a new teacher, this book is absolutely for you and will make the perfect gift for a new teacher in your life. Each section includes helpful tips and is easily organized and accessible. This book is truly an amazing guide for newer teachers, and I highly recommend it as it will form the perfect basis for that exciting and powerful start of a new journey. Teaching can be many things, but this book is truly a game changer for anyone starting out.
Answers to Your Biggest Questions About Creating a Dynamic Classroom embraces the need for engagement of both the student and the teacher. It’s a book that not only helps a student to thrive as a learner but also helps a teacher to thrive as a coach, a guide, and a facilitator. Each chapter launches with an "Imagine This" scenario, and then breaks down and deconstructs what makes that moment in the classroom engaging and successful. The suggestions nod to what we all feel in the moment of classroom stress and give alternate solutions that are efficient and doable. This is a book that shares strategies for Monday, not someday.
