Sparking Student Synapses, Grades 9–12: Think Critically and Accelerate Learning

Engaging methods for teaching 21st-century skills Today′s students must be more than good test takers. They must be able to collaborate, innovate, and think critically to solve real-world problems. As content demands increase, how can teachers make time to teach these advanced skills? Sparking Student Synapses, Grades 9–12 describes how master teacher Nigel Scozzi used Rich Allen′s Green Light strategies to teach content in a memorable and efficient way. Backed by research, this practical guide provides secondary teachers with tried and trusted lesson plans, in multiple subject that: Engage students Accelerate learning Encourage critical thinking Improve test results When you apply the book′s effective strategies, your students will learn to make appropriate judgments based on the evidence available, understand relationships between ideas, evaluate content validity, and reflect upon their values. Changing the way you teach may be daunting, but the results are worth it—improved student engagement and behavior, better test results, and a rewarding reminder of why you became a teacher!

Table of Contents:
Foreword: The Story of Nigel Acknowledgements About the Authors 1. The Rise of Critical Thinking 2. The Process 3. Translation Techniques 4. Demonstration Lessons 5. Putting Power Into the Delivery Authors′ Final Note References Index

About the Author :
Learn more about Rich Allen′s PD offerings Richard Allen is an international consultant with more than 25 years experience coaching trainers and educators. Cofounder and president of Education Illustrated, he has taken the TrainSmart strategies beyond the United States and Canada to such diverse countries as the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Brunei, Russia, Jordan, and Brazil. Allen is also a popular keynote speaker at international conferences, and he facilitates moti­vational and teambuilding workshops. Allen started his educational career as a high school math and drama teacher. In 1985, he became a lead facilitator for SuperCamp—an accelerated learning program for teens—and has since worked with more than 25,000 students worldwide. He completed his doctorate in educational psychology at Arizona State University, where he studied how the human brain receives, processes, and recalls information—knowledge that informs all aspects of his training strategies.

Review :
"What I love about this book is that the fundamental idea is that critical thinking is essential, and you need to have something in your head about which to think critically. It then clearly and step-by-step explains how teachers can do this. If I were to give a gift basket of the top five books every educator should have, I would include this one." -- Lisa Van Gemert, M.Ed.T.