Collaborating With Students in Instruction and Decision Making: The Untapped Resource

"This book reveals how powerful learning could be if students and educators shared more of the teaching responsibilities! Involving students in the teaching experience helps them learn more academically and do more socially." —Peggy King-Sears, Professor George Mason University "In this easy-to-read resource, the authors help educators understand that inclusion isn't something that we do to and for students, but rather, something we must do with students. The powerful anecdotes of educators and students planning, tutoring, and teaching side by side give us new hope and further direction for the creation of inclusive schools." —Cathy L. Taschner, Assistant Superintendent Oxford Area School District, PA Take advantage of a resource that's right in your classroom—your students! How can you meet the needs of a diverse student population in mixed-ability classrooms and maintain a cooperative, caring, and active learning environment? Students are the perfect resource! Research shows that when students collaborate with teachers, they take responsibility for what happens in the classroom, care about their classmates, and become more engaged in learning. This comprehensive book offers practical strategies for empowering students as co-teachers, decision makers, and advocates in the classroom. Ideal for K–12 general and special education teachers, this guide describes how to Involve students in instruction through collaborative learning groups, co-teaching, and peer tutoring that foster self-discipline and responsible behavior Make students a part of decision making by utilizing personal learning plans, peer mediation, and other methods Put collaboration with students into practice using the assessment tools, user-friendly lesson plans, case studies, and checklists included Collaborating With Students in Instruction and Decision Making is packed with all the information, strategies, and tools teachers need to tap their students' potential as a resource for making a difference in the classroom.

Table of Contents:
Foreword: The Importance of Students′ Voices by Paula Kluth and Peyton Goddard List of Tables List of Figures Acknowledgments About the Authors I. Introduction Letter to the Reader 1. Why Collaborate with Students? Rationale #1: Student Collaboration Facilitates 21st Century Goals of Education Rationale#2: Student Collaboration is Democratic Schooling Rationale #3: Student Collaboration Increases Self-Determination Rationale #4: Student Collaboration Increases Academic and Social Competence Rationale #5: Student Collaboration Facilitates Other School Reform Efforts Rationale #6: Student Collaboration is an Untapped Resource in Times of Limited Fiscal and Human Resources Summary II. Teaching With Students Definition of Teaching What is the Instructional Cycle? What is the Research Base for Teaching with Students? 2. Students as Co-Teachers in Cooperative Learning Groups What is Cooperative Learning? What Cooperative Groups Are NOT Five Essential Ingredients of Cooperative Group Learning: PIGS Face The Four Phases of Planning and Implementing Formal Cooperative Group Lessons Teacher Decisions at Each Phase of Planning and Implementation An Example of a Formal Cooperative Group Lesson What Do Students Say About Cooperative Group Learning Summary 3. Students as Peer Tutors and Partner Learners Meet Some Peer Tutors What is Peer Tutoring/Partner Learning? Essential Ingredients of Peer Tutoring and Partner Learning Getting Started with Peer Tutoring and Partner Learning An Example of a Peer Tutoring/Partner Learning Lesson Students′ Views of Peer Tutoring and Partner Learning Summary 4. Students as Co-Teachers What is a Co-Teacher? What are Examples of Adults Co-Teaching with Students? Co-Teaching Approaches Challenges Faced by Student Co-Teachers What Are Student Co-Teachers, Adult Co-Teachers, Administrators, and Learners in Co-Taught Classes Saying About Co-Teaching? Summary III. Decision-Making With Students 5. Empowering Students as Collaborative Creative Thinkers Barriers to Creative Thinking and Action Awareness Plans for Busting Barriers and Imagining Improvements Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem-Solving (CPS) Process Thinking for Collaborative Solution Finding—Focusing Upon What You Can Do Summary 6. Students as Instructional Decision Makers Collaborating with Students to Determine the Product of Learning Collaborating with Students to Differentiate Instruction for Struggling Learners Summary 7. Students as Designers of Their Own Learning Defining and Nurturing Self-Determination Making Action Plans (MAPs) as a Tool to Actualize Self-Determination Student-Led Individualized Education Programs Personal Learning Plans as a Tool to Teach Self-Determination What Do Students Say About Self-Determination? Summary 8. Students as Mediators of Conflict and Controversy Examples of Everyday School Conflicts Understanding Conflict An Example of a Class-Wide or School-Wide Peer Mediation Program A Lesson Plan Example: Learning Friendly Disagreeing Skills Summary 9. Students as Collaborators in Responsibility A "Circle of Courage" Definition of Responsibility The Self-Discipline Pyramid Summary Epilogue: Beyond Benevolence to Befriending Glossary Resources A. Cooperative Group Learning Lesson Plan B. Peer Tutor Lesson Plan C. Co-Teaching Lesson Plan D. Syllabus for High School Course for Teaching Students to Be Co-Teachers E. Template for Product-Activity Matrix Integrating Bloom’s Taxonomy and Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory F. Template for Facts about the Learner, Classroom Demands, Mismatches, and Potential Solutions G. Student Collaboration Quiz (for students) References Index