Books for Educational Professionals
GoldenPair & Company has two enlightening books for educational professionals available today. Our first book, Integrating Academic and Vocational Education: A Model for Secondary Schools, focuses on integrating technology into academic learning at the high school level. Our other book, Six Promises of the Golden Pair: A Way to Teach - A Way to Learn, tells the story of a new teacher and a mythological, time-traveling mentor as they uncover the six promises that every teacher must teach to every student.
Integrating Academic and Vocational Education: A Model for Secondary Schools
The two-track system that divides academic education from vocational education no longer supports students' interests. This book describes a practical approach to integrating academic and vocational education, focusing on achieving a seamlessly integrated curriculum. Chapter 1 describes the rationale of a high school program — the Cocoa Academy for Aerospace Technology (CAAT) in Brevard County, FL— that combines aerospace technology with traditional education.
Chapter 2 discusses the role of technology in education and CAAT's use of technology-learning activities (TLAs), which are hands-on, interdisciplinary, problem-solving activities. Movement toward CAAT's system of learning, called "virtual learning," is described in Chapter 3. In virtual learning, students and facilitators teach each other how to learn; the curriculum blends a range of disciplines; students learn in teams; facilitators teach in teams; all problem-solving activities have real-world relevancy; and authentic assessment is used to evaluate learning objectives.
Examples of virtual-learning activities are provided in the fourth chapter. Chapters 5 through 8 describe the process for developing a curriculum framework and learning objectives, the steps for writing virtual-learning activities, and ways to sustain the program. The final chapter concludes that the integrated academic-vocational curriculum is central to democracy in public schools. A glossary and 11 figures are included. (Contains 35 references.) (LMI)
Chapter 2 discusses the role of technology in education and CAAT's use of technology-learning activities (TLAs), which are hands-on, interdisciplinary, problem-solving activities. Movement toward CAAT's system of learning, called "virtual learning," is described in Chapter 3. In virtual learning, students and facilitators teach each other how to learn; the curriculum blends a range of disciplines; students learn in teams; facilitators teach in teams; all problem-solving activities have real-world relevancy; and authentic assessment is used to evaluate learning objectives.
Examples of virtual-learning activities are provided in the fourth chapter. Chapters 5 through 8 describe the process for developing a curriculum framework and learning objectives, the steps for writing virtual-learning activities, and ways to sustain the program. The final chapter concludes that the integrated academic-vocational curriculum is central to democracy in public schools. A glossary and 11 figures are included. (Contains 35 references.) (LMI)
Six Promises of the Golden Pair: A Way to Teach - A Way to Learn
"Everyone is allotted a miracle worker, but they don't realize it until they accept the fact that they need one. Most people don't believe they need help, so they don't get it. The other part of my job is to sense when someone cares profoundly about a person or people and wants to make a positive impact. I know then that he or she is ready for a miracle, and I show up." So says Barnabus, a mythical mentor to a young teacher during the first term of her career, in Six Promises of the Golden Pair, a compelling guide for educators written in the form of a simple fable.
It's easy for teachers to feel like they should have all the answers, that they are just supposed to make things work. It's also hard for teachers to ask for help, especially when that seems to only bring on more work. But what if a "miracle worker" like Barnabus showed up in your classroom one morning and greeted you with, "I'll take you back to the fundamentals of learning and teaching — fundamentals you know but have forgotten. You will need these fundamentals if you are serious about making a difference."
Would you be skeptical? Would you wonder if he was a mole for the administration? And what would you do when he mentioned time travel? Would you even have time for that?
It's easy for teachers to feel like they should have all the answers, that they are just supposed to make things work. It's also hard for teachers to ask for help, especially when that seems to only bring on more work. But what if a "miracle worker" like Barnabus showed up in your classroom one morning and greeted you with, "I'll take you back to the fundamentals of learning and teaching — fundamentals you know but have forgotten. You will need these fundamentals if you are serious about making a difference."
Would you be skeptical? Would you wonder if he was a mole for the administration? And what would you do when he mentioned time travel? Would you even have time for that?
Alexandra Penn, EdD, knows the world of education. As an educator for over 25 years, working in a myriad of roles — teacher, administrator, and consultant — she knows the stresses, time constraints, and desires that teachers have. And as a salute to all of that, she wrote this funny and inspiring fable of a young teacher's journey, as she is led by her strange-but-sage, time-traveling mentor toward educator's bliss: actually making a difference! This slim volume offers real, practical advice in an easy-to-read format that will make you laugh and reignite your ambitions to change the world, one student at a time.
With the state of education these days, teachers are often confronted with overcrowded classrooms paired with overambitious expectations thrust upon them from outside forces. On top of that, now teachers are being asked to teach to multiple learning styles. In such a chaotic environment, how is success possible? The author believes that every child can learn and that one-to-one teaching is always possible, no matter how many students a teacher has.
Through her story of "time travel and platonic dialogue," she reminds teachers of the basic principles that often get buried beneath the pressures of day-to-day teaching. The secret of the "Golden Pair" is revealed as the special relationship between teacher and student. You will love Six Promises of the Golden Pair simply because it's a good story. And you will be surprised at just how much you learned in the reading of it. A great book for both new and experienced teachers, it is a reminder that it's never too late to learn.
Even people outside of the world of education will enjoy the wisdom of this parable and be able to quickly apply its lessons within their lives and careers. Are you ready to go on an adventure with Barnabus? Prepare yourself; it will change your life.
With the state of education these days, teachers are often confronted with overcrowded classrooms paired with overambitious expectations thrust upon them from outside forces. On top of that, now teachers are being asked to teach to multiple learning styles. In such a chaotic environment, how is success possible? The author believes that every child can learn and that one-to-one teaching is always possible, no matter how many students a teacher has.
Through her story of "time travel and platonic dialogue," she reminds teachers of the basic principles that often get buried beneath the pressures of day-to-day teaching. The secret of the "Golden Pair" is revealed as the special relationship between teacher and student. You will love Six Promises of the Golden Pair simply because it's a good story. And you will be surprised at just how much you learned in the reading of it. A great book for both new and experienced teachers, it is a reminder that it's never too late to learn.
Even people outside of the world of education will enjoy the wisdom of this parable and be able to quickly apply its lessons within their lives and careers. Are you ready to go on an adventure with Barnabus? Prepare yourself; it will change your life.