Blueprints for Achievement in the Cooperative Classroom

James Bellanca is a life-long advocate for the principles and practices created by Reuven Feuerstein.  As a Senior Fellow for the Partnership for 21st Century Learning, he created and edits the innovative P21Blogazine. He is the editor of a series of 21st Century Deeper Learning collections, has authored more than a dozen how-to books aimed to infuse critical and creative thinking across the curriculum and is President of the Illinois Consortium for 21st Century Schools. Robin Fogarty is President of RFA: A Robin Fogarty Company, a Chicago-based, minority-owned, educational publishing/consulting company. Robin received her doctorate in curriculum and human resource development from Loyola University of Chicago. A leading proponent of the thoughtful classroom, Robin has trained educators throughout the world in curriculum, instruction and assessment strategies.She has taught at all levels, from kindergarten to college, served as an administrator, and consulted with state departments and ministries of education in the United States, Puerto Rico, Russia, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Great Britain, Singapore, South Korea, the Netherlands, the Kingdom of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Robin has published articles in Educational Leadership, Phi Delta Kappan, The Journal of Staff Development and The Middle School Lournal. She is the author of numerous publications, including Brain-Compatible Classrooms, Literacy Matters, Ten Things New Teachers Need, How to Integrate the Curricula, The Adult Learner, A Look at Transfer, Close the Achievement Gap, Twelve Brain Principles, Nine Best Practices, and From Staff Room to Classroom: Planning and Coaching Professional Learning, How to Teach Thinking Skills Within the Common Core: 7 Key Student Proficiencies of the New National Standards, Invite! Excite! Ignite! 13 Principles for Teaching, Learning and Leading K-12 classroomsRobin received her Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education at SUNY, Potsdam, NY, and her Masters in Instructional Strategies from National Louis University in Evanston, IL.  She is known as the teachers’ teacher and has mentored numerous colleagues in the art and science of working with the adult learner. She brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to all endeavors, has a wealth of knowledge in the field and conducts highly interactive PD sessions.

• AbstractForewordAcknowledgementsIntroductionI. Forming1. Why Bother with Cooperative Learning?2. How Do I Get Started?II. Norming3. How Do I Develop Students′ Social Skills?4. How Do I Create High-Challenge Tasks?III. Conforming5. How Do I Expand Thinking in the Classroom?6. How Do I Build Power Lessons in the Cooperative Classroom?IV. Storming7. How Do I Keep Them Thinking in the High-Achieving Classroom?8. What Happens When They Do Not Agree?V. Performing9. How Do I Promote Transfer in the High-Achieving Classroom?10. What About Grades, Standards, and Test Scores?Appendix A: GlossaryAppendix B: Frequently Asked QuestionsAppendix C: BlacklinesBibliographyIndex