Nancy Fichtman Dana – författare

Transform your teaching and shape education through the power of inquiry.

Grounded in real-world examples and more than 30 years of research in professional development, the fifth edition of The Reflective Educator's Guide to Practitioner Inquiry addresses how inquiry fosters curiosity, reflection, and practical action to enhance effective classroom learning. This latest edition invites educators to view inquiry as a process, a product, and a stance.

The book offers new sections on the relationship between AI and teacher inquiry and the ways in which inquiry is changing with the times. Additional features and updates include:

A new chapter that provides a step-by-step guide to crafting an intentional, actionable research planAccess exercises, inductive and deductive data analysis worksheets, ethical guidelines, and examples addressing today’s issues in educationA discussion of the connections between practitioner inquiry and supporting the academic success of every student

The Reflective Educator’s Guide to Practitioner Inquiry, fifth edition, empowers educators at every stage in their careers to investigate their practice, drive sustained professional growth, and harness inquiry’s potential to create classrooms where both students and teachers thrive.

"Uses metaphor to connect the reader in a personal way with the intricacies of mentoring—a powerful catalyst for reflection."—Hal Portner, Educational Consultant"Sets the stage for the reader with a thoughtful, proactive context for carrying on the work of mentor."—Tom Ganser, Director, Office of Field Experiences, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater"What the text does so well is enable mentors to deeply consider their role and how they live this role within their interactions with new teachers."—Debra Pitton, Associate Professor of Education, Gustavus Adolphus CollegeDeepen your mentoring practice with this innovative new approach!Effective mentoring requires planned and mindful attention to the ways in which one′s knowledge, skills, and experience can be passed on to new teachers. Stressing the importance of deep reflection on one′s mentoring practice, the award-winning authors offer eight models/metaphors that mentors can customize to meet the individual needs of their mentees. Proven strategies and real-life stories help teacher educators, trainers, and mentors to:Meet the diverse needs of mentor/mentee relationshipsDevelop helpful mentoring toolsContinue to reflect, learn, and grow as mentorsThis resource is sure to inspire critical conversation and fresh insights among all mentors committed to professional growth for themselves and their fellow teachers.

"Uses metaphor to connect the reader in a personal way with the intricacies of mentoring—a powerful catalyst for reflection."—Hal Portner, Educational Consultant

"Sets the stage for the reader with a thoughtful, proactive context for carrying on the work of mentor."—Tom Ganser, Director, Office of Field Experiences, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

"What the text does so well is enable mentors to deeply consider their role and how they live this role within their interactions with new teachers."—Debra Pitton, Associate Professor of Education, Gustavus Adolphus College

Deepen your mentoring practice with this innovative new approach!

Effective mentoring requires planned and mindful attention to the ways in which one's knowledge, skills, and experience can be passed on to new teachers. Stressing the importance of deep reflection on one's mentoring practice, the award-winning authors offer eight models/metaphors that mentors can customize to meet the individual needs of their mentees. Proven strategies and real-life stories help teacher educators, trainers, and mentors to:

Meet the diverse needs of mentor/mentee relationshipsDevelop helpful mentoring toolsContinue to reflect, learn, and grow as mentors

This resource is sure to inspire critical conversation and fresh insights among all mentors committed to professional growth for themselves and their fellow teachers.

"A tool box overflowing with ideas that will help every staff developer craft a school culture hospitable to adult and student learning."—Roland S. Barth, Author, Lessons Learned"The book speaks to many audiences, including instructional coaches, PLC leaders, action researchers and group leaders, and university professors working with action researchers and PLCs."—Gail Ritchie, Coleader, Teacher Researcher NetworkFairfax County Public Schools, VA"A terrific resource for connecting teacher networks and action research to create powerful professional development opportunities. This book is a joy to read."—Ellen Meyers, Senior Vice PresidentTeachers NetworkPowerful tools for facilitating teachers′ professional development and optimizing school improvement efforts! Professional learning communities (PLCs) and action research are popular and proven frameworks for professional development. While both can greatly improve teaching and learning, few resources have combined the two practices into one coherent approach.The Reflective Educator′s Guide to Professional Development provides educators with strategies, activities, and tools to develop inquiry-oriented PLCs. Nationally known school reform experts Nancy Fichtman Dana and Diane Yendol-Hoppey cover the ten essential elements of a healthy PLC, provide case studies of actual inquiry-based PLCs, and present lessons learned to help good coaches become great coaches. With this step-by-step guide, readers will be able to:Organize, assess, and maintain high-functioning, inquiry-oriented PLCsFacilitate the development of study questionsEstablish the trust and collective commitment necessary for successful action research Enable PLC members to develop, analyze, and share research resultsLead successful renewal and reform effortsBy combining two powerful training practices, coaches, workshop leaders, and staff developers can ensure continuous, robust school-based professional development.

"The Teachers Network, one of the most effective professional development organizations in education, has much to teach us. Ellen Meyers and her colleagues explain how supporting, connecting, and investing in teachers provides the best hope for our nation's public schools. Their invaluable work, distilled to its essence in these pages, creates opportunities for teachers to work collaboratively with colleagues, to learn from one another about how to teach better, and through that professional growth to remain committed to education. The authors show us how to do it."—Linda Darling-Hammond, Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education Stanford University

"The Power of Teacher Networks provides a ringing clarion call for teacher collaboration and for grounding educational policy in the real world of the classroom and the school. Part how-to manual for building teacher networks and part chronicle of the authors' successful work, this book sets forth a vision for the transformation of our nation's schools through the development of teacher voices." —Randi Weingarten, President American Federation of Teachers

"Essential for anyone interested in the future of public education in America. Embedded in the notion that teachers are the solution, not the problem, this book explores how teachers can create a vision, find a voice, manage a growing network, and make a difference. Surely there is nothing more important as we grapple with how best to move forward."—Bill Cirone, Superintendent Santa Barbara County Education Office, CA

"When teachers network, they become a social force for the good of society and each child in their classrooms. This book is a must-read for anyone who cares about teaching and teacher development." —Mary M. Brabeck, Dean and Professor of Applied Psychology Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York University

Foster high-quality teaching and leadership through teacher networks!

When connected through inter-school networks, teachers can communicate with each other and share invaluable information and ideas across district and state boundaries, ultimately enhancing both their own effectiveness and student learning. This step-by-step guide shows you how to create, manage, and sustain a teacher network or grow an existing one, and provides an easily adaptable model developed by The Teachers Network.

The book includes teacher vignettes and director and advisors' experiences in managing a network, plus a wealth of worksheets, tools, and resources to get you started. Practical guidelines illustrate how networks can:

Support new teachers, reduce teacher isolation, and increase retention rates Share the benefits of collaborative group work, including action research Enhance professional practice and nurture teacher leaders Connect teachers to the goals and ideals that drew them into education

Teachers working together can not only make a significant impact on their school communities, but also strengthen the influence that teacher leaders can have in the wider arena of educational policy.

"I love, love, love this book! This smorgasbord of professional development strategies maximizes time and on-site expertise. From the perspective of educators hungry for cost-effective, proven ways to promote ongoing, job-embedded professional learning, this is an à la carte menu for building healthy professional development ′meals′ based on specific needs and available resources."—Gail Ritchie, Instructional CoachFairfax County Public Schools, VA"This book offers a menu of practical, integrated, research-based tools and processes that engage and empower teachers and administrators in co-constructing a powerful form of job-embedded professional development that is relevant, focused, and organic, and allows schools to transform themselves into a self-sustaining learning organization."—Pedro R. Bermúdez, Professional Development SupportReady Schools Miami, FLAchieve effective, on-site teacher development without breaking the budget!This essential guide to job-embedded staff development helps schools and districts move away from reliance on outside expertise, instead drawing on and developing the experience and skills of their own faculty. The authors provide a complete toolbox of school-based professional development (PD) strategies, with recommendations on which tools to use for different times and settings, guidelines for implementation, and extended examples of each tool in action for a full spectrum of proven, cost-effective PD models, including:Book study and lesson studyAction research and professional learning communitiesCoaching and co-teaching Webinars, podcasts, Open Space Technology, online communities, and much more

Connect inquiry to improved teaching and learning across your district!Now that federal and state initiatives require school districts to provide job-embedded professional development, the next step is making it happen. This book helps districts define, develop, and implement a systematic inquiry-based process with a laser-like focus on both adult and student learning. This book′s inquiry model challenges educators and students to:Define questions they are passionate about exploring Collect and analyze data to inform their questionsShare what they have learned through the process with othersCollaborate to build on their results and improve student achievementThe authors′ award-winning school improvement program, featured in the text, offers a fresh look at how to improve the quality of teaching and learning across a district. Administrators, teachers, and students will find an invaluable road map for tackling real-world challenges and taking control of their own learning.

Common Core implementation begins with asking the right questions! While the Common Core couldn’t be clearer about what to teach, they never quite tackle how to teach. That’s what makes Inquiring into the Common Core such an essential resource. It offers teachers an inquiry-based professional development model for achieving greater understanding of the standards themselves, then determining best ways to realize desired outcomes. How exactly does the model work? Teachers take charge of their own professional development by posing questions, or wonderings, to stimulate action and higher-level insight into the big ambitions of the Common Core. At the very same time, they engage in a parallel process of inquiry with their students in service of the very same goals. Assisting teachers along the ways, Inquiring into the Common Core provides

tools to systematically study teaching effectiveness while adapting to new standards classroom-ready, student inquiry techniques and strategies to apply within Common Core’s framework real life inquiry-implementation examples from a high-need, high-poverty school

Ideal for both teams or individual teachers, there’s no better resource for laying the groundwork for successful and thought-provoking classroom actualization amid shifting times.

The secret to your PLC’s success? You. Commitment to improving student outcomes is a natural part of being a teacher. So when you bring your experience, skills, and questions to a professional learning community, you help shape the future of the team—and that makes all the difference for your students. Unlike other PLC resources, this book isn’t just for leaders—it’s designed to help every member of the team be a driving force for success. With it, you’ll work together to

Give voice to important issues and dilemmas Decide where to focus your work Develop and implement a plan for gaining insight into your area of focus Take action based on individual and collective learning Share results with others outside the PLC

Successful PLCs buzz with a collaborative energy that comes from the engagement of teachers. With this guide, you’ll make the most of your contributions.

“The PLC Book is an essential resource for all principals and teachers who wish to create a powerful culture of adult and student learning in their schools. . . . A must-read for all who are currently engaging in or wish to begin Professional Learning Communities in their schools.” - Todd Whitaker, Professor Indiana State University  “The PLC Book is destined to be an essential text in the fields of teacher education, teacher professional development, school administration and a handbook for teachers and others engaged in the pursuit of systemic educational change.” - Frances Rust, Senior Fellow & Director of Teacher Education Program University of Pennsylvania 

Today, in many contexts the lack of attention to preparing the next generation of teacher educators as well as having a critical mass of faculty who understand the current teacher education research problem lingers. Although the NCATE Blue Ribbon Panel Report (2010), the recent advent of the CAEP standards, and the new AACTE Clinical Practice Commission Report (2017) challenge those responsible for teacher preparation to rethink the design as well as their work within clinical practice, there is much too little discussion about how to prepare the next generation of teacher educators to work differently. Just like Zeichner found almost 20 years ago, teacher education still too often remains “a tangential concern for most and the major concern of only a few” (Ziechner, 1999, p. 11). These concerns raise important questions for those who are currently responsible for pivoting, reinventing, and researching teacher preparation. This book offers insights from teacher education researchers that illustrate the ongoing benefits and persistent challenges of educating and preparing university and school-based teacher educators. This is an important step in understanding the complex roles, practices, and responsibilities associated with high quality teacher education that emphasizes clinical practice.