Terry Jo Smith – författare

"Danforth and Smith have written an exceptional book on educating ′troubling′ students. It is a clear alternative to current books on educating children with emotional and behavioral disorders, most of which are based on behavioral theories. They offer practical guidance, well illustrated with stories from their own experiences on collaboration, working with families, conflict resolution, social support for students, providing a caring pedagogy, and teacher development."James L. Paul, Professor, Special EducationUniversity of South FloridaTruly teaching "troubling" students means connecting with them in ways that can last a lifetime!Teachers are consistently faced with students who behave in disruptive or disrespectful ways. These "troubling" students are frequently disengaged from both academics and the possibility of meaningful relationships with caring adults. How can teachers engage these students in instruction and learning as well as the development of trust and personal growth? Engaging Troubling Students offers instructional and student support practices grounded in critical constructivism--engaging problematic students in the learning process and building strong relationships with them. These interactions and relationships can have a profound impact on their emotional well-being and learning. Danforth and Smith draw from many academic fields to build this comprehensive resource: History and roots of current issues and dilemmas Theoretical foundation of critical constructivism Teaching practices designed to foster the teacher-student relationship Specific programs addressing conflict, families, inclusive education, and moreFilled with rich narrative and directed to teachers working with troubling students each day, this insightful, practical guide will help lead you as you develop helpful, trusting relationships with them.

The changes in how we understand and study teaching and learning are uneven. Strongly held beliefs support the changes and equally strongly held beliefs challenge them. However, the discourse about teaching and learning and our understandings of the nature of educational research have changed rather dramatically in the last two decades. These changes form the context for the work described in this book on stories out of school-adult memories of their teachers. The authors have been guided by the work of Jackson (1992), Noddings (1992), Eisner (1998), Palmer (1998), Coles (1989), and Lindley (1993), among others, who have focused on the qualities of life experienced by children, particularly in the classroom. Interests have centered on memory, meaning, and the self in relationship. Using a database of letters written by adults (most of whom are teachers or are preparing to be teachers) to their former teachers, the authors examine the interpersonal spaces shared by teachers and students and the kinds of unacknowledged pedagogies created in those spaces. They are interested in the ethics of experienced pedagogies and the implications of those pedagogies for educating teachers.

This teacher narrative draws on several years of teaching children and adolescents who are deemed severe emotionally disordered by the public school system. The stories told in this volume are written as a means inquiry into constraints and possibilities of working meaningfully with students who are often resistant and untrusting. The book provides a multilayered contextual analysis into the politics of difference and how they are played out in four public schools over eight years. Because the narrative evolves out of life in the classroom, it broaches a broad range of topics from violence to curriculum, from fear to love.