Classrooms of Wonder and Wisdom : Reading, Writing, and Critical Thinking for the 21st Century

"The authors illuminate theoretical ideas with insightful, practical ways for teachers to encourage students to develop the critical and creative thinking necessary in a flourishing democratic society."
—Angela Ward, Acting Associate Dean, University of Saskatchewan College of Education

"An excellent resource filled with useful strategies and approaches for creating student-centered learning through reading and writing."
—Eric A. Combs, Teacher, Fairborn City Schools, OH

Discover how to enhance learning for your students

Engaging from the first page, this is a book that you "do" rather than read. Award-winning authors Kurtis S. Meredith and Jeannie L. Steele actively guide teachers through the learning process with this well-tested and successful literacy-based professional development program. Educators are encouraged to assess their knowledge, make predictions, ask questions, and track their own progress to deepen their understanding of teaching and learning processes. Grounded in a framework that has been effectively implemented in more than 30 countries, the carefully designed sequence prepares teachers to help students:

• Become lifelong learners with the capacity to integrate knowledge and experiences across content areas
• Efficiently sort information and transform learning into action
• Contextualize knowledge by adding new information to what they already know
• Enhance their capacity to meet 21st-century demands

Each chapter includes an overview of expected outcomes, self-evaluation activities, learning experiences, and reflection exercises. This action-oriented guidebook is immediately applicable and is ideal for individual or group professional development.