Makes the case that now is a timely moment to reimagine schools and put the intellectual and social-emotional health of students and teachers at the centre of the educational process. This book will help administrators and teachers to structure their settings in ways that maximize the likelihood of meaningful and enduring student learning.

ContentsForeword Michael Fullan  ixPreface xiAcknowledgments xvPart I: Making the Case for Constructivist Schools1. Imagining Schools as...3A Simple Proposition 3Implications for Schooling 5Paradigm Shift 7Information or Knowledge? 8Meaningful Work 11Tracking Worthy Outcomes 11At a Crossroad 13Every Classroom a Journey 142. Transforming Schools From the Inside Out 17Preschoolers Take a Nature Walk 17Elementary School Students Simulate an Oil Spill Cleanup 20Middle Schoolers Respond to a Global Challenge 22High Schoolers Become Stewards of Water Quality 25Undergraduates Include Social Justice in Studies of the Changing Earth 27Teachers Transform Their Practice 283. Searching for Meaning 31Making Sense of Things 31Our Personal Pantheon 33Wiring and Firing 42Opening New Doors to Self-Regulation 44Images of Learners 46Part II: Guiding Principles4. Tying the Learning Frameworks Together 51Math: What Boats and Medicines Can Teach Us 52Science: What Ants Can Teach Us 54Social Studies: What Huckleberries Can Teach Us 56Literacy: What Artifacts Can Teach Us 58The Arts: What Windy Days Can Teach Us 60Language, Libraries, Health: What Rocks and Water Can Teach Us 61Embedding the “What,” Guiding the “How,” Providing a “Why” 655. Framing Curricula and Teaching Around Big Ideas 69Big Ideas and Points of View 70Negotiating Curricula 72Just-in-Time Teaching 73Content–Process Dynamic 74Posing Problems of Emerging Relevance 796. Fostering the Development of Reasoning With Design Thinking 83Models of Design Thinking 83Failing Forward 85Innovating With Design Thinking 86Design Challenges 89Teaching With Design Challenges 917. Deepening Reasoning With Transdisciplinary Strategies 971. Ordering Learning Experiences 982. Hearing the Questions Students Hear 1003. Offering Time to Think 1014. Seeking Elaboration 1025. Facilitating the Search for Patterns 1036. Valuing Evidence 1047. Connecting Students With Each Other 1068. Posing Targeted Questions 1079. Appreciating Context 10810. Cultivating a Sense of Place 10911. Supporting Student Agency 11012. Navigating Error 1118. Responsibly Assessing Student Learning 115The Perils of Grading 116Data Versus Evidence 117Connecting Teaching to Assessing 118Assessment That Generates Student Thinking 120Performance Assessment 123Responsible Assessment 124Changing the Narrative 126Part III: Stepping up and Speaking Out9. Shifting Norms and Structures 131Visioning and Valuing 131Establishing a Culture of Learning 133Aligning Curricula 134Collaborating With Parents 135Differentiating for Equity 136Considering Space and Time and Technology 138School as a Concept 14010. Moving to the Next Level of Work 143Why 144How 146For Whom 147References 151Index 163About the Authors 173