Beyond Worksheets
Creative Ways to Teach and Engage Students
1. Edition June 2024
288 Pages, Softcover
Practical Approach Book
Make better use of the tools you already have to improve learning outcomes and improve your work-life balance
Beyond Worksheets helps K-12 teachers make learning fun, engaging, and relevant using the latest research, actionable classroom strategies, and the ed tech software and systems they already have. Used correctly, these tools let you deepen learning, student engagement, and student participation. As a former teacher, author Amy Minter Mayer knows that, regardless of schoolwide initiatives and rollouts, it's what happens behind the closed doors of a classroom that affects the teacher's success. She wrote Beyond Worksheets as a self-paced guide that empowers teachers, without waiting for school-wide adoption of new tools. Readers will:
* Learn skills to cultivate classroom culture in a technology-infused environment
* Transform teaching strategies to meet the needs and challenges of learners
* Prepare effective lessons that include accommodations while also supporting student focus and engagement using research and brain-based approaches
* Access templates, strategies, and techniques any educator can employ to drive engagement and increase learning in the classroom
Beyond Worksheets is for teachers and instructional leaders who want to make the most of available on-hand tools and the latest research with strategies and resources that will help students learn and improve the lives of teachers.
Chapter 1 Giving Up the "Good Old Days" of Education 1
Chapter 2 What Is a Worksheet? 25
Chapter 3 New World, New Rules 47
Chapter 4 Systems, Teachers, Expectations, and the Worksheet 67
Chapter 5 Student-Centered or Teacher-Focused 91
Chapter 6 I'm Scared They Don't Care 115
Chapter 7 Behavior, Motivation, and the Worksheet 133
Chapter 8 Student Choice Continuum and Why Choice Matters 151
Chapter 9 Stop Stealing the Learning 167
Chapter 10 Fair Team Grading Strategies That Work for Humans 187
Chapter 11 Is Artificial Intelligence a Worksheet Killer? 217
Chapter 12 Becoming a Worksheet Killer 247
Acknowledgments 261
About the Author 263
Index 267
--Sarah Gould, Ed.D., Global Education Practitioner and Researcher
"Moving away from worksheets is not about discarding all structure; Amy does a great job of explaining this, instead she talks about creating a learning environment that fosters collaboration, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving. By replacing passive learning with active engagement, we empower students to become not just consumers of knowledge, but creators, collaborators, and leaders in shaping the future . . . which are the essential skills for success in a rapidly changing world today."
--Kevin Hodges, Texas, K12 LCS Lead,Google for Education
"At a time when education faces a crisis of engagement and relevance, Amy Mayer's Beyond Worksheets emerges as a beacon of hope and transformation. This pivotal book directly addresses the urgent need for a paradigm shift in teaching methods, championing innovative yet practical, learner-centered approaches to design meaningful, personalized, and awesome experiences for every learner."
--Christopher Bugaj, MA CCC-SLP
