17,000 Classroom Visits Can’t Be Wrong: Strategies That Engage Students, Promote Active Learning, and Boost Achievement

John V. Antonetti & James R. Garver

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About This Book

Most educators are skilled at planning instruction and determining what they will do during the course of a lesson. However, to truly engage students in worthwhile, rigorous cognition, a profound shift is necessary: a shift in emphasis from teaching to learning. Put another way, we know that whoever is doing the work is also doing the learning—and in most classrooms, teachers are working much too hard. 

Authors John V. Antonetti and James R. Garver are the designers of the Look 2 Learning model of classroom walkthroughs. They’ve visited more than 17,000 classrooms—examining a variety of teaching and learning conditions, talking to students, examining their work, and determining their levels of thinking and engagement. From this vast set of data, they’ve drawn salient lessons that provide valuable insight into how to smooth the transition from simply planning instruction to designing high-quality student work.

The lessons John and Jim have learned from their 17,000 (and counting) classroom visits can’t be wrong. They share those lessons in this book, along with stories of successful practice and practical tools ready for immediate classroom application. The authors also provide opportunities for reflection and closure designed to help you consider (or reconsider) your current beliefs and practices. Throughout, you will hear the voices of John and Jim—and the thousands of students they met—as they provide a map for shifting the classroom dynamic from teaching to learning.

See the book's table of contents and read excerpts.

What Do 17,000 Classrooms Look Like? 

How many schools would it take to hold 17,000 classrooms? How long would it take to visit them all?

Find out that and more in the 17,000 Classroom Visits Can't Be Wrong infographic. 

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About the Authors

JOHN ANTONETTI is the former director of K–12 curriculum in the Sheridan School District, Ark. Once described by Larry Lezotte as a 'teacher's teacher," John has had the great fortune to teach at all grade levels. He has taught kindergarten, AP Chemistry, and most grades in between. He has worked with three districts that won the nationally recognized Broad Prize for Urban Education. He works with schools and districts throughout North America on student engagement, writing, rigor and relevance, and high-yield best practices. 

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JIM GARVER has experience at all levels of public education—from teacher to associate superintendent, kindergarten through high school, small schools to large. Student achievement has increased in every school and district in which he has held a leadership position. Garver works with schools across the country, sharing expertise on classroom walkthroughs, student engagement, instructional leadership, and professional learning communities. One of these schools was recently named a National Title I Distinguished School. At the district level, he provides assistance with strategic planning, community relations, team building, and executive coaching. 

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