New publications

The author has visited the classrooms of award-winning teachers to observe their best practices for teaching writing to diverse elementary, middle and high school learners. This book models techniques for improving achievement in literacy, vocabulary, student writing and language arts and illustrates techniques that utilise annotated bibliographies. This resource is designed to allow new and veteran teachers to expand their instructional repertoires and enrich students' writing experiences. Adapted from publisher's description.

Exciting spaces to play are vital if we are to provide children with flexible, inclusive and stimulating opportunities to learn, develop and have fun together. This book is designed to provide readers with ideas for developing play environments that will meet the needs of the children in their care. It illustrates how improving the play environment can help to deal with a number of issues from inclusion to promoting physical activity. It includes frameworks for designing play environments, case studies showing examples of how play environments can be developed, illustrations and photographs and research evidence showing the importance of good play environments. Adapted from publisher's description.

The topic of 'dispositions' is central to teacher education and to teacher educators. Teacher educators must define, teach and assess dispositions in their programs. This book examines the sources of the concept of dispositions, how it evolved in teacher education, what forms it has taken in selected programs and what challenges remain in this arena for teacher educators. Contents include a social-cognitive perspective on dispositional development, teacher dispositions in context, a constructivist-developmental perspective, and the role of coaching in working with dispositions. Adapted from description in publisher's catalogue, p 7.

With increasing expectations from parents and practitioners for inclusive early years settings, many practitioners are anxious about identifying and accommodating children's individual needs as early as possible. Through step-by-step instruction, this book is designed to increase practitioners' confidence in identifying individual needs. It gives practical advice on involving parents, and provides clear links to existing guidance and legislation. The book is addressed to practitioners in all early years settings including day nurseries, preschools, children's centres, nursery schools and infant schools. Adapted from publisher's description.

This updated edition is designed to give all classroom teachers, special educators and administrators an arsenal of adaptable and ready-to-use strategies, lessons and activities to help teachers reach students with varied learning styles, ability levels, skills, and behaviours. The authors describe a team approach that includes parents, colleagues and learning specialists, enabling teachers to guide diverse groups of students in Grades 3–8 toward academic, social, and emotional success. Adapted from publisher's description.

The author examines the large and continuing influence of class inequalities in Australian society through a focus on Ravina High School. Contents include a chapter on neoliberalism in schools in theory and practice, an examination of the relationship between global ideals and local realities, how to equip and maintain a good school environment, and a set of suggestions for future directions. Adapted from publisher's description.