Preface Publisher's Acknowledgments About the Author 1. Students at Risk 2. Responsive Instruction Versus Curriculum-Driven Instruction: Why Public Education's Race to Cover More Material and Test More Students Is Failing America's Children 3. Finding Focus 4. Essential Skills and the Whole Child 5. The Challenge of Formative Assessment and Responsive Instruction 6. The Importance of Classroom and School Culture 7. Instructional Support: Responding to Teacher Requests for Help 8. The Importance of Quality Preschool 9. The Importance of Parent Engagement 10. When Good People Work Within Lousy Systems 11. Pathfinders 12. Love of Learning 13. Critical Thinking Followed by Action 14. The Lives of Children in the Balance Appendixes References Index
'This book is a joy to read! Positive and practical are the two best words to describe it. Every early childhood educator would benefit from reading Fanatically Formative.' -Richard L. Allington, Professor of Literacy Studies, University of Tennessee, Knoxville 'I could not put this book down. The captivating message reignited my passion for quality and joyful teaching. The discussion questions at the end of each chapter will serve as springboards for stimulating discourse.' - Kathleen A. Robbins, Principal MacGowan School, Redford, MIT Transform your K-3 classrooms into effective centers of learning! Helping children experience early learning success and acquire essential skills by third grade is a crucial part of any school reform effort. Yet, many teachers and children are overwhelmed by the ineffective curriculum-driven education system and the 'rush to cover' climate in schools. Fanatically Formative shows how you can rediscover the joy of teaching and help children fall in love with learning again. This book traces the journey of a teacher as she works through the challenges of formative assessment and responsive instruction to discover the practices that will help her students succeed. K-3 teachers, principals, and district administrators will learn how to: Set clear, attainable learning outcomes Make teaching responsive to the whole child Monitor student progress toward essential skills Build a truly positive classroom and school culture Collaborate to help young children succeed With surveys, lists of essential skills, study questions for PLC groups, and highlighted summaries of key points Fanatically Formative offers a clear and powerful vision for your early learning success initiative along with the action steps to achieve your goals.
Bob Sornson, Ph.D. was a classroom teacher and school administrator for over 30 years, and is the founder of the Early Learning Foundation. His implementation of programs and strategies for early learning success, the Early Learning Success Initiative, serves as a model for districts around the country. He is committed to the belief that practically every child can have a successful early learning experience. The Early Learning Foundation is dedicated to helping schools and parents give every child an opportunity to achieve early learning success, which lays the foundation for success in life. Few things are so important to the future of our children and our society. Children who come to school without important language, literacy, numeracy, motor, and behavior skills are at a disadvantage for success in the first years of school. Children who have not developed solid skills by the end of the third grade are at a disadvantage for life. Bob is the author of numerous articles, books, and audio recordings, including Fanatically Formative (Corwin Press), Teaching and Joy (ASCD), Preventing Early Learning Failure (ASCD), Meeting the Challenge (Love and Logic Press), Creating Classrooms Where Teachers Love to Teach and Students Love to Learn (Love and Logic Press), and Number Facts and Jumping Jacks (Crystal Springs Books). Love and Logic on the Bus (Love and Logic Press), is his most recent audio training program. His assessment instruments include The Essential Skill Inventories, K-3 (Early Learning Foundation). Dr. Sornson works with schools and education organizations across the country, focusing primarily on developing comprehensive programs which support early learning success, building classroom and school culture to support the development of social and behavior skills, and offering parent training. He offers workshops and keynotes, and develops long-term training projects with selected organizations. Bob can be contacted at earlylearningfoundation.com. The below interviews are all about "Fanatically Formative." http://educationviews.org/an-interview-with-bob-sornson-when-good-people-work-within-lousy-systems/ http://educationviews.org/an-interview-with-bob-sornson-can-we-still-create-classrooms-where-teachers-love-to-teach/