Additional Resources for Classroom Use

McCombs, A Framework for the Redesign of K-12 Education in the Context of Current Educational Reform (pp. 93-101)

1. APA's Learner-Centered Psychological Principles web site www.apa.org/ed/lcp2/

This website, maintained by the APA's Center for Psychology in Schools and Education (CPSE), contains background information about the LCPs and a printer-friendly version. The CPSE site also has a link for ordering the printed poster version of the LCPs, as well as other resources related to the LCPs. Of particular relevance is the APA's Psychology in the Classroom, which focuses on applying principles and research findings from educational psychology.

2. McCombs, B.L., & Whisler, J.S. (1997). The learner-centered classroom and school: Strategies for increasing student motivation and achievement. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

This book for teachers and other educators provides specific strategies and activities for applying the LCPs at the classroom and school levels. It shows educators and administrators how they can create classrooms and schools that foster student motivation, learning, and achievement. The learner-centered approach provides a dual focus on both learner and learning. It focuses on learners by respecting them, trusting them to be responsible for their own learning, and designing practices that are sensitive to individual needs, abilities, and interests. Two chapters are also devoted specifically to personal and organizational or system change. The book is filled with useful examples and practical suggestions for implementing learner-centered concepts into any school or classroom.

3. Generation YES web site www.genyes.org/genwwwy/

The mission of Generation YES is to support student-centered programs aimed at improving learning through the use of modern technologies. Generation YES provides services, materials, and support for schools throughout the world. One of the four curriculum/professional development solutions is Generation Y (Gen Y). Students work with teachers to bring effective technology into the classrooms and libraries. Gen Y is a trainer of trainers model where one staff member trains a class of students who, in turn, train and support the remainder of the school's faculty. In traditional technology staff development, the teacher provides both the technology and teaching component. The Gen Y model has the Gen Y-trained student provide the technology expertise and the teacher provide content and pedagogical knowledge.

Daniels and Perry, "Learner-Centered" According to Children (pp. 102-108)

1. Paley, V. (1981). Walley's stories. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Paley, V. (1992). You can't say you can't play. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Paley, V. (2000). White teacher. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press

These are just a few of the many inspiring books written by Vivian Paley, a former kindergarten teacher at University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and a MacArthur Prize-winning educator. Ms. Paley is a master at sharing children's views of the world in her touching classroom stories.

2. Nicholls, J., & Hazzard, S. (1993). Education as adventure: Lessons from the second grade. New York: Teachers College Press.

John Nicholls, an educational psychologist, and Susan Hazzard, a teacher, relate compelling stories of children in a second grade classroom. Their observations and interviews reveal students' understandings of the nature and purpose of schoolwork, and how teachers who listen to children can involve them wholeheartedly in educational inquiry.

3. Lewis, C. (1995). Educating hearts and minds: Reflections on Japanese preschool and elementary education. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Catherine Lewis, a professor and classroom ethnographer, provides a portrait of Japanese classrooms that illuminates how educators can help children become valued members of the school community and motivated learners.

Meece, Applying Learner-Centered Principles to Middle School Education (pp. 109-116)

1. Jackson, A.W., & Davis, G.A. (2000). Turning points 2000: Educating Adolescents in the 21st century. New York: Teachers College Press.

This book describes progress in middle school reform after the release of Turning Points: Preparing American Youth for the 21st Century. The authors point out that middle school reform has not gone far enough, and advocate for a more rigorous curriculum...