NEW YORK — Educators have the power to making learning more meaningful for students, Potsdam-based author Don Mesibov says in his newly released book, “Helping Students Take Control of Their Own Learning.”
“Helping Students Take Control of Their Own Learning” includes 279 ways for educators to implement student-centered learning. These include strategies to engage students and help them develop skills such as decision making, problem solving, and teamwork. Mesibov and his longtime colleague and collaborator, Dan Drmacich explain how through student-centered/social emotional (SEL) learning, educators can help students grow into critically thinking, creative, problem-solving, productive adults.
“Why do so many kids hate English, social studies, math, or science? Because they find the subjects boring. But if you can teach through current events, through issues students find relevant, you can engage them,” said Mesibov.
Mesibov and Drmacich have more than one hundred years of combined experience in education. Mesibov worked at a school for emotionally disturbed children, was a middle school English teacher, taught course on constructivism at local colleges, and worked for a teachers’ union. In 1995, he founded Institute for Learning Centered on Education, an organization that offers weeklong summer professional development opportunities for educators.
Rochester-based Drmacich was principal of the nationally renowned School Without Walls in Rochester for 23 years and a member of the New York State Performance Standards Consortium, which requires performance-based assessments and demonstrated proficiency for graduation, rather than standardized tests. He is co-founder and coordinator of Rochester Coalition for Public Education, and organization focused on research-based progressive school reform and social justice.
“It’s very difficult for teachers to take the risk of trying different things when they’re already being patted on the back for teaching the way they’ve always taught,” said Mesibov. “We need administrators willing to support teachers, to tell them they want them to try new things.”
“Research shows that kids who experience this type of education stay in college longer and once they leave school, are more active and effective, and experience greater career satisfaction,” added Drmacich. “This book addresses the bottom-line question: What skills do kids need to become active, responsible citizens?”
Copies of “Helping Students Take Control of Their Own Learning” are available for pre-order online at: bit.ly/3heJXwq.
