Vibrant Learning

Debra K. Wellman is a professor of education and director of the Christian A. Johnson Center for Effective Teaching at Rollins College. Her scholarly interests examine the value of field placements in teacher education, book clubs as a means for teaching reading and other content areas, and effective ways to support new teacher experiences.Cathy Y. Kim is a faculty member in the Education Department at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. Her scholarly interests include comprehension theories and strategies, content area literacy, and reader response theories.Lynn Columba, an associate professor in Lehigh University's College of Education, teaches future mathematics educators to embrace an interdisciplinary in the mathematics classroom. Her research focuses on the integration of literacy and technology into mathematics.Alden J. Moe, professor emeritus from Rollins College and Lehigh University, has taught all grades throughout his illustrious career. Alden's research focused on reading diagnosis, children's literature, and vocabulary. This will be Alden's fifteenth book.

Grounded in research, Vibrant Learning, focuses on language-rich, literacy-based, collaborative classrooms as the foundation for transforming content area learning. The authors emphasize three areas: (1) strategies to support student understanding of concepts, (2) ideas to encourage student engagement, and (3) creating a lively and respectful classroom environment to foster an integrative approach to learning. Knowledgeable teachers with a repertoire of effective instructional strategies make genuine learning possible. With that in mind, this book presents a solid theoretical background and a set of practical tools in each of its chapters, ranging from assessment, compression, vocabulary, motivation, to integration for the content area teacher.

Chapter 1: Merging Constructivist, Socio-Cultural, and Collaborative Theories: Vibrant LearningChapter 2: It's not Either/Or, it's AND: IntegrationChapter 3: Guiding Instruction: StandardsChapter 4: Informing Instruction: AssessmentChapter 5: Developing a Love of Words: VocabularyChapter 6: Creating Meaning: ComprehensionChapter 7: Understanding and Expressing Ideas: FluencyChapter 8: (Re)Constructing Knowledge: WritingChapter 9: Engaging with Texts and Peers: DiscussionChapter 10: Promoting Deep Thinking: QuestioningChapter 11: Broadening Capacities for Learning: The ArtsChapter 12: Creating Lifelong, Vibrant Learners: Motivation