Joyful Learning. Active and Collaborative Learning in Inclusive Classrooms

Editorial Review

"Finally, a book that describes practical strategies for differentiated, multilevel instruction that includes the full range of children who exist in today's classrooms. A very important and practical text that creates inclusive, democratic communities of learners where students with wide ranges of abilities may learn together at their own level."
—J. Michael Peterson, Professor
Wayne State University

"Immediately accessible and usable in any classroom, this incredible compendium of teaching strategies is proof that good teaching benefits all students and that we don't need to isolate students with different learning styles or challenges."
—Mara Sapon-Shevin, Professor of Inclusive Education
Syracuse University

Create a classroom that is truly responsive to all diverse learners!

This accessible resource for K–12 inclusive classrooms helps teachers create an environment for active and collaborative learning that encourages and supports all students, including those who may have marked differences in ability, need, language, culture, and/or learning profile. Promoting the concept that learners with differing abilities can learn side by side, this book illustrates how to use a practical, differentiated approach to help develop every student's abilities.

Joyful Learning presents a range of strategies that can be used at both the elementary and secondary levels to engage students in discussion, debate, creative thinking, questioning, and teamwork. Providing classroom-tested examples, specific guidelines, and reproducibles, the book provides tools for teachers to:

Promote relationship building and interdependence
Help students teach one another as they make discoveries about course content
Support learners in preparing for assessments
Engage in whole-class learning while assisting students who need personalized instruction
Assess learner understanding and celebrate growth

This versatile book can also be used as a co-planning tool by general and special education professionals working with occupational therapists, speech clinicians, and physical therapists to effectively support all students, including English Language Learners and learners with disabilities.

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Customer Reviews

really useful work

2008-01-16
This book was very useful and helped me in some planning for staff development that I needed to do. The strategies are easy and teachers really like them. I have read other books by this author and this one is just as good as the others.

A time saving way to engage students in learning!

2008-05-22
Joyful Learning is a dream come true for any busy teacher! With quick ideas that are simple to implement, any teacher can utilize this book in lesson planning and implementation. As an educator, these strategies are easy to learn and implement whether you are a high school P.E. teacher, a kindergarten teacher, or a 5th grade science teacher. When I want to motivate and engage my students, I let them choose one of the strategies and they use it to deepen their understanding, work collaboratively, and build community within my classroom. They love it! In fact, since these strategies differentiate for all learners, the entire school will intergrate them into practice next school year from Pre-K to 8th Grade!

A perfect pick for practicing teachers.

2008-04-02
JOYFUL LEARNING: ACTIVE AND COLLABORATIVE LEARNING IN INCLUSIVE CLASSROOMS by Alice Udvari-Solner and Paula Kluth (9781412941747) provides a resource for K-12 teachers who wish to create an active, collaborative learning environment. Here is a blend of classroom theory with applied facts, using classroom-tested examples and clear guidelines to help teachers create and assess the results of such an environment. From assisting individual learners to integrating results into a wider classroom atmosphere, JOYFUL LEARNING offers many specifics, making it a perfect pick for practicing teachers.

Great Book

2008-02-25
I just received this book at the "Inclusion Works" conference in Austin, TX. From what I've read so far, there are many techniques that educators can use in the classroom for all students (regular, bilingual, special needs, etc.) I am so pleased to have been able to see Dr. Kluth show some of these techniques at the conference. I look forward to finishing her book and discovering all it has to offer. THANK YOU!

I wish my teachers had taught like this!

2008-02-15
As a former special education student I found myself wishing my teachers had read this wonderful book! I think my educational experience would have been much more positive if the teachers had used the activities in Joyful Learning. I would love to see the classrooms where these strageties are used. It would be inspiring to see all students fully engaged in a classrroom where respect for learning differences is modeled and all students are engaged in learning. This book offers many ideas and activities to begin this process.

Fantastic resource from real experts

2008-01-22
I have all of Dr. Kluth's books--her recommendations are solidly based on research and practice that works across all ages, abilities and curricula! She really has an eye for excellent strategy and inclusive practice that really works.