The Fearless Classroom

Book excerpt: Students learn better when they aren’t afraid to take risks and make mistakes. In this book, teacher and popular blogger Joli Barker shows you how to make K-8 students fearless in the classroom so they can engage in deeper learning. You’ll discover how to abandon the notion of the teacher as the primary source of information, and instead create a classroom environment in which students can explore problems, test theories, and play games through curiosity, imagination, adaptability, and a passion for learning. Find out how to... Create fearless learning environments; Engage in fearless planning and lesson design; Use fearless grading and assessments; Teach fearless gamification; Develop fearless parent relations; and Get students to ask fearless questions. Throughout the book, you’ll find suggested activities for science, social studies, language arts, and math, as well as tools such as rubrics to assist you on your journey.