The second edition of Introduction to Teaching: Making a Difference in Student Learning is the ideal beginning text for aspiring teachers. Acclaimed authors Gene Hall, Linda Quinn, and Donna Gollnick thoroughly prepare students to make a difference as teachers, presenting first-hand stories and evidence-based practices while offering a student-centered approach to learning. The authors focus on how to address one of the biggest challenges facing many of today’s schools—making sure that all students are learning—and help teachers make student learning the primary focus in all that they do. From true-to-life challenges that teachers will face (high-stakes testing, reduced funding, low retention, Common Core Standards) to the inspiration and joy they will discover throughout their teaching careers, this text paints a realistic picture of the real life of a teacher.

Table of Contents:
Part I: Today’s Teachers, Students, and Schools Chapter 1: Becoming a Teacher Why Teach? What Do Teachers Need to Know? What Do Teacher Education Candidates Need to Do? How Do You Keep Track of Your Growth as a Teacher? Field Guide for Learning More About Becoming a Teacher Chapter 2: Today’s Students How Racially and Ethnically Diverse Are Our Schools? How Do Economics Affect Students and Schools? What If Students’ Native Languages Are Not English? What Is the Relationship of Gender and Education? How Is Sexual Orientation Addressed in Schools? What Do the Religious Beliefs of Students Have to Do With Schools? Field Guide for Learning More About Today’s Students Chapter 3: Addressing Learners’ Individual Needs What Are Key Characteristics of Students With Disabilities? What Are Some Ways of Distinguishing Students in Terms of Academic Ability? Do All Students Develop in the Same Way? How Do Class and Culture Affect Teaching and Learning? Characteristics of Students as Learners Field Guide for Learning More About Addressing Learners’ Individual Needs Chapter 4: The Social Context of Schools How Does Social Context Challenge Educators? How Does Social Context Influence What Is Taught? How Are Students Affected by Social Context? Field Guide for Learning More About the Social Context of Schools Chapter 5: Families and Communities How Do the Public and Educators View Education? In What Types of Families Do Students Live? How Does Culture Influence Families and Their Children? What Happens When Students’ Cultures Come to School? How Should Teachers Work With Parents and Communities? Field Guide for Learning More About Families and Communities Part II: The Foundations of Education Chapter 6: History of Schools in the United States How Did Public Schools Come to Be? How Did Schools Become Designed Based on the Age of Students? What Has Influenced the School Curriculum? How Has the Educational System Contributed to Equality? How Has Teaching Evolved? Field Guide for Learning More About the History of Schools in the United States Chapter 7: Developing a Philosophy of Teaching and Learning How Do Teachers Develop Personal Philosophies Toward Teaching and Learning? How Do Students Learn? How Does Educational Psychology Help Teachers Understand Student Learning? How Do Philosophical Perspectives Help Teachers Understand Student Learning? Field Guide for Learning More About Developing a Philosophy of Teaching and Learning Chapter 8: Organizing and Financing Schools for Learning How Are Schools Staffed and Organized? What Is the Relationship of Schools to School Districts and the State? What Is the Role of the Federal Government in Education? How Is Governance Different From the Structures of Government? How Are Schools Paid for, and How Is the Money Spent? How Do Schools Spend the Money? Organization and Finance Issues and Challenges? Field Guide for Learning More About Organizing Schools for Learning Chapter 9: The Law as It Relates to Teaching and Learning Contemporary Legal Issues and Their Deliberations Continuing Legal Dilemmas Related to Education Students’ Rights and Protections Teachers’ Responsibilities, Rights, and Liabilities Field Guide for Learning More About the Law as It Relates to Teaching and Learning Part III: Teaching for Student Learning Chapter 10: Standards, Curriculum, and Accountability What Are Standards and Benchmarks? Standards for Content Keeping Track of Benchmarks and Standards in Lesson Planning What Is Curriculum? Field Guide for Learning More About Standards, Curriculum, and Accountability Chapter 11: Managing the Classroom and Student Behavior What Is Classroom Management? How Do You Build a Personal Philosophy of Classroom Management? What Constitutes a Well-Managed Classroom? What Is the Connection Between Discipline and Management? Four Stages of Classroom Life That Influence Behavior How Do Teachers Manage the Stress of Managing a Classroom? Field Guide for Learning More About Managing the Classroom and Student Behavior Chapter 12: Teaching Strategies What Are Teaching Strategies? What Makes Teaching Strategies Work? How Are Different Strategies Used for Different Purposes? Field Guide for Learning More About Teaching Strategies Chapter 13: Assessing Student Learning and Results Why Is Assessing So Important? What Are Some Ways to Test Student Learning? Teacher Questioning How Do Teachers Use Formative Assessments to Adjust Instruction and Improve Student Learning? Field Guide for Learning More About Assessing Student Learning and Results Part IV: Becoming Tomorrow’s Highly Effective Teacher Chapter 14: Succeeding in Your Teacher Education Program, and Beyond What Are Keys to Succeeding in Your Teacher Education Program? What Are the Keys to Being Hired as a Beginning Teacher? In What Ways Can Candidates and Teachers Be Leaders? Career Path Options for Teachers How Does a Master Teacher Think About the Joy of Teaching? Field Guide for Learning More About Succeeding in Your Teacher Education Program, and Beyond