Research suggests that the number one predictor of a student's success is an effective teacher (Darling-Hammond, L.). Focusing on creating "#1 classrooms," while teaching effectively can seem daunting, especially when teachers are faced with diverse students, and students living in at-risk environments.

Module Objective: The following module—which incorporates chapters six and seven from Teaching to Capture and Inspire All Learners: Bringing Your Best Stuff Every Day! (2008)—will help you identify and practice the "top ten requirements for #1 classrooms," skills for effective teaching, and methods of "capturing, inspiring, and teaching" for student engagement and achievement.

Case Study Log out when you are finished viewing the case to avoid conflicting browser sessions. If you have trouble viewing the case, please see the CaseNEX login instructions. Go to www.casenex.com Enter this login into the green circle: USERNAME: peters08 PASSWORD: demo To access the CaseNEX Case, scroll through the list of cases that appear once you login. To access the CaseNEX Virtual Library, click on class materials, The Virtual Library, Readings (search), and enter the title in the Search Title field. High School for Law and Public Service The principal and staff of the High School for Law and Public Service (HSLPS) believe shared leadership requires collaborative classrooms and curricula that motivate both students and teachers. View the full case...

Discussion: After reviewing the classroom scenes from the High School for Law & Public Service, identify the actions teachers and school leaders take in each of the following categories:

1. teach with energy and enthusiasm,
2. teach as though students are consumers of knowledge,
3. nurture and care for their students,
4. respect and attend to student differences,
5. provide strong and courageous leadership,
6. give their students alternatives,
7. intervene at appropriate times,
8. offer their students extra time and assistance,
9. create opportunities for parents to work as educational partners in the learning process, and
10. teach as though they were instructing their own children!

What seem to be the consequences of these actions?

Journal: Describe the actions you employ regarding each of the "requirements for #1 classrooms" listed in the discussion prompt, focusing specifically on numbers two and four. Assume the role of Robert Sternberg and discuss the ideas he raises regarding successful intelligence from "Raising the Achievement of All Students." What consequences result if teachers focus on and appreciate students' different intelligences?

Workbook: Review ways to "capture, inspire and teach" students from chapter seven of Teaching to Capture and Inspire All Learners (2008). Describe ways in which you currently "capture, inspire and teach," as well as new strategies you plan to incorporate into your teaching and classroom environment.

• Accommodation and Modification Strategies for the Classroom
• Modifying Content Area Instruction for ESL students
• On Working Together: Groupwork, Teamwork, and Collaborative Work Among Teachers
• Providing New Access to the General Curriculum: Universal Design for Learning
• Raising the Achievement of All Students: Teaching for Successful Intelligence