National Institute for Urban School Improvement
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NICI Virtual Library
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NIUSI

part of the Education Reform Networks

SimSchool Resources

SimSchool Resources offer articles, research reports, links to human resources and multimedia, and other curriculum enhancements for teacher education. The collection is intended to support the growth of knowledge, skills and abilities needed for performance-based teaching and learning.

  1. Classroom Context
      How do you create a classroom culture in which all students can achieve, one where there is openness and trust and where all students feel safe and can take risks? The Classroom context channel points to digital content on research-based classroom management practices that can help administrators, policy makers, and educators plan for and implement programs that result in effective learning and teaching. Categories include Classroom management, Understanding your students, Environment and setting.
  2. In the News
      In the News contains news and announcements related to simschool, the latest about simulations simschool related activities, presentations at conferences, and news from our Test and Partner Sites (TaPS).
  3. Journal
      This channel contains peer reviewed scholarly research articles contributed and written by SimSchool staff and TaPS members.
  4. Planning
      This area links to articles and resources related to teacher planning from a variety of perspectives - What do I want students to know and be able to do? (Saphier); Linking curriculum activities to learning objectives/outcomes and assessments (TWSM); identifying desired results, determining acceptable evidence and planning learning experiences and instruction (McTighe and Wiggins) and integrating the four dimensions of learner centered, knowledge centered, community centered, assessment centered (Bransford et. al).
  5. Reflecting
      This section contains research articles and resources related to the practice of reflection and professional growth, Topics contained here include teacher mentoring, reflective practice, study groups in school, teachers as action researchers and professional development.
  6. School & Community Context
      What happens in school is inextricably connected to the broader community. This portal links to research and articles that highlight family involvement, characteristics of demographics in urban/suburban/rural settings; the impact of neighborhoods, district - state - national policy, high stakes tests and regulatory environment. Now with the Internet, classrooms reach to scientists and experts, tap into current events, and link to the world. Also included are articles on teacher leadership.
  7. Simulations & Games in Education
      This collection has articles and research reports concerning simulations and games in education, and a listing of great examples! Research and findings from SimSchool (www.simschool.org) and etips (www.etips.info) is included.
  8. Summarizing & Reporting Student Growth
      How can we use the data from tests and assessments to improve student learning and teacher practice? This area contains research articles and resources related to analyzing data to better understand student learning, helping parents understand the standardized tests and results, viewing the pros and cons related to standardized testing, and ways other than tests to assess student learning.
  9. Teaching
      Teaching is, by its very nature, an improvisational activity that requires complex cognitive processing of many competing factors (Riel). This portal section connects to research and resources on the many dimensions that a skillful teacher orchestrates in the process of teaching - tasks, scaffolding, adaptations, instructional strategies, group work and teaching style and methods/frameworks.