Inspiring Student Empowerment

“In her latest work, Inspiring Student Empowerment, Patti Drapeau focuses the spotlight on meeting the social, emotional, and instructional needs of students in the classroom. This book brings student voice and empowerment center stage, which is exactly as it should be. The many, varied strategies that she includes to support effective student learning and engagement are both realistic and user-friendly. Kudos to Drapeau for continuing to highlight the importance of the connection between the teacher and the learner as they create an effective learning environment for all students. Well done!”—Dr. Anita M. Campbell, University of Maine at Farmington
 
“This powerful, insightful, and thought-provoking book adds a new dimension to teaching and learning. The four main areas of emphasis are differentiation, personalized learning, engagement, and empowerment. How these concepts differ and how they interact with and build on one another is the focus of this book. Throughout her practical book, author Patti Drapeau shows teachers and administrators ways to empower students to be self-directed, responsible, and confident learners. This book contains a plethora of excellent ideas—such as using games and competitions to develop student empowerment and giving students choices in designing their own learning concepts and activities. Finally, Drapeau emphasizes the importance of social and emotional learning within the framework of student empowerment. Because the topics covered are not only timely but also essential for teaching 21st-century students, I highly recommend this book to both experienced and new teachers.”—Carolyn Coil, Ed.D., educational consultant and author 
 
“Patti Drapeau takes on the bold task of clearly defining some of the big ideas currently being discussed and implemented in schools: student engagement, differentiation, student empowerment, and personalized learning. Drapeau is clear that personalized learning is not differentiation, although differentiation is a component of personalized learning, and that student engagement is not the same as student empowerment. She then introduces us to frameworks, expansive strategies, templates, and tools as she guides our understanding of personalized learning and student empowerment. Drapeau presents an exciting vision for classrooms and enables school leaders and educators to confidently put its elements in practice.”—Diane Heacox, Ed.D., educational consultant and author of Differentiating Instruction in the Regular Classroom and Making Differentiation a Habit, and coauthor of Differentiation for Gifted Learners
 
“How do teachers move beyond their commitment to meeting individual student needs with a basic menu of differentiation strategies to a deeper understanding of personalized learning that motivates students to engage more fully . . . and to achieve? Inspiring Student Empowerment has answers. Each chapter provides detailed descriptions of evidence-based strategies, sample lessons, templates, and reproducible handouts. Whether you are a new teacher looking for practical ways to get started with curriculum differentiation, or a veteran program coordinator, you will find powerful support for becoming a more effective educator.”—Dr. Sally Krisel, director, Innovative and Advanced Programs, Hall County Schools, Gainesville, GA, and past president, National Association for Gifted Children