Yes, it's true that today's students have tons of distractions that take their attention away from the hard work of learning. That's why it's more important than ever to establish a teaching relationship with students that makes academic learning relevant to their lives. Here's a book that explains how to do that by changing teaching practices from just communicating information to focusing on transforming the teaching and learning experience. Two experienced teachers and experts on learning introduce you to a Transformational Pedagogy Model that helps you establish a classroom paradigm that starts with the learner, rather than the content. Understand why cultivating your relationships with students and knowing their needs are essential to being the best teacher you can be. Learn how content coverage, higher test scores, and adequate yearly progress can become the by-products of teaching that is attuned to the academic, social, and spiritual needs of learners. And explore ways to connect your classroom practice with the motivations that got you involved in the teaching profession in the first place. Drawing from the giants in the field--Jerome Bruner, Jean Piaget, Deborah Meier, and Jacqueline Brooks--this book equips you with a new way to rethink pedagogy to compete with digital toys, omnipresent media, shorter attention spans, and shifts in value systems. This book is divided into two parts. Part I, Why We Teach: Relevant Concepts, contains the following chapters: (1) Inspire Your Students; (2) Embrace Your Role as a Whole Teacher; (3) Teach the Whole Student; and (4) Place Students in the Center. Part II, How We Teach: Relevant Strategies, contains the following chapters: (5) Teach for Learning; (6) Know How Students Learn; (7) Teach Students How to Learn; (8) Teach by Asking Questions; and (9) Epilogue. Teaching stories are appended. Preface, introduction, glossary, references, related ASCD resources and a study guide for this book are also included.