Reviews (1)

Great Help for Frazzled Teachers!
This book has many useful,practical ideas for effectively using literacy workstations.My school year has started so smoothly because of the things I learned from this book.I highly recommend it to anyone new to workstations, and even to veteran teachers for a fresh perspective. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Classroom learning centers    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. Group work in education    5. Language Experience Approach    6. Language arts (Elementary)    7. Professional Development    8. Teaching Methods & Materials - General    9. Teaching Methods & Materials - Reading   

Reviews (5)

Ahhhh.....
I am back in the classroom after a lovely three year stint as an elementary librarian.I have 27 delightful second graders and after four days of school we would all enthusiastically say that Daily 5 is our favorite part of the day, not recess!

Excellent Read
I have found this book to be full of fresh ideas that really work in the classroom.

GREAT RESOURCE!!!!
I cannot wait to begin the new school year with this model! This book will walk you step by step in implementing a model you can use to have the other children responsibily learning and engaged while you work with small groups or individual children in literacy activities. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Case studies    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. Elementary    5. Individualized instruction    6. Language arts (Elementary)    7. Professional Development   

Reviews (37)

Truthfully, just another set of excuses for poor instructional techniques!
Using MRI and neuroscience to try to answer questions about dyslexia as Sally Md Shaywitz has tried to do is dangerously short sighted and terribly misguided.Especially when you consider that her conclusions about remediation reflect what is so deeply wrong with education today.Trying to cram human brain function and the human spirit into the confines of modern educationis akin to stuffing an elephant into a thimble. Imagine if one were so dimwitted as to blame the elephant for the obvious lack of success.This is precisely what is happening today in public education.If one were able to step back from the tree and catch a glimpse of the forest, one might see that ego drives professionals to draw conclusions about student performance that reflect the stupidity of arrogance.More and more students are being labeled learning disabled and dyslexic, more medication is being doled out and more and more remediations are being invented to control and force students into a useless development that does much more to impede brain function than to enhance it.In fact, students are being driven into intellectual comas and instead of rethinking methods and curriculum, teachers blame students and their families for their own professional shortcomings. Uniforms, drill and kill, direct instruction amongst other inhumane and unintelligent strategies are exactly what has gotten us to this desperate point.In one more generation, Sally Md Shaywitz will be able to prove that 2 in 5 students have dyslexia and her confidence in modern science will soar to new heights.Teachers everywhere will be able to rejoice that their own drastic failings are not their fault at all, but that of the flawed human condition.
Well meaning, but flawed and scary presentation of dyslexia
Some of the book was very interesting, especially the chapter on the functional MRI findings.I appreciate her writing the book to share her experiences, and think she truly wants to help. However, I admit I have grave doubts about her premise, because it is inherently contradictory.She repeats throughout the book that anyone who is dyslexic will always remain so, and yet is simultaneously convinced that the kind of intervention she recommends is uniformly effective. In addition, the graph on which she bases her claim about the absolute persistence of dyslexia does not justify her conclusions. The book names various intervention programs, but doesn't compare and contrast them. It is hard to tease out specific recommendations about what to do.She mentions that people vary in their reading stumbling blocks, but prescribes the same programs for all.She states that anyone using programs like Open Court should succeed, but thousands of California children still have trouble reading.Though she means the book to be empowering, I think it scares parents instead.

A Must Read!
This is a must read for not only spec. ed teachers but regular ed. teachers as well. Dr. Shaywitz is a dedicated individual that has really hit the nail on the head with reading instruction....no guess work here, scientifically based reading instruction for true success! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dyslexia    2. Dyslexic children    3. Education    4. Education / Teaching    5. Education Of Students With Learning Disabilities    6. Learning Disabilities    7. Learning Disorders (Neurological Aspects)    8. Reading    9. Reading disability    10. Reference    11. Remedial teaching    12. Special Education - Communicative Disorders    13. Special Education - Learning Disabled    14. Teaching Methods & Materials - Reading    15. Family & Relationships / Learning Disabilities   

Reviews (20)

AMAZING. The bible of literacy.
This is the book you need for creating and maintaining a solid and authentic classroom literacy program. "The First Twenty Days" alone is extreemely helpful. You can start small and grow as you feel comfortable. A little overwhelming at times but worth it!

Guiding Readers and Writers
Excellent resource.Everything needed to start a reading/writing/word study workshop.My book is full of sticky notes of things to use!

Excellent Resource for Teachers !
Definitely one of the most useful and comprehensive reading and writing resources that I have ever purchased for my professional library.The price is very reasonable as well! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Composition and exercises    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. English language    5. Language arts (Elementary)    6. Reading (Elementary)    7. Study and teaching    8. Teaching Methods & Materials - Language Arts    9. Teaching Methods & Materials - Reading    10. English    11. English language: reading skills    12. English language: writing skills    13. Teaching of a specific subject   

Reviews (5)

Skillful Teacher
This is a great book for teachers, especially those in teacher certification programs.It's excellent as a reference guide.

Great for new teachers!
I'm a new teacher this year that came into a difficult position (I'm my students 4th teacher in 6 weeks).I was having trouble with classroom management and went to search for books (and more experienced teachers) to help me.This book and "The First Days of School" by Harry Wong were the best help I found.First Days gives a framework and The Skillful Teacher gives specific strategies that can be used within that framework.I give both books two thumbs up for any new teacher who has a battle before her/him.

A comprehensive text
Saphier & Gower's book is an invaluable resource for preservice & novice teachers or experienced teachers wishing to improve their pedagogical skills. The methodologies are applicable to most grade levels, content areas, and teaching situations. Great for use in teacher education courses. Exercises or suggested activities are given at the end of each chapter. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Education    2. Learning    3. Teaching   

Reviews (1)

Very Good, Easy Reading Book for Teachers Who Want to Learn More About English Language Learners
I thought this book was very good for classroom teachers who want clear information on how to include English Language Learners in their classrooms.It is very difficult to explain to classroom teachers how to include students who are learning English in short sound bites.This book helps clarify information and teachers can read it at their leisure.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Bilingual Education    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. English as a Second Language    5. English language    6. Foreign speakers    7. Language and education    8. Linguistic minorities    9. Special Education - General    10. Study and teaching    11. Teaching Methods & Materials - Classroom Planning    12. Teaching Methods & Materials - Language Arts    13. United States   

Reviews (9)

A Fine Introduction to the Field
Contrary to some of the other reviews on this page, I found the book to be a helpful and very readable itroduction to the field of educational psychology.No, it is not a definitive and cutting edge expert treatise, but that is not its purpose.It is introducing first year students to the major theories and ideas that have historically shaped educational psychology, and it does so very concisely and thoroughly.Just like an Introduction to Christian History text is not going to delve into the finer points of Crossan's theories about Jesus' death, or a first year Calculus text is not going to stress the use of set theory and formal proofs, so this book serves its purpose best by giving a broad, yet thorough introduction to a very interestig field without confusing students with unecessary details.If you are looking to dive into educational psychology and need a helpful introduction to help guide you, this is a great place to start.Recommended.

Nonplussed by criticisms.
It is notable that the critics of this title have failed to indicate a text that they consider superior. Woolfolk's text is so broad in its scope that the accusation of bias is difficult to sustain. In any case, would be educators would willingly accept recommendations on more up-to-date texts.

Badly dated - be afraid when educators defend this book.
Woolfolk's book reflects educational psychology ca. 1975. She cynically - and selectively - cites references that are much more recent to give this the gloss of being current, but don't be taken in.Read more

Subjects:  1. Administration - General    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. Educational Psychology    5. General   

Editorial Review

In a time when educators and politicians in the United States are fumbling for a fix--from vouchers to smaller class sizes--for ailing public schools, it's refreshing to read the more sophisticated take on what can be done to improve American education found in Read more

Reviews (12)

Do The Easy Things First!
American middle-school and high-school pupils continually lag their peers in other developed countries - especially in mathematics - despite years of decreasing class size, building ornate new structures, "new" math, etc.However, these efforts are bound to fail if what goes on inside the classrooms is poorly structured.
It may not be correct, but...
After reading the book and the previous posters, even if the Japanese mathematics classes were not representative of the education system as a whole, the implications of this study and the ideas that the authors came up with are what we should be focusing on.
Interesting for a Education Student
I am in a program to become a High School math teacher. Our professor recommended this book. I found it to be pretty interesting. The authors do a detailed analysis of a video study from the TIMSS study. Their analysis compares how math is taught in the US, Germany and Japan. Their conclusion is that the US approach focuses on teaching terms and procedures where as the other countries emphasize understanding concepts. They go onto to propose a system of "lesson planning" to improve teaching in the US. Lesson planning calls for teachers to work in teams and develop a single lesson plan (maybe one per semester). The process of developing the lesson plan and refining it imparts to the teachers involved a kind of "best practices" that they can then use in their everyday planning. I am not sure if this is practical, but it sure sounds reasonable to me. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Comparative Education    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. Educational Policy & Reform    5. Educational Reform    6. Germany    7. Japan    8. Mathematics    9. Study and teaching    10. Teaching Methods & Materials - Classroom Planning    11. Teaching Methods & Materials - Mathematics    12. United States    13. Central government policies    14. Education / General    15. Organization & management of education   

Reviews (34)

A balanced and informative guide
I found Asking the Right Questions (ARQ) to be a very balanced and thorough approach to critical thinking. I am an electrical engineer by profession... I am well-regarded by my peers as an careful thinker; however, I have found myself frustrated at times when discussing controversial issues with friends... some lines of thought don't ring true, but are nonetheless hard to refute. After reading ARQ, I found that these dilemmas are frequently either the result of not agreeing on the definitions of ambiguous terms (e.g. oppression, sexism, racism) or on some logical fallacy that was used. This has made a quite difference in my ability to discern the issues at hand.
Demolishing the Wrong Arguments
This slim volume is a textbook on "critical thinking," which seems to be the art of argumentative analysis.You read an argument, ask a series of questions, and thereby test the worth of the argument.
One of the best books on argumentation
This is the best book I've read about argumentation so far.The book doesn't waste your time describing the history of argumentation or going through ancient Greek terms as so many other books or courses on the subject do.If you want to improve your argumentation skills in a short time, this is the book to read.It also gives fresh ideas and new angles to more advanced readers.The book contains lots of practice exercises where you can test the skills you've just learned.The chapters about good evidence should be required reading for anyone involved in decision making in organizations.However, this book falls short of teaching how to captivate the audience.If that's what you need, you'd better read a good book on giving presentations first. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - General    2. Critical thinking    3. Criticism    4. Language    5. Language Arts & Disciplines    6. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    7. Literary Criticism    8. Rhetoric    9. Language Arts & Disciplines / Composition & Creative Writing    10. Literature: History & Criticism    11. Logic    12. Writing skills   

Subjects:  1. Curricula    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. Elementary    5. English Orthography    6. English language    7. Foreign speakers    8. Illiteracy And Literacy Education    9. Language    10. Language Arts & Disciplines    11. Literacy    12. Orthography and spelling    13. Spelling    14. Study and teaching    15. Study and teaching (Elementary)    16. Vocabulary    17. Education / Curricula    18. English    19. English language: reading skills    20. Teaching of a specific subject   

Reviews (1)

Three Minute Classroom Walk-Through
An effective guide for pinpointing effective classroom instruction.This book also outlines specific strategies for engaging teachers in reflective dialogue that could enhance classroom instruction.A must read for administrators. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Administration - General    2. Classroom Management    3. Education    4. Education / Teaching    5. Observation (Educational metho    6. Observation (Educational method)    7. Reflection (Philosophy)    8. School supervision    9. Teacher-principal relationship    10. Teacher-principal relationships    11. Teaching Methods & Materials - Classroom Planning    12. Education / Administration    13. Organization & management of education    14. Teaching skills & techniques   

Reviews (5)

Excellent for Beginning ESL coarses!!!
I highly recommend this resource to someone who is teaching Beginning ESL students. I had never taught this level before and someone recommended it to me and this book has made my lesson planning lightyears easier than it could have been. This book has some activities in it. There is also another book that is a supplement to it called, "Out and About: photocopiable teacherless activities for English language learners." Last I checked, Amazon didn't offer this book, they were out. I recommend this book as well. With these two books alone, you could almost teach an entire coarse without any supplements.

Excellent for beginning instructors...profs should read it too!
I especially appreciated the sections on setting up the learning environment, McKeachie and Svinicki are the only authors whom I've read that acknowledge our need to take our own teaching styles nto consideration when designing class management strategies.Easy to read and very beneficial.Well worth the money.

Meets its Goals
The goal of McKeachie's teaching tips is to provide higher education teachers useful tips to improve teaching in the classroom. In its own words "'Teaching Tips' was originally written to answer the questions posed by new college teachers, to place them at ease in their jobs, and to get them started effectively in the classroom." McKeachie goes on to note that it is also a useful resource for experienced teachers.
Read more

Subjects:  1. College teaching    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. First year teachers    5. Higher    6. Professional Development    7. Teaching    8. Teaching Methods & Materials - Arts & Humanities    9. Higher & further education    10. Teaching skills & techniques   

Reviews (29)

He WILL read this book.... but you should too
There's definitely no tip-toeing around in this book, which is exactly why boys will actually read it.Although I was a little shocked by the authors' candor at times, I also recognize the only way to really get through to adolescent boys is on their playing field.
Wish I Had this Growing Up...Every 13 year old Boy Needs this Book.
I purchased this book for my friends son who is 13 years old and before giving it to her I read through it myself. All of the information is very important (12+ years old) and can help educate young boys to make decisions based on knowledge they obtained before there is a problem rather than after, like what I went through when I was growing up and I'm sure countless others have that did not have the benefit and knowledge in this book.
Good info, a little too advanced
The first third of this book contained good information for my 11-year-old son.It explains what happens to a boy's body in a way he was able to understand.The remainder of the book also has good information, but the topics of intercourse and STDs were more than my son was ready for. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Boys & Men    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Health & Daily Living - Maturing    5. Juvenile Nonfiction    6. Juvenile literature    7. Physiology    8. Puberty    9. Sex instruction for boys    10. Social Issues - Adolescence    11. Teenage boys   

Reviews (3)

Great for Professional Book Study with Teachers!
I used this book to guide a book study with elementary teachers in a school where I was the principal.All teachers in the study were reading Marzano's Classroom Instruction that works and a couple of us had a copy of this book to bring in additional information and activities to enhance our study. Both books present the "cut to the chase" version of research that many teachers appreciate because of their busy schedules.The books present strategies that have been proven repeatedly to be effective and professionals who have looked carefully at Marzano's work know that it is scholarly work.He has, however, tried to present it in a very down to earth fashion.No high brow research jargon here.Teachers appreciated and learned from the study and the structure and additional information this guide brought to our work together was an significant factor.

Simplstic
Do you like magazine surveys about how effective your marriage is, or if you exercise frequently enough?This book has one for each chapter (rate yourself 1-4), AND has worksheets like the ones you did in grade school as you work to explore "novel" techniques in education!There have to be more thought provoking monographs about the application of research in the classroom.Sanitized statistics, silly stories, a frighteningly short list of references and text that probably does not read beyond the 6th grade level disturbs me.Does Mr. Marzano think that all educators are semi-literate morons?His ideas are not new in the science classroom, and most ideas he covers are reiterations of something old for me. I was required to use this book and its sister textbook for a GRADUATE LEVEL education course.I would recommend NEITHER.

Trite and repetitive
Don't waste your time on this book - there is very little material of any use here.Read more

Subjects:  1. Administration - General    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. Effective teaching    5. Handbooks, manuals, etc    6. Learning    7. Teaching Methods & Materials - Classroom Planning    8. United States   

Subjects:  1. Action research in education    2. Cognitive learning    3. Education    4. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    5. Literacy    6. Reading Skills    7. Reading comprehension    8. Research    9. Cognition & cognitive psychology    10. English    11. English language: reading skills    12. Language Arts & Disciplines / Literacy    13. Language learning: specific skills    14. Teaching of a specific subject   

Reviews (79)

An easy-to-read book on getting people (or pets) to change
This little book explains reinforcement using examples that make it really clear how eight different methods of behavior modification work.It is a consumer's guide to behavior modification using reinforcement.
Staple book for teachers, trainers, coaches, everyone.
Want to know how to know how to teach anyone anything. Buy this book.

Great book
is an excellent book for anyone that wants to learn how to communicate with your dog. i loved it ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Behavior modification    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Conditioned response    4. Feedback (Psychology)    5. Personal Growth - Success    6. Reference - General    7. Reinforcement (Psychology)    8. Self-Help    9. Training    10. Educational psychology    11. Popular psychology    12. Self-Help / Success   

Subjects:  1. Education    2. Education / Teaching    3. Follow-up in teacher training    4. In-service training    5. Research    6. Teachers    7. Teaching Methods & Materials - General    8. Training of    9. United States    10. Education / Teaching Methods & Materials / General    11. Teacher training   

Reviews (3)

CD ROM
THE BOOK IS GOOD BUT THE CD ROM IN NOT IN DEPTH ENOUGH.I WISH THAT IT HAD MORE INTERACTIVE MATERIAL.
Almost Perfect
Leaving asside it's exhorbitant price, this is an excellent text book.The subject is covered clearly and consisely and the charts, photos, and illustrations are clear and bright. The only area that needs improvement in my opinion is the vocabulary, which would be much more usefull if it was presented in the side-bars like it is in many texts.

Essential for A&P Students.
I own the International Edition of this book, ISBN 0-321-20413-1.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Anatomy    2. Education    3. Medical / Nursing    4. Pathophysiology    5. Teaching Methods & Materials - Science & Technology    6. Education / Teaching Methods & Materials / Science & Technology    7. Physiology   

Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - Academic    2. Dissertations, Academic    3. Education    4. Education / Teaching    5. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    6. Report writing    7. Research    8. Education / Research    9. Research methods: general    10. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (6)

Sociopolitical?
I found this book to primarily address the issues of eastern seaboard minority studentsrather than the issues faced in the southwestern US. Here in AZ there is a very strong prejudice against Immigrant students of Spanish speaking origin. Did you realize that in most workplaces in AZ we are not allowed to speak in a language other than English to a co-worker? Some paranoid person, usually a transplanted Anglo from out of state thinks we are talking about them. Ms Nieto needs to make her text more of a national treasure by not just focusing on those in the Midwest and Eastern seaboard nothern states. This book is due for an update!

Ineffective Approach and Little Practical Advice
I found this book of little use. The major problems created by using race as the main focus of the book include:
SociopoliticalMarxism
Well now, I know where some of the true Marxist are hiding.In this book, Nieto is trying to create equity policies in schools using taxpayer dollars.If she had her way, she would get rid of capitalism, social classes, and distribution of wealth.Of course, we have already seen how that works in the former Soviet Union (it doesn't work at all).Yes, in a democratic-republic (Nieto always forgets the republic part) there is a dominant culture.Kind of why we call this a nation state, we have national culture.Unfortunately, Nieto is too busy saying the dominant culture is based on White European ideals.In fact, the ideals are based on Judaism, which is not European at all.Read more

Subjects:  1. Aims & Objectives    2. Case studies    3. Education    4. Education / Teaching    5. Multicultural Education    6. United States    7. Education / Multicultural Education