Resources Books

I am a Consultant charged with setting up a corporate university for a 100 person company. The workbook provided me with the structure of a university and things to think about in creating a university. I didn't use the CD yet, but did love the book!

If you are involved in setting up or work for a corporate university, run, don't walk to your nearest book seller and purchase this workbook. Long overdue, The Corporate University Workbook, written in plan, easy to understand English, walks the reader through eleven chapters packed with business oriented explanations, strategies, checklists, exercises, case studies and rationales for designing, building and maintaining a world class corporate university. Destined to become a classic in the field, The Corporate University Workbook should be required reading and within arms reach of anyone responsible for establishing or fine tuning their organization's corporate university.

Philip McGee, Ed.D., THRD, Clemson University

From strategic visioning through measuring success, this practical workbook provides tools, guidelines and even a dozen templates in the enclosed CD. Mr. Wheeler shares best practices, from years of experience and research. With the lead from product advances shrinking, human talent will become a major competitive differentiator. I highly recommend for anyone challenged to support your organization's success through talent development.

Kevin Wheeler makes it clear early on in his book that successful corporate universities must go beyond traditional training. Learning goes far beyond training, incorporating a wide range of informal learning processes and activities. This differentiates this book from much of what has been written in the past about corporate universities--focusing on mostly course-oriented training. Wheeler takes the reality of broad-based learning in organizations into account and provides a very detailed and practical guide for building a successful and flexbible corporate university. The book contains lots of templates and practical lists with questions and issues that must be addressed by someone building a corporate university. Each chapter begins with a review of an unsuccessful and a successful example of corporate universities, making it clear that success is by no means guaranteed. But the probability of success will no doubt be much higher for those who do their homework and not only read this book but complete the numerous exercises that Wheeler has carefully prepared to assist those ready to build a corporate university meant to transform an organization into a 21st century learning organization.

Professor Walker's book is a solidly researched, comprehensive history of the environmental movement in the Bay Area. Written in a clear, accessible style, the book covers a century of landsaving, from the early days of the Sierra Club to the exciting years from 1965-75 when most of our environmental protection laws were passed, to the recent use of land trusts , conservation easements, and urban growth boundaries to safeguard the Bay Area's precious green heritage. This book will stand, along with John Hart's "Legacy" and Amy Meyer's "New Guardians for the Golden Gate" as the canonical texts in the environmental history of California for years to come.

THE COUNTRY IN THE CITY: THE GREENING OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA should be a 'most' for any San Francisco Bay Area or comprehensive California library, whether it be a college-level or public lending collection. Students of California history and geography alike will appreciate this story of how the Bay Area's greenbelt was planned into an urban environment - and how each piece of it was fought for. From environmental battles which spread out to affect urban policies across the country to the involvement of businesses and individuals like, THE COUNTRY IN THE CITY is packed with insights on how early conservation affects today's urban environment, making it a fine pick for any collection interested in urban planning, ecology, or Bay Area history alike.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book really helped me understand the world I was born into--Berkeley in the late 1950s. As Richard Walker points out, that world reflected the work of countless Bay Area activists reaching back to John Muir. Many were civic-minded and dedicated women, and some started or built environmental organizations with national impact. This book describes it all: the people, the organizations, the issues, the victories (always temporary), the challenges, and the movement's shortcomings and unintended consequences.

Always attuned to class issues, Walker acknowledges that these movements were mostly led by upper class folks and ultimately turned parts of the Bay Area (e.g., Marin and Napa) into lightly populated enclaves for the well off. Working families in the Bay Area have had great access to public parks and the coast, but activists so far have done little to impede the siting of toxic nastiness in low-income neighborhoods. Walker questions the link between efforts to slow or stop growth and the Bay Area's high housing prices, but he notes that the growth that has occurred--in the eastern part of Contra Costa County and the San Joaquin Valley, for example--isn't very smart and may be linked to the inner Bay Area's aversion to virtually any growth at all. At the end of the day, though, it's hard to resist Walker's conclusion that Bay Area residents have plenty to be thankful for. Highly recommended.

While this book was a bit academic and long on details, I found it a pleasant and easy read. I am a Bay Area resident and a NYC transplant and have marveled at the accessibility of the Bay Area's natural beauty and recreation.

I love the SF Bay Area for its beauty and outdoors and I wanted to know how it happened and who to thank. Now I know.

Another book worth considering, which is much more specific to the creation of one area is New Guardians for the Golden Gate: How America Got a Great National Park

The book is exacly what the title says. If you want to become a better teacher or would like to know what to do when your asked to be one, this is the book. I now use this book as a foundation to prepare lessons, different methods, styles and motivational tactics.

"Galindo's book is practical and helpful for those who want to become better and more effective teachers. Galindo is a careful writer and uses humor well to make his points. The book is full of helpful illustrations. The title comes from one of his workshop attendees who said that she took his class so that she "could become a very good teacher." For pastors or church educators-perhaps one in the same-this book offers an ample array of ideas. Teachers can easily apply Galindo suggestions. This book would make an excellent gift for a staff person or volunteer who oversees any church's educational ministries."
-excerpted from a review in Clergy Journal, March 2000

This is a very accessible, practical book on basic Christian teaching-learning--from theory to "how to". We bought copies for all of our church teachers!

I'm giving this book 5 stars despite some reservations I have about some of what Galindo offers here, particularly in the area of learning psychology. I'll discuss this more below, but in terms of specific methodologies and approaches to learning in a Christian context, I think this book is full of very good information that teachers and even preachers can refer to repeatedly in their pursuit of becoming very good teachers.

In discussing the craft of teaching, Galindo spends considerable time at the outset of the book discussing how people learn, and how learning itself is multi-faceted and fluid. Galindo interacts with many secular studies about the psychology of learning, what kind of teaching stimulates certain kinds of learning, retention levels, and the all important issue of application of learning. Galindo's extensive interaction with secular studies could be considered either a strength or a weakness in his approach. I consider it to be a strength, though it is noteworthy that at the same point in the book where Galindo is laying the groundwork for Christian teaching by relying heavily on secular studies, he also says that Christian teaching is unique and altogether different from non-Christian teaching. There's an appearance of inconsistency here that Galindo doesn't really deal with, but it's probably minor and I didn't think it ultimately undermined the good stuff he gets to later on in the book. The same could also be said of the notion that 'you can't teach anybody anything'. Galindo too often resorts to bumper sticker axioms in the first section of the book which are easily misconstrued and frankly lessen the impact of his otherwise serious treatment of the subject matter. But again, these things were more annoyances than anything else and do not significantly detract from the meat he offers later.

The strengths of the book are Galindo's assertion that Christian teaching is unique because we are not dealing in teaching merely about facts or events, but about relating to a Person, Jesus Christ. This should necessarily impact on how we conduct our teaching, according to him, and I think that's correct. In the second part of the book, Galindo puts the groundwork laid in the first section to use in suggesting very practical teaching methodologies and approaches to stress relational learning that emphasizes application and relationship. There's lots of good stuff in here that's very practical and should prove very helpful to teachers throughout the church, as well as to church leaders who are looking to strengthen their education programs. While it's true that the reader can get the impression that Galindo is unnecessarily downplaying traditional learning methods by so stressing relationality and application, I do think he's pretty much on the mark in making a case that in Christian teaching specifically, if learning in the classroom doesn't translate into application on the street, our teaching can't really be considered successful.

So while there is some minor chaff here that we could do without, there is a good harvest of healthy wheat in here that is worth paying attention to. Churches expend a lot of resources in their education programs, and I have yet to meet a single pastor who is totally satisfied with the results. That alone makes Galindo's book worth reading, and possibly worth providing to those people in the church whom God has called to teach.

This book was recommended to me by another writer. I'm glad I bought it because it is a good lesson in the Why of story telling.

Dr. Seymour shows the importance of storytelling from a biblical and practical point. He also provides a step by step process, along with examples that can help a pastor or teacher develop the skills in the art of storytelling.

Dr. Seymour has provided his readers with an excellent overview of the why and how to incorporate effective storytelling in a presentation. His arguments concerning the necessity of adding storytelling to a didactic model of preaching or teaching are compelling. The major strengths of the book that set it above others in the field are the guidelines and personal illustrations he provides. This is an excellent tool for pastors, educators and others who are interested in developing more effective communication skills.

This book in an excellent resource for anyone who desires to communicate effectively. Dr Seymour guides us through what makes a "good story" and then helps us learn how to fashion and tell stories. Teachers, trainers and any others who work in the "learning/teaching" professions will find this book to be helpful.

I am a Christian Educator and director of Christian Education for my local church and organization. I found Creative Bible Teaching a most important book to add to my library. It is a resource that cannot be matched.

This book takes the reader through a five step process of biblical lesson preparation. It begins with Studying the Bible. This step assists the lay person, Bible college student or seminarian in the study of the Bible for the purpose of teaching the Bible. The second step is entitled "Focusing the Message". The reader is instructed in how to take the message of the passage and make it relevant to the modern day learner. Teachers are given practical help in assessing student needs and in designing the class to targe those needs. The third step involves Structuring the Lesson. Here readers are taught how to structure a lesson for maximum impact and student involvement. The fourth step is the teaching step. Here the actual teaching process is explored. The final step is the evaluating step. Effective teaching depends on evaluation and imporvement. This section of the book helps teachers gain insights into their teaching and assists in developing ways to improve. All in all the book is designed to be a systematic presentation of the lesson preparation process.

Creative Bible Teaching has shown me many dimensions I had not known, regarding teaching. I think it to be of tremendous assistance especially to those who are just beginning as teachers and to those who are using it as part of an independent or online study course.

The book is divided into five sections: (1) "Studying the Bible," (2) "Focusing the Message," (3) "Structuring the Lesson," (4) "Teaching the Class," and (5) "Evaluating the Results." The question that is posed is, "How is it that a book (the Bible), given by God to transform, seems so unproductive when taught in the very churches where it is most honored and best known?"(29). It is that particular inquiry that drives the authors to find an answer. Their findings showed the lack of an effective teaching method. Through this book, the authors hope to educate ministry leaders and teachers the "hook, book, look, and took" technique of Bible teaching. The foundation of any Bible teaching starts with a clear understanding of who God is (that He is the Creator) (28) and how He speaks (that God used people to write the Bible) (38). The Bible provides the human race with God's plan for salvation and reconciliation. Richards and Bredfeldt discusses various ways to read and understand the Bible. For example, they suggest that while reading the Bible, one should ask probing questions like "Are there any repeated words or phrases?" (79). When teaching the Bible, it is imperative that the age of students is factored into the lesson. The authors point out that the task for teaching adults is different than teaching preschoolers. For instance, adults desire a challenge and an emotional supportive learning environment (245), while preschoolers learn best in an active, participatory play setting (296). The inclusion of the "summary of developmental characteristics" and "spiritual developmental tasks" for students from preschool to adulthood is helpful, but the student's needs assessment seems too complicated for the average Sunday school teacher to complete (106). The section entitled, "Questions for Discussion and Further Study" facilitates the application of the information read (333).

This book is a great place to start when creating or updating an employee orientation. The nice thing about it is you can use some or all of the information provided to suit your needs. It is organized well and is easy to find what you're looking for.

great service, excellent book

This is a compendium of almost everything that one might need to create or improve existing orientation programs. From best practices in orientation videos, small businesses, intern & buddy programs to case studies from companies like Ford and Alcatel.

The book also includes numerous useful lists, tools and aids that can be reproduced or used as a basic template for planning new orientation as well as evaluating and improving existent programs. In other words, this is a practical book filled with implementable ideas and suggestions guaranteed to make your new hires feel 'special' and at the same time, taking them through all the knowledge and information bits that they need to learn in a fun and engaging manner.

I found the case studies chapters very informative and particularly enjoyed Part 5 of the book: Orientation Games & Activities which includes 18 very useful and effective games like the hunt for company policies which turns a normally boring part of any orientation program into a really fun activity.

Also quite useful was the Part 6: Orientation Checklists & Surveys covering such areas as 'Before the Employee's First Day'; 'I'm New Here - What Should I Learn?'; and 'A 90-day New Employee Survey'.

I have often been asked how new employee orientation programs can be both lively and informative. I have recommended Doris Sim's terrific book to several people. Routinely, I am thanked for passing along this title. It has helped many companies.

This book is an asset to teachers. It provides a way to reach the students without confusion

The book is great and arrived in wonderful condition--no scratches or creases at all!!

LeFever covers it all: the creative process, drama in the classroom, mime, simulation games, storytelling, discussion, case studies, creative writing ... and more-a myriad of methods to mobilize and motivate students of all types.

Brimming with concrete examples and explanations, this book is all you need as a teacher to revitalize your classroom approaches-and see results.

This is a very good teching tool. It is the best that I have every used. Methods work for all age groups.

Having been a trainer for over 20 years, I always add to my resource library with the hope of "something really new". I can honestly say that I found it! This book is loaded with value. It has so much information that at first glance, its large size was a bit intimidating, but the writer's comfortable tone makes it easy to read and the content made it well worth it. It is comprehensive and covers everything a new or experienced facilitator could want to know about the mechanics of training and it provides numerous ideas for exercises (something you normally have to buy in a separate book). As an experienced trainer, I was able to find many tips and pearls that will help me be better. Love this book so much I have given it to several people starting out in the field of training, and even to a veteran. Don't let the size intimidate you - simply read the sections you need if you can go through it cover to cover - it's definitely worth adding to your training library.

Lucas does indeed give lots of creative ideas on how to be a more effective trainer by engaging trainees in more imaginative ways. There are tips here you won't see in other manuals.

Despite the prevalance of e-learning, the classroom remains the preferred training platform, both by students and trainers. Most classroom experiences would benefit immeasureably through the well-researched, practical techniques in the Creative Training Idea Book.

Beginning with the right foundation - how the adult brain learns - the book offers hundreds of ideas most trainers learn only through long trial and error (if at all). As the author discussed bread and butter subjects such as the multiple ways the classroom can be set up, how to use flipcharts effectively, how to tell stories, ideas for class evaluations or the best questioning techniques, I found myself agreeing with nearly every suggestion.

This book would have helped me become a seasoned presenter much earlier in my career. And although I'm now a seasoned facilitator with thousands of presentations under my belt, I still picked up some new ideas. Highly recommended for all stand-up trainers and presenters committed to delivering boredom-free, professional sessions.

I just read this book and all I can say is WOW! I got so many ideas for setting up classrooms that will enhance my training, engaging participants, stimulating learning and delivering training in a way that is effective and FUN, that I am not sure which strategy I want to use first. This book has terrific information and ideas for generating learner enthusiasm, rewarding participants, gaining learner involvement and rewarding positive behavior. The author really sets the tone for the entire boiok in the first chapter where he discusses research on brain-based learning, multiple intelligences, adult learning principles and much more. Throughout the book, he's also provided something he calls "bright ideas" and "Interim Reviews" for applying the information provided.
This is going to be a book I reference often and would encourage anyone involved in T&D to own.

The author has put together a working guide and reference resource that anyone can understand and use on a daily basis. Ms. Shurtleff takes the somewhat intangible topic of trust and provides information and tools to actually build trust between people and departments. We made all our managers read it!

I found this particular book to be on-target and to the point. It is a pleasure not to have to wade through verbosity in order to understand the message. Ms. Shurtleff writes with an obvious first-hand, real world knowledge of her subject as opposed to a pedantic or lecturing posture. Very clean style, just the right touch of warmth and humor, effective and well-focused.

Building Trust is an excellent tool to help managers and trainers create an optimum work environment by building trust and enhancing team work. The practical, how-to structure provides an easy-to-use format for the managers wanting to guide their work team, or for trainers wanting a guide for enhancing trust in work teams. Highly recommended!

Refreshingly easy to read packed with valuable tips

im best friend with his niece, annie palmer, and she gave me the book as a gift and i didnt even stop to thank her till i finished the whole book, it was an amazing story and proved that sequels can be just as good as the original, if you are a sports lover, or just a lover of good literature than you should read this book, rick norman has an amazing way of painting a picture in your mind, i have read it several times and recommend it often

I thout this book was very funny. I did not like the ending. I thought it was a little fake

THERE ARE VERY FEW FOOTBALL NOVELS WORTH READING. THERE ARE EVEN FEWER THAT YOU WOULD LET YOUR KIDS READ. THIS NOVEL IS BOTH. IT SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING.

BEFORE I BOUGHT CROSS BODY BLOCK I WAS CONVINCED I WOULD NEVER LIKE THE SEQUEL TO FIELDER'S CHOICE AS MUCH AS THE ORIGINAL. AFTER ALL, THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A DECENT FOOTBALL NOVEL....UNTIL NOW. I LAUGHED UNTIL I FINALLY FIGURED OUT THAT I WAS LAUGHING BECAUSE I WAS AND AM UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE ESCALATING VOLENCE IN OUR SOCIETY.