Educational Books

This is an accessible, well-written review of Italian grammar -- remarkably thorough for the price, and well laid out with usage examples. A particularly useful feature is coverage of conventions of contemporary usage -- such as E-mail conventions -- that are rarely covered in a traditional grammar. It would benefit from a more extensive dictionary section but at this price it's hard to complain.

the item was in excellent condition and it took little time to get to my address.

This is an excellent book. Un buon libro! Mi piace molto. It is very helpful.

A complete overview of grammatical terms, parts of speech, and how they work together.

Studying the grammar of a foreign language is often perceived as torture by many, but there is no way to avoid grammar. To master any language one must know how its parts work together.

This book takes away the torture out of studying grammar, by providing a user-friendly practice and review manual. The complete book is written in a "conversational style", so is friendly enough to be used as a self-study guide.

The book is divided in twenty chapters that cover everything from the structure of simple sentences to writing e-mails. At the end of each chapter there is a "culture capsule" completely written in Italian with a glossary, which is designed to give information on a major component of Italian culture and civilization. This capsules can be consider at least useful reading material, but in fact they give information of which no intermediate or advanced learner should be unaware.

At the back of the book is a list of the most frequently used words in the Italian language, verbs charts and the answers to all the exercises.

Absolutely a must for anyone who wants to master the Italian language.

A very well-written and comprehensive step-by-step guide for anyone currently looking for work. But Latinos will find this book especially appealing because it focuses on leveraging our values and beliefs during the job search.

An exceptionally well organized and well written guide for Latinos who are entering the job search market.

It is actually a wonderful book for everyone who needs help to write resume's, and fill out job applications.

This is a resource book that should be the property of every high school and college counselor's office in this country.

Very exceptionally well done.

The Complete Job Search Guide for Latinos is a groundbreaking book that addresses the specific needs of Hispanics in today's complex job market. Authoritative and user-friendly, this book will be an invaluable tool for job seekers, employers, educators, and the academic community.

Pat Kendall, NCRW, JCTC
Principal, Advanced Resume Concepts
Former President, National Resume Writers Association

I have worked to help Latinos in their careers for over 20 years. Our community has needed more user friendly job search tools and resources to be successful in today's job market. The Complete Job Search Guide for Latinos delivers that and much more.

The authors clearly understand the needs of Latino job seekers and what employers look for. Their recommendations combine the needs of both worlds into practical strategies that work. They provide easy to follow step-by-step how-to checklists for each stage of the job search process, real examples of Latinos successfully using the book's recommendations, and methods that Latinos can use to open doors at employers to get the job. The list of job search resources alone is worth the price.

Blanca Vargas
National Vice President Midwest
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)

Huge book cheaply priced on amazon. Hundreds of great review problems that helped me review for the upcoming test. Great buy!

I ordered this book about a month before I took the AP calculus BC exam and it was a life saver. It had everything in it that I wanted. The practice tests were slightly harder than the real AP exam and that is a good thing, because then you are prepared. If you are going to be taking the AP calculus exam I would highly recommend buying this book.

Solutions to every problem is a major plus. Has worked out solutions to each practice set, as well as the practice tests. Major improvement from previous versions.

I am very content with this book. It has helped me alot with many topics of calculus. It explains everything thouroughly and makes topics seem very simple.

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.

Dr. Yount's 'Created to Learn' is a distinctively Christian analysis as well as synthesis of the current trends in Educatinal Psychology and Theories of Learning. It is designed to reach both the Sunday School teachers who are frustrated because their efforts 'do not get through', as well as the Christian Educators who want to perfect or revolutionize their teaching skills. The textbook is well researched and documented, well written, quite comprehensive in its coverage of the curent psychological and philosophical trends of influence, being the result of approximately 20 years of study. The 'Discipler's Model' which is introduced integrates the dynamics of Biblical truth and Holy Spirit guidance with theoretical concepts that have been elaborated by 'laic' authors. Having had the priviledge of taking a course in Educational Psychology with Dr. Yount I can attest that the book is an excellent tool for both undergraduate as well as graduate settings, and a must for the library of any respectable pastor or Christian Educator.

After reading this book, I have a deeper understanding of the basic development levels and learning abilities of students. Taking the principles presented by many well-known psychologists and Jesus -- the Master Teacher -- "Created to Learn" is a thorough compilation of information that transformed my approach to teaching based on the learner's needs and abilities. The "Discipler's Model" introduced in this book is a revolutionary, functional basis for monitoring teaching techniques within the classroom for flexible, balanced and productive learning sessions. The book provided priceless insight, application and examples for effective teaching techniques for learners in every level of development -- from birth to seniors. I highly recommend this book to all types of educators from Sunday school teachers and parents to professors and pastors.

Through this book, Yount hopes to expand the understanding of educational psychology in the field of Christian teaching. He does this by using a model of teaching that he has called, "The Disciplers' Model." According to his model, there are seven elements: Content Mastery ("letting the Bible speak"), Learner Needs (individual differences and development), Thinking (cognitive and behavioral development and theories), Feeling (empathy and sharing oneself with others), Relating (group dynamics), Growth (maturation and human growth), and Holy Spirit (spiritual growth) (22). His book is devoted to outlining the concepts in each element.

Yount believes teachers ought to provide three things for their students: (1) help learners think objectively, (2) help learners unmask, and (3) help learners build relationships (17). Teachers (who are also "disciplers") can see indications of spiritual growth in their students through the learners' reduction of "fleshly behaviors" and development of more "godly behavior" (19). He explains the intricacies of learning-how one learns, how one teaches, how information is cognitively stored, and how the Bible can be taught and integrated into a person's life. The basics of teaching is illustrated in the two principles Yount shares: One principle is to "become great, serve," and the second is to live one's life as an example of Jesus' own life which is "the Son of Man, as a ransom for many." He states that a teacher's place is to serve the learner (43).

I found the section on the history of behavioral change interesting. Yount shares that "secondary reinforcers" included such things as "acceptance, hugs, attention, money, grades, prizes, free play, games, and trips" (166), but he never provided practical application of "secondary reinforcers" in Christian education. He provided practical applications in other sections of the book, for example he said that Bible classes are verbally taught and teachers tended to "spoon feed" scripture to their students rather than having them realize the meaning on their own (203). In order for students to find the meaning of scripture for themselves, he suggests writing three questions on 3x5 cards and passing it out to small groups. The groups will study certain passages using the Bible and other resources and answer the questions. Each group then shares their answers and discusses the variations (203).

The inclusion of Kohlberg's stages of "moral reasoning" seemed more appropriate for an ethics book rather than one on education. Yount featured the findings of Duska and Whelan in an effort to legitimize his use of Kohlberg's work. Although Duska and Whelan suggest that Kohlberg's theory "fits well" with Christian principles, it was a "stretch" to include it in a book about education and the process of learning. In fact, Yount states that Duska and Whelan's stages "provide helpful filter for various levels of Christian practice" (116). On the other hand, James Fowler's "Stages of Faith" was a good addition to Yount's book primarily because Fowler's study was based on "how a person believes" (122). In understanding where the learner and teacher "stands" in regards to personality, approaches in life, and personal drive, proper adjustments in the learning environment can be exercised.

Yount took the reader through several aspects of secular and biblical models of learning, so his emphasis of Jesus' teaching methods was a good concluding chapter for his book. Many features of Jesus' teaching ministry were basic ingredients that are easily overlooked. For instance, Yount shared, "Jesus established relationship with His learners," "Jesus recognized the worth of His learners," and "Jesus stressed long-term rather than immediate results"(354-62).

Overall, Yount's book provided a wholistic approach to education as he utilized the works of cognitive psychologists, behaviorists, and psychoanalysts by reframing their findings in Christian terms. He makes a good effort to tie everything together as he examines Jesus as the "Master Teacher" (340). This was a fitting end to his book.

The author intoduces a seven-fold approach to Christian Teaching. He explains the needs of a learner and the basis of all learning from a Christian perspective while contrasting it with secular thinking. A great work for understanding the needs of the learner and how to meet them.

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 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.

I am a Chef Instructor and this book is been very helpfull. It is very complete from the measurements to the cost control and is easy to understand.

This book clears up the math questions for all levels of preparing foods. From the diference in dry measure to liquid measure to getting the quantities right for the number of guests you are feeding. Bravo!!

I'm a culinary student and found this book very helpful for converting units into metric units. It helped me with my baking class because it showed how to convert measurements properly and with great accuracy. I also used the following to study for the National Servsafe Test which is also on amazon.com:
Study Guide for the National Servsafe Exam: Key Review Questions and Answers with Explanations (ISBN: 0971999678). It showed me the type of questions asked on the exam. In addition, was quite helpful for my sanitation class. Get both books if you're in culinary school.

This is what I've been waiting for. For those of us who aren't too good with numbers and measurements (foodservice math), this is a god-send. It's got great information and it makes the whole subject of "culinary math" reasonable and understandable.

The 3 principles explained in this book are the basis of any consistent philosophy of school leadership.

As a masters student in a leadership program I have been reading the current literature around leadership for the past two years. Donaldson's book is by far in my top five. Easy to read and accessible, this book offers hope for the future of our schools. The model that he proposes for school leadership is both practical and filled with great ideals...anyone who has worked in a school will know that the author "knows his stuff."

I highly recommend the book.

Deborah Meier wrote:

"Wonderful, wise, and well said... This book lays out a way of thinking about what leadership might entail, alongside the details of why it doesn't happen and what it would require for it to become a reality." Meier is Principal, Mission Hill Elementary School, Boston; Founder, Central Park East High School, NYC

Tom Sergiovanni wrote:

"Few books will teach you more about leadership, how it works, and how it can slip into the nooks and crannies of a school. Donaldson sets a new standard for timeliness and relevance. A must read for school faculties who want to come together to work more effectively with kids." Sergiovanni is Professor, Center for Educational Leadership at Trinity University, San Antonio TX

Roland Barth wrote:

In this volume, Gordon Donaldson demonstrates that he is the ultimate `reflective practitioner'. Like a good academic, his gift to the reader is a refreshing model of school leadership.; But like a good practitioner, he offers a model based on the realities of the school culture.... I wish I had had Cultivating Leadership in Schools as my partner during my own turbulent days as a school principal." Barth is author of Improving Schools from Within, the founder of the Harvard Principals' Center and a former professor at Harvard

Gayle Moller wrote:

This book clearly and concisely explains why school leaders are frustrated in their jobs. In this book, practitioners will find a friend in the author who explains the obstacles to leading in schools, yet offers practical solutions through a leadership model that more closely reflects a school's organization." Moller is the former director of the South Florida Center for Educational Leadership and currently teaches at Western Carolina

This little volume scrapes away the layers of thinking and strategies that have built up over the years and have been proferred to school principals. It begins with the simple, underlying question: "How is it that schools can be lead?"

And it begins with a simple goal: to develop a practical model of school leadership that promises to address the two most pressing issues facing school leadership today: 1) serve the learning needs of children and their communities and 2) prove practicable and fulfilling to leaders themselves.

From this point of origin, Gordon Donaldson casts a fresh eye on what he calls "the everyday realities" that surround people who seek to lead. He finds in his chapters entitled "The Conspiracy of Busyness" and "The Planetary Culture of Schools" that if people approach leadership in the classical paradigm of "one organization, one leader", they are destined to fail in schools.

Donaldson then generates a provocative new model that he argues is "congruent with the everyday realities of schools". Building from the work of Barth, Rost, Heifetz, Helgesen, Sergiovanni, and Darling-Hammond, he proposes a relational model in which leadership is "plural" - blended among people with diverse roles, talents, and responsibilities but who share a common purpose and a disposition for action. Leadership, he claims, engages three intertwining "streams" of a school's life: relationships among adults and between adults and children; purposes and commitments to them; and the belief that "we act in common" to attain our purposes.

The bulk of Gordon Donaldson's book explores what principals and teacher leaders can do to participate in leadership in the three streams. In doing so, he helps us distinguish between these two roles (both of which he claims are absolutely essential to a strong school). He goes on to examine, then, what particular skills and dispositions stand principals and teacher leaders in good stead as they go about this important work. Here, he calls upon the work of Daniel Goleman, Nel Noddings, Robert Evans, and Peter Senge among others.

The book's grounding in "realities" gives it resonance for teachers, principals, counselors, and even citizen leaders. Its descriptions of leader activities and the skills necessary for them makes it useful to people intent on learning to lead and searching for a more useful model for their own leadership experience.

This book is written by a vet and has a large amount of advice on health items. It starts out with feeding and then covers diseases and injuries and first aid. It also covers mental health issues such as how to potty train and also how to help social development. It gives advice for correcting bad behavior.

There are many color photos of different types of the breed.

Straightforward insight and usefull directions into owning a Dachshund.

The book has helped my entire family, especially my kids, understand and learn how to take care of our new pet.

¡¡¡Highly recommended!!!

An easily read and understood guide for the special cares and requirements of those most lovable of dogs, THE DACHSHUND. Succint, yet comprehensive and immediately of practical use. Every DOXIE owner should consider purchasing this book.

My fiance and I are considering getting a dachshund. Before committing ourselves financially, we wanted to know what we were getting ourselves into. We purchased this book along with Dachshunds for Dummies and I feel like both of these books gave us a great window into the lives of Doxie owners. Neither of these books are written generically so that the publisher can just insert the next breed name into the title and publish it. The information was very dachshund specific. This book is full of great info from personality quirks to grooming tips to how to show your doxie to what to look for in a vet. After reading this book, my fiance and I decided that now was not the best time to bring a dachshund into our home. We'll wait until the conditions will be ideal for both us AND the dog!! BUY THIS BOOK if you want to know about dachshunds!!!!!!