Educational Books

This book is IDEAL for anyone who is going to train or teach anything. How to cut the fluff and deliver the required facts.

I am not a professional trainer by trade. However, I was recently appointed training coordinator for my department. The Accelerated Learning Handbook has definitely helped me approach my job with a fresh perspective. The information, ideas, and techniques presented have enabled me to more effectively train those in my department as well as those in other functions. Before reading the AL Handbook, I thought all that was needed to effectively teach someone was simply to make sure all of my PowerPoint slides were logically put together. I now have a broader view of how people learn and a sold framework to use when putting together training materials on any topic. I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to engage the audience and create meaningful, effective training presentations.

I have worked with adult learners for more than fifteen years and have always tried to incorporate whole-brained, participative learning. This book provided some excellent theoretical background as well as a lot of new instantly usable ideas. I wasn't even all the way through before I applied a couple of the techniques and got an excellent response from my client.

Finally, teachers and administrators have a useful tool to recharge their classrooms/schools. We have become so test oriented that many times we forget that the process of learning comes from the doing. The statement comes to mind that we utter with new approaches," When do I have the time to get it all in?". That is where the problem lies! We are so pressured with these new demands that we loose sight of what is important, the process. This book will give us a clearer picture of how we can recharge our teaching and can provide the key so we can use the ideas to change the way we teach or approach the students' learning who are in our care.

I was getting ready to prepare a training program for 44 persons when I read this book. Immediately! after I used the guidelines to prepare my session. Preparation was fast and easy -and fun! I really couldn't believe that it was that easy to apply and it has been one of my best sessions to date. I refer to it when I need a refresher or a new perspective. I definately reccomend this book for trainers who need to keep their material fresh and interesting (esp. in-house trainers).

This is a pretty good book about the breed. If you're thinking about getting a Malamute, this is probably a good buy. However, there may be a better book out there...

This book clearly states the pros and cons of having a Malamute. They are as discribed. I wish there was more training information in the book. The history is nice, but more content would be effective. The feeding and other care needs more elaboration. Good overview.

I have owned 2 Malamutes & this is the most informative book I've every read about them. I am getting a new pup this spring & can't wait to use some of the ideas in the book. These are the most beautiful dogs on earth & they love people, they are also the smartest!

Briefly..
We read this book, and others before adopting our Malamute. We found it to be right on the money. Especially important are the parts of the book that discuss on whether you personally are up to adopting a Malamute.
Personally, I wouldn't have another Dog, period. But they are absolutely not for everybody. Better read this book and some others before getting one of these precious and gorgeous animals. If you decide not to, it makes a beautiful addition to any library.

As a prospective Mal owner I found this book very imformative, more so than some of the larger and more expensive books which I have in my collection. Especially the section ARE YOU THE RIGHT PERSON FOR A MAL. I found this especially interesting as a Mal is not suitable for just anyone. A well written book with plenty of good information which some other books don't cover enough. I recommend this book to anyone, new and old Mal owners alike.

Not too long ago a friend asked me, "Do you really think it is worth teaching your students all the history and philosophy stuff? Shouldn't they just learn science and math to get a job and make money?" He has a point. If we are to be strictly robotic producers and insatiable consumers in a capitalistic society, that may be true. But to be truly utilitarian about it, not to mention human, he is flatly mistaken. We are not soldier ants or drone bees. We are not defined by what we make and consume. We call the humanities "humanities" because, at their best, they help humanize us by allowing us to enter into dialogue with the past to inform us about who we are as humans. This book seeks to do the same.

One of the reasons that I like to write so many reviews on amazon is because it serves as something of a mental map of my inner life. Until the birth of my children I marked the passing of time by thinking, "Oh, yeah, that was when I was reading such and such" rather than dates. Some people remember eras by music, who they dated or what job they had. For me, it is what books I was reading. I have also often toyed with the idea of writing a book about the best and worst books that I have read as a short eulogy for each on its way out of the home, on the premise that my wife was forcing me to get rid of them to make room for our children. Maybe I still will. Anyway, the reason I write this is because I image that James Schall may be the same way. This wonderful book of his is akin to a road map of the mind through the lens of various authors that have moved him in a particularly strong direction, like strong winds in the sails of a ship on the ocean.

Believing that education is not to be left to schools, he suggests that we all need to sit down sometime with people in the past who have asked the right questions and thought through various answers, something which, if you are educated in the humanities like myself, you may have missed somehow in college! I may be wrong, but I think Samuel Clemens remarked something to the effect of "I never let school get in the way of my education." How true. College is usually a money racket that almost by its corrupt nature doesn't want you to question the fundamental premises of a society that has drifted so far away from any center that truly holds. By wrestling with the Ultimate Questions, Schall invites us into the inner journey of a lifetime, a quest to be frankly honest about what it means to exist at all.

Use the "look inside" function to get an idea of how he arranges his roadmap. A very odd book in that it is so unique. I may just use this as a textbook for my future students.

Schall is a great essayist: his goal is to lead modern men and women away from the shallowness and relatavism of the modern education system, where the prescribed mantra is "your truth is not my truth and my truth is not your truth". This book is about being a cultured human being, about being a proud inheritor of the greatest civilisation the world has known -the civilisation wrought through the power of the gospel, namely western civilisation. This book is about everything which contributes to this great culture. That being said, it lacks any serious discussion of music and arts, foundation stones of western civilisation. Leaving that aside, I highly recommend this hook; each chapter ends with some fine book recommendations, books no longer fashionable but key to understanding our culture.

James V. Schall's Another Sort of Learning is a books of essays, "contrary essays" it claims in a subtitle too long to type and too fun to read aloud, about reading, studying, teaching, longing, thinking, evil, sanity, values, lectures, devotion, prayer, sports, and a few other things. Easily, Schall could have entitled his book "On Everything" if only Hilaire Belloc had not used that one for a book of essays in 1909.

The book begins with a quotation from Mad Magazine, and ends with a reference to Aristotle. In between the end-pages you will repeatedly encounter names such as Samuel Johnson, G.K. Chesterton, Hilaire Belloc, Russell Kirk, Augustine, Plato, Machiavelli, Josef Pieper, Eric Voegelin, Thomas Aquinas, Flannery O'Connor, Stanley Jaki, John Henry Newman, Dorothy Sayers, and Maurice Baring. It is a book largely about reading and thinking.

What keeps one going back to the book, if not only to reread the essays, is to consult the book lists. Part of the beautiful subtitle states "Sundry Book Lists Nowhere Else in Captivity to Be Found". Each chapter contains at least one delightful book list; and then there is the bibliography. You will find "Eight Books on Evil and Suffering", "Five Books Addressed to the Heart of Things", "Sixteen Books on Belief and Disbelief", "Eight Collections of Essays and Letters Not To Be Missed", and so on.

It is easily read, in any chapter order, and at any speed. It is a perfect start to a journey in worthwhile books. Schall's Another Sort of Learning is "Not To Be Missed".

A book that I wish was better known. Unlike the most modern books that are meant primarily as entertainment this book harkens back to the day when books were rare and cherished and thought about word for word. You could spend a long time thinking about the ideas in the book. I especially like the chapter "On the Difficulty of Believing and Not Believing" since I have so much trouble believing. Along the same vein I like that Schall isn't preaching here - his goal is not a conclusion but a process - he wants you to think. Really a nice handbook to philosophy and thinking.

Are you conservative? Are you religious in the Christian Catholic way? Then this book is for you. I mean this in a wonderful way. Even if you didn't answer yes to both questions you will find this book valuable. The title says it all so no more description is necessary.

One great thing it did for me was to clarify my thinking and point me in the right direction of what I should be learning about, what is really important to spend my time learning about. Ever walk into Barnes & Nobel and feel confused and overwhelmed by this question, "Good heavens, what book and I gonna buy now because their are so darn many ones to pick from?" This book will answer that question for you.

I savored every word on every page as I read through this book. Then I went to my Amazon.com account and added virtually every bood he suggested to my 'wish list', yes all 200+ of them. Then I ranked them according to my interest and started builing myself a serious conservative, classic library in our home. It will take me years to buy all of them and even longer to read them all - but I'm detrminded!

The best thing I can say about this book is that the advice is easy to implement and it really works. I have other books on discipline but this one is the most helpful. I was arguing with one of my kids over something the other day, caught myself, remembered the advice in the book and instead of arguing gave him choices (rewards or consequences). The issue was quickly resolved. I wish I had read this book when my children were younger.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who works with children. I've been working with kids on and off from 1992 from infants to elementary school and this book is a must have. It provides techniques to set limits and consequences while giving the child the ownership of their behavior. Children learn to be responsible for their choices and their dignity is maintained.

In its third edition, this text has been a tried and true collection of positive behavior management for over 30 years. The collection of skills and strategies for teachers to use include a proactive approach, having a classroom discipline plan in place, building positive relationships, and using positive feedback to motivate students to behave. The tools offered in this text are designed to facilitate a safe, healthy, respectful environment in which students can learn and teachers can teach effectively.

The idea of positive behavior interventions has recently become very popular in the public school systems with which I have been involved. Although these strategies have been developed by these authors for years, their implementation through school wide reward programs and emphasis on giving individual student positive feedback just begun at my son's elementary school this year. These concepts for behavior management, as developed by the authors, were revolutionary for the American school system 30 years ago, and still hold in awe those who are new to the idea that power and control are not always negative in nature, but can in fact be helpful and even necessary to maintain an environment conducive to achievement. As a student in the field of education, and from my own experience in the classroom, I agree with the premise in this text that stud

Discipline is always a challenge. Lee Canter points out that a significant fraction of teachers have seriously considered leaving the profession because of student misbehavior. And how many have already left? Discipline issues lead to failure in beginning teachers and burnout among experienced ones.

Classroom rules should be posted and observable (e. g., not something unobservable such as "Be considerate.") and limited to about five. Of course, classroom activities themselves should be subsumed under the rule, "Follow instructions the first time they are given." A list of escalating consequences should be given for any rule broken. Teachers should never fall for the "You are unfair!" or "My parents don't care!" lines given by misbehaving kids. Something that the teacher cannot or will not do should NEVER be a consequence.

Canter believes that teachers are not as successful in discipline as they could be because they enforce rules inconsistently and because they are afraid that students will not like them. This, of course, especially applies to novice teachers.

When the hierarchy of rules and consequences is not working, the teacher needs to "drop down" to more severe consequences. When the entire classroom is briefly in disorder, the teacher must apply the "Freeze!" technique. In severe cases of persistent classroom disorder, the teacher needs to apply an individual-reward and/or classroom-reward system. Canter rejects contentions that this procedure constitutes bribery, or that it ignores intrinsic motivation in kids. In fact, Canter believes that intrinsic motivation is rare in children.

Canter also believes that, in cases of severely recalcitrant children, the teacher must try different approaches and adopt an "I will not go away" attitude that is clearly communicated to these children. In his more recent publications, Canter also has emphasized the teacher's development of positive relationships with tough kids.

This is probably the best book on behavior management! I have used "Assertive Discipline" and it is very effective. The rules, consequences, and rewards are clearly stated from the start of school. I like that it places the choice of a consequence or reward clearly on the students' shoulders.
I purchased this book for a friend of mine, who is a new teacher and she loves it! I think they should include this book in ALL teacher preparation courses. It's easy to use and it works!

My kids are 4.5, the preschool cards were a little easy. the kindergarten cards are about right. Now usually with them I find the age ratings on toys are accurate, like other reviewers said the brainquest products are rated a little too old. Some of the concepts are beyond them but about 80% of the cards they are able to do at this age.

This item was delivered very quickly. My daughter loves to do Q & A type flashcards and this is perfect for her to do. We have purchased the previous two BrainQuests as well and will continue to purchase these as our daughter grows.

My grandson looks forward to bedtime each night just so he can do this "learning." He loves these cards and I have seen him learn so much. We also have the preschool set.

These are great stocking stuffers. My daughter received hers the Christmas before she was to start Kindergarten so she could become familiar with the curriculum.These became her favorite flash cards. It also opened doors to teaching things she didn't know like time. Highly recomended

I highly recommend Brain Quest. We now have several sets and I plan on buying additional. Such a fun way for kids to learn. Since they are compact they can go anywhere. We've taken them on car trips, to the doctors office, shopping...just about anywhere. The kids think of it as a game, not as sitting down and learning. This is a great gift for someone as well.

IT IS A GOOD BOOK FOR ALL CHILDREN AGE AND HELP OUT TEACHER TO UNDERSTAND THE CHILDREN HAVE BEHVIOR.

I needed this book for one of my classes and it's an amazing book. I hardly recommended for someone who's study Early Childhood.

really easy book to follow good tips and points for teachers

i find that the book touches on many of the subjects that our professor teaches us, also between chapters they are not too long which makes reading and understanding much better. Being in the teaching field this is a good tool and resource for my classroom.

I was looking for a book to help me face a few challenges in my classroom during my first year of teaching kindergarten and I really enjoyed this book.
It gives helpful background knowledge, current research on best practices and new theories, as well as well-thought-out direct instruction for dealing with challenging behavior in the classroom of young children.

This product was great. The book was almost new, with only minor highlightings inside that you can't even notice. It arrived in almost no time. I admit that I didn't expect it to be that good.

This is one of the most helpful texts that I have purchased in the past year. It is easy to read and gives lots of examples as well as many points to ponder. HOWEVER, (if it matters to you)- make sure that you do not get the BOOK ALONE version. There is an online component that you need an access code to, which doesn't come with the book unless you buy the other version (I believe it said "with myeducationlab" in the item description). As a matter of fact, it's cheaper that way by about $8.00 believe it or not. I had to buy access separately because I waited too long to return the one that I bought which was book alone. I guess you have to live and learn... I hope someone benefits from my mistake!

I got this book for a class. It worked great. The book was clean and brand new. Thanks!

Very good reference on how to handle an elementary classroom. Children's environment and temperament were considered. Sample lay-outs included.

Smooth and speedy transaction. Updated emails on the tracking of my purchase were much appreciated. Great buy. Recommended.

In this new supplement, the authors have identified four essential educational components that educators must process when addressing the issues of using technology within the educational setting. These emerging issues of cyber standards include (a) developing a compressive, site-based technology plan that focuses on the improvement of student learning (b) developing policies for cyber security that protects the school from potential liability and student endangerment (c) developing appropriate and factual communication strategies that support positive marketing of the school mission to the public and (d) how teachers can engage the use of technology for improving the teaching and learning process.

The authors are very detailed and descriptive with the information needed to administer the daily task of leading an effective and successful school. It is a definite hands on resource that you will want to keep handy and review and use daily. The authors are very knowledgeable and have studied all angles of organizational procedures and implemented suggestions for different sites that may be modified to adjust to your situation. It is a book that a new principal would find quite useful in setting up a building that would run successfully from day one and effectively limit major crisis from ill thought out planning. The chapter on safety is, in this time of major concern, a vital guide to helping protect a school from later regrets of irresponsible behavior to the safety and concern of all within its confinds. I as an administrator of an elementary school found it very useful and highly recommend it to others as a very useful guide and resource to keep on hand when reviewing or changing procedures within your building.

Today more than ever, American schools are facing a national dilemma on how to improve education. A new era of transformation is evolving from the traditional Industrial Age school to the school of the Information Age. To accomplish the reform of public education, a new way of thinking about old practices needs to be regenerated to create world class schools. In the book Developing School Programs and Policies, I discovered new ideas, methods, and programs that will help individual schools to regenerate the traditional into the practical. Many time in the history of school reform we have become bogged down by the theoretical and not the practical. This manual is purely practical and provides a step-by-step model for application, something that has not been commonly available in most education resources. The authors have addressed many of the complex issues of public schools by defining policies and programs that are ready to use and applicable to most school settings. The topics range from curriculum improvement, at-risk programs, the expansion of the school day, discipline, safety at school, teacher responsibilities, to the establishment of a vision and goals for school improvement. The book is truly an anthology of pactical ideas that can be used by school board members, superintendents, principals, teachers, and community task forces responsible for regenerating public schools. As a graduate student, I found the book very useful in helping me to understand how schools and school programs are designed.

The first supplement, Observing and Assessing Teacher Performance, is an invaluable tool for principals looking for an evaluation system based on improving instructional performance. The performance data that is collected is both productive and supportive because the process itself involves the teachers in their own instructional improvement. Helping teachers teach better is the ultimate goal of this evauation system.

What a novel idea!

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reforming the educational practices within their local schools or to anyone who is a student of educational reform. This book truly weaves together the best practices and standards for school improvement and takes a hard look at policies, practices, and attitudes that are in need of fundamental changes as we stand on the threshold of the 21st Century.

If you are striving for a world-class school, you need this manual.

Sandy

Public schools are now discovering that they cannot prepare students to succeed in tomorrow's world unless they reinvent themselves today. The schools that will thrive in the future are those schools that embrace reform and take control over their own destinies. In many cases throughout the nation, today's schools are not in control of their own destinies because of the loss of local control and the inability to initiate an open agenda for public engagement in the school renewal process. Despite this, policy makers (state agencies and legislators) continue to establish mandates for holding educators accountable for student improvement. Designed in non-collaborative environments, these mandates are based on high-end accountability policies that regulate school reform. However, rarely are these reform mandates based upon the wisdom of school effectiveness research. Additionally, the local school communities are not consulted about how the new regulations will influence the education of their particular school populations. Five years ago, during the course of our crystal ball gazing, we missed several important concepts when developing this manual. We did not recognize that policy development would have such an influence on school reform measures, nor did we fully understand the extent to which effective schools research could have on the impact of policy development. To support communities in building stronger schools and regaining ownership, this manual provides a guide for supporting effective school practices through polices and programs based upon effective school research.

The days for public school security have arrived, and we, as educators, must take every precaution to protect the health, security, and wellbeing of every member who enters the school's environment. In the new supplement to be released in December of 1999, authors Michael King and Linda Harrison give you a comprehensive look at school security and crisis management. The new supplement entitled Programs and Policies for Developing A Safe, Secure, and Healthy Environment will provide expert advice on how to plan and develop a school crisis prevention plan.

The new supplement is divided into three major Chapters. Chapter 8-1, "School Building Security," provides administrators with an overall program for securing their school facilities. Chapter 8-1 concludes with a valuable assessment tool that administrators and security officials can use to evaluate the present level of building security and provides a reference point for future security planning.

Chapter 8-2, "Developing a Crisis Management Plan" provides policies and procedures necessary to prevent and react to school threats, emergencies, and evacuations. The Chapter is divided into two parts: those crisis situations that require evacuation and those crisis situations that require taking shelter.

Chapter 8-3, "School Health Services," provides policies and procedures for dealing with a variety of health issues. Its major purpose is to help school staff members recognize and react appropriately to those medical situations that occur within the school setting. It includes policies and procedures for reacting to student injuries, handling contagious and chronic illnesses, recognizing social and psychological issues, and administering medications.

All three Chapters of this new supplement are important parts of a comprehensive crisis management plan in any school.

This book speaks to the co-dependants of the world beautifully. It is an easy read and it makes sense to anyone. I would highly recommend it. Also, if you like this subject check out Pea Meadly Book Facing Co-Dependancy.

Great book. I am still reading and learning! Quick delivery and arrived in great shape!

I often find that when I return to this book I uncover something that I've forgotten, and this allows me to open up and become softer with my parner.

this book is still relevant.

For me this book is one of the most profound and important books I have ever read about relationships and communication. Although it is written as a book about marital relationships, it has implications for every kind of relationship, and not only intimate or dyadic ones. And, although it is written as a pop psychology book, I think it makes a real contribution to the social-scientific understanding of relationships and communication -- that is, it stands up well as a general model of communication and relationship. I think it is a great book and would be of great value not only to those trying to solve relationship problems but to those wanting to understand the ways in which self and relationship are intertwined in general. It illuminates all of the areas of one's life in which one communicates with others and, as another reader said, can be as valuable for understanding past relationships as for dealing with present ones.

There are three of you in a marriage. YOU, ME and US. All three need to be happy. This book can get you there. It saved our marriage.

I bought this book for my little nieces, whom I watch during the week.

They love the book, mostly for personal reasons - I carry the baby, ELIZABETI carries her baby; our baby is Eva, THE DOLL is Eva - but I love the book just because it's a very sweet story.

It has simple enough wording, only a few sentences per two-page spread, that it can be read easily to a young child, only two years or so... and it has a deep enough story that it will be enjoyed by an older child as well.

There's only one part of the book that strikes me as strange, and that's at the very end. Elizabeti's mother thinks to herself that Elizabeti will be a good mother when she grows up... and then we're told that Eva (the doll/rock) thinks so too. The style of the book is so realistic that it's a strange note, because, of course, dolls and rocks don't think. But I can always edit or skip that line, so it's not a problem.

The entire Elizabeti series is outstanding. All the characters depicted are gentle, caring, and loving to each other as they go about their daily business. When Mama has a new baby, Elizabeti wants a baby of her own -- and so the rock Eva becomes her baby. The illustrations are very nice and support the text.

This is such a tender book! It appeals to the youngest, even a two-year old brother learning to adjust to a new baby sister. Mother and son found relief and coping skills in this sweet, simple book.

My 6 year old daughter and I loved the book. I read her the story and then went outside to do last minute yard work. After I was through, I came back in the house. To my surpise, my daughter was sitting on the couch, and in her lap was a rock that was swaddled in a kitchen towel. That was so neat to have her pass up her toy box and find pleasure in a simple thing.

As the mother of two young girls, I have read hundreds of picture books. "Elizabeti's Doll" is, in my opinion, a rarity: a book for children whose characters and plot are unique, compelling and satisfying, all within a handful of words on a few pages. This book is what literature should be for adults and kids.

Elizabeti is a completely endearing character, who reminds adults and children that childhood has its special joys, and high among those is the ability to involve the entire family in a fantasy world of the child's own making. Elizabeti turns a rock into the family's new baby, whom everyone loves and cherishes right along with her. It's a story about what is best in all of us.