Educational Books

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)

my daughter HATES to write. we've been using this program for a week, and already the sentences chosen to copy are so intriguing for her she actually requested we check out the book it's taken from. this is the child that doesn't have patience for chapter books. she's already read through 24 pages of it within the first two days of starting it. but i digress...

this copy work and narrative work is exactly what my daughter needs. mrs. bauer is precisely right when she teaches the parent that writing from thoughts is a two step process and the children need to be taught how to do those steps separately (copy work & narration - parent writes the narration). my child continuously gave me zippy little narratives because she didn't want to copy down big long sentences after she was done thinking it through. with the time to grow her writing ability even five words at a time while simultaneously strengthening her summary and narration skills, she is now on the path for inevitable success.

the best part is these writing exercises take no more than 5-10 minutes per day, four days per week. ahhh, gone are the cries in protest when i announce it's time to do writing! thank you susan bauer yet again!

This book is what i had hoped to find. My son has a vivid imagination and talks incessantly. But, when it came time for him to write he would write the simplist of sentances, ie. "I like blue." I was unsure of where to start. With this book I have four years of direction and an understanding of what he should be accomplishing. I have been using this book for 2 weeks now. I can already see a difference. I would never have thought it would help so quickly. I am glad that this book was released just in time for me. I look forward to years of using this book.

CAVEAT:
Take this preliminary review with a particular grain of salt, for I am an English teacher who unabashedly embraces "The Well-Trained Mind" philosophy behind the Wise-Bauer/Buffington writing team. While this review is a bit premature, I am hopeful that my children will reap benefits similar to those acquired through their related Peace Hill Press grammar and history series.

THEORY:
SWB explains that her motivation for this book was her experience as an ivy league college professor of literature and history. Simply put, her well-educated students could not write well. She argues against the theory that one should "Give the children high-interest assignments and have them write, write, write, and revise, revise, revise." This is not how I was taught to write, but it WAS how I was taught to teach, and I, too, endured the blank and panicked students' stares produced by that philosophy.

SWB compares writing to a foreign language. The conventions must be absorbed before the non-native speaker is fluent. Says Wise-Bauer, "Imagine that you have had a year or so of conversational French...After the first year, your teacher asks you to explain the problem of evil in French...(it would be impossible) to express complicated ideas in a medium that is unfamiliar... The conventions...need to become second nature -- invisible -- so that you can concentrate on the ideas rather than the medium." Speech is natural and necessary. Writing is not. Many can, and do, get by without learning to write well.

PRACTICALS:
In Writing With Ease, the elementary years are less about creative output, and more about intake and foundations. The small book is packed with week-by-week exercises (36 for each year) aimed at building one layer at a time. She covers roughly four years in a succinct 216 pages: Years One and Two: Narration, Copywork and Dictation; Years Three and Four: Putting the Steps Together. The copywork samples come primarily from fables, fairy tales, and childhood classics such as "Little House" and "Charlotte's Web". No dull prose allowed.

SWB then thoroughly describes the writing process taught through the middle and high school years, giving this homeschooling mom courage. Says Bauer, "The goal is to turn the young writer into a thoughtful student who can make use of written language, rather than struggle with it." She adds, "Good writing requires training. It demands one-on-one attention." To that I respond with a heart-felt "Amen, sister!"

I've given it four stars after I've previewed the contents, but I hope to add the fifth after the year is over.

NOTE: Some teacher prepraration is required. SWB models the lessons, and then you will cull material from the student's texts and literature books. It's actually very simple to implement and takes very little time. I like to take passages from literature relating to other subjects they are already studying. My kids, second and fourth grade, respectively, love it because we are done in 5-10 minutes. SWB also gives short grammar cues for you to subtly tie in to the lesson.

MY TWO CENTS:
I am ridiculously grateful to have my hands held when it comes to teaching writing to my own kids! I used to teach grammar and composition on the middle and high school level. I left public school dismayed by the students' response to writing in general (never mind the heinous grammatical butchery -- the slaughter wrought through "texting" still haunts me to this day). They hated and feared writing. I never expected prose worthy of Faulkner, but the ability to write simply, clearly, and meaningfully was beyond most -- even the "honor roll" students were woefully inept and overwhelmed by the simplest assignments. I had 145 students x 100 assignments (there were always many who would never in a years' time complete a single writing assignment) X 36 weeks divided by the few hours I had after the 100 daily "administrative" tasks (I actually had to spend the first precious minutes of each day doing a "clothing check" for violations -- Argh!). There was little time to address the fundamentals so obviously lacking, and even less time for meaningingful (and mostly ignored) editorial, instructive feedback. I'm thankful for the experience, for I might never have known the joys of homeschooling.

Susan Bauer's opening essay on the writing process and how to teach it is the most cogent, informed explanation I've ever read:

"Writing is a process that involves two distinct mental steps. First, the writer puts an idea into words; then, she puts the words down on paper.

INARTICULATE IDEA ---> IDEA IN WORDS
IDEA IN WORDS ---> WORDS ON PAPER

. . . The pianist practices first the right hand, and then the left hand, before putting the two together; the young writer practices putting ideas into words, and then putting words down on paper, before trying to do both simultaneously. . . What follows will equip you to train the young student in the language of writing."

And Bauer delivers on this promise perfectly; she shows even the most unprepared parent or teacher how to teach good writing in just a few minutes a day. Her program will be a great relief to students who feel overwhelmed by writing assignments. It's all so manageable: she even tells you exactly what to do if you're starting with a "reluctant older student(grade 6-12)."

To make her case, her own writing is so easy and delightful that it's relaxing to read. I'm ordering the workbooks.

Thank you, Ms Bauer.

This book details the rise of the adult literacy field--more money, more legislative interest, more advocacy, since A Nation At Risk. Demetrion sparks interest through inclusion of ongoing list serv debates from the National Institute for Literacy list servs. Those involved in this field (as I am) care passionately about giving a boost to low literate adults through classes and methods that increase their skills. Coming as it does during the culture wars, much of the debate is political--from the goals for adult literacy, to curriculum, to ultimate purposes: democratic access to printed documents and laws, or utilitarian focus on job skills. This book should appeal especially to those who look at the world through a political lens.

Demetrion offers us a genealogy of and emerging, conflicted and underfunded literacy field over the past 30 plus years. It is a Genealogy, rather than a history because Demetrion doesn't just offer a chronological list of events, but rather describes the contest between conflicting forces that shaped those events. Demetrion also relates conflicts of assessemnt and accountability, and an attempt by the "Equipped for the Future" project to create a middle ground view on assessemnt and pedagogy for the field. Finally Demetrion offers a possible vision for the field grounded in American democratic founding principles.

The book is a must for literacy students, workers, and anyone interested in becoming familiar with the field. It is not an easy book, requiring time and effort. But it is purposeful, well organized, thought provoking and a satisfying read. It is also instructive about pedagogy, assessment and it has a very strong Dewey inclination.

The book was interesting and very helpful. He went into enough detail so that I understood the background and history so that his conclusions made a lot of sense.

This historical review of adult education over the last 20 years provides a convincing argument for a stronger commitment to democracy in society-at-large. The audience is adult educators, educational policy makers, legislators, college students, and librarians.
Adult literacy has become hostage to a workforce model. Librarians who work with literacy providers may wonder why literacy is not a central policy focus. In George Demetrion's clear and insightful book, Conflicting Paradigms in Adult Literacy Education: In Quest of a U.S. Democratic Politics of Literacy, the workforce readiness model prevalent in the U.S. is explained. I have found this approach inimical, for the most part, to the librarians' commitment to human capabilities. Demetrion helps us all to learn that there are alternative models and gives us the intellectual tools to implement them-- if we have the will.
I will be using this text as recommended for my classes on adult lifelong learning.

Textbook came very quickly! In better condition than advertised. Would highly recommend this seller!

The case studies presented were interesting and well-written. They grabbed the reader's attention. Some of the cases were useful to me as an instructor, but my needs are focused on cases that relate to federal/state/local government audit issues. I don't regret getting the book, as many of the issues raised are relevant and helpful to new auditors.

Do the case studies have questions and answers for students to look at?

I can't say anything more about this book. The author's presentation skills and overall arrangements are marvelous. It's not only informative to read it, but extremely fun! Though my firm specializes in securities, internal control, and compliance areas, I still regularly raise those issues highlighted in this book to my colleagues over email or during conference. We all benefit from it a lot.

Counting Little Geckos is wonderful! My 10month old loves it. The way it's written and the illustrations are amazing! I will buy this for all my baby gifts. It also has nice hard pages so my daughter can't rip them out. Really great book!

Picked up this book on a trip to New Mexico. My 2 year old son loves it so much that I am buying a couple more copies to give to friends with children of similar ages. I'm confident this book will also be a great one to teach him to read when he's a bit older. Great book; I highly recommend it.

Counting Little Geckos is a dream come true. I bought a few copies of this little gem as Christmas gifts for my children, grandson and autistic nephew. What an unexpected surprise! From its delightfully animated illustrations, to its engaging story Counting Little Geckos is unlike any other counting book out there.

My thirteen year old loved the illustrated antics of all those little rascals. After a year and a half, its still the book my grandson asks my daughter to read several times a day, and its the only book he insists on taking to bed with him.

There is a special charm the illustrations possess, a liveliness and comfort, a joy and silliness. The characters are uniquely portrayed peeking out of cactuses and watering cans, somersaulting over hats, climbing rocking horses... I could go on, but I wouldn't want to spoil your surprise!

I will leave you with this thought and let you decide. It's become the number one most requested book for the Little Flowers of Hope school, a center for children of special needs. It remains a special favorite not only among the students, but among teachers and parents alike.

Vivian Hadding

Some how this is the only book that my easily bored daughter has liked for the entirety of her 9 month life. Great illustrations and good rhyming.

Amzon is a good seller. I got my book in five days and am highly recommended.

By studying this book the day before the exam, I was able to get a 5.

Excellent for reviewers and good for beginners like myself. I learned everything about economics only from this book and took both practice tests. I got 3 on both because I couldn't get enough practice out of this book. So I recommend beginners to get supplements with more practice tests or ask your teacher for worksheets.

I took both of the macro and micro exams this year. I had a kaplan guide from my teacher, which was very, very confusing and had very few graphs or visuals.
this aide explained concepts much better and had more graphs. I studied more for the micro exam (i didn't take a class in it - I think I easily got 4 just from this book), but what i reviewed from macro was also pretty good.

Nice examples, such a trick questions.! I recommended this book. By the way, I am the first place winner in my school physics competitions. Thanks!

This book does a good job at serving those of us who cram the day before the exam. It gives short and clear explanations.

I'd recommend the one for the ap b exam over this one. A lot of things, including multiple choice, are the same and it costs a teeny bit less.

I bought two books for my Physics SAT: Barron's and this. I was extremely disappointed with Barron's Physics. Compared to this, it was just... pointless.

This book covers every major topic covered on the SAT Physics in just the right amount. Not too extensive, but covers all the stuff you need for getting at least a 700.

But let me warn you: Though this book covers all topics on the SAT Physics Subject Test, it won't help you much if your fundamentals aren't clear. You still need to know (or understand) SOME of the concepts that are not explained in this book.

This book is undoubtedly the best book to prepare for the physics SAT Subject Test. It has the best tests the material is given in a brief concise and articulate manner.

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 is extremely helpful in presenting tips for test taking strategy. It carefully explains and demonstrates a variety of techniques you can use for problems that you don't automatically know. It goes in depth about process or elimination and what you can do to give the best educated guess on questions you don't know.

I highly recommend this book as an addition to your other GRE study guides/courses. After having taken the GRE before and then reading this book in combination with my other study guides...I am already seeing significant improvement in my scores on practice exams (taken from an ETS study guide.)

I find this book very handy as a brief summary for the GRE, but you have to go through the whole course. There is not shortcuts. Remember, this examination does not test your knowledge but your testing abilities.

I have the 2nd ed of this book. I was worried about the math section, not because I'm bad at math, but that I haven't done math for 5 years. But luckily the math on the GRE is middle school math. The book says that there is no college-level math. If there were, only math majors would do well. I like the practice problems and solutions in the book, but the book could've shown the reader more than one way to solve a problem. I remembered how to about 50% of the problems. After reading the math section, I can now do about 75% with out any problems.

Brandon Simpson

Crash Course for the GRE is primarily about the test itself, not the skills the GRE ostensibly tests, so it's suitable for test takers of all levels. It doesn't try to teach you math, reading, or writing; instead, it arms you with strategies (and an irreverent attitude) for tackling the test itself. You'll learn how to find the correct answer to problems quickly, and how to make an educated guess when you can't find the answer. You'll also get advice about how to make the most of whatever time you do have to prepare for the test.

While a selection of practice problems is included, you'll almost certainly want more. If you can afford a copy of Princeton Review's Cracking the GRE with DVD, 2008 Edition, that's an excellent choice. But if $10 is all you have to spend, or if you don't have time for lots of practice, this book will make an excellent companion to the free test prep materials available from ETS itself.

Whether you're studying night and day to get a perfect score, or just looking for some quick advice to avoid embarrassment on test day, this is $10 well-spent.

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.