Education Books


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Education Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Education
Reading With Meaning
Published in Library Binding by Topeka Bindery (2002-04)
Author: Debbie Miller
List price: $32.05
New price: $32.05

Average review score:

Great Book for Parents and Teachers ! !
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-18
I's so glad that reading is being looked at as more than just being able to 'say the words on the page.' This book has great strategies and activities to teach children the meaning of what they read. Add to this two fabulous literature books written by two teachers. They include a 10-page parent/teacher guide that shows how to teach these all important skills using delightful stories that will be enjoyed by kids.Check them out...Life's Little Lessons: An Inch-By-Inch Tale of Success and The Big Squeal: A Wild, True, and Twisted Tail

Title says it all!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-06
This is book is Strategies that Work for the k-2. I love this book. I find something new and challenging for myself as a teacher, everytime I open it. Great chapter on literature circles for primary students. Must-have book!

Teaching With Debbie
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-30
In this book, Debbie Miller leads the reader through a year in her classroom. I use it daily in order to focus my thoughts as I teach in a reading workshop structure. Even though I teach third grade and Debbie wrote from the perspective of a first grade teacher, her common sense yet highly sensitive approach to teaching reading empowers me to lead my students through a year of discovery. With her thoughts and strategies running through my mind influencing my lesson planning, my students rediscover themselves as readers. This book is a valuable resource for anyone teaching reading in the early elementary grades.

Teaching Reading Comprehension
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-20
This was a great book for those interested in teaching first graders how to comprehend their reading. It is full of strategies and systems that can be adapted to all grade levels. Easy, quick read.

Making Children Thoughtful Readers Is So Important
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-05
Teaching young children to think and especially think about what they read is so important. Too often children read words with no idea about what they are reading. As a teacher I constantly use children's literature to teach comprehension. Two of my favorites are:Life's Little Lessons: An Inch-By-Inch Tale of Success and The Big Squeal: A Wild, True, and Twisted Tailwhich not only have fabulous messages but a great teaching guide. I recommend these very highly to my parents because of these guides. Start young teaching kids to understand what they read!

Education
Blues You Can Use (Blues You Can Use)
Published in Paperback by Hal Leonard Corporation (1995-10-01)
Authors: John Ganapes and John N Ganapes
List price: $19.95
New price: $12.32
Used price: $9.98
Collectible price: $19.99

Average review score:

Great Book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-30
I found this book to be great for learning general techniques for playing the Blues. The book starts out with some simple riffs and graduates into more challenging routines while introducing new concepts used by the Blues masters such as progressions, bending, use of the Blues pentatonic scale, etc.

Learn to improvise entire neck, any key
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-20
I am 61 years old and finally I can play lead (any key) over entire neck after going thru this book and taking time on each lesson to fully understand it. I have taken private Jazz lessons for a year before but something was missing. This book made it clear,I now see lead patterns when i hit a chord and can jump anyplace on neck and still be playing lead in the right key.

Having lots of fun with this
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-30
This is a nice introduction to blues guitar. With a good combination of theory and practice, each lesson builds on the previous material. The one confusing thing I've found so far is the fact that the author will introduce some chord forms for a given lesson, then in the practice exercise, a completely unknown chord form will appear. It isn't that the "new" chord is wrong - it just hasn't been covered in the lesson. Guess that keeps you on your toes, tho. The CD has some really nice "studies" that you can play along with. Bottom line - after about 4 weeks, I've gotten through the first four lessons and I'm having more fun with my guitar than ever. Your mileage may vary.

Excellent Method Book. For Intermediate + Players
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-15
This book is not really a beginner's book. Some of the licks require a dexterity level beyond what a beginner would be expected to do. This is one of the few books with a method presented in a logical format as opposed to a caffeteria style approach leaving you asking questions. For the most benefit, you should do the following:

1. Get this book as well as the "more Blues You Can Use".
2. Also get "Complete Rhythm Guitar Guide for Blues Bands" by Larry McCabe.
3. Listen to the Rolling Stones' Beggar's Banquet and Exile on Main Street CDs.
4. Listen to Kenny Burell's "Midnight Blue" CD over and over.

Terrific Method, not for beginners
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-11
I have been very impressed with this book. I am a novice guitarist, but with 30 years experience as a pianist and a degree in music education, I am not your average beginner. So I can tell you this isn't a book for beginners, but you don't have to be very far along to benefit from it.
My teacher, a friend from music school, was teaching me to play blues guitar, and I bought this book just to check it out. He was thrilled to find a book that uses the same method he has been teaching the blues for 20 years, but with the added benefit of some good songs to play. We immediately incorporated it into my lessons.
The structure of the book includes short lessons including scales and chord progressions, followed by some nifty little blues numbers you can play to illustrate those concepts. The book takes you through each skill and concept step by step, and is really fun to play. If I had one suggestion to make, it would be to include backing tracks in addition to the demo tracks for all of the songs on the CD, so that you could play them by yourself instead of just with the recorded version. Otherwise, this is a terrific method and a lot of fun.
I will defintely buy more of the books in this series.

Education
Can I Tell You About Asperger Syndrome?: A Guide for Friends and Family
Published in Paperback by Jessica Kingsley Publishers (2003-11)
Author: Jude Welton
List price: $9.95
New price: $5.30
Used price: $6.31

Average review score:

Asperger Book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-31
This is a good book. Short and very discriptive. With good helpful tips. I have a 7 yr old but, I didn't have him read this yet. I don't think he would get it yet. But, later it will be good for him to read. It is a great tool to let teachers read to help them understand your child with Asperger Syndrome. We are new to this and it was helpful to me.

Another must read
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-28
This is another excellent book for children and adults to read to better understand this growing problem for children, especially boys. It is another book that should be at least on the shelves of upper elementary and middle school libraries.

Asperger's from the inside
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-14
This book was really helpful, because my son who is 16 and I read it together. I asked him if he really felt that way, as it was described in the book. It gave him the words to simply add to the description and agree, or say not me. I found it very educational for me and he enjoyed the communication tool, as well. I am going to share the info, for teachers, with his new teachers for 10th grade.

Outstanding
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-25
This simple book has helped explain to family, friends and teacher the way to connect with an aspergers child. To the very intelligent nine year old with aspergers it has been a great help in his own understanding and, a relief that communication with those who have read it has improved.

great guide
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-22
This book/guide is truly excellent. Extremely helpful when talking to others about Asperger's. It has an excellent part in the back on tips for the teachers. My son's teachers has actually read this and we are using to update his IEP for next year. Great book!

Education
Math Review For Standardized Tests (Cliffs Test Prep)
Published in Paperback by Cliffs Notes (1985-08-28)
Author: Jerry, Ph.D. Bobrow
List price: $10.99
New price: $3.99
Used price: $2.23
Collectible price: $10.99

Average review score:

Great Math Essentials Resource
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-19
I am studying for a standardized test and have been out of college for almost 20 years. This book has a great format, is easy to understand and covers every topic (as far as I can tell) for the THEA test I am about to take. A great review and refresher resource

Great little book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-07
Simple,straightforward and relevant.
I bought this book to help me prepepare for the GRE. Math is not my favorite subject but this book does a good job of tying up all those lose ends. It doesn't cost too much and its small enough to carry around in your bag. I highly recommend it.

A simple, inexpensive review for the GRE
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-27
An OK review of the material you would find on most standardized entrance exams. Covers arithmatic, algebra, geometry and word problems. The only drawback is it is a small book with small print, and doesn't have much room inside of it for working problems out like larger prep books, such as Kaplans. You get what you pay for.

Math Review for GRE
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-31
I ordered this book to help my daughter study for the GRE's. She says that it is very helpful.

Didn't know this book existed...
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-02
I am a private math tutor and a student of mine had purchased this book to assist in his ACT preparation. I found it extrememly helpful as a general math review, regardless of which test one is preparing for, and purchased a copy myself to assist other math students in the future. There is high emphasis on word problems, and almost all aspects of basic math (approaching calculus) are addressed with thorough explanation, answer keys, and knowledge tests. I would highly recommend this to anyone seeking a quick refresher that will aid in understanding math concepts for years to come.

Education
McGraw-Hill's GED : The Most Complete and Reliable Study Program for the GED Tests
Published in Paperback by McGraw-Hill (2001-09-11)
Author: McGraw-Hill
List price: $21.95
New price: $13.32
Used price: $12.83

Average review score:

Hmmm! Great
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-30
I was under the impression that i ordered the book with the cd and it showed that when i entered it bit only recieved the book!

GED Course
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-09
I have been very pleased with my purchase!! It arrived very quickly. It is both easy to use and very informative. Anyone interested in a self- study method of obtaining a GED is sure to find this book to be a treasure!

Passed GED!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-24
This resource book was very thorough and the tests included very hepful to my daughter. She was able to study the subjects she was weak in without going through the entire book. I believe it helped her in successfully passing the GED test the first time.

Great find
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-04
This time we got more that we bargained for. Thank you!

GOD BLESS AND KEEP YOU ALL ALWAYS!!!!!!!!!!

GET YOUR GED!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-05
If you've put off getting your GED because you haven't got time to go to a class, don't worry and stop putting it off now! Get this book, refresh your mind, start using that "grey matter" again and pass the GED test with flying colors! This book is great, it has everything you need to prepare for taking your GED test and KNOW you'll pass. I did it and couldn't be happier.

Education
Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree
Published in Hardcover by McGraw Hill Higher Education (1963-06)
Author: Robert E. Barry
List price: $12.95
New price: $39.79
Used price: $1.24
Collectible price: $34.01

Average review score:

A Must Have for Your Children
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-18
After having 3 children, I've read lots and lots of children's books, some over and over. This is by far, the best and my personal favorite. It is written as a poem, and has a funny surprise ending! You and your kids will love it.

Very cute & entertaining!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-30
All three of my boys (3, 7 & 9.5) really enjoyed this book. It magically appeared on our dining room table on Xmas Eve 2007. We read it together more than once and all gave it glowing reviews!

My all-time favorite Christmas story!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-07
This is a marvelous story that tells of one Christmas tree that is far too much for just one person. The tree is trimmed, and shared, and trimmed, and shared, and trimmed, and shared until far more people than Mr. Willoby alone, along with many animal families, have a bit of the tree to add beauty to their Christmas festivities! The rhyming text makes it a fun story to read aloud to children!

Creative story
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-07
I always buy a Christmas-themed picture book for my children to read to them on Christmas Eve before bedtime. I got this one for my eight-year-old who is reading on a sixth grade level. Turns out we are never too old or too advanced to enjoy a good picture book. She loved the predictability of the story, and so did my six-year-old.

Charming, endearing, and timeless!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-16
This has always been my favorite Christmas Book (just edging out "A Charlie Brown Christmas" by a glowing-red nose!). I'm happy to say that I own an original first printing of both books, but it's "Willowby" that I continue to purchase, year after year, for my friends and their children.

The charm of this story lies in the "one person's discards are another person's treasures" category. The oversufficient tree that old man Willowby brings into his mansion is snipped on top to clear his cathedral ceiling, and every recipient into whose hands the pruned remnant falls must perform the same whittling fix to adapt the orphaned fir to his own, progressively more spartan, hovel. Passing from maidservant to gardener to a scavenging bear and other various critters, after smaller and smaller sprigs make the rounds throughout the countryside near Willowby's estate, the last one eventually ends up with a family of mice who just happen to live in Mr. Willowby's wall! Thus, one huge tree is inadvertently able to make everyone's Christmas a bit brighter! Joy to the world!

Robert Barry's verses are easily read, and are exquisitely enhanced by the accompanying artwork -- especially the portrayal of the Benjamin Rabbit family. Too cute! While "Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree" is no doubt a children's story, at Christmas aren't we really ALL children? And what better way to enjoy one's Yuletide holiday than with a delightful, uplifting tale where everyone wins?

Education
Something Good
Published in Library Binding by Sagebrush Education Resources (1999-10)
Authors: Robert N. Munsch and Michael Martchenko
List price: $21.80

Average review score:

TITANIC CUTAWAY
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-26
fun book to look at, but not nearly as detailed as I would have liked. Seems to be aimed at a young audience. well worth the price if you want a lite look inside the great ship. a welcome addition to my Titanic library.

Great book for Children interested in the Titanic
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-02
After reading a short story in Reading class, my daughters became very curious about the Titanic. This book is a good overview of the ship and the voyage.

good book for kids
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-26
this is a good book for kids who are intersted in titanic.my nephew love this book,buys every book he can find on it.

Very good and great for children of all ages
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-08
This book is very great for kids who want to get a good glimpse on the inside of the ship and see what the interior actually might have looked like back then.

I have it sitting above my head on my book shelf among a couple of other titanic books.

I definately recgomend this book for any one and not just children.

Fascinating for a wide range of ages
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-26
My seven year old nephew was enthralled by this book. The amazing illustrations fill every page with a wealth of detail for both adults and kids. The story line is excellent too--it follows two families, the Goldsmiths and the Carters, one in first class, one in third, as they make their way across the Atlantic. The book doesn't gloss over the fact that many died, but has just enough detail to hold kids' interest without being scary. A real find.

Education
Think Better: An Innovator's Guide to Productive Thinking
Published in Hardcover by McGraw-Hill (2007-09-26)
Author: Tim Hurson
List price: $25.95
New price: $14.00
Used price: $12.60

Average review score:

Excellent Book for thinking better
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-26
The last book from my `vacation reading list" is Think Better: An Innovator's Guide to Productive Thinking by Tim Hurson. Some of you may remember a brief mention of this book in a post titled "Critical Thinking vs Creative Thinking".

This is a very interesting book full of great information....kudos go to the author for writing in a style that is engaging and easy to read.

The premise of the book is to stop trying to think `creatively' or `critically'....start thinking productively. The author introduces the "Productive Thinking Model" that helps to combine and balance both creative thinking and critical thinking.

This model is made up of six steps, which are outlined below.

Step 1: What's going on?

In this step, you are encouraged to answer five questions to get a feel for what issue you are trying to resolve. These questions are:

* What's the Itch? This question helps you determine what needs to be fixed or improved.
* What's the Impact? This question makes you think about how the issue is affecting you.
* What's the Information?This question forces you to examine the information that you have about the issue to determine if you have enough information to address the issue.
* Who's Involved? This question takes a look at the stakeholders and what might be at stake for each one.
* What's the Vision?This question helps you make the switch from `what is' to `what might be' by asking things like "What would the future look like if the issue is resolved?"

Step 2: What's Success?

Using the Vision developed in Step 1, begin to think about the future if the issue is resolved. Begin to imagine what life would be like with the problem solved. Once you've got a good feel for how life might change, you would then create a list specific, measurable outcomes.

Step 3: What's The Question?

In step 3, you begin to develop the questions that must be answered in order to reach the vision of success that you developed in Steps 1 & 2. During this step, you rephrase each issue/problem as a question to help your subconscious understand there is something `to work on'. An example conversion given as the Problem Statement "We don't have enough budget" can be converted to the Problem Question "How might we increase our budget?". During this step, you would try to generate as many problem questions as possible....you want a long long list. Once you've exhaustively listed your questions, you can then begin to narrow them down to the two key questions that would have the most impact on the issue.

Step 4: Generate Answers

This is where you generate the ideas to answer the questions created in step 3. You again create a very long list of answers and then sift through them looking for the most ideal and promising answers.

Step 5: Forge the Solution

This step is where you take your most promising answers from step 4 and develop them into a robust solution.

Step 6: Align Resources

This final step requires you to identify the necessary steps and resources for implementing your solution. In addition, you ensure that all implementation steps are assigned to a designated resource who will be held accountable for their implementation.

With these six steps, the author has provided a framework for thinking more productively. The key throughout all six steps is to keep an open mind at all times. Do not criticize ideas. Do not discard ideas. By keeping an open mind, you'll be amazed at how many ideas you are able to generate.

If you are the least bit interested in the topic of creative/critical thinking, go buy this book.

this book would be better if...
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-24
what a fascinating book! unfortunately it is littered with typographical errors which are REALLY irritating. examples: "The stem brain or gator brain processes and teacts to sensory input(p. 21)"..."Nothing is perfect. The word is full of things we can do better(p.7)."..."As Nicholas Negoponte, the founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab, has written...(p.43)"

such a shame. if there is ever a second printing, perhaps these and other unnecessary errors can be corrected.

How to increase the ROI of innovative thinking
Helpful Votes: 17 out of 17 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-06

Tim Hurson explains that the premise of this book "is that success in our business, professional, and personal lives is less a matter of what we know than of how we think. If we can develop the thinking skills to generate more options and then evaluate those options more effectively, we can all live richer, fuller lives - and so can the people around us." The focus of the this book is on the thinkx Productive Thinking Model (PTM), developed by Hurson and his colleagues after rigorously evaluating a number of other methodologies that include the Creative Problem Solving Process (CPS) and Integrated Definition (IDEF).

There seems to be greater emphasis on improving problem solving than on improving any other function of better thinking (e.g. generation, evaluation, and selection of innovative ideas), although the PTM process consists of six interlocking steps that can help to achieve a variety of objectives. Each step includes a variety of tools and techniques that Hurson explains, citing relevant real-world examples throughout his narrative to illustrate how various companies have used the PTM. Hurson devotes a separate chapter to each step.

For example, Step One responds to the question "What's Going On" and requires a situation analysis. Here are some issues to address at the stage of the process:

1. "What's the Itch?" (i.e. problem to be solved, question to be answered)
2. "What's the Impact?" (i.e. pay-off, benefits, improvements)
3. "What's the Information?" (i.e. what is currently known about the situation)
4. "Who's Involved?" (i.e. Who are the stakeholders? Who else will be affected?)
5. "What's the Vision [or "Target Future]?" (i.e. ultimate objective as well as its implications and consequences)

In Chapter 13, Hurson recaps the Productive Thinking Model (PTM) and offers a number of observations and suggestions to those who are considering use of this model as well as those who have made it commitment to it and are now engaged in the difficult but necessary processing of making appropriate modifications of it to accommodate the needs, resources, and objectives of their own organization. Then in Chapter 14, Hurson suggests four essential criteria for developing productive thinking skills and embedding productive thinking in organizational cultures.

In this final chapter, he also asserts that -- as practiced in much of corporate America -- training "is an astonishing waste of resources" when there is no follow-through on front-end training to embed and then strengthen even more the skills taught. In fact, the word "training" has lost its meaning because it is now more commonly used to refer to information transfer rather than skill development. "Hurson prefers the word "entraining." Why? "In chemistry, to entrain means to trap suspended particles in a solution and carry them along. This concept is an apt metaphor for skill development...Entraining results in a new and different workflow. Keeping those new skill particles suspended in your workflow requires the forging of new synaptic connections, new neural pathways."

Hurson includes an especially apt quotation that I now use also when concluding this review:

"In theory there's no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is." Yogi Berra

* * * * *

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Tom Kelley's discussion of how IDEO conducts brainstorming sessions in his two books, The Art of Innovation and The Ten Faces of Innovation. I also recommend two of Henry Chesbrough's books, Open Innovation and Open Business Models, as well as John Medina's Brain Rules, Howard Gardner's Five Minds for the Future, and Creativity in Business co-authored by Michael Ray and Rochelle Myers. Those feeling especially frisky and convinced they are up to the intellectual challenge are encouraged to consider reading Gerald Edelman's Bright Air, Brilliant Fire and Albert Borgmann's Holding On to Reality. Most of these books are available in a paperback edition.

A methodical approach to creativity
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-10-05
This is basically a 'self help' sort of book. According to the author, if you buy this tome, read it, and apply the contents, something great will happen.

So I bought it. And I read it. And I applied the contents.

What this book is about is thinking more creatively, not thinking more deeply, as it were.

The core premise of the book is that typical thinking relies heavily on what we've done previously. Learning by experience is what humans do. Hurson calls this 'reproductive thinking' as it reproduces the past. This is frequently a good way to do things. But no amount of reproductive thinking will turn an adding machine into a spreadsheet. To make this leap, you need "productive thinking."

The crux of the book is how to think this way. Suppose you have some problem. You assemble your team of people (works individually too, but that isn't his focus) and write down every solution the team can think of to that problem. Analysis is not allowed - just raw ideas. Within a few minutes, people have called out the obvious solutions. The leader of the group keeps writing them down and asking for more using a number of techniques in the book. Before long, people will start giving dubious solutions. This is good. Finally, at some point, the answers become bizarre. This section is what Hurson calls the "third third" of the list. He posits that the good stuff - the truly innovative solutions - are at the bottom of the list. Most of the time, they are worthless. But if you allow these fledgling ideas to live for a while, sometimes they attain flight status.

While we had our power outage, I had 9 days to try this. I am designing some software. I started making a list of the solutions to my problems (this software has many facets which constitute many problems.) I wrote down ideas, concerns, drawings - anything. What I found was that once I ran out of ideas, I'd make some connection, and I'd get 25 more ideas. Then I'd be empty. But the next day it would happen again. It was difficult, but I finally - finally - made it to 100 ideas and thoughts, an arbitrary goal designed to make me stretch. Then I saw another connection and wrote down 30 more ideas! I stopped because the ideas, if valid, were straying from the actual problem domain and started applying more to an alternative piece of software.

I ended up with 3 really good innovations. (I'm sure others would think of these things instantly, but by God they were new to me!) One of these innovations would allow the software to perform a seeming completely different function with only trivial modifications - if it's built right.

There's a lot more to the book, as it talks about how to make the ideas to concrete solutions, walking through phases of idea-to-solution. Again, posing each step a problem then using these free-flowing lists of solutions to find the most innovative answers to problems.

So, the pros:

1. The technique seems to work for me as an individual.

2. Trying it is cheap. You need a) the book and b) office supplies. You do not need a guru, a Change Process Facilitator, pure Tibetan mountain spring water, or to sacrifice a chicken.

3. There are probably 6 phases and numerous sub-phases in the full solution process. So there are other parts of the book that I didn't mention but are worthwhile. For example, he mentions that some people in the organization may work against you. Commendably honest. Such a person is treated as a problem to be solved. You write this person's name down so you can make lists of solutions to this persons behavior. This section is short and I can't help but feel he stopped short for political correctness - and perhaps legal reasons!

The cons:

1. The book is almost certainly a sales tool for the author's consulting company which he mentions repeatedly. Perhaps the book is an answer to the problem, "How can we educate people about our system and thus make more money?" in which case it's a very practical proof of concept!

2. I can't imagine a team of people using this technique because it feels 'new age.' You'd have to have a lot of trust among coworkers.

3. The book is repetitious. Make lists! Make lists! Blah.

4. TMCBSHA. I mean, Too Many Cute Business Self Help Acronyms. The industrial strength solution he discusses has many phases and sub-phases. It seems like every one of them as some hokey acronym associated with it. examples:
IF (imagined future)
DRIVE (do, restrictions, investment, values, essential outcomes)
AIM (advantages, impediments, maybes)

Now, each of these sections may be worthwhile but my god it's killing me. This is what makes me suspicious about the technique. I feel like he's putting the sizzle before the steak. I don't need sizzle to work a problem. But Hurson might need it to sell his book!

5. The numerous steps (and their acronyms!) in the full solution need to be in a diagram so I can follow them.

Finally, if you make your living by thinking (versus, say, by chopping off ninja heads) and you're in a rut, consider _Think Better, an Innovator's guide to Productive Thinking_ by Tim Hurson. I give it a 4 of 5, where no such book can possibly score a 5 due to the built-in hokiness and cheerleading of it all.

http://tony-stormcrow.blogspot.com/2008/10/think-better-innovators-guide-to.html

Think Better - Yes please!
Helpful Votes: 29 out of 29 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-18
Think Better: An Innovator's Guide to Productive Thinking

This book is based on the outstanding premise that how we think is more important than what we know. Tim explains why thinking skills are likely to be even more important in the rapidly changing future. The book then expands on exactly what productive thinking is and why we need to do it! Although initially based on the proven concepts of the Osborne Parnes Creative Problem Solving Model, Productive Thinking takes the ideas of divergent and convergent thinking, and together with an excellent choice of thinking tools and techniques, weaves them together in the 6 step Productive Thinking Model. Elegant in design, thoroughly researched and proven in practice. An easy to read and very informative piece of work. Well done Tim.

Ken Wall - Australia

Education
Lunch Money
Published in Audio CD by Listening Library (Audio) (2005-12-13)
Author: Andrew Clements
List price: $30.00
New price: $17.29
Used price: $16.73

Average review score:

Grandmom's Best Gift
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-14
This was a gift for my 9 yr old granddaughter. She told me she loved it.She had rented from the library and was overjoyed to have her own copy.

"He was the hunter, and they were the prey."
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-15
Be sure to keep reading to reach chapter three where entrepreneurship takes off in the most subtle way, selling mini toys at school. (We had a little trouble getting entranced in chapters one and two.) But soon after, Greg is creating and selling homemade comic books. The comic book assembly is explained (including drawings) which is a nice touch for readers who would like to try and create their own. It's never too early to let your child write and create their own book.

I especially enjoyed the competitive relationship with the girl next door and how feelings (anger, admiration, jealousy, etc.) were expressed throughout. My son would often ask to continue reading as I finished a chapter.

Money, sales and partnership ideas are nicely addressed. You read about advertisement examples kids are exposed to at school (there is a surprisingly long list), ideas on why money is important, compromises needed when working with a partner, and the good feelings that arise from making donations.

I think my favorite part is when Greg realizes (through discussion with the school board) that he was as guilty as all the other advertisers. He was also targeting the children at school. "He was the hunter, and they were the prey." Actually, this is not a bad thing as entrepreneurs need to understand their target audience but it is the first book I have read that addresses this issue. A++

My nine year old son has read my book so I wasn't surprised when he asked, "How come none of the books we read mention taxes?" (We've read a few entrepreneur books recently.) I had to laugh and remind him, "Not everyone enjoys doing taxes... or even reading about it, so maybe the author decided to leave that technical part out."

Teacher's Grade: B
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-11
Of all the Andrew Clements school books I've read, Lunch Money was by far the least engaging. The reason for this is that a large part of the book focuses on numbers instead of people, and where Clements has succeeded in the past is in his ability to make us really like his leading characters. Greg, the lead character in this book, is not very nice. He's largely driven by money and selfishness, and although Clements does try to make Greg more personable by depicting his change of attitude, the change does not come off convincingly.

The concept itself behind the book is terrific: schools are hypocritical because while they profess to be trying to promote certain values and healthy lifestyles, the actions districts take are at times directly opposed to the high moral standards the districts are imposing on the students.

I did enjoy the book, and recommend it to those looking to read more of Andrew Clements' books. I would pick up Frindle, The School Story, or The Report Card first however.

Lunch Money RULES!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-03-14
Lunch Money is a good book for money lovers. Its about a boy who has all these good ideas to make money and then he comes up with his best idea yethe decides to make comic books!The princapal disagres but then Mrs Davenport decidesto let Greg sell comic books. I highly recomend this book!

A Great Book
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-10
I'm a nine year old boy from NY. This book is funny and serious, too. This boy Greg wants to make lots of money while copycats try to steal his ideas. He makes money by selling little chunky comics. I recommend this book to everyone.

WB

Education
Sensory Secrets: How to Jump-Start Learning in Children
Published in Paperback by The Concerned Group, Inc. (2006-09-01)
Author: Catherine Chemin Schneider
List price: $16.95
New price: $9.61
Used price: $9.00

Average review score:

A Good Introduction to Sensory Processing Difficulties
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-13
This book provides an easy to read introduction to sensory processing problems in children and how overwhelming these problems can be for the child and the adults in his life. Many terms that professionals use are are introduced and parents will be able to do further research after being exposed to the terms (examples being somatosensory/tactile systems, proprioception, postural gravitational insecurity, space visualization etc). As an Occuaptional Therapist, I found it helpful to compare the activities that I recommend in home programs with what the author recommends. The author provides many suggestions on how to structure the environment and play to help a child with sensory processing. The book does not include general developmental norms such as when the average child begins to dress himself, hop, ride a tricycle, etc. I think it would be helpful for parents to read about how developmental expectations are related to foundational sensory systems in early childhood.

If you don't have this one, you're library is not complete!!
Helpful Votes: 14 out of 16 total.
Review Date: 2003-04-21
Great book, very very good!!! You must have this one for your resource shelves. Therapists need the inventory for use in practice. What a great communication tool for parents, teachers and others to communicate with therapists. It helps parents to 'talk therapy talk,' just by filling in the inventory. The sensory secret checklist is great too. If you put this one on top of your list, you will recommend it too. Easy reading, with life changing information!!!

Great "Intro" Book
Helpful Votes: 16 out of 16 total.
Review Date: 2004-07-08
I found this to be a wonderful book for parents just entering the world of Sensory Integration Dysfunction. I explains so many of the terms and theories used by Occupational Therapists. However, this truly is an introduction, and not very helpful to anyone who has been working with an OT for any length of time.

Great Introduction to Sensory Integration!
Helpful Votes: 18 out of 18 total.
Review Date: 2004-08-03
This book is a great introduction to sensory integration and how our senses effect our learning. As A professional who works with individuals who have sensory difficulties, I feel that this book would be helpful for new teacher trainings, as an introduction to sensory integration, or as a guide to help individuals (such as parents) who do not work in an education or medically based industry that need to gain a better understanding of sensory integration. All teachers should use these basic techniques in their classrooms; for individuals who are interested in a deeper understanding of sensory integration dysfunction and other related difficulties, perhaps a book with a deeper explanation of the CNS and sensory systems would better suit their needs. Overall, it's a good quick read!

sensory secrets how to jump start learning in children
Helpful Votes: 40 out of 41 total.
Review Date: 2004-07-13
Of everything that I've read this is the best book. Its a fairly quick read. It's broken down into very specific catigories. It gives you warning signs. It tells you how to work on a problem with professionals. It shows you hundreds of ways to work on each specific sensory motor problem. It also helps you to evaluate your own child and explains how certain holes in the learning foundation could quickly lead to learning diviculties later on in life (early grade school). If you feel that there is a problem with your child and you can't put your finger on it - this is the book that will give you invaluable stepping stones.


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