Schools and Instruction Books

Being a former student of this teacher. I am baffled at how fate allows her to share in any success at all. She was a horid teacher and turned me away when I came to her for help. She was always complaining about god in school, and was basically the worst of the liberal teachers out there. 12 years later I still feel as if she should have been a teacher and I hope she is exposed for what she is.

Firek's book is an exceptionally well written and practical resource that could be used by teachers in other subjects as well as English. The suggestions are easy to implement and will help teachers make their classes more interesting and thus motivate their students to be active learners. I highly recommend this book for all teachers!

I admit it. Even though I know how to check my email and use the computer and love the DVD player, I'm more of a technological dinosaur rather than a soldier on the front lines. I think technology can be a useful thing, yet at the same time I think we've become too dependent upon technology in our society. We created machines to help us, but the machines are really controling us. As a future English teacher, my beliefs can present an interesting dilemma. I'm not that big a fan of technology, yet I am going to be required to use it in the classroom. 10 EASY WAYS has helped me see how I can somewhat painlessly do that. The book is divided into 10 chapters: audio theatre, video projects, movies in the classroom, television as a short story, key pals, interactive writing, real research, concept-mapping software, class websites, and PowerPoint presentations. The first four chapters deal with technology besides computers and the last six chapters are all computer related.

I enjoyed the first four chapters much more than the last six. To begin with, I think it's easier for teachers to incorporate movies, videos, audio theatre, and television into the classroom than all the computer stuff. I also believe that those things have a greater relevancy to an English classroom than much of the things discussed in the computer related sections. Most students are probably going to be more computer literate than their teachers are anyway. Besides, I'd rather foster a love for literature in students rather than waste classtime teaching them to use email.

With that said, 10 EASY WAYS has illustrated to me much better than other ways I have been taught, how I could incorporate computer related lessons into my teaching if I so chose. The only problem is, technology like the ones discussed in the book is constantly changing and some of the things the book talks about might not be around in a couple years. Nevertheless, the book is filled with useful ideas that any teacher of English can use.

Firek thinks of it all - audio, video, TV, movies, keypals, word processing, WebQuests, concept mapping, websites, and PowerPoint - and explains how all these strategies are within our grasp for improving language arts learning/teaching. Easy to read, easy to do. Firek uses student voices and actual projects, like "Star Wars: Macbeth" to guide me. Excellent. Thanks for the ideas in one good book.

This is a highly accessible and fun guide to infusing technology into classroom learning. It's chock full of great examples and ideas, and the format makes it easy to use. Teachers of all subjects and at all grade levels can adapt the many excellent suggestions to the needs of their students. Buy this book and watch enthusiasm for learning bloom in your classroom!

Anna Kealoha provides as a successful mother of four and homeschool teacher provides an insightful ideology of teaching. Her experience also crafts this book as a resource that is abundant with a myriad of wonderful ways to learn.

As a pioneer of the home and school method, what Kealoha calls blend schooling, she offers a revolutionary way to look at education. She accomplishes this noteworthy task in a very practical and straightforward manner, drawing on academic theories, but only engaging that which is crucial to a parent's or educator's knowledge.

The result of this conglomerate of philosophy and practical wisdom is a wealth of information sure to assist any person concerned about their child's education.

This book had the potential to be really good, but it does not live up to this potential. Kealoha indulges herself in a brief 2 paragraphs about homebirth because "homeschooling is a natural continuation of homebirth..." While I support homebirth, this book is not about homebirth and 2 paragraphs cannot begin to treat the complex issues surrounding birth. To me, and possibly to other readers who, like me, are/were unable to birth at home, the statement that "parents should always be in complete control of the birthing situation and ... and should not readily give away their birthing power to the medical establishment" is ignorant and offensive, and smacks of snobbery.

Ignoring the extraneous and poorly-worded birthing topic, there is much that is useful in the book. However, there is also a great deal of 'filler' material that bore an unhealthy resemblance to the dittos and busy work that I remember from my own public school days. This book should have been written and edited with greater care. I imagine the author decided to write a book about alternative homelearning, wrote a few worthwhile paragraphs, then collected material willy-nilly to make a full-length book.

A better approach might be to write about homelearning as a personal endeavor and, when the material has piled up quite naturally, to edit ruthlessly, before even considering publication.

You will not find repeats from homeschool help books here! It is a fun and extremely creative book full of educational games, most used spelling words, fantastic quotes, play-dough recipes, teaching ideas, writing ideas, memory tips, art ideas, much much more! A really fun fun and stimulating book for all ages and all experience levels. It is not strictly from a Christian perspective and I find myself mentally replacing her few references to a high power with the words "God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob" but not a problem. Very non-denominational. My favorite part is where she has you visualize your perfect learning space....as a project for planning but with involvment from kids. Describe the lighting, the art, the books, the colors, the nature stuff, the seating, the work space, etc. and with her own helpful ideas. This is a "learning space" and not a "classroom". A real inspiration for that hs burn out that sets in once in a while. Not a book that you read from cover to cover, but one you keep going back to often and skipping all around. Especially for those with a desire to incorporate some unschooling ideas. Worth buying!

Anna Kealoha is clearly a connoisseur of teaching and learning, and she is happy to share her "secret recipes" for joyful and successful home education.

This encyclopedic cookbook of recipes for learning is jam-packed with creative ideas that will appeal to parents and children of all ages. It is incredibly comprehensive, with a wide variety of games, curriculum outlines, inspirational essays, lists of resources, and more.

My husband likes the logic puzzles and book lists. My older daughter likes the math section, where she finds endless inspiration for charting, graphing, and calendarizing her life. My youngest finds the word games exciting. And I find a welcome surprise on every page!

So, like Grandma's recipe book, this wise and wonderful guidebook has never yet made it onto the bookshelf at our house -- because someone is always using it!

As a homeschooling mother of four, the best testament for this book came the day the children began to use it for ideas and inspiration. Anna Kealoha has a beautiful and thoughtful attitude about how, why and when to teach our own whether homeschooling or not.

Arrived in excellent condition, fabulous book,prompt service, couldn't ask for any better value!

If you are a fan of the Hudson River school, you will not be disappointed with this book. The illustrations are large and clear, and the overview is precise. However, as noted by a previous reviewer, this is not a very detailed book. It is only a coffee table book after all.

I was more than pleased when I received this book. I teach American Literature classes at a university. I have been searching for an art book which represents adequate examples of the Hudson River School. I plan to use this book to show students samples of this type of early American art including artist Thomas Cole's paintings in connection with this time period in literature. I feel I could not have ordered a book which could have suited my purposes any better!

This book is a reprint of a 1978 exhibition catalogue of one person's private collection. There is a short (7 page) essay at the beginning which gives an overview of the Hudson River School. The rest of the book consists of illustrations of around 60 paintings, each by a different artist. Most of the artists are obscure, while the well-known painters (Bierstadt, Church, Cole) are not represented by their best works.

If you want an in-depth study of the Hudson River School with illustrations of its best paintings, this is not the book for you.

I was pleased to receive this book in a timely matter. It was in good condition when I received it.

Did not use in my assignments - other texts were necessary. I believe it will be a good reference for first year teaching.

Finally... I found an author and educator who states the obvious. In order to be a successful teacher, one has to first understand oneself as a person - the positive and negative aspects of our personality and identity that impact our instruction. Only by understanding these issues are teachers freed to "move the learner to the center".

Borich does an outstanding job utilizing a friendly, conversational manner of writing that easily engages the reader. Research seems to be placed in a better context when Borich "keeps it real" for the reader.

I especially appreciate his chapter on questioning strategies, a blatent area of weakness for many beginning and veteran teachers alike. He even extends questions techniques into promoting thinking and problem solving.

Finally, Borich successfully articulates the value of group collaboration often overlooked by teachers hooked on cooperative learning. One cannot exist without the other or student accountablily will drop and student frustration will prevail.

This is a must read book for any teacher trainer in search of research to support effective teaching methods.

I have read many methods books over the past 4 years. This book was the initial text required in a methods class. I found it to be very poor in detail (especially for the preservice teacher). I finished the book wondering, "where are the specific how to's?" I felt that I wasn't prepared to go into a classroom to teach a lesson. We were all struggling in class.
So, I decided to go to another college bookstore and found "Methods for Effective Teaching" by Paul Burden. This book answered all my questions and went into great detail. It is based on the INTASC Standards and PLT of the Praxis.

Olmstead's book is long overdue. While the research appears thorough and the writing professional, there's at least one outright mistake. Olga Samaroff (Stokowski) never taught at the Curtis Institute, rather the Philadelphia Conservatory in the same city. She also implies that the Institute of Musical Art was the equal of the Juilliard Graduate School. All you have to do is compare the faculty and the student body prior to the merger to see that JGS was indeed where the hotshots were concentrated. I have personally concluded that the book is reliable in reporting on the post World War II Juilliard but take her account of its early years with a grain of salt. This is understandable since most of the "old guard" are now deceased. Still, a valuable reference for those of us in the field.

Congratulations on a major contribution to American music. I read "Juilliard: A History" with admiration for its fine scholarship and courage in writing about contemporary events and still powerful people with such honesty.

The name Juilliard has been held synonymous with classical music training for so long that it is surprising that no-one has taken a potshot at it. This book is neither for or against Juilliard, but rather an appraisal of its strengths and weaknesses through a look at its history. The chapter on drama, containing so many references to now-household names, might be of particular interest to the casual reader. Dancers may be interested to find out why their department was forced to compete with another school in their own building. Musicians, whether they attended Juilliard or not, will find a lot of Olmstead's observations titillating. A good read, and a lot of insight from someone who worked there.

Olmstead's book is long overdue. While the research appears thorough and the writing professional, there's at least one outright mistake. Olga Samaroff (Stokowski) never taught at the Curtis Institute, rather the Philadelphia Conservatory in the same city. She also implies that the Institute of Musical Art was the equal of the Juilliard Graduate School. All you have to do is compare the faculty and the student body prior to the merger to see that JGS was indeed where the hotshots were concentrated. I have personally concluded that the book is reliable in reporting on the post World War II Juilliard but take her account of its early years with a grain of salt. This is understandable since most of the "old guard" are now deceased. Still, a valuable reference for those of us in the field.

I found Speck to be open and frank in his discussion on sex, and included a number of testimonies from youth who are dealing with or have dealt with issues in regards to this. He bases everything he writes on the authority of God's Word, not picking a verse out of context, but the principles the Bible teaches as a whole, and applying these to specific situations. Good for a family read, youth group, or on your own.

Mr. Speck is a wonderful Christian human being. His book is a wonderful book of fear and oppression for teens.

1. If you're gay, its wrong and you'll go to hell.

That's all I needed to read (although, yes, I did read a lot more). My favourite part was where Greg mentioned what seems the only possible symtoms a gay person demonstrates in their depressive and devilish lives. The whole multiple partners and drinking binges due to the lack inside themselves that they are trying to fill.

I think, in my opinion of course, Mr. Speck needs to go back to school (theological school also) and learn a little more in a many myriad of subjects. I think he lacks intellect and love. I think there is a hole in Speck. He needs to fill that hole with love, not words from the Bible.

If I could give this books 0 stars I would. The book is a disgrace to society and most definately to teens...

...unless of course you desire to instill fear into your children so they will follow your example of the world, instead of their own.

A wonderful quote for those who might be interested -

"If what we believed to be true was actually the truth, there would be little room for advance" - Orville Wright; Inventor of the Airplane.

Peace,
El.

Interesting.Informative. Easy to read. Teenagers will enjoy. I am using this book as a basis for teenage sex education class as well as the videotapes. Mr. Speck even suggests to teenageers that they write to him regarding their concerns. This is an excellent book.

Speck's gem of a book, Sex: It's Worth Waiting For, is pure gospel. Asserting that Jesus is the answer, Speck masterfully and tastefully weaves his way through the tangled web of teenage sexuality. He cuts no corners and leaves few stones unturned. Especially appreciated is the frank and useful chapter on masturbation. Although somewhat dated, the book is a helpful tool and an easy yet spiritually challenging book for the struggling teen.

I grew up learning the Suzuki method and believe in it 100%. This should really be learned with an instructor versus being self-taught. Suzuki method is also a philosophy - look for the book by Suzuki himself explaining this. My violin teacher made all her students' parents read this when we started lessons.

This collection of songs not only is a good collection to learn various techniques on the violin, but I still have fun years later playing them over and over.

Violin teacher recommended book after finishing Vol. 1. It is clear and concise.

thirty five days passed, and i have not get the cd yet, how can i review it?!

This book is an excellent teaching book for anyone!
Here are the songs: Chorus from "Judas Maccabaeus" by G.F. Handel, Musette by J.S. Bach, Hunters' Chorus by C.M. von Weber, Long, Long Ago, by T.H. Bayly, Waltz by J. Brahms, Bourree by G.F. Handel, The Two Grenadiers by R. Schumann, Theme from "Witches' Dance" by N. Paganini, Gavotte from "Mignon" by A. Thomas, Gavotte by J.B. Lully, Minuet in G by L. van Beethoven, and Minuet by L. Boccherini.

I've only played a couple songs so far, and they are beautiful. I like the Suzuki method because each book gives you a solid foundation and a little taste for the next book to come. I have this CD that comes with it, and the songs are WAY too fast for me to play along with. Also, the book gives you fingerings above most notes, which is a little drawback.

The bottomline is that the Suzuki series is excellent and I would recommend it anyone beginning the violin! :D

In a time when integrating technology into our classrooms is not only desirable, but also necessary, useful resources are like gold. "Computers in the Classroom : How Teachers and Students Are Using..." is 10 carat. As the title indicates, the authors have compiled an assortment of examples of how teachers and students are using technology as a tool for learning and impacting their communities. For example, one section describes a project that was implemented in an inner-city school by three different departments. A required interdisciplinary course called "Newark Studies" involves students in producing and publishing a magazine about their community, with the help of technology donated by Apple Education Grant funds. Like this example, the book is filled with stories of children who are learning to use technology to accomplish goals, rather than simply playing games or drilling skills. The authors didn't really give specific instructions on how to implement programs, but provided a valuable resource for those in search of ideas. 1 3/4 thumbs up!

"Computers in the Classroom: How Teachers and Students Are Using Technology to Transform Learning" is written by Andrea R. Gooden, the former program manager for the Education Grants program at Apple Computers, Inc. Having known that, I expected this book to be informative and of course, filled with success stories. This book highlights six schools in impoverished communities, all whom received money from the Apple Computer's Educational Grants program. The stories include high schools in New York, Pennsylvania, California, and South Dakota. Elementary schools covered in this book represent Louisiana and New York. Each story discusses the ways in which technology was used to enhance, and sometimes enable education. Students used computers to experience education rather then simply learn. Technology was the key that unlocked the door to success for these students. This book included actual work from students and teacher comments. Although this book does not fully describe the programs used at these schools, it does provide information and resources. This book is not a teacher's lesson guide; it is a teacher's inspiration.

Advocates for computers have been proclaiming for years the ways that technology can reshape not only the way teachers teach but also the way students learn. This book looks at 6 different winners of grants from Apple computers. How did these schools use the computers to change their learning cultures?

As you read the diverse situations, you will start to see some commonalities. The first piece that is similar between the different books is that the teachers who initiate the change all desire to see an improvement in the students' lives. This may seem simple, but without a shadow of a doubt, this is what makes the projects actually work. The next commonality is that all the projects involve connections with the community. Many people try to make learning relate to student's lives, but this book recognizes and lauds when a school connects student learning, the community and the students. The final commonality I am going to mention is that of the way the technology was used. The technology is seen as a catalyst for changing the very way the material is presented. The teachers in this book desire to reshape the lecture culture in their schools. They see that the technology can help them to make that change happen. Thus, the students use the technology as an integral part of what they are doing, without the technology becoming the focus. The technology is a tool, but more than that is a means by which the students can learn in ways that they could never learn before.

I find it fascinating that the motivation of the students and change in the culture was not due to the technology. The technology allowed the students and teachers to reach into their local community in ways that they were unable to do before. Actually, its not that they were unable to do it, its just that the computers made it a smoother and more logical connection. The primary lesson that I learned from this book was not that computers need to be in the classroom. It was that the classroom needs to have the tools necessary to connect with the larger community in which the students live. They need to see themselves a valuable and contributing part of this inclusive community.

In my view, our larger culture encourages us to separate ourselves from one another. We need to make sure that whether it is schools, organizations, businesses or individuals, there is always something tying us to the area in which we live.

I actually expected this book to outline strategies to help with classroom management in any music class or performing ensemble. What I got was a book full of things I already knew (how to make assessments, seating charts, and rubrics) and contradictions. In the beginning of the book, she outlines her classroom management plan. I'm sure it works for her and probably some other teachers, but it wasn't useful to me. She stated that she takes 25 points from students grades if they receive 3 checks during the week and later states that you shouldn't grade based on behavior!? Our school forbids grading based on behavior, so clearly, that's not going to work for me.

She did have some good ideas, like making sure you are organized and clear with your expectations. She also mentioned that you have to be really vigilant for catching and issuing consequences to all students that misbehave. Honestly, that stuff is not worth buying a book about.

Finally, an excellent resource for grammar school music teachers. Written as if in friendly converstation with someone who knows how it is for real in the classroom!

I stumbled to the end of my first year of teaching in June, and like the author (and every first year teacher I've ever heard of), I needed to address my classroom management before coming back to the classroom. I was dissappointed the book didn't come out until later in the summer, but it's short enough that it's taken me only a few days to go through it: a pleasant change from the old college textbooks I've been mining.

The book is written very informally, which was off-putting at first. I've come to expect the tone of "Here's what to do". This book is more like having an experienced colleague handing you her beginning of the year material and prepping you for your classes. Rather than saying "It's important that your discipline system is fair," Haugland says, "Here's my discipline system and why I think it works." Most books of this type are hesitant to give you a method, and would rather give you theories and refer you to your mentor teacher or college professors. Refreshingly, this book gives you a method, as well as valuable appendices, such as the check system that she uses in class, and a copy of her chorus handbook (which I'm using right now as a reminder of what I've left out of mine).

Haugland is very clear that hers is not the only or necessarily best way for every situation, but having just finished my first year, I know that just having a management plan that has been road tested is a key to getting past the management and into the teaching.

Memorize this book before you interview for a single teaching job.

Its a good book in general. It has a good print quality and the tutorials, tips are good. But it only has 40 pages of tutoriales over 150 pages more or less. The rest of the book are illustrations from readers. I think the images of tutoriales are a little small.

Perhaps, the tutorials are too varied... I suppose people want to learn about photoshop o inkinkg more than watercolors...

This book is full of truly amazing color artwork by talented people, there is no denying that.

Unfortunately the majority of the book is like the that. Probably less than 1/3 of this book has tutorials and I would consider them to be rather advanced techniques.

But Id still suggest it to those with a good knowledge of drawing manga already, especially if looking for inspiration.

This Book is FREAKING AWESOME! The frist time I pick up this book. I had artist over load. I mean this book is really freaking amazing. The first 44 pgs. are all on different types of Style using color. and how to do them in full detail.It also has 50 page of pure Illustrations.Plus, on top of that. there's section on black and white styles in the back. This book, is a how to draw and Ilustration book in one. trust me, save ten dollars.and buy this BOOK. It's wroth it. seven times over. with the information inside.