Product Description
Whatever It Takes: How Professional Learning Communities Respond When Kids Don t Learn examines the question, What happens when, despite our best efforts in the classroom, a student does not learn? . A professional learning community creates a school-wide system of interventions that provides all students with additional time and support when they experience difficulty in their learning. The authors describe the systems of interventions, including Adlai E. Stevenson High School s Pyramid of Interventions, created by a high school, a middle school, and two elementary schools. The authors also discuss the logistical barriers these schools faced and their strategies for overcoming them.
Customer Reviews:
"Blame the Teachers!" says this book.......2007-09-15
The book has some good points (maybe one and a half stars), but it was difficult to read it due to my eyes rolling at every other sentence.
To James O'Keefe: Right on! I totally agree 100%. You need to write a book! (It might be difficult to get it published though, considering the PLCC has probably got a stronghold on all educational publishing.) Teamwork is great and definitely has its place. But this book is talking about much more than teamwork. It's talking about placing 100% of the blame on teachers and principals. What about the parents? What about the student who won't even try to learn?
Regarding what another reviewer wrote: Well, two comments: First of all, it's funny you mentioned Koolade in your review. Speaking of Koolade: Don't drink it! Too many people already have! (If you don't know what I'm talking about, I suggest you read up on the modern history of cults.) Secondly, speaking of water fountains, I have this to say: You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink it.
One more thing about this book: The authors compare certain teachers (ones who believe in the "horse" metaphor above), to Pontius Pilate. You know, the guy who literally ordered Jesus to be crucified. All I can say is this: I'm a teacher at a low socio-economic school, I work 50-60 hours a week, I get along with my colleagues and students, and yet I do believe in the horse metaphor. The Pontius Pilate metaphor is just a bunch of, well, to put it in educated words, insulting, ridiculous, abusive slander to the teachers and principals who work so hard every single day.
Should have been an essay........2007-08-06
Basic ideas are sound, but I think nothing ground-breaking. I felt that each chapter could have been shortened into a paragraph or two. At most, this should have been an essay. Based on the way the book was written, I got the feeling that the authors were trying to influence the reader much the same way as a cult would try to brainwash a prospective member. While I agree that teachers should teach children to learn, I feel that the student will be in trouble upon graduation as the system of support will be gone. They will have to perform or fail... period. I felt the book to be too wordy, too preachy, too liberal... did I say too wordy?
Dragged Towards the End.......2007-05-30
I haven't finished this book yet. I found the beginning useful and read it on recommendation of a former principal. There is a lot of talk about secondary schools.
Educational Professionals and Parents Take Heed!!.......2007-05-13
This is an outstanding, must read book for all professional educators (K-12). This book adroitly points out how public (and private) education needs to address and fix what is wrong with our educational system today. While we have moved into a new century education has not. This book is showing us the way to be successful and competitive in the world around us. It is a guide book that school boards, superintendents, principals, counselors, teachers, and parents need to embrace because it is about the LEARNING not about covering a subject that allows our students (our greatest treasure and asset) to fall through cracks of an antiquated system. As a professional educator of thirty-five years, I whole heartedly recommend that you read this book.
Great ideas.......2007-05-13
There are some great ideas in this book to help at-risk, low-achieving students. I look forward to implementing some of them!
Book Description
-Repetition of excerpts of complete conversations
-French language rules explained in a simple way
-CDs with booklet containing actual transcripts of French natives with the translations
-Color-coding shows what is and what is not pronounced in spoken French
Learning a foreign language is typically a very frustrating experience. After spending countless hours in a classroom environment, most find that they are still unable to comprehend "real world" French as it is naturally spoken between native French people.
To learn a language one has to develop speaking as well as understanding skills. What to do first is a matter of choice. To learn a few sentences to get by is good but to understand what's coming back to you is also important. Besides developing your speaking abilities, SmartFrench will develop your listening skills, which will raise your confidence to speak naturally (Just learning basic sentences will make you sound too "proper"). For better progress, this process of speaking and understanding should be done simultaneously and the sooner the better, right at the beginner level. If you go to France soon, SmartFrench will help you tremendously. You will feel "connected".
Some people think that developing understanding skills should be a part of the beginner level training. With these CDs you will learn how to understand and speak. A beginner is naturally not expected to be able to understand dialogs at real speed right away, but with a little patience, you will soon feel more and more confident about your ability to "talk" French just by learning how to recognize the "rhythm" of the language and its predictable patterns.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful and innovative with great results.......2007-10-03
Great course! The progress I have made just after two weeks of studying is incredible. Last time I studied French was 10 years ago in college. I retained some grammar and a small vocabulary. Three months ago, I renewed my interest in improving my French. I have learned a lot of new words and phrases on my own. However, comprehension was the elusive part which to me was the MOST important. After researching all available learning courses (took me two weeks of reading and going to various stores), I had finally found "Smart French." After exploring the website and listening to the demo, I was convinced this was a great product.
I have been studying the CDs for the past 2 weeks and I cannot believe the change in my listening and comprehension! My biggest frustration has always been the inability to separate the words and phrases in spoken French. Now, I can listen and discern TF1 news reports and interviews (I can actually understand what Thierry Henry is saying!). On top of that, my speech has changed - my French has acquired a melody and tone to it that surprised even my French speaking friends. I spend 2 hrs a day listening and repeating; to the point that I can feel the muscles in my face being `trained' to move in a different way. No other French class had such results for me. The phonetics I was taught in college sound primitive and crude in comparison to the way I am learning to speak now.
If you want to learn 10-20 "plastic" phrases so you can find a bathroom in Paris - buy a $5 phrasebook and don't waste your time and money. If you don't want to spend time, work hard and dedicate yourself to learning - hire an interpreter.
Learning a foreign language is 10% talent and 90% work. You still have to learn words, phrases and grammar but you don't need expensive CDs for that. Purchase some books and a dictionary, and study, study, study. Any idiot can do that.
"Smart French" has what you cannot get from books - live language - spoken by French people (from France). Not a 100 pre-packaged phrases in Canadian, North African or American accents which many other products use.
There was a comment regarding the sound quality which is completely without merit. There's nothing wrong with the microphone. The teaching part is recorded with crisp studio sound and the actual conversation reflects the natural sound. What you are hearing is exactly what you hear when you are speaking to people in real life - it is very important to learn to understand people in a natural environment.
Those who leave bad reviews are looking for some sort of magic - maybe watched `Matrix' too many times. Foreign languages are learned through studying; not downloaded into the brain while you sleep.
I recommend "Smart French" to everyone, advanced as well as beginners. A very basic knowledge of French would help the beginner student to better appreciate this course but it's never too early to study with "Smart French."
It Isn't 'Smart' to Have to Guess........2007-09-17
As a French instructor, I can say that it isn't 'smart' not to understand what the native speakers are babbling on the CDs. In order to truly learn to speak French (or any language for that matter) you must first 'understand'. Also, the amount vocabulary presented in this course is low.
A much clearer and better alternative to 'Unsmart French' is Behind the Wheel French 8 CDs which offers a clear English translation for every native speaker's word. Behind the Wheel French (8 CD Course) (Behind the Wheel)
Furthermore, this same 8CD course is available with a great book (also in French with English translations, explanations, etc ...) Behind the Wheel French 1 Revised/Complete Illustrated Text & CD Script/Answer Keys/8 One Hour Audio CDs
Best in French learning to you.
SmartSpanish CDs.......2007-09-16
I started studying Spanish 20 years ago when I was a union organizer for the Roofers. I took some college correspondence courses. A few years later I left that job to work as a pipefitter.
When I quit organizing, I decided to continue to study Spanish on my own. I bought all the typical educational tapes, the ones where you repeat a
sentence after the voice on the tape. I started reading Spanish nearly every night, to increase my vocabulary. I read one or two Spanish novels a month, depending on how much time I have.
I recently started to work on big, overtime constructions jobs. The past
year I have been on big jobs in Texas, where at least half the workers on
the job speak Spanish. Some speak both English and Spanish, but a lot of the workers speak only Spanish.
I quickly discovered a few things:
One, I had a great Spanish vocabulary. I am like a walking Spanish
dictionary. I'd say I've a bigger vocabulary than 80% of the Spanish
speaking guys on the job. Spanish speaking guys often ask me for the most
correct Spanish word for certain things.
Secondly, I discovered I couldn't understand anything spoken in spanish. There is a lot of slang, but that wasn't the problem. When somebody said something, or when I listened to someone talking on a spanish TV program, a spoken sentence or paragraph sounded like one long, hundred sylable word. It all ran together, I pick up a work here or there, it sounded like it always did before I learned any spanish.
And thirdly, when I spoke spanish to anyone, it was as if I were looking words up in the spanish dictionary and talking, slowly, haltingly.
These cds were like the missing piece of my spanish education. I'm not even done with the first set yet, since I am working 7 days a week, 10 or 12 hours a day. But shortly after starting listening to the cds, playing them over a few times, my listening comprehension increase dramatically. This is really a major turning point for me. The more I can understand by listening,the more spanish idioms and slang I learn. Now, turning on the TV and watching a spanish movie is a learning experience for me. Listening to guys talking at work is a learning experience, since I can understand them. I am now conversing much more on the job, with much more confidence.
Again, I believe these cds were the key. What a great product. I wish I had them years ago. Though I have the Spanish CDs I am posting this review here because I believe listening comprehension is an important key to learning any language.-Greg
Completely worthless........2007-09-12
This CD teaches you no vocabulary at all. All you do is listen to a frenchman babble on relentlessly and you don't have a clue what he is saying. Sure, if you want to learn to pronounce incomprehensible words, its fine but if you want to learn french it is worthless and I have had plenty of french classes in my time.
Gimmicky. Better with Behind the Wheel French.......2007-09-08
In a word, Smart French embodies the worst of 'Gimmicky' language courses. Instead of following a more
practical and common-sense approach, this method relies on more unconventional and ineffective methods.
For an original, yet very effective method for learning French quickly and without unusual sounds or gimmicks, I would highly recommend you try Behind the Wheel French 8 CD.
Book Description
The all new, updated, enhanced edition of the best-selling Learn in Your Car Foreign Language Series is ready to be released this Fall. In addition, this exciting new edition includes a Travelogue DVD of the relevant destination countries for each language. This added feature will enrich the learning experience and add that extra stimulus to motivate users with their studies.
Customer Reviews:
Great idea but give it enough time to work!.......2007-10-02
We're planning on visiting France someday so I got these CDs just as a "get started" project. I have a 20 minute drive to work everyday so I play these and I'm surprised that I'm actually retaining what I'm learning. I wouldn't mind if it worked faster but then again, I'm just doing this in my spare time.
Downsides:
1) You must play them pretty loud to hear the proper pronunciation and inflection. This isn't really a problem if you're alone in your car.
2) This doesn't really help with reading or writing but it does include books to go over while you're not driving! :D
Overall, I'm very satisfied with this product. I am speaking basic French with no prior French experience.
great prep for trip to France.......2007-09-02
I used the Learn in Your Car for about 6 weeks prior to a trip to France. I had studied French in high school for 5 years (graduated 25 years ago), so had some basis on which to build my language skills. The whole set was highly enjoyable, fun to use and really helped me when I got there. It is delivered in easily digestible bits, is clearly spoken and puts in useful conversational items. I also like the way it builds from the simplist of useful terms to incorporate more complicated vocabularly and grammar.
I had to report a broken washing machine to the manager of the home we rented. While it didn't actualy teach the words "The washing machine is broken." It did teach Do laundry and "it doesn't work" (in the car section). So, I was able to communicate this. I also had to inquire about a lost drivers license and employed some phrases taught in the CD to discuss this.
I had bought a french language Grammar Book along with the CDs. It was so overwhelming that I couldn't even get past the first chapter. I think the CDs are a terrific way to get immersed in the language that make it fun and enjoyable. Even my kids liked hearing it and repeating the phrases in the car.
People with no prior French language experience will have to go slower and may require more time to get up to speed.
Once I got to France, I sometimes found it hard to understand responses to my beautifully asked questions! However, the French were terrific at helping me with the language and explaining things slowly. I think more time with the CDs would have been useful: I only got through the 5th CD (Middle of the 2nd level).
I would highly recommend it to others planning travel to France.
Easy to use.......2007-08-12
All I can really say is that its easy to use and learn from... A good way to learn if you're always on the go.
Not bad, but not great.......2007-07-26
We bought this CD because we spend most of our time driving around in the car, and other products require that you follow along in a book. We found that some of the words were outdated (saying "garcon" for waiter, other books said whatever you do, don't call your waiters "garcon"). Also, it goes a little fast, so you have to listen over and over to get stuff. In addition, rather than teaching phrases, they concentrate on single words. Some of the best things that I did before I went to France was to learn my numbers, but this tape skips over numbers as they become repetitive (30, 31, 32, 40, 41, 42), which makes it hard to follow as numbers in French are not always the easiest.
Listening to it several times, though, I did pick up several words that were very useful ("billet" for ticket came in handy many times), so it did have some benefits.
You'll be Speaking French in No Time!.......2007-06-27
These cd's are great! Just pop 'em in your car and you'll be speaking French in no time! I have tried other products but for some reason I get bored because the process is slow or I don't really feel like I'm learning anything useful. (Like Eddie Izzard says, it's hard to work "le singe est dan l'arbre" into a conversation). Not the case with these! It teaches you things you'll need to know to get around first and then goes into the more obscure words and phrases. I listen and repeat in my car and then use the booklet at home to look up anything I'm unsure of. I know I'll do great in Paris next spring! If you're thinking of purchasing this product, go for it! You will not be disappointed!
Book Description
The all new, updated, enhanced edition of the best-selling Learn in Your Car Foreign Language Series is ready to be released this Fall. In addition, this exciting new edition includes a Travelogue DVD of the relevant destination countries for each language. This added feature will enrich the learning experience and add that extra stimulus to motivate users with their studies.
Customer Reviews:
Geared for a traveler...........2007-09-24
The value of what you are getting for the price with this set is incredible. There are 11 total discs including the introduction, 8 lessons discs and 2 bonus discs. It includes 3 books (1 for each level) and a case to carry it all in.
The format is good, with English words and phrases followed by a pause then 2 Spanish repetitions each followed by a pause. This gives you a chance to test yourself after the English when you think you've learned and the chance to practice either learning or pronunciation after each of the Spanish.
The books are great, because if you learn like me, they have exactly the same lessons in written format so you can follow along or confirm what you have heard in writing. This has cleared up some pronunciation issues for me.
My only regret with this set, is that the order of the lessons seems to be geared for someone who needs to learn words and phrases a traveler would need first. There are some basics first and then immediately, on the first disc, the lessons go into transportation, hotel, currency, and many other travel related words and phrases. Because you are also being taught some basics and conjugation of verbs at the same time, you really can't skip these sections and come back to them later, or you will miss some of the basics that will be built upon later. So...long story short, as someone who will not be travelling who wants to learn Spanish to help at work and getting along in society, it has frustrated me that I cannot use a lot of what I am learning so far. I can ask where the bus, train, train station, airport and taxi are. I can ask for a one way ticket, how to get a taxi from the airport, and how to get the train from Madrid to Paris, but I can't yet ask for 2 pounds of chicken at the local Mexican grocery store that I frequent.
So...you'll need to be patient. I do like that they alternate a man and woman doing the English and Spanish and then vice versa on the next lesson. This exposes you to different pronunciations and voices and keeps the boredom at bay.
I do recommend this set as a starter, but I will also be buying another to see if I can find something better.
Muy Bueno!.......2007-09-12
I love these CDs and highly recommend them. They are so helpful with conversational Espanol. I've learned so much!
Great set..........2007-08-12
A must have for the busy person who needs to learn another language in a short period of time...
Good Value for cost.......2007-08-09
I've taken 2 yrs of high school Spanish so this was a great refresher.
It has been about 15yrs since I was in high school. If someone is trying to learn by JUST a cd set; it is pretty unrealistic. You should also be using books as a supplemental since most people learn by hearing and seeing. I am happy with this cd set though because it is very much like listening to a teacher in class and for very little cost.
Agreed. Behind the Wheel Spanish is Much Better.......2007-07-01
After being told that I was going 'south of the border' in just two weeks for business, my attention turned to the fastest way to learn Spanish, which I knew nothing of.
I used everything from cheap and small 'cheat sheet' style books like
1001 Most Useful Spanish Words. These helped.
I also used a great verb reference by a guy named Kendris entitled
'501 Spanish Verbs'.
I bombed with a cours called 'Spanish for Dummies' where the dummy was me for buying the course.
Learn in Your Car seemed like a natural for me, since I am constantly in my car. The problem is that the course didn't really teach me to 'communicate' in Spanish. It did help me somewhat though, thus the three star rating.
The two best courses I used and still use are 'Behind the Wheel Spanish CDs' and 'Converational Spanish in Nothing Flat', both by Language Dynamics. These guys really teach to how to speak and undertand Spanish fast an I learned enough in two weeks to communicate.Behind the Wheel Spanish/Complete Illustrated Text/Answer Keys/8 One Hour
Book Description
"When it comes to brain research,David Sousa is first among peers. His straightforward explanation of the intricacies of the brain, based on solid research, turns theory into practice allowing educators to immediately operationalize concepts into classroom practice."
—Jim Grant, International Educator, Author, Keynote Speaker
Staff Development for Educators
"A wonderful and thorough compendium of how our brain learns. Packed with both scientific and practical information."
—Eric Jensen, Speaker, Author, Trainer, and Consultant
Jensen Learning Corporation
"
How the Brain Learns
is an excellent text for educators who are looking to take the next step beyond the confines of the traditional model of direct instruction and who wish to ground their professional development in research about the brain. The chapter on 'The Brain and the Arts' in particular is superb."
—Geoffrey Caine, Executive Director
Caine Learning
Use the power of neuroscience to develop better students in your class!
How the Brain Learns, Third Edition, the newly revised and updated edition of this powerful and practical bestseller, examines remarkable new research and developments in brain functioning while continuing its successful tradition of translating this information into effective classroom strategies and activities.
In this revised edition, best-selling author David A. Sousa explores source material on brain research, including basic brain structures, how the brain processes information, memory and retention, and the transfer of knowledge to enhance present and future learning. In addition to critical new research about how the brain acquires language, the updated text includes:
- An expanded chapter on thinking skills applying the recently revised Bloom’s Taxonomy
- A revised Information Processing Model to reflect new terminology and understanding about memory systems
- Additional new examples of how emotions influence learning and memory
- New Practitioner’s Corners to assess understanding of major concepts and how these translate into effective classroom strategies
- Updated bibliography and Internet resources
- An engaging new 2-color interior design
How the Brain Learns, Third Edition is an indispensable tool for all educators—school administrators and teachers, staff developers, preservice students and faculty, and parents who want to better understand the way their children process and retain information.
See Facilitator's Guide to How the Brain Learns, 3rd Edition
Customer Reviews:
good book.......2007-10-05
good book, i pass ATSW in one try after i study this book, provide almost everything you need for the ATSW.
Comprehensive but readable.......2007-09-17
This book was required reading for a seminar. It is very easy to read, but it also contains a lot of good information. I was particularly taken with the Practitioner's Corner at the end of each chapter with suggestions for using the information provided within the chapter inside the classroom.
Excellent Work.......2007-02-22
This book is invaluable in its clarification of current brain research and its impact on learning. Excellent book for teachers.
Practical & Informative.......2006-02-07
The title of this book pretty much spells it out: Dr. Sousa explains how brains learn. Considering the subject, the text is very readable--enough to recommend this book to anyone who wants an understanding of how we are able to retain information. It covers the entire gamut, from the basics of biology to the subtler aspects of the active mind.
Still, this is really a book for educators. At the end of each chapter are a number of "Practitioner's Corners" where Dr. Sousa describes methods of applying this information in the classroom. Most of these are quite clever and very practical. This book should be on the reading list of all teachers, would-be teachers, and parents.
Educator-friendly.......2005-10-25
This book is an excellent resource for educators. It is easily adapted to classroom use no matter what level is being taught. Great insights to hemisphere preference, transfer, critical thinking, teaching strategies. Even the biology and physiology is palatable. This book would lend itself well as a resource for inservicing teachers with its many practioner's corner activities. I recently read Jensen's Teaching With the Brain in Mind and, while I found that book to be a good one, this book if FAR more useful. Every teacher will find easily adapted activities to put to immediate use. Highly recommended.
Product Description
Discusses important discoveries about how much babies and young children know and learn, and how much parents teach them. Filled with surprise, this vivid, lucid book gives us a new view of the inner life of children. Paperback, 304 pages.
Amazon.com
A trio of nationally respected childhood-development scientists hailing from Berkeley and the University of Washington has authored The Scientist in the Crib to correct a disparity: while popular books about science speak to intelligent, perceptive adults who simply want to learn, books about babies typically just give advice, heavy on the how-to and light on the why. The authors write, "It's as if the only place you could read about evolution was in dog-breeding manuals, not in Stephen Jay Gould; as if, lacking Stephen Hawking's insights, the layman's knowledge of the cosmos was reduced to 'How to find the constellations.'"
The Scientist in the Crib changes that. Standing on the relatively recent achievements of the young field of cognitive science (pointing out that not so long ago, babies were considered only slightly animate vegetables--"carrots that could cry"), the authors succinctly and articulately sum up the state of what's now known about children's minds and how they learn. Using language that's both friendly and smart (and using equally accessible metaphors, everything from Scooby-Doo to The Third Man), The Scientist in the Crib explores how babies recognize and understand their fellow humans, interpret sensory input, absorb language, learn and devise theories, and take part in building their own brains.
Such science makes for great reading, but will likely prove even more useful to readers with a scientist in their own crib, acting as tonic to pseudoscientific how-to baby books that recommend everything "from flash cards, to Mozart tapes, to Better Baby Institutes." As the authors put it, "We want to understand children, not renovate them." --Paul Hughes
Customer Reviews:
at least 6 stars.......2007-06-27
the most amaizing and surprising book, written
with humour and love ; as a physical therapist i am working with small babies,
i recommend this book to everybody who has a baby or works with
them.
Dull and not what i expected.......2007-01-09
Too much filler, not enough actual content regarding how babies learn and how their brain and minds develop. I found this book boring, repetitive and slow- a real disappointment.
Technical but informative.......2006-11-05
Not written to entertain but to help explain their research into the thoughts of babies and how they learn. Example: Follows their experiment on babies and foreign languages, even though these children can't talk yet!
a must-read for new parents.......2006-08-14
There have been so many times since my son was born that I've wondered just what's going on in there. How we can wordlessly communicate, and how much I think he really understands about what's going on around him. This book does an excellent job of demystifying the mind of a baby and explains it in an engaging way. A perfect gift for new parents.
Well-writen survey of current developmental psychology.......2005-07-08
This book is a concise, readable summary of recent science on baby brain development. A nice antidote to all the urban-legend-based/ new-age/ guilt-and-paranoia/ baby literature out there.
Book Description
"
How the Brain Learns to Read makes the important connections between reading and brain research accessible for teachers and parents. It is definitely a book that I will recommend to teachers and my undergraduate and graduate students."
Diane Barone, Professor of Literary Studies
University of Nevada
"
How the Brain Learns to Read is a comprehensive, teacher-friendly book. Sousa not only clarifies the complex act of reading, he provides practical ‘use-tomorrow’ strategies and guidelines for designing a successful reading program. This book makes a significant contribution to the field. I highly recommend it."
Pat Wolfe
Author, Building the Reading Brain, PreK-3
"Sousa has hit a home run with
How the Brain Learns to Read, giving us a specific application of brain research that takes us from generalizing about how the brain learns to how the brain learns to read."
Robin Fogarty, Educational Consultant
Robin Fogarty & Associates, Ltd
Use the power of neuroscience to develop better readers in your class!
What must the brain learn in order to read effectively? What has research revealed about phonics and whole language approaches to reading instruction? Arm yourself with the most current neuroscientific information available and start your students down a lifelong path as successful readers.
How the Brain Learns to Read presents what scientists have uncovered about how children develop spoken language and use spoken language abilities when learning to read. Best-selling author David Sousa explores source material on brain research and provides scores of practical reading strategies for the K-12 classroom. Complete with relevant brain diagrams and informative tables, this exciting new book examines critical concepts including:
- Understanding language acquisition and its relationship to reading
- Incorporating modern research findings in your classroom
- Recognizing and overcoming reading problems, including early intervention programs
- Content area reading with strategies to improve vocabulary and comprehension
- Developing a successful reading program that encourages teachers to be researchers
Reading is essential for success in our society. With this guide to cutting-edge reading research, you’ll find the keys to unlocking reading success in your students!
See
David A. Sousa's How the Brain Learns, The 4-Book Collection
Customer Reviews:
Good book.......2007-07-05
This book is useful. It was a required text for a graduate level class I took for my Master's degree.
Awesome Info on Brain Development.......2007-05-12
I am a staff developer for teachers and parents regarding children from pre-birth to 99. The information that Sousa delivers in this text is invaluable. It helps us to understand in layman's terms, exactly what is involved in the brain and learning to read. Sousa is a topnotch author writing in a way that is so user friendly for parents, teachers, caretakers, administration....
I use his books like bibles when I instruct. Thank you Dr. Sousa for your wonderful gifts ....
How the Brain Learns to Read.......2007-03-12
This book should be required reading for any teacher of reading. It is very readable and hard to put down.
Customer Reviews:
Ideas Which Make One Think.......2005-03-08
I was very impressed with the honest questions, the hard to ask questions that Rogers asks about education. In the beginning chapter, he admits that there are disturbing questions worthy of great debate, questions whose answers will form the foundation for students and learners. What will education do to take the edge off of racial tension? How will education help prevent civil and world wars? Back in 1969, Carl Rogers saw some disturbing trends. He talked about the possible student revolts against this conservative and rigid institution which could be very harmful to the entire process. Some of his worst nightmares are taking effect today. School violence in our inner cities is sky rocketing with no end in sight. Child are losing respect for their teachers at a very young age. There seems to be a lot less respect for educators than there was 25 years ago when I was in school. Rogers was also concerned with profit-making corporations getting too much of a hand in education. This is a big concern these days with the society taking on more and more of a corporate feel. If Dr. Rogers saw education at a crisis point in 1969, then where are we now??
In the book, CR also differentiates experiental (self-directed)learning from meaningless rote type learning, where there is no personal context for connection. To have freedom to learn, a person's self-confidence and curiousity grows along with intense curiousity to learn more, to have initial learning build on itself to create something brand new.
This book made me think of the unnecessary regimentation which still plagues much of public education. Students should be encouraged (like in the movie "Dead Poets Society") to do their own dance, to fill their own sails with self-directed discovery.
Rogers' concept of congruence has a lot to do with what he is talking about here. The ability to be real in a relationship is much like the teacher being real in accepting the true needs of the student. It is only with empathic listening, not regimentation, with honestly instead of false airs of playing the education game, with a person-centered approach to education and career related goals, not wishes imposed from the outside.....that, I believe, is what he is getting at. A teacher, he says, "must be a person to his students", not a faceless embodiment of a cirricular requirement nor a sterile tube through which knowledge is passed from one generation to the next."
He sums up his feelings about developing optimal climates for student learning, in a person-centered way:
"If we are to have citizens who can live constructively in this kaleidoscopically changing world, we can only have them if we are willing for them to become self-starting, self-initiating learners. Finally, it has been my purpose to show that this kind of learner develops best, so far as we now know, in a growth- promoting, facilitative, relationship with a person."
This book is garbage........2004-12-10
I am totally disgusted by this book for at least two reasons.
By page 32, the authors have referred to pregnancy as a disease, a "pathology," and "a medical emergency" several times. It is cited as evidence of poor performance of the public schools. First of all, pregnancy is not a disease. It is the way by which we reproduce ourselves. Many consider it to be desired for the continuation of our species. Secondly, of course female sexuality would be blamed for the failures of the state. Whenever the men in power fail us, they have to drag some teenage girl out into the street and shave her head, right? "If my magic did not protect you in battle, it was because my wife was menstruating."
They keep insisting that public schools are necessary for the function of democracy. Because they seem not to want to admit that democracy is not the modus operandi of the United States (remember slavery, the draft, the election of 2000?), the public schools just being another cog in the machine that oppresses working people, they postulate that if only the public schools were reformed, democracy would somehow thrive here. Their interpretation of the evidence that the public schools are prisons at best, sometimes torture chambers, is interpreted to mean that public schools are the balm that will heal the ills of the other "pillars of support" : families, culture, religion, community.
On page 31, the authors give us in support of their theory a story about a public school teacher beating a child with a wooden board. The doors to the classrooms in this school are padlocked, so without a key, they can be opened neither from within or without. Clearly, the children are regarded as slaves, locked in cages, with no concern for their human rights, or even if they survive in the event of a fire. Yet the authors continue to extoll the virtues of our public schools. They are the bedrock of democracy.
A book for all who love teaching.......2000-03-26
I'm writing to you to tell you that the book is not out of print! At least my local bookseller quoted me £23 for it only yesterday!
I rate the book very highly, and the reason I want a copy is so that I can present it to my daughter on her graduation as a teacher. If you confirm to me that it is out of print I shall go back to my bookseller (who may, of course, be wrong!).
Best regards,Paul
humanistic education living and breathing.......1998-04-27
Humanistic education alive and well!! Did John Dewey start this lineage, or does it go back farther still? This book is both an introduction and an advanced course in the heart and soul of relating to students as individuals, not classes. Following Carl Roger's death, H. Jerome Freiberg co-wrote this Third Edition at the invitation of Roger's daughter. Freiberg keeps the best of the old and supplements it with up-to-date research. His touch is so deft and his philosophy so congruent with Roger's that I had trouble telling one author's voice from the other's as they alternated first-person chapters. One chapter is a summary of Aspy and Roebuck's Kid's Don't Learn from People They Don't Like, a hard-to-find out-of-print book that provides some surprising (to me) statistical support for humanistic education. Freiberg also cites Arthur Combs, author of A Personal Approach to Teaching: Beliefs That Make a Difference, another out-of-print book that with Zen-like simplicity cuts through all the debate about teaching technique to reveal that it's how teacher's FEEL about students, not so much what they do, that creates healthy learning places for people to grow. I highly recommend FREEDOM TO LEARN, and it also contains a wealth of resources for teachers wishing to follow this "path with a heart."
Book Description
Drawing on a large body of empirical evidence, former Harvard President Derek Bok examines how much progress college students actually make toward widely accepted goals of undergraduate education. His conclusions are sobering. Although most students make gains in many important respects, they improve much less than they should in such important areas as writing, critical thinking, quantitative skills, and moral reasoning. Large majorities of college seniors do not feel that they have made substantial progress in speaking a foreign language, acquiring cultural and aesthetic interests, or learning what they need to know to become active and informed citizens. Overall, despite their vastly increased resources, more powerful technology, and hundreds of new courses, colleges cannot be confident that students are learning more than they did fifty years ago.
Looking further, Bok finds that many important college courses are left to the least experienced teachers and that most professors continue to teach in ways that have proven to be less effective than other available methods. In reviewing their educational programs, however, faculties typically ignore this evidence. Instead, they spend most of their time discussing what courses to require, although the lasting impact of college will almost certainly depend much more on how the courses are taught.
In his final chapter, Bok describes the changes that faculties and academic leaders can make to help students accomplish more. Without ignoring the contributions that America's colleges have made, Bok delivers a powerful critique--one that educators will ignore at their peril.
Customer Reviews:
A wonderfully thoughtful book on higher education.......2007-07-27
Derek Bok is one of the most thoughtful observers (and participants) in higher education today. As president of Harvard for 20 years (1971 - 1991) he had many opportunities to see first hand how an elite university works--or doesn't. Many years ago I read his book "The State of the Nation", which I found to be a reasonable analysis of many of the difficult issues facing the country. In "Our Underacheiving Colleges: A Candid Look at How Much Students Learn and Why They Should Be Learning More", Bok is able to focus on issues that he has a unique perspetive on. The begins with the basic question: "What is the purpose of higher education?" His response is given in a series of wonderfully insightful chapters focusing on critical thinking, diversity, and character. Unlike many commentators, he takes a measured response towards such divisive topics as preprofessionalism and the degree of faculty commitment to undergraduate education. Bok presents a powerful argument that the modern university has largely abdicated its responsibility to teach a strong core curriculum, as compared to a random hodgepodge of courses that students and faculty can agree will be "fun". This book deserves to be a classic treatise on higher education, alongside books such as Clark Kerr's "The Uses of the University".
Too Little Interest in Improvement Among Faculty Members.......2007-05-22
Unless you are a glutton for punishment, chances are that you'll never read all of the major critiques of undergraduate education in the United States. It would take a true masochist to follow up all of that reading with a look into the latest research on how and when undergraduates can learn more at college. But only someone with a true love for the subject would also consider what colleges should be trying to accomplish for students, professors, and society. Meet Derek Bok, veteran of two decades as president of Harvard University, who recently served another year as interim president after Larry Summers resigned last year. He's a man with a mission: Make undergraduate education as good as it can be.
That zeal won't be evident to the casual reader. The material is presented in such an even-handed way that it's easy to conclude that President Bok has no strong opinions. That would be a mistake. You need a hint: President Bok started out as a professor interested in labor law where strict adherence to standards is critical to effectiveness. He later served as dean of Harvard Law School at a time when the students (my class) barricaded him all night in the library where he amiably chatted with all comers. President Bok's often turgid prose also makes his words seem less powerful than they might be.
But read between the lines. Ignore what the conservative flame-throwers have to say about too much sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll and not enough great books. American four-year colleges can do a lot better in their main missions:
1. With greater emphasis, more resources, and a pervasive role throughout the curriculum, student can learn to write and speak much more effectively.
2. By focusing more on encouraging critical thinking, emphasizing greater student participation in class, and providing more challenging assignments that require applied thought, the 95 percent of students who cannot apply any of the disciplines they were exposed to in college can make an applied contribution to the world.
3. Academic leaders need to consider that they can build character by exposing students to more ethical questions and involving students in public service community activities. Students themselves seem to want more guidance in this area.
4. Colleges should encourage knowledgeable participation in the political process. Otherwise, our form of government may atrophy due to disinterest by its best educated citizens.
5. Colleges need to move beyond integrating a diverse student body into helping each student develop greater abilities to relate to other people.
6. Expanding student perspectives beyond the domestic American views to see global issues and opportunities.
7. Creating a greater awareness of disciplines outside of one's own area of interest, especially for those with a scientific and vocational focus.
8. Better balancing student desires to get a job after college with faculty desires to ignore vocational perspectives.
9. Employing the most effective teaching methods, experimenting to find better ways for students to learn, and being flexible in shifting one's teaching style.
It's in this last area that the book's critique seems most justified. Colleges are supposed to be the home of advanced knowledge in all dimensions. Why has helping students learn taken such a back seat? It's hypocritical.
Having sat in on classes at many elite colleges over the last 30 years, I must admit to disappointment with what I experience. The amount of useful information that's exchanged could easily be assembled into a briefing document that I could read in five minutes. Surely, something better could be done with the remainder of the class time.
When I was an undergraduate, the only way I could stay awake was to try to create a verbatim record of the lecture. Then, I would summarize the results into less than 50 words. Today, I might only need 30 words.
Bravo, President Bok!
This book deserves to be treated very seriously and acted on.
Perhaps it will be. I mentioned to the president of one college that I was reading the book, and he immediately became defensive and hostile. I think at least he is hearing the message.
Responsible Teaching.......2006-07-29
Research Professor Derek Bok's "Our Underachieving Colleges" (2006, hardback) presents a new way of thinking about education in American colleges. Understanding that his presentation could create academic criticism, Bok builds his argument upon a substantial foundation of convincing research (with 49 pages of endnotes).
Suggesting that American undergraduate education produces a global affect that results in stiff foreign competition, Bok challenges U.S. colleges to reorganize, with candid faculty reappraisal, in order "to lift the performance of our institutions of higher learning to new and higher levels" (page 6). He says that American education may no longer take teaching and learning for granted. He frets that college students are learning less now that in the 1960s and 1970s (history's most anti-education era). Bok presents this book to show how students learn and how colleges effect student development.
The author proposes that college faculty should be prepared to change its teaching methods (principally lecturing) for the benefit of students. Bok correctly believes that the college's tasks involve teaching undergraduates to think critically (chapter 5), actively communicate (chapter 4), build moral character (chapter 6), and prepare for good citizenship (chapter 7). He questionably believes that teaching diversity, multiculturalism, and specializing in career preparation should be important in American education.
The best part of this book is Bok's presentation of Eric Mazur's quantitative teaching application (pages 132-34). I plan to implement Mazur's process in my next teaching forum. The book is least helpful in suggesting that group learning is better than lecturing (pages 118-123). Although lecture teaching does present certain challenges in assessing learning, group work (where student discussion takes over from professorial guidance) is vastly inferior to most other teaching methods. It is almost impossible to gauge individual learning form group exercises. (Group work relieves teacher responsibility while promoting aggressive students. Because teachers guide classes, give tests and award grades, student group work should be kept to an extreme minimum.)
"Our Underachieving Colleges" is a responsible presentation about how American colleges may reform themselves to lead 21st century worldwide and teaching learning. Bok's argument is persuasive and his wisdom is profound. This book is recommended to all concerned with U.S. higher education, teaching reform, and looking for new teaching methods. Order your copy soon.
Excellent, complex look at the problems of undergrad education.......2006-07-07
In this book, Derek Bok does an incredible job of laying out the shortcomings in undergraduate education. However, he does this without failing to acknowledge the good being achieved. As a former college president Dr. Bok speaks from a position of authority on the subject. The problems he identifies he backs up with thorough, thought provoking research. He does not just leave the problems as they stand but offers helpful, realistic suggestions for improvement. The greatest strenght of Dr. Bok's book is that he appreciates the complexity of the problem. The issues he raises as well as the solutions he proposes are not simplistic answers to superficial issues. This book is a must read for anyone involved in education. On top of all that, it is well written and thus a pleasure to read. In fact, I recommend it for anyone who enjoys reading a well written book.
Underachieving.......2006-06-22
Former Harvard President tells how and where the faults lie in our college system and the reason for change to stay ahead in the world.
Customer Reviews:
How people learn.......2007-07-03
If you are going to be a teacher, this is a great book to read. Detailed and easy to read, it helps prepare you for what to expect and what will be expected of you as a teacher. It makes it easy to understand how children learn and what are the best teaching strategies to use to teach them as individuals.
How People Learn.......2007-03-08
My academic advisor at the University of Washington's iSchool suggested I read this along with "Team-Based Learning". I never thought I could get so excited about a book on learning from the National Research Council! Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in research regarding neural processes, teaching /learning, psychology, and the natural desire to learn.
Thank you to the authors and contributors for this book! I can hardly wait to see what they find out next!
Clear as mud.......2007-01-19
I am amazed at the high praise of this opauely written book. I find I have to read sentences over and over to figure out what the actual point of the sentence is. "Edu-talk" and a prolix writing style (by committee? a camel?) makes this anything but "reader-friendly." Good luck slogging through it.
Great knowledge base for those who want to know "how people learn".......2006-11-05
I'm currently a 1st year student in an ed psych doctoral program. This is the main textbk for a class called "Cognition, Instruction, and the Design of Learning Environments: Introduction to the Learning Sciences." It's written to be more reader-friendly, which is nice --- especially since we are also assigned plenty of other academic journal articles that can be harder to wrap your head around!
Great book. The authors are all reputatable folks in the field. It's the perfect starting point for someone like me!
Well received.......2006-06-28
The faculty here love this book. So much so that we actually give it away to other faculty members every few months.
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