Education Teaching Books

Just over a year ago, I was walking through Borders when I noticed this book and laughed to myself at its prominently displayed and clichéd promise of MAXIMUM GRADES.

"Oh great, I've seen this before," I thought. "Only suckers and suckers' parents buy these books, anyway." I walked away.

After all, who doesn't want maximum grades? Or, for that matter, a shorter waistband, to become a magnet for beautiful women, or to have an instant multi-million dollar bank account?

This was some kind of scheme, right? WRONG!!! VERY, VERY WRONG!!!

I was not a bad student when I bought What Smart Students Know, but I certainly was not a SMART student either. I can proudly say, as a soon-to-graduate high school senior who has meticulously applied Robinson's methods in my own life (and seen my grades go up DRAMATICALLY as a result), that THIS IS A BOOK THAT CHANGES PEOPLE- NOT JUST ACADEMICALLY, BUT PHILOSOPHICALLY AND EVEN EMOTIONALLY.

Perhaps the single most powerful element of Robinson's book is his promise of OPTIMUM LEARNING. Not the most readily graspable concept, I understand. But it's there... AND HE MEANS IT.

At a time when more and more students are applying to Ivy League colleges and when universities are becoming increasingly discerning of high school performance, it's easy to loose sight of what's really important in the rat race for an A.

Robinson refuses...no... DEMANDS his readers to preserve, both in themselves and their communities, the understanding that grades are nothing more than a necessary evil, and that they should not dictate either a student's self-esteem or his drive to learn, challenge, and better himself.

For those of you who at this point are thinking exactly what I was when I first saw this book, take note:

I speak NOT from the view of a student who was desperately failing in school when he bought this book- quite the contrary- but from that of a CONVERTED SKEPTIC who has found a textual diamond in the rough. I've never liked school, but this book taught me how to handle and exploit it without wasting any time.

Top FIVE Lessons I learned from What Smart Students Know:

5. The first step in the learning process is about recognizing one's purpose in learning: Why am I studying zoology, anyway? What do I already know about zoology? Is the primate chapter more or less important that than the amphibians one?

4. How to listen in class... Not all lectures were created equally. Crazy as it now seems, I used to delude myself that they were.

3. How to take notes... don't waist your time rewriting everything... repetition, obsessive re-reading, and, worst of all, rote memorization can get you good grades- maybe even perfect grades- but they can only erect an illusory monument of REAL, LONG-LASTING, PERSONALLY MEANINGFUL LEARNING.

2. Attitude is everything. Don't get me wrong, School sucks. But that shouldn't get in the way of your education (c.f. Mark Twain)!

1. YOU ARE YOUR OWN BEST TEACHER... PERIOD.
Near the beginning of the book, Robinson aptly quotes Winston Churchill in saying, "I am always ready to learn, but I do not always like being taught."

Churchill's call should resonate with every high school and college student in America.

What is the educational crisis really about? Robinson asks. It is the fruition of a long history of misconceptions about how students think and learn. Education begins with the STUDENT, not the system that "educates" him.

In What Smart Students Know, readers of all levels ("whether you're getting straight A's or struggling for C's") will meet their ally in Robinson. His aim is to debunk conventional wisdoms and rewire students, academically and philosophically, to learn with SELF-SUFFICIENCY... and teach them to get straight A's along the way without it becoming an all-consuming motive.

I was skeptical about this book when I received it, my brain yelled waste of money and time (properly due to its ridiculous subtitle). This nagging thought stayed with me through the first few pages where the author raved on and on how much my life would improve due to his little book. But I persisted and alas I cannot find words to express how happy I am about this choice.

The author shows you how to learn any subject so it sticks, without the classical emphasis on repetition. Here for the fist time was I explained how to positively control and use the thoughts that hurl though my head when I read something. How to keep up focus when the text is just plain boring and keep your head clear when you are absolutely lost in a hard subject.

Not a simple feat and I am baffled as to why one can go though almost 20 years of public school, high school, college and university without ever being thought how to learn efficiently.

I often get remarks from my colleagues about how I master my field, and just how smart I must be, but all I can ever tell them is that I am as stupid (or gifted) as the rest of you. The only difference is that when I now open a book, I do it with a purpose, with a plan. I am going to rule this subject and master it completely.

Since reading this book I have begun telling everyone about it (to the degree where I even thought about mailing a copy to the ministry of education) - it really is that good. So If you want to go into the exam room with that extra zing of self consciousness, knowing that you cannot fail, that the best grade is marked for you, then read this book.

Although the author have good intentions, the author had clearly been out of college for a long time before writing this book. He suggests that students approach every reading assignments as a twelve-step process. He asks you to write down what you already know about the subject, what you expect to learn, read the assignment 3 separate times, write and rewrite your notes, create charts and graphics, pictures, and devise mnemonics to memorize concepts.

This might help a highly-ambitious high school student with nothing productive to do with his time, but it is impossible to apply in college. The author gives a 1 page sample and spends 200 pages explaining how to take notes on this single page. Doing every steps he advocates takes hours for a single page; how can you expect to do all this if you have to read thousands of pages, which is what colleges usually require. This book does not delivers on it's title.

For a good study-guide written by an actual college student who describes methods that are successfully used by real students and not a simple hypothetical method, get Cal Newports How to Become a Straight-A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less.

Adam Robinson presents some interesting advice. However, the book keeps repeating itself and it seems to assume that we have infinite time to study. It is better suit to high school than college.

I got this book along with The Rocket Review, The Rocket Review Revolution: The Ultimate Guide to the New SAT (Third Edition) (Rocketreview Revolution: The Ultimate Guide to the New SAT) which I wrote a review on as well, because it really is my favorite SAT book. Either way, I never made time to read "What Smart Students Know" until I was bored on the train coming home. I usually never buy into these books that promises improvements in grades or even SAT's instantly, but this is actually a book that I ended up taking to college because I found it so useful.

The way the author writes is straight, so there isn't time wasted on trying to figure out what the author is trying to tell you, it is easy to follow. The graphics are great, it's funny and I will be honest it really does show you most efficient way to learn as much as you want to learn, and get whatever GPA you want to get. It is a book that I strongly recommend and because it isn't expensive and it isn't a hard read or long I don't understand why anyone wouldn't spend $15 and actually get a book that, depending on what you want to do with it, will help you save time, and open your eyes in school. In my class I had a really good friend, who never studied yet, would come into class, finish a test in half the time and get an A. While I study for hours at night, and wake up early in the morning to study one more time so its fresh in my head. I started reading this book, and it essentially became my guide because it is a book that you don't have to sit and read through all at once but you can use it as a reference and that is why it is so useful, it lowers stress for studying because it tells you what is most effective in order to get that A.

Bottom Line: You don't buy the book to get a 200 on your IQ test, rather, it is a book that teaches you how to get the best grades in school and not have to spend hours.

I like this book for parents of students who don't know where to begin and need a good overview. It is a how to on organizing techniques and esp. good ideas for kids making the difficult transition from homeroom instruction to different classes throughout the day, which is where the system usually falls apart with many kids.

I am going to urge all the parents of my middle school students to purchase this book (before school even starts) and begin working with their children to set up the systems referenced.

Implementing successful systems of organization for homework and classwork is not generally taught in school, and, as a result, students, parents, and teachers suffer. I will attempt to implement this book in the forthcoming school year as a practical guide for keeping organized.

There are very few students (IMHO) who innately have the organization skills needed to be successful. The lack of direct instruction in this area (organization) is clearly missing from both the school/classroom curriculum and many parental words of wisdom.

It is easy to tell a child to be organized. However, that is just not good enough! The authors write that organization has to be taught, just like any other subject with which students are unfamiliar. The instruction needs to be incremental, there must be maps (for lockers and backpacks), and there must be regular review and assessment of the organizational systems students are using.

Teachers and parents cannot expect students to get truly organized on their own. This book is really written for parents who are interested in helping their children learn to get organized. Parents will have to commit a good amount of time and effort, but the return will be huge.

The only point I have a minor disagreement with is the timetable for implementation. Whereas the authors recommend that the process of implementing the systems discussed in the book should unfold over quite a few weeks/months, I think students at my school (with the packed curriculum we have) would benefit with a more rapid implementation of the systems. I think to some degree parents will have to speed up the pace and get the systems set up more rapidly than what is mentioned in the book. It will take some time, and I think getting ready as much as one can before school starts will be a big help.

With this minor point aside, I think the authors are spot on with their concepts and strategies, and I have high expectations for this book and how it is going to help my students be more successful.

This book is very well written and was recommended to us by the developmental medicine physician my son sees for his ADHD. I think it has a great deal to offer with alot of useful suggestions (especially how to set up a binder). We adopted alot of what she said and it did help my son (and also his sister without ADHD) but some of the ideas were over the top for a fifth grader. The child also has to see the value of organization because if he doesn't work on it and buy into it you will waste alot of time and money.

I got this for a friend who's daughter just started High School and it helped more than anyone can imagine. Life is more fast paced than ever before and kids in school feel the pressure as well. This book has more solutions than a room full of parents. It is completely accurate and has helped this freshman learn how to be better organized in our high paced, complex high schools that seem to reflect the chaotic world we all live in. I give this book a 10+++++ rating and it is a must for every parent who wants to start helping their kids get organized well before college. I wish this book was around before I went to college 20 years ago. I am sending this book to my sister-in-law for my nephew who is 10 yrs old. Its never to late to start, in fact its a great book for adults as well..you can teach an old dog new tricks.

If you actually have time to sit down and read this book, you will probably discover there is nothing in it you didn't already know. The real problem is the overextended parent who doesn't have the time to be a good example of organizational skills.
Well-written and informative.

This writing guide is extensive and dense. Don't let that deter you. If you can get past its dense rhetoric, then this turns into a perfect guide for writing analytically. It's short and presents the information very candidly.

It works as a writing textbook, but thats still what it is, and that leads to quite a bit of boredom.

The book arrived in very good condition. Useful for this class but I do not think I would read it beyond that.

The book was just as described. My son is using it in college.

I teach composition at a mid-sized Catholic university in the mid-Atlantic region, and this book has improved my students' writing by leaps and bounds in only a month. The topics are ordered in a way that makes more sense than many composition textbooks; Rosenwasser and Stephen start with reading strategies, and only get to the nuts and bolts of writing after laying out the steps for critical analysis. In other words, THINKING comes before WRITING - as it should. The examples drawn from student papers are very helpful, and the "Try This" exercises provide excellent and meaningful practice (my students grumble a bit about having to do all of them, but I can see the results in the vastly improved work that they turn in).

This text is very informative. The layout is wonderful, spacing the text out with pictures so you dont get bored readinf. I like the diagrams and the applications manual. The AM has examples of what you are reading and clinical settings for diagnosing.

I am not a fan of this book. If you're buying it for fun, choose another one. If your professor requires it, buy something else to complement your studying (I liked Anatomy and Physiology The Easy Way) or pray you have an awesome professor. This text book is not concise at all, incorporates pointless analogies, and does not describe things in order. I had to read through some sections multiple times in order to understand what was being explained. The only redeeming factors were the IP-9 System Suite, which did a good job of explaining things and had helpful quizzes, and some good illustrations in the book. The atlas is also helpful for memorizing the skeletal system... But overall, if you can avoid using this textbook, then do so!

This is the most horribly written book with wordy descriptions and it would take about 10 pages to make one simple point. I suffered through the 6th edition for Anatomy 1 and 2. At the end of Anatomy 2, I brought that demon outside, poured perfume over it, and had a bonfire. I watched it burn and was happy to see it go. Any updated edition would only be more suffering. If the drop screen allowed me to give negative 10, I would have done so, gladly.

The textbook is OK and the applications and atlas are nice to have to complement the main book, but I did not receive an access code from Amazon with my product so was not able to access the extra study materials or practice tests that are often referred to in the text. Numerous e mails to the publisher requesting the necessary access code(for my NEW textbook) were not effective; they blamed Amazon for the slight in materials and never did send me an access code.I feel the publisher/author misrepresent the product by not granting access to materials that are advertised in the text.

I got to drexel university and i know how all schools over price so i figured i would sell this item on here. I thougth this book was very helpful and useful. Hopefully it will be the same for you. It is in great quality.

Whether you are a novice at writing or just need help wording documents, this book is a wonderful guide. Samples are plenty, complete from determining who is your audience to effective guidelines and checksheets. You will learn simple editing techniques, exercises for practice. Extensive guidelines are given whether you do a resme, letter, research, short and long reports, proposal, charts, etc. Included, also is some instruction on technical writing (manuals, visuals, figures, etc.)

The book is well prepared, easy to read, formatted and designed well for easy reference. You don't have to be a "writer" to use this book. It is for anyone who may write a memo to a proposal in business. I encourage the use of this book; as it is one of the better I have used. ....MzRizz

This is the worst textbook I have ever bought for any class! It is a huge waste of money and super frustrating to read. This book is horribly written. The explanations are boring, drawn out, and unclear. The early chapters draaaag on forever. The later chapters get a little better, but they state a lot of obvious or useless information. I have spent hours and weeks studying from this text and learned very little.

This book was used for an assessment class I took at TN Techological University. I'm sure the authors did not mean to, but the book is very dry and hard to read at times. However it gets easier the farther along you get. The sections with sample test questions were useful. Everyone in my class complained about this book. Our instructor used notes and powerpoints from other texts to supplement. I definately do not recommend this title.

Used for my Measurement & Evaluation class for my MSEd. program, I've already convinced the professor to find a new book for his next group of students. The book has inadequate explanations - all too open ended for my taste, dry writing, and hard to decipher language. It says so much, while saying nothing at all! As if the field of assessment and testing wasn't dry enough, along comes Linn, ready to make it even worse. There has got to be a better book! Needless to say, I relied on the i-net for supplementary information to our class lectures. I did not crack this book once beyond the intro chapter!

This is our second purchase of the Story of the World series. All three of my school age kids (6,8,10 yrs.) just love to listen to these tapes. It is giving all of us (mom included) a much more comprehensive picture of all the parts of history we have learned with other books. We highly recommend this product for your family as a history program or just for listening to in the car for fun. The acitvity book is also full of great ideas for making this as involved or as simple as you would like it to be.

My children (ages 6 and 14) studied through volumes 1 and 2 last year for our homeschool social studies curriculum. Volume 3 is everything we hoped for to extend our knowledge! The activity guides have proven to be a vital resource to cut some preparation time for lessons. In Volume 3 each chapter covers a slightly broader time frame, making it even more important to follow up the lesson with additional activities. We recommend Story of the World to all our homeschool friends.

I really love the Books. I have them all and they are so brilliantly written and engaging for my son. Makes planning activities for Social Studies so easy for me.
Thanks!

Coupled with the Story of the World text, the Activity Book has been the cornerstone of our somewhat reluctant venture into homeschooling. (We had a sudden overseas move and had to jump into homeschooling with little preparation.) Studying history has proven essentially effortless because the book and activities are so interesting that my 8-year-old begs to do her work. As non-religious academic types ourselves, we were wary of religious biases in the texts we chose for our kids; we've been very happy with the author's balanced treatment.

For the teaching parent, the lists of supplementary materials are invaluable -- exceptionally well-organized and researched, and the editors have been sure to include reading materials for different levels, which we have appreciated since it means we can easily include the 4-year-old in our stories. Every chapter includes review questions to test comprehension orally, then several worksheets which may include maps, coloring pages, and other activities. Many include recipes from the place and time being studied -- always a hit with the kids. All have worked well so far. The map work is a great follow-up as well, walking the student step-by-step through visual representations of different topics covered in the text (coloring the Triangular Trade route used by slave traders, for example). Although there's no way any student could complete all the suggested activities in a school year, I love the freedom of picking and choosing the activities that best suit and interest my daughter.

As suggested by the Activity Book, we're assembling all this work into a history notebook, a 3-ring binder full of my daughter's work. This serves the dual purpose of reminding her how much she's learned and giving us tangible proof of the homeschooling process. In short, this book has transformed us into homeschoolers and history buffs. Very useful.

This book has many great ideas! It is very simple and to the point. YOu can turn around and use these lessons tomorrow.

I wish every teacher in America could teach reading this way- we would have classrooms full of kids who LOVE to read instead of kids who get DRILLED to death with phonics and word attack skills.... phonics is important but learning to choose appropriate books and LOVING them will create LIFE LONG readers... this author knows that and shares her thoughts in a fabulous way :)

We just finished a Book Study @ school using this book! We all thought her suggestions were great (especially the one about not ONLY using running records & DRA levels to "label" readers) but using individual conferencing also.
Mini Lesson Ideas abound! Specifics are included throughout! A must-have in your personal/professional library for ANY Elementary School Reading Teacher!

Mrs. Collins gives you a classroom teachers perspective on guiding yourself and your students down a path to discovering reading, readers and the step readers undergo to comprehend what they read. This is an easy read because Mrs. Collins narratives transforms you from the pages of the book to front and center in your classroom, working with your students.

This is an excellent source to guide teachers on how to teach Reading Workshop. It gives dialogue on mini lessons and ideas of how to set up your room. It is a must read for Reading Workshop teachers. It is a down to the minutes guide of what to do.

This is excellent for looking up any grammar intermediate level. I also use it for teaching my esl students. Azar is the best grammar author.

Good book for learning english language grammar. Bought as a gift for a friend learning english. Three books in the series.

I've understood the correct use of English with this book, You can use it to learn or teach. It has a lot of exercises.

As a teacher of many grade levels and English fluency levels, I found this book very useful. It has perhaps the best explanation I've read on "perfect" tenses. My ESL student couldn't understand why he should use a simple past tense versus a present perfect tense, and this book helped him.

The book features many useful charts on major and minor grammar topics. I find the charts very effective and easy to learn and teach. There are also plenty of exercises in this book, too.

I've used the book with 5th graders, 12th graders, and ESL adults. I highly recommend it. It's very well organized and quick, quick, quick to use in the classroom.

I have used this text in the ESL/EFL classroom for many years and although I have seen others this is the best. I especially recommend it for English for academic purposes programs.

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.