Education Teaching Books

A very practical source for new Kindergarten teachers. Absolutely easy to use and tailor to your own classroom needs. I used many of these ideas the first week of school and will continue to tap this source throughout the school year.

the book is well written, the authors know what they are talking about and the content is worth reading.

This book may have been written by a real teacher, but you will learn absolutely nothing new about working with kindergarten kids from her. The authors regurgitate well-learned ideas and praise themselves for the "novelty" of incorporation of these in practice. This book may be somewhat well suited for new-graduates, that yearn for examples of how things work. But even new graduates eventually develop an aversion to the patronizing self-praising style of these authors. Dont waist your money, buy something else!

Great ideas, especially for getting to know your students and getting them prepared for coming to class on the first day.

The only thing I don't like is the layout. The pages are those cheap, off-white type sheets, which makes it slightly tougher to read. The pictures would have also been more helpful if they were in color.

Overall, an okay read and worth the $12.00

I would also recommend: Early Learning Environments that work, and Designs for Living and Learning.

The book had many wonderful ideas for kindergarten.....not so many for preschool age. I wish I had bought a used copy $$$$$.

This book teaches you pretty much everything you need to know about the RICA. From examples to a detailed description of the format of the test, it certainly helped me feel very prepared. The only thing to watch out for is that the questions in the book are easier than those on the RICA (for the most part). So, I would suggest using it along with the practice test you can download from the RICA website. Between the two you should be more than sufficiently prepared.

Of the 4 books I purchased for RICA, this one is the one that best mirrors the actual exam (just took it). The questions are concise and constructed well. The case studies and essay questions are very close to those on the test as well.

Don't waste your time on the XAM book. It's awful. Get this one and the book called "Case Studies in Preparation for RICA" by Rossi. The Cliff Test Prep is ok, but if you're choosing carefully, this is the one to get.

Good luck!

I took a class that had chapters from this book for some of the assigned reading. Other than practicing a case study, we did little more with it. When I took the RICA, without any additional studying, I passed it the first time. I have a friend whom I consider genius who is on his third attempt. I told him about this book (I'd loaned it to another friend already) and this time he passed it.
Pay particular attention to the "case study" preparation section. It's invaluable for the test!

I just took the RICA exam and used this book as well as course material to prepare for the exam. I found "Ready for RICA" lacking in its depth and context. It provides a consice overview of the content areas but lacks in its review of strategies. I also noticed it focused too much on elementary compentency and not enough on higher grades or ELD.
I don't know if I passed the RICA yet, but I did not feel this book prepared me enough for the actual exam.

I thought this book was a GREAT way to review for the RICA. I am sad to say that I think I learned more about teaching reading from this thin review text book than I did throughout my whole teacher education program (I won't say which University I am at!)!

To get the most use out of this book here is what you should do. Set up a grid like the one I am going to try and explain to you how to make (see below) and then fill it out as you read. This book totally saved me and I passed the RICA and did very well on it (I got 4 pluses on the first two domains, and the case studies, and 3 pluses on the 3rd and 4th domains).


GRID MAKING DIRECTIONS:

1) Your grid will have three columns and twelve rows.
2) The first row will be labeled like so (I will show each cell in between lines like this |xxxx|xxxxx|xxxx|):

Area | How to teach it | How to test it

3) The different "areas" are listed below. Put each area name in a different row.

- Phonemic Awareness (PH)
- Concepts About Print (CAP)
- Phonics and Word Identification (PHON & WRD)
- Spelling (SPL)
- Comprehension (COMP)
- Literary Response (LIT RESP)
- Content Area Literacty (CONT LIT)
- Independent Reading (IND RDG)
- Writing (WR)
- Vocabulary (VOCAB)
- Structure of English (STRUC ENG)

4) Now your grid will have each area listed but how to teach that area and how to test that area are blank. As you read the book fill in those two blank spots for each area and you will be all set.


TRUST ME. THIS BOOK IS AN EXCELLENT REVIEW FOR THE RICA. AND NOW THAT YOU KNOW HOW TO SPECIALLY USE THIS BOOK TO STUDY FOR IT YOU ARE ALL SET! GOOD LUCK!!

I think this book is a gem! It's clearly written in a step-by-step way that is extremely helpful in this course. I really appreciate the sample research proposals and the examples. This book helped me prepare for my own research project.

As a graduate student with no formal training in statistics, the authors jump head-long into discussions of educational statistics beyond the pervue of the course for which this book was intended. Some good descriptions, but other texts are more appropriate.

I have used this book for three years to instruct individuals in a masters degree program. The book is clear, easy to read, and easy to understand - quite a feat for a book about research and statistics! Most educators are intimidated by texts on educational research, but this book is readable and makes sense!

I was very disappointed with this textbook. The opening chapter is misleading as it only presents the quantitative view of research (even though the book does include a later chapter on ethnography). And too many errors! The statistics sections are unreliable and not useful to students; the appendix, in particular, contains errors and misleading information.
In my personal opinion, I caution people from relying on the information in the textbook.

Excellent. It made the test so EASY to pass. I used them for the Math prep and was not as happy. But they were excellent for Comm and Lit.

I bought this to study for my MTELs and the promise of the latest, most up to date help sounded great. After taking (and passing) my tests I realized that not only was much of what the book said was going to be on the test was not, but the style of questions in the book were not consistent with the actual test as well. The MA Dept of Ed website has a FREE sample test and a description of what the day is like along with study info that was extremely helpful and accurate (and did I say FREE). The test questions offered in the book were often ambiguous and in a few instances wrong. Poor proofing - letter choice (A,B,C,D) on multiple choice questions wrong in the answer section, but the explanation revealed choice was correct - Question then remains - Was I get right the ones I marked right? Not very comforting. Overall I did get a decent quick grammar review, but the confidence I was hoping for was dashed with poorly written questions and proofing. They still say you need to bring photocopies of your IDs which have not been required for some time, just adding another wasted 50¢ to cost of this book.

Just like many other reviewers commented, I heard horror stories about having to take this exam 2 or 3 times. I bought this book and studied the book in its entirety and the test pattern was exactly the same. I gave the writing test in Apl and passed in first attempt. Please make sure to read all the 12 sections in vocabulary and will help you to finish that section of Reading easily. With this handy book, I am sure I can pass the reading test also in my first attempt as long as I read every page. The book is worth buying.

Basically, this book is just like the real exam. If you do this book in its entirety and follow the study guide, you should be well prepared for this exam. Make sure to study those vocabulary words!

This book is the only book I used for test prep. for the Reading and Writing parts of the MTEL. It covered everything that was on the test. I highly recommend this book as a study guide.

The book was excellent, and service second to none. I recommend this to friends all the time.

This is the kind of help that you will be desperate for about a month before finals. Ideally, you will have received this book with plenty of time to digest it, work the examples and really get comfortable, but I am positive that even if I had picked up this book the day before my first final, I would have gotten some benefit from it.

While I was lucky enough to have one professor who was full of real advice about taking his exam, the others ranged from vague to totally and purposefully unhelpful. With this book, you have a leg-up.

All of Delaney's books are very useful, but they require you to do your diligent best to work through the examples and questions. If you do, you will benefit greatly.

I just finished my first semester of law school, and this book was invaluable. I read it before the semester started, which I highly recommend, and then reviewed it before finals week. It takes away much of the mystery of the "fact pattern"-based essay exam, and gave me the tools and strategies to write quick, concise analysis. I've only received one grade so far, but it was an A! I felt very confident about my performance on the exams, and it was, in large part, because this book taught me how to practice for the exams, and how to study. I absolutely recommend this book for any first year law student, or law students who didn't do so well in the past.

I only wish that I had discovered this book sooner so that I could've gotten more out of it. Now that school is in session, I have little time to spend with it. But when final exams get closer, I plan on spending mroe time with it. I have all of John Delaney's books and have found them all to be very helpful. Currently, I am using Delaney's book on Criminal Law, which I highly recommend as a supplement. Not only is it good with Criminal Law but it also helps a lot with learning what is required of you on an exam.

First, I should begin by saying what has turned out to be true. Law school is tough. It is extremely challenging, the amount of information is overwhelming, and the in-class atmosphere is unnerving. It is, I believe, more different and difficult than most undergrad and grad students realize.


Second, your time constraints will be intense. If you undertake an earnest effort to read your cases, properly brief, use resources such as hornbooks and outline, you will probably not have enough time to develop the skills necessary to write an effective exam-answer during law school.


Last, it is why this book is so important to read and prior to entering law school: difficulty of exams, complexity of material, vast amounts of information and reading, intense time constraints, and most importantly, your grade will be determined by your final exam performance.


SOME COMMENTARY ON LAW EXAMS & SOCRATIC METHOD (*WARNING*)
I would be disingenuous and perhaps remiss if I did not seize a good opportunity to complain about law school to those considering attending law school. Do not fret, I will try to be brief. I think after the first or second semester of law school, you acquire the analytical skills, discipline, and ability to read and understand complex material at a maximum level. I am skeptical that a second year of law school is necessary, let alone a third year. The second-year should consist of skills development, job-training, and some classroom work. The third-year should be eliminated or optional for those that want more education or specialization (such as an LLM). Most (all?) countries do not have law schools in the way the United States does; instead, students study law as undergrads or earn a master's in law.

LAW SCHOOL EXAMS
Your law school grade is, exclusive of everything else (class participation, research papers, group projects, etc.) based on the final exam. You will not obtain credit for research papers, drafting memorandum, participating in class, or for group projects. Your entire grade is based on the final. It is a bizarre if not backward way of measuring a person's ability to think like a lawyer.

It behooves you to develop exam-taking skills now if you are a serious student and hope to succeed in law school.

SOCRATIC METHOD
In some respects, I think my speaking ability has slightly diminished as a result of the socratic method. I find it especially jarring when a law student is called-on to recite a fact-pattern or passage. I think it is completely unnecessary for students to have to read paragraphs and mostly a waste of time. If some of you were like me, you probably participated in class actively as an undegrad or grad students, were always well prepared, and most-likely shined in class discussions. Law school is more challenging to shine in class because the amount of material is considerable and complex, and the professor will ask you questions that will probably tongue-tie you. And this will occur in class, surrounded by nearly 100 of your classmates, depending on your school. You are, however, expected to be well-prepared for class and you will be called upon at random.

I dislike the socratic method because it makes law students unnecessarily neurotic and undermines learning. In business school, for example, students' participation was often (but not always) grounded in real-life experiences that enhanced discussion and added flavor to debate.

Law school classroom discussions are an altogether different atmosphere, and I think a rather deficient method of teaching.

As an aside, I wish law schools would format classroom participation in a similar way such as at the London School of Economics. You attend a lecture by a professor for around an hour or so. You can ask questions during the prof's lecture but it is primarily the prof's perspective on the material. Then in the evening you attend a group discussion with a Ph.D. candidate, where participation is the focus. Everyone has an opportunity to speak, raise questions, engage in debate, and so forth. You attain a deeper, more sophisticated understanding of the subject material and acquire strong communication skills in the process.

The combination of your grade being based solely on the final exam and the socratic method make law school a much more challenging, stressful, and somewhat confusing experience than it has to be. Be prepared.


USEFULNESS OF THE BOOK
You are the individual responsible for your education and grades. I find classroom learning, in law school, to be inadequate. I have found learning from casebooks to be particularly inadequate. Law school is about YOU, the law student, and less about reading cases and fretting about the socratic method. It is about YOU in terms of your skills, abilities, and exam performance. It is a strange if not deficient way to exclusively measure law school performance, but it is the system.

Reading this book and preparing in earnest will provide you with an understanding on how to analyze complex legal material. You need to learn the material and work with it daily. Reading a case and briefing it is not sufficient to do well. Law school is not college; it is a challenging and complex job.

Your ability to issue-spot on law exams should improve, which is a critical exam-taking skill. The author explains how to anticipate issues, identify primary and secondary issues, and how to explain and illustrate the issues you spotted. Spotting issues, though critical, is not sufficient on law exams. You will be expected to supply a lawyerly analysis of each and every issue as it relates to the fact pattern on a law school exam. Serious preparation, a whole lot of practice, and a bit of luck are all necessary.

You will also learn to outline, and I would not rely on others' outlines in law school. The most important part of outlining is the process of studying, creating your own outline. It will be how you learn the material, and you should use a good hornbook in making your outline. Outlining is not sufficient in law school. The best outline in the world will not help you if you do not prepare and practice regularly.

The book will help you with understanding your own learning strategy, which is vital to know prior to entering law school. You need to know how to study, prepare, and practice law school exams prior to entering. The book also provides excellent practice essay exams with answers.


CONCLUSION
I confidently recommend HOW TO DO YOUR BEST ON LAW SCHOOL EXAMS for those interested in preparing for law school. I have read many and varied "law school prep" books and courses. Many are inadequate, some are useless, and others provide bad advice. Success in law school is determined by one and only one measure: the final exam. If you are considering or are about to attend law school, it is wise to pick-up this book to better understand and prepare for law school exams. Law school is an intellectual privilege, although I am somewhat skeptical of its value after the first-year.

You must get-through (survive) law school to practice law. I wish you the best of luck in the endeavor. Never forget to pursue Justice and defend the Constitution.

Goodness... long review!

I hope the above was helpful.

This book sits in the Family Room - the heart of the home. It is so simple to grab and find whatever fits the moment. It could be a simple teaching moment (child not sharing, angry words, etc.) or it could be a family study time with discussion & prayer. SO awesome. I love this book - and now that I'm in the habit of grabbing it in moments of need, it gives ME time to cool down if necessary. ALSO great for encouragement when a child does well in something, not just to correct them.

I have been using this book for almost 10 years now to refer to biblical scripture. I have found it to be an excellent resource for teachable moments when it helps to have a scripture back-up to explain what God says about a topic. We all have to pick our battles, especially as our kids get older. This has eliminated many battles because my kids understand the power in hearing it from God's word. I also like the activities that are included with many of the topics. Having a tangible way for my kids to learn about a topic helps reinforce the real meaning of the scripture for them. EVERY parent should own a copy.

This is a great resource for parents, grandparents, teachers, or anyone dealing with children! Deals with many topics such as:anger, faith, discernment,greed, integrity, honesty,money, laziness, self-respect, obedience, and habits, just to name a few. Each title lists numerous Bible verses, discussion questions, steps for action and parenting tips. Excellent book. The author has basically done the work for you!!

Fantastic! This has been so helpful in the life of my family. We use it very often. It is so easy to look things up and use the icons from the key to instruct you how to put these thoughts into actions. Great Bible refrences! There is a Bible verse for every topic! It's just a great reference to have. It keeps you out of sticky situations when you do not know how to explain things to your children, and even yourself! I often give this to my girl friends at baby showers. So great!

Every parent should have this book and carry it everywhere they go. Such a great book to use in everyday situations for teachable moments.

It is a very effective, well organized workbook that divides the sections to encourage manageable study.

This is an excellent book for both teachers and tutors alike. I use it for both remedial and enrichment for the many different levels I am tutoring. The "Putting It All Together" chapters at the end of each unit are really great. The answer to each question is given along with the corresponding lesson so the student knows exactly which skills need to be practiced. I would highly recommend this outstanding book.

this book is wonderful....it has helped my son allot....he is a slow reader and this book has helped him to pick important facts out of a paragraph much quicker....i would buy it again if my younger child needed the help.

Having taught high students for 37 years, I can say with some validity that this book truly captures the essence of being a teacher. It's all there, the highs, the lows, the frustrations, and those golden moments when being a teacher beats every other job there is. As I read this book, I could truly see some of my teaching life in its pages.

I recommend this work to every teacher and aspiring teacher as a must read. I also recommend this book to anyone who knows little or nothing about teaching and, especially, to those persons who have a low opinion of teachers and the teaching profession. This book helps a person appreciate what every teacher deals with, day and day out. Good job Dr. Gose!

This is a compelling read for teachers (past, present or aspiring), parents, former students and school administrators. Michael Gose is refreshingly honest in describing the challenges, successes and failures of this difficult profession. The book offers a series of moving and hilarious and somethimes embarrassing anecdotes about his interactions with students, parents and sometimes antagonistic administrators. What a life and what a sacred responsibility! Part social worker, counsellor, minister, friend, police officer, entertainer and medic, teachers are on the front line and engaged in a constantly mutating set of duties with difficult and fuzzy boundaries. But Gose describes his life as a teacher with humility and pride and most importantly, with love. Read this book!

This book keeps it real. Gose sees teaching not only as a profession, but as a heuristic journey full of life's joys and pains, and he keeps you guessing about what you would have done in the his shoes...This book is about getting to know a profession that is a lot more complicated than most people realize. Gose's stories always seem to startle, puzzle, and awe and give you 'membership' into a mysterious profession full of the most important lessons in life... Gose's stories offer the richest details so that you can make them your own and imagine that you had experienced them first-hand. You feel that you gain years of teaching experience as you live vicariously through the eyes of a down-to-earth, charismatic teacher. His stories from the classroom teach you not only about becoming a great teacher but also about taking small steps to becoming an even better person.

This book was designed for the classroom. Not what I expected but not bad.

Mr. Jensen's "Brain-Compatible Strategies" was a disappointment. His ideas were commonplace and uninteresting as was his writing. A much better source for ideas is Mel Silberman's "Active Learning: 101 Strategies to Teach Any Subject."

I really enjoyed the activities in this book. The workings of the brain is a fascinating subject! Children love doing these activities.

This book is a great way to "remember" all the teaching techniques you forget to use. It's like a compilation of all those ideas you've underlined over the years in all the different books and articles you've read. I agree with Minnesota above that there are probably books with more ideas, but the size and format of this book makes it practical: easy to take with you, easy to review,and easy to immediately implement. I especially like the format of the book...one page per topic (like "How to Engage the Spatial-Episodic Memory"), a brief one or two paragraph summary of the theory and then a bullet-list of ideas. I am glad to have this book and recommend it to busy teachers like myself who have to "read and run".

Eric Jensen has done so much with brain research and this book is full of VERY USEFUL strategies! I have not only highlighted strategies I will use in my classroom, but I HAVE USED THEM!! He explains each strategy and gives examples of how one can use them in their classroom. Whether you teach preschool or high school, this is a very useful book. (Especially during this time of the importance of achievement tests!) It is a quick read, but all of it is useful!!