Teacher Training Books

Robert Jolles describes all of the steps in running your own workshops and seminars or working in the training department. Writing your own book. Developing a process of training that helps the trainer and the audience. Visual aid management. Trainee evaluation. All of the steps are in a simple, easy to read book. There are also parts of the book that will help develop and improve skills for sales professionals.

The book is practical, clear and well written. The writer is clearly very experienced in the field. I like his matter of fact approach with a dry sense of humour.

I bought this book hoping to learn one new thing - I don't want 'tricks' or 'secrets' and I don't need to impress anyone - just facilitate seminars which are effective and enjoyable for the participants. I searched for an idea, process or new way of thinking that I could use, modify and apply in my own work. Sadly, it wasn't there for me. The style and content is not consistent with the title. The style is over-confident - the "know-it-all" style, characteristic of some American texts. The author presenting his opinions as fact. There's no doubt, no alternatives, just do it my way and it will be 'right'. Apart from this approach, some of the content is unhelpful at best. For example his comments (opinions) on how to prepare and use visuals in presentations reiterates the worst habits - more bullet points! As the title suggests the author is writing for people who already know something about this well-worn subject, I would have appreciated buying something more original, less emphatic and better written. I regret buying it.

Developing the skill to conduct workshops and seminars requires a lot of time and effort, but it can lead to an exciting professional life and eventually pay huge dividends. Learning to gain an audience's rapt attention takes dedication and practice, but giving a seminar or workshop is a very effective way to sell your product, service or expertise. Robert L. Jolles offers tips for translating your special knowledge into a seminar or workshop presentation, from organizing your material to getting the right coaching to handling challenging characters from the audience. getAbstract recommends this useful guide; it's a quick course in Professional Skills 101.

Robert Jolles has written a very readable and practical book on the ins and outs, the do's and don'ts of running seminars. He knows of what he speaks, as he has substantial scar tissue as a trainer for Xerox and as a self-employed training consultant. He has directed numerous "train the trainer" courses. Jolles has wit and insight and can help you avoid some common mistakes.

Much of the book, particularly toward the end, deals with the unique setting of corporate trainers and those who train other trainers. Personally, I found this less useful. Those looking for business advice on how to run and market seminars may also be disappointed, since that is not a focus of Jolle's book.

Worth perhaps the price of the book alone is Jolle's advice on how to go about writing a book. One of his early central ideas is that becoming an author of the book is nearly essential for establishing credibility for running your own seminars, workshops, and some of our business. He offers practical and excellent tips that have worked for him in being able to write a book and establish solid credibility.

If you are involved in delivering training programs, either in-house in a corporate setting or as an individual entrepreneur, this book is essential reading!

Highschool drop out rates are still high, despite educators' best efforts. "152 Ways to Keep Students in School: Effective Easy-To-Implement Tips for Teachers" is a complete and comprehensive anthology of ideas for teachers. All of them are meant to be simple and quick solutions that educators can use to encourage their students to get the spirit to keep going in school and make something of their life. "152 Ways to Keep Students in School" is a must for any educator who measures their own worth in their pupils' success.

Thirty-three years of teaching experience has given Carol Keeney a bit of insight into classroom management. In BRAND NEW TEACHER: HOW TO GUIDE AND TEACH THE EARLY GRADES USING SCRIPTS, Keeney outlines an approach using scripts, as an actor would. Directed toward new teachers just entering the school system, Keeney provides a plan for capturing the class's attention from day one and maintaining it throughout the year. It is essentially a handbook for first-year teachers who tend to be left to their own devices and with no guidance are expected to instantly take control of a class of young children. The advice Keeney provides has been accumulated through her own trial and error process, in hopes that new teachers can manage to avoid some of the pitfalls that inevitably come before discovering a niche in the education world.

Part One is composed of two chapters that introduce the teacher to the value of scripts and emphasize how children seek approval in the expressions and mannerisms of the adults around them. Part Two is an organizational tool, four chapters providing lists of materials that may be needed, strategies for classroom layout and tips for creating effective bulletin boards. In this section, the teacher is building an engaging "set" for their "audience." Part Three contains some basic projects and games that can be adapted for different themes and subjects. What I found most helpful was that Keeney lists the instructions for the projects, then relates the benefits of each activity and the specific skills the children will learn. Each section begins with a list of comprehension questions to reinforce the information taught in the activity. The teacher can use these to get an idea of how well the lesson was received by the children and what is actually being retained.

Part Four brings us to the scripts. After creating an objective, setting the stage, and choosing some activities, the teacher must decide how they will execute the assignments in the most effective way. Keeney provides scripts for some essential lessons for early grades. The teacher can use the scripts exactly as they are provided to become familiar with the method, then use them as an outline for creating their own need-specific scripts. Keeney provides a full week's worth of scripts as a primer for teachers to begin building their own. Just as a script for a play or movie provides the actors with specific lines and motions, Keeney's classroom scripts provide the teacher with the same careful instruction. Keeney follows up with a chapter on challenges that might disrupt the script and ways to handle them.

Because the majority of Keeney's experience has been in early elementary grades, specifically first grade, all of the lessons and activities are created specifically for that age group and skill level. This makes it more difficult for teachers of higher grades to adapt the exercises to the abilities of their own students, but grasping the concept of scripts is a tool that can be used by instructors of all ages. It is no secret that children learn best when they are interested in the subject matter. Scripts allow the teacher to grab the students attention and build interest in the curriculum for optimum retention.

As a home schooling mother, I can personally attest to the value of scripts. When my own enthusiasm begins to falter, so does my children's. Even with a class of two students whose full attention should not be difficult to gain, boredom and distraction can set in. Scripts can rejuvenate the appetite for learning and serve as a blueprint for both teacher and student.

This is a delightful book for first year teachers. It is extremely helpful for that new teacher ( or even seasoned teacher). "Brand New Teacher" is filled with confidence building ideas presented in a unique way that keeps you smiling. This is a great gift idea for the new graduate or something for a new teacher to think of purchasing to help with the first year teaching jitters!

This book is filled with great ideas and words of wisdom to help you in your classroom. I would recommend it to both seasoned and new teachers. It is a great addition to any teacher's library.

"Brand New Teacher" has really helped me in preparing to be a great teacher. If your elementary education read this book! It helped me to discover the art or teaching. I think it will help new and experienced teachers in the classroom. I'm new to the profession and have found it very helpful. I have read lots of elementary education books. This text seems to be the most practical I've found. It is also an easy read. I highly recommend this book.

This book is visually appealing and filled with ideas to help the new teacher feel comfortable and confident in the classroom. The way the text and graphics are placed on each page, makes the reader want to continue reading the book. Any page you turn to in the book has another idea that could be very helpful, especially when the teacher is first starting out. I, a seasoned teacher, have found ideas in this guide that I would use in my class!