Teacher Training Books

I was so excited when I got this book. I thought it would educate me on what I needed to do for my child. It basically lays out the IEP process and doesn't give any indications on how to fight for services, which we all know is what usually happens. Find another book.

While this book doesn't tell you how to milk the system for all it's worth, it does a good job of laying out a plan that should help you and your child's teacher produce an optimal IEP. It's a helpful workbook that aids in the understanding and use of the IEP.

Save your money....does nothing in the case of a difficult school district. The idea of "compromising and understanding" the teachers position is nice in a flowery perfect kind of world way....doesn't work when you are trying to get your kid the best you can.

This is not so much a book of ideas to read as it is a collection of exercises for developing reflective teachers. There is a variety of activities to do on your own or discuss in small groups. In fact, it is best to use it as a workbook in small groups for discussion (in conjunction with a textbook). Although some exercises may seem simple at a glance, I believe that doing them with a group can result in many interesting ideas. That is not to say that there is no "information"... there are short articles included, which I found to be very informative, and some of the activities are presented with a definite point of view. In fact, you could think of the activities as illustrations which Adrian Doff uses to show you what is good and bad teaching.

I would definitely recommend it for any a ESL training course. It can also be used during teaching practicums as it has questions at the end of each section that you can use to reflect on your own teaching. Although it is a bit scant in the area of speaking (my specialty), I found it very informative in general. Many aspect of language teaching are covered, from teaching techniques/activities to creating tests and using classroom equipment. Some I had not even thought of... like using the blackboard! The layout of the book is nice, and there are some cute illustrations. Having taught ESL for two years, I found this book to be a thought-provoking and fun refresher!

If you have never thought at all about teaching and know absolutely zilch about teaching, maybe this book is for you. Or, if you are terribly incompetent, you might need this book to tell you extremely basic things. I am very disappointed with this book, because I was expecting it to tell me things that weren't completely obvious. Sure, there are a few issues brought up that I might not have thought about without prompting, but prompting is about all the book gives, because there is no real insight. Okay, maybe I'm not being fair to the book, but don't bother with it unless you feel like you are completely clueless and need your hand held through extremely basic concepts. If you have ever even taken a foreign language class, this book is probably too basic for you.

This is an excellent book for those of us who are training others to become teachers. The objectives are clearly stated and always easy to understand. Furthermore, It takes you step by step through all the activities, and how to use them in teaching. It is definitely reader friendly, and topics are easy to find. Together with " A course in language teaching" by Penny Ur these two books are a must-have when it comes to train teachers.