Teacher Training Books

Dennis Sparks' book is both insightful and easy to read. It is a well-researched, practical guide to staff development at all levels of the educational system. It is grounded in three fundamental principles: "quality teaching makes a difference in student learning, professional learning of teachers and principals is a central factor in determining the quality of teaching, and third, district structures and culture that surround the school play a critical role in determining the quality of professional learning" (1-1).

The ideas in Designing Powerful Professional Development for Teachers and Principals are grounded in the research of many educational leaders. References are cited at the end of each chapter and lend credibility to the ideas set forth.

John Kotter, Michael Fullan, and others add background to the chapter about teacher collaboration and developing a system for change.

Peter Senge's work also informs the discussion about structures and culture.

Significant conclusions based on research and practical experience provide a framework school leaders can use in designing a professional development program. 1) District and school leaders play an essential role in creating high-quality professional learning for all teachers. 2) Habits of thought and behavior are more significant barriers to the improvement of professional learning than time, money, and the current state of research. 3) Local evaluation studies are more important than large-scale "definitive" research to demonstrate the value of staff development. 4) The redesign of teachers' workdays is fundamental to significant improvements in teaching and student learning.

On some level, the ideas in Sparks' book are nothing new. They are common sense. Unfortunately, they are not common practice. This book emphasizes the steps school leaders must take to ensure quality instruction for students. Barriers and previous failures in designing quality professional development create the sense of urgency to reform these programs.

This practical handbook practices what it preaches. Each chapter ends with assumptions the author makes and ideas for discussion and reflection. The author invites the reader to be actively involved in learning.

I had to buy this book for a graduate Educational Assessment course and was very disappointed. There was nothing in this book that my professor didn't cover in handouts during class. Total waste of time to read. It's a good book for a parent who wants to educate himself/herself about what SHOULD be going on during the assessment of his/her child.

Once every two or three years I am pressed into service teaching the course "Fundamentals of Arithmetic and Logic." The course is designed to give elementary school teachers the background in mathematics that they need. This book is designed for that course, which is the context in which I examined it.
The coverage is standard for such courses, nearly identical to what we cover in our course. The chapter headings are:

*) Thinking critically
*) Sets and whole numbers
*) Numeration and computation
*) Number theory
*) Integers
*) Fractions and rational numbers
*) Decimals, real numbers and proportional reasoning
*) Algebraic reasoning and representation
*) Statistics: The interpretation of data
*) Probability
*) Geometric figures
*) Measurement: Length, area, and volume
*) Transformations, symmetries, and tilings
*) Congruence, constructions, and similarity

This book has a large number of colored illustrations, which is a big help over the uniform black on white format. I am constantly using multi-colored chalk or whiteboard markers in my presentations for math and computer science. There are a large number of exercises at the ends of the chapters and solutions to many are included at the end.
Unlike some other books, there is not a lot of ink expended in covering technological applications. I never use a calculator when I am teaching the fundamentals class and I consider this a positive characteristic of the book. These students need to understand the theory behind these operations and calculators can often disguise what is really being done
I do not know if and when I will teach our fundamentals class again, our math and computer science departments are in a dramatic state of unpredictability. However, at this time, this book tops my list of potential texts.

I would recommend this book for anyone intrested in teaching younger children mathmatics. It starts on the basics such as addition and goes through geometery. It is very helpful in reminding adults how to do some basic math that we might have forgot. I used this book two semesters in a row at CSU Stainislaus. There isn't a single Liberal Study major who hasn't used this book. This book has "Highlights from History" that tell you about the people that created the different math ideas. "Hands On" gives you fun math activities to try and pieces from the NCTM standards and many more helpful articles throughout the chapters. This book makes teaching math intresting for you and the children you teach it to.

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.

I have to agree with the above review for the 10th edition- I have found several errors in the book! Not good when I need to brush up on my math. The review sections were helpful but errors are unacceptable.

I enjoyed the straight forward attitude that the author took in presenting a synopis of the PRAXIS. The tests that were in the book were more difficult than the actual test but that just made me all the more prepared. I would definitely recommend this as a good preparation for the PRAXIS.

The skills sections arent bad for reminding you of some simple things you need to know. But, most poepel buy these books for practice exams and these ones were TERRIBLE! I have only gone through the very first Diagnostic test and already 4 of the supposedly 8 answers I got wrong in the math section were errors on the part of the book. For example. Hopefully you see what is wrong with this statement made by the book. "The answer is 700, becuse: 35 X 20 X 10 = 700. 7000 was in the answer options, but apparently the dumbies who wrote this book think that it wasn't correct.

I'm not even motivated to check do the other 3 or 4 practice exams now, which basically make up the entirety of the book. I almost feel like asking for my money back. (P.S. I am refering to the 10th edition)

This mediocre book is worse than most other Praxis I books I used. I found that Cliffs PPST and Barrons How to Prepare for the PPST and Computerized PPST were much, much better, Both these books cost the same as this book and they are much more helpful with better review and practice tests. Take a look at these books before you buy this one.

I purchased several books to help me study for the Praxis I exam in reading, Writing and Math and I liked this one the best. It gave the best explanations and the practice exams were really helpful.