Teaching Books

Just whay I needed for way lower than the price offered at my schools bookstore.

The attempt to categorize verbs according to themes is commendable but there should be exceptions among irregular verbs like avoir, etre and aller. These verbs are too important to postpone conjugations in later chapters. Also, it seems that the previous edition was more sufficient than this edition as there were some mistakes in the answer key.

At 64, I decided to learn French. I have a collection of CD French courses, and beginnng French textbooks. Finally, I enrolled for a class at our local university. Unfortunately Motifs is the textbook we are using, but fortunately I have an excellent instructor. The authors of this text should have given up rather than try to update it to a 4th edition.

The book is divided into modules. Each module has several themes (too many with useless and dated topics). The end of each module has the structure for each theme. You wear out the book by constantly flipping back and forth between a theme and the structure section. The structure informaion is minimal. What is written is often confusing. The exercises are sometimes vague and can have multiple correct answers. The book is slow to introduce useful conversational verbs. It is frustrating to try to speak when the only verb you know is the etre form. Module 4 finally gets around to introducing some useful verbs. The online Quia workbook is even more confusing. Often I resort to using one of my other textbooks to try to understand what Motifs is trying to present.

If you are looking for a beginning French textbook, do your students a favor, and skip this one.

As a textbook, Motifs is not so bad. If you liked the style of Deux Mondes, but got really frustrated with all of the anglicisms, grammatical errors, and misleading or outdated pictures, Motifs might be a decent alternative. Beware, however, of the QUIA program that accompanies Motifs!!! The QUIA program is based on the Motifs workbook and from the first exercise it will lead you and your students into a quagmire of frustration through misleading model sentences and errors. I've used Motifs for two semesters and am in search of a textbook with a better package.

This is a good book to get if you wish to learn French. Great list of vocabulary at the end of every chapter, the problem exercises are relevant and useful, and the tape that accompanies this book helps you understand the material better. The organisation of it all could stand some improvement, but overall it is a useful and well-constructed language book.

Had to read this book for my graduate Adult Learner class. Good information, especially if your focus is understanding how to teach adults.

I bought this book for a masters study class because it was half the price they were going to charge me at the book store. This book is well written and easy to read. I have read other books by Merriam and they were not this well put together, but I would recommend this book.

This is one of the most poorly written texts covering adult learning theory. The author has picked a selection of different theories but only gives a short introduction to each - leaving many questions and concerns after reading each chapter.

The information given on educational theorists is horribly fragmented. In many chapters there is no context, history or biography of the theorists given. If you'd like fragmented information on learning theories - this is the book.

If you'd like comprehensive information on learning theories-this is not the right book. The information has to be supplemented with a lot of hard work researching details from the internet or other educational texts.

This was a required text for a graduate level course in adult education and it was a waste of money.

Learning in Adulthood is one of those "classic" text/reference books i.e., the kind that you actually read and return to time and again. I am particularly taken by the way the authors summarize the major thinking in the various content areas. They extract the key thoughts of hundreds of research works, compare and contrast, synthesize. They are careful to present dissenting views. Most of their references are recent. I also like the fact that their own voices are heard and they are strong, experienced voices. This is an ideal source book for graduate students that are writing or will be writing a thesis or dissertation.

Before I give my review, let me state my bias. I am an American through-and-through. I love my country. America feeds the world. America gives billions in aid to countries that openly declare their hostility to our culture. Also, I am almost 70 and am grateful for the opportunities that America has given me. Therefore I become annoyed at books that state as fact that America is somehow responsible for all the world's woes. Although there is much that is scholarly and well-researched in this book, and although it was required reading for a course I am taking, I was annoyed by its constant inferences that Western Society is at fault for all the world's problems. The terms "oppress, oppressive, and oppression" are used more than 40 times when describing the teacher-student relationship. American success is blamed for world terrorism. This is unnecessary in an otherwise scholarly explanation of educational trends for adulthood. In an effort to sound super-scholarly the vocabulary and sentence structure is full of inflated and pretentious statements. Concepts that could be described in five simple words are given in long sentences of 5 syllable words strung together in clauses that practically require the reader to get out the Unabridged.

I will be clear, and I aim for grace. Put simply, this is the best book out of scores of books on writing. Wonder why some writers have punch, why some sentences ring true while others lull you to a sleep? This book will take apart the structure of clear and graceful writing in much the way an analysis of artwork informs folks of a greater depth to art and helps a person understand the techniques of an artist. This is a writer's book and will likely put off folks who simply want to improve their writing, or creative writers who want refine a style. This is essentially the equivalent of Berger's Ways of Seeing book on art...

Style by Williams was recommended by a student of mine, who found it exceptionally useful. Instead of just stating the principles of good writing, Williams gives many examples of good (and bad) writing showing exactly how they follow the principles (or not). I teach English writing and this book is very helpful.

Clarily in style and grace is anything but clear. It is difficult to follow and understand. It is not for anyone who needs help with grammar and punctuation. It disagrees with the rules that you used in elementary school and brings up that there are disagreements with other leaders in the world of academia. Unless you have to use this for a class as a mandatory book, pass by this one.

Finally, a guide to better writing that actually teaches you -- systematically -- how to write better. Throw away your Strunk & White, with its (often outmoded) rules that lack context. Let Williams guide you, with full clarity and focus, on each step of the path to elegant prose. Full of illustrations from accomplished stylists, as well as exercises to identify and practice effective writing, the book deserves a presence on the desk of every writer. Not since "Writing and Thinking," by Foerster and Steadmann, has there been so logical an explication of the subject matter. If you are pondering whether to buy instead the abridged version (entitled "Basics of . . ."), don't. This, full version is not so long as to be onerous, and every single concept in it is a nugget of gold. Three cheers!

Even a brief browsing of Joseph Williams's STYLE: LESSONS IN CLARITY AND GRACE, ninth edition, would persuade most readers that this book makes the much touted Strunk & White's "The Elements of Style" look simplistic. If the seductively slender "Elements"--easily read in a day, no exercises to do--could deliver its claim, by the end of the day there'd be millions of excellent writers. Besides, Williams shows how Strunk & White flout their own advice to "omit unnecessary words": he edits their 199-word paragraph to just 51 words (STYLE, pp. 126-28).

In his preface to the 289-page STYLE, Williams urges: "If you read this book on your own, go slowly. It is not an amiable essay to read in a sitting or two. Take the lessons a few pages at a time, up to the exercises. Do the exercises, edit someone else's writing, then some of your own written a few weeks ago, then something you wrote that day."

I used STYLE as the main textbook in Advanced Editorial Workshop, a ten-week course, I taught at the University of California. Each term, the students rated the book as excellent. (The prerequisite to the workshop was a review course, using "The Harbrace College Handbook" as the main textbook. Although STYLE includes a 32-page appendix summarizing punctuation rules and grammar, most readers would be well-advised to review a standard college handbook, such as Harbrace or Bedford. See my review of Bedford, seventh edition on Amazon.)

To date, Amazon has published 42 reviews of STYLE. The one-star reviews criticize the author's own writing in the book as lacking grace. Granted the author's tone tends to be pedagogic, but let's not forget that this is a text- and workbook. I hear the author's voice as earnest and refreshingly honest. An example: Commenting on what's new in the ninth edition, the author says in the preface, "Finally, I've also done a lot of line editing. After twenty-five years of revising this book, you'd think by this time I'd have it right, but there always seem to be sentences that make me slap my forehead, wondering how I could have written them."

Here are a couple of examples of his clear expository style. Introducing the concepts of cohesion and coherence, Williams writes: "We judge sequences of sentences to be cohesive depending on how each sentence ends and the next begins. We judge a whole passage to be coherent depending on how all the sentences in a passage cumulatively begin. . . . It's easy to confuse the words cohesion and coherence because they sound alike. Think of cohesion as pairs of sentences fitting together the way two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle do. Think of coherence as seeing what all the sentences in a piece of writing add up to, the way all the pieces in a puzzle add up to the picture on the box."

"You can write a long sentence but still avoid sprawl if you change relative clauses to one of three kinds of appositives, resumptive, summative, or free. You have probably never heard of these terms before, but they name stylistic devices you have read many times and so should know how to use. . . . To create a resumptive modifier, find a key noun just before the tacked-on clause, then pause after it with a comma . . . . Then repeat the noun ... and that repeated word add a relative clause beginning with `that': 'Since mature writers often use restrictive modifers to extend a line of thought, we need a word to name what I am about to do in this sentence, a sentence that I could have ended at that comma, but extended to show you how resumptive modifiers work.'" And, "to create a summative modifier, end a grammatically complete segment of a sentence with a comma . . . . Find a term that sums up the substance of the sentence so far . . . . Then continue with a relative clause beginning with `that': 'Economic changes have reduced Russian population growth to less than zero, a demographic event that will have serious social implications.'" And, free modifiers: "Like the other modifiers, a free modifier can appear at the end of a clause, but instead of repeating a key word or summing up what went before, it comments on the subject of the closest verb. 'Free modifiers resemble resumptive and summative modifiers, letting you (i.e., the free modifier lets you) extend the line of a sentence while avoiding a train of ungainly phrases and clauses.'" In the preceding sentence, Williams simultaneously explains and exemplifies the concept of free modifiers.

In the chapter titled "Elegance," Williams points out that "the device that often appears in elegant prose" is the use of resumptive and summative modifiers. An example from Joyce Carol Oates, using two resumptive modifiers: "Far from being locked inside our own skins, inside the `dungeons' of ourselves . . . our minds belong . . . to a collective `mind,' a mind in which we share . . . the inner and outer experience of existence."

In the final chapter, "The Ethics of Style," Williams takes on academics who "rationalize opacity," with a ". . . claim that their prose style must be difficult because their ideas are new, they are, as a matter of simple fact, more often wrong than right. . . . Whatever can be written can usually be written more clearly, with just a little more effort."

Well-crafted writing emerges only from repeated rewriting. This five-star text- and workbook teaches the exacting--and joyously rewarding--craft of rewriting.

Moreover, I wholly agree with the author's observation on cognitive psychology: "I know that many who do see clearly, feel deeply, and think carefully can't write sentences that make their thoughts, feelings, and visions clear to others. I also know that the more clearly we write, the more clearly we see and feel and think."

-- C J Singh

Anything by D.Diller is a great resource. This book is terrific. I would recommend it to any teacher who likes an organized classroom.

When I received the book, I sat down and read it through and through. This book is exactly what I need for my third grade class. The concept of practice centers for intermediate students makes sense. Debbie Diller's book
gave me the written "how" and provided the blackline masters to put those ideas into practice. I just completed my first week of school and I have already used several of her ideas. This book is easy to read, understand,and most importantly practical.

This was an excellent resource! With our school getting ready to teach combination grades-I will highly recommend it to all teachers. The ideas are practical and with a limited budget, will be attainable in our classes.
Finally- a book to help right away, simple ideas that we can all use!

Recieved item on time, right when we were told it would arrive. Book in very good condition.

This is just what I've needed. Excellent source for getting kids motivated and on tasks that help THEM to learn. Outlines possible problems and solutions ahead of time. Great ideas for taking centers I already want and making them real learning stations in the classroom.

Other teachers on my floor are already looking to "borrow" it.

Like the author I entered teaching later in life. I brought some of my insights in managing people and motivating people with me. It helped to an extent because in teacher training courses you get none of it.

The great thing about this book is the author actually gives examples and suggestions of what to do in real every day teaching situations. I teach outside the US and her ideas work fine. Kids are kids - no matter where you are.

Sharing her triumphs and failures she actually seems to have looked deeper into the classroom setting and adopted her teaching to fit. That is why I recommend a change of the title. The ideas she suggests are not new ideas - just good people skills.

I read Rafe Esquiths books and his come across a bit as "Look how good I am/was". This book is more of someone sharing and giving practical advice for you to use.

Any univeristy student about to enter student teaching should read this book.

Thinking Outside the Box is hands down THE best teaching book I own (and I own a lot of theaching books). Johnson's straight-forward, friendly, yet pragmatic style make this an enjoyable and useful book. I plan on using all of the ideas that she has put forth. I will reread it as soon as I am finished! It's like having the best mentor spill all of her secrets. She also has helped me affirm my own teaching style. I am a young teacher and sometimes get the message that I'm too soft. Johnson's friendly yet in-charge teaching style is a refreshing change from the "Don't smile 'till Christmas" advice that I have received from other seasoned teachers. I normally don't write reviews but I had to recommend this book because it is so wonderful. A+

Marx is back, this time he's wearing Dockers. In order to bring about rule by the proletariat, Marx said there were some obstacles in the way that needed to be abolished: Family, Religion, and Culture. Our public schools are doing everything they can to do just that!

Family: We - are - family, Trotsky, Lenin, Pol Pot and me! From the tender age of 5 straight on to 18, liberal teachers have a death-grip on your children's psyche from 8:00 until 3:00! The Dems are already discussing legislation to create government daycare systems that could have your kids in their clutches straight out of the womb!

Then they have these parent-teacher conferences that are frighteningly similar to $cientology confessionals, only they are not forced to talk into a pair of tin-cans! The teacher's grill them on a long list of subjects until the parent is so tired and wanting to leave that he/she will give into any/all of the teacher's demands!

Religion: Mommy, why can't Johnny read (the Bible?) As long as man holds himself accountable to God and not man, the State can never truly own him! Take away God and man's highest authority will be the State! Yike stripes! The trial that began the menagerie was the infamous Everson v. Board of Education 330 U.S. 1. (1947). Which not only took prayer out of schools, but gone on to remove any mention of God!

Culture: Hey, I've got the diversity pneumonia and the multi-culti flu! By smothering your child with every culture but his own, the State is in fact taking away his culture. By the time your child leaves school, he is so bewildered by this cultural bombardment that he may start chanting is Swahili!

This small example taken from a popular education website will allow you to hear it from the horse's mouth!
"Content must be complete and accurate, acknowledging the contributions and perspectives of ALL groups.
* Ensure that the content is as complete and accurate as possible.
o "Christopher Columbus discovered America" is neither complete nor accurate.
* Avoid tokenism--weave content about under-represented groups (People of Color, Women, Lesbian, Gxy, and Bisexual People, People with Disabilities, etc.) seamlessly with that about traditionally over-represented groups.
o Do you present under-represented groups as "the other"?
o Do you address these groups only through special units and lesson plans ("African American Scientists"; "Poetry by Women") or within the context of the larger curriculum?
o Do you "celebrate" difference or study, explore, and acknowledge it as part of the overall curriculum?
* Study the history of discrimination in curriculum and ensure that you are not replicating it.
o Are supporting stereotypes (learning about Native Americans by making headdresses and tomahawks) or challenging them (learning about Native Americans through resources by Native Americans)?
o Are you supporting or challenging the assumption that our society is inherently Eurocentric, male-centric, Christian-centric, heterosexual-centric, and upper-middle-class centric?"

Well, having exposed without question our Marxist public school system, let's take a look at its list of crimes!

* Teachers should, in theory, present numerous sides of issues and give their pupils a well rounded education. Then why is it that they are all FORCED to become members of the NEA, a far-left lobbyist group!? The union even tells its members who to vote for! This sounds like racketeering to me. Let's use those RICO statutes!

* In order to keep as many people as possible within their grasp, the NEA refuses to give vouchers to minorities so they can escape to the freedom of private schools!

* Whenever a student shows any sign of individualism, unconventional behavior, or beliefs that are not endorsed by the State, they are prescribed mind control drugs such as Ritalin and Prozac!

* The public school system puts so much stress on our children that they are beginning to lash out and shoot, bomb, and otherwise kill their fellow classmates!

* Some teachers even engage in s-e-x acts with their students! In fact these cases are in the news all the time!

* Check out this definition of prison and be mortified: "A public building used for the confinement of people convicted of serious crimes." That's what public schools are! Public buildings used for the confinement of people! But public schools are even worse because the children haven't even committed any crimes! Or maybe our government just assumes they will and this is a form of preemptive correction! Is the government proselytizing them to have a herd-like mentality.

* This just in! Youth suicide rates up! Children would rather die than go to public school! In 1998, among youth ages 10 to 19 in the United States, there were 2,054 suicides! Those kids could have grown up to be doctors or great scientists but the public school system drove them to kill themselves!

Your eyes are probably blinded by tears brought on by the long list of grievances I just listed. Therefore, I will give you a moment to wipe them from your eyes and regain your composure.
All done? Good, because there's hope.

Home schools- Parents, you don't need the government to do your job for you! You are more than capable of teaching your children everything they need to know, even more so as you can give your child 100% of your attention! Make sure you always have your child take part in activities with people their age, such as Church, sports, and home-schooling events so they are prepared for the world when they have graduated. Fathers, take your son to work and let him observe, when he gets a little older, begin some hands-on training. Mothers, don't just cook and clean for your daughters, have them cook and clean with you to provide hands on training. The opportunities for preparing your child for the rat-race, without government intervention, are limited only by your imagination and lack of initiative!

The best part is, unlike school where they sit down all day and are filled with energy when they get home, your tykes will be tuckered out by the end of your hands on instruction, leaving you and your spouse ample free-time to get to work on making more independent thinkers!

I had high hopes when I purchased this book but was sadly disappointed. It really is a good book for either new teachers or those who work in urban settings. I am not new to teaching nor do I teach in an urban area so I was not able to put my reading to good use. I think there is an abundance of great advice for those new to profession so I would recommend this highly to them. If you have taught for several years you probably already implement the recommendations in the book. While some of the book could be applied to any grade level, most of it is geared toward middle or high school. This also was contrary to my personal needs but may be quite useful to others. So, new teachers, urban teachers, and teachers of grades 6-12 will probably find this book rather useful. Others might want to keep looking for something else that targets their needs more directly.

This book was just what I needed to begin teaching in the classroom. I am trying to be one of those teachers who do more than just "stand up in the front of the classroom and lecture all day". Great read!

This book could be half as long as it is if the authors would simply leave the good, hard facts and remove the touchy-feely stories of their own experience. A little anecdote can spice things up, but too many drown this book in unrelated experience.

That being said, this is a good comprehensive resource for ESL teachers. I used it to prepare for my Praxis II exam and was pleased. I would have liked to see at least one chapter dedicated to the different accepted ESL methodologies (Communicative, Silent Way, Suggestopedia, etc).

I have recommended this book to friends.

I am currently taking an ESL strategies and assessments course, and I have found this book absolutely helpful. Both for the person who is learning how to work with ESOL students, and for current teachers seeking strategies to incorporate into their classroom. The book contains specific classroom examples to use to enhance your ability to work with, and assess second language learners. There are several opportunities contained in the book for learning activities the students love to do, and will absolutely utilize. The strategies are clear and precise.
I had to purchase this book for my class, but this is a keeper, and I will enter it into my library.

This book has been like a bible for my role as an English Language Literacy Coach in the professional development of teachers. The concepts presented are all research based and up to date and the authors give very specific examples of strategies that can be implemented in classrooms right away. We did a chapter study (Chapter Four on Oral Language Development) as a grade level team, right after receiving the book. We were very impressed with the activities that were suggested and the connections we made with things we were already doing. We also loved the companion website that goes with this book that gives resources and activities relating to each chapter. This book is highly recommended for K-12 teachers who have English Language Learners in their classrooms.

This book covers it all! I will definitely keep it on my shelf and refer back to it for ideas.

This item is very resourceful! I needed it for my online course and it was certainly an easy read. :)

I just finished a semester of Ed. Psych. with this textbook. It is like every other textbook you've probably been forced to buy - bloated, overpriced, and contains 10x as much information as your course will ever be able to cover. If you have a choice, look elsewhere.

I was in instructed to buy this book for a School Psychology Practicum class, after reading several chapters I believe the book would be a better fit for a Counseling/Psychology Graduate Internship class. The information included is a good review for a student on internship and helps in bringing all the information learned throughout the program together. But that is all the book was for me, just a review -- no new information not learned in all the other graduate classes.

i reviewed this book in the library in anticipation of purchasing it. it's fine for what it is, a gathering of information on internship, in one location. the problem is, for what the buyer gets it is distinctly overpriced. i didn't buy it. i found another text, 'field instruction' by wilson, that was much more affordable and serves the purpose for both intern and teacher. it's a few years old, but i saved a lot of money, money i can't afford to waste.

I had to purchase this book for a psychology practicum class. There simply isn't anything else around to fill it's shoes. That means we are stuck with it.

That said, the book does what it sets ot to do. I will keep it, as I will prabably have to use it in grad school, and it will be a lot more relevant to me as a full intern working in a clinic.

Baird cuts to the chase. The overwhelming issues facing interns and professionals in psychology and the helping professionsis are presented in a neat, crisp, easy to navigate form. Wwith a light heart, he blends the old standards with new healing models. He has done the work. I will use this many times in the life of my career.

Mediators--doctors, social workers, librarians, and others--will definitely find this book very useful in understanding the issues.

For professions, such as the library and information, which does not prioritize internship in its training, are sure to benefit, nevertheless, from the other contents of the book.

Ch. 1 Preparation 1
Ch. 2 Getting Started 17
Ch. 3 Ethical And Legal Issues 28
Ch. 4 Internship Classes and Peer Groups 48
Ch. 5 Supervision 56
Ch. 6 Working with Diversity 77
Ch. 7 Clinical Writing 93
Ch. 8 Records and Progress Notes 102
Ch. 9 Stress and the Helping Professions 114
Ch. 10 Self-care 127
Ch. 11 Assault and Other Risks 139
Ch. 12 Closing Cases 150
Ch. 13 Finishing the Internship 160
Ch. 14 Frustrations, Lessons, Discoveries, and Joy 166

Practicum is anyways a part of such professional courses and this updated version helps all the concerned.

This book is incredibly informative and of course (pardon the pun) very mind boggling! As a teacher still relatively new to the profession as well as the various teaching ideologies/philosophies, this book has truly shaped my perceptions on teaching and understanding the 21st century learner. And most importantly, I am able to understand my students from a purely biological point of view and this in itself informs and guides every aspect of my teaching. Even though I did not read the first edition, this book has proven to be a magnificent teaching tool that every teacher, new or seasoned in the profession, should read. There is an undeniable evolution taking place in education and this knowledge of our brains and how they function is the key and gateway to understanding how to teach beyond the factory model and reach the most vital aspect of what makes us human....our minds.

This book was for a psych course at my college. I looked into the college bookstore but the prices were just too high, then I found amazon had a new copy for cheaper than I would have paid for a used. It is an easy reading and the company shipped it very fast.

Really good insights into how the brain works. I learned some new concepts that are helpful to teachers. I did this in a book chat and it was well worth it.

This book is a very quick read with lots of information for those teachers who want to change their teaching style to "brain-based" teaching! Very easy reading-good suggestions to use in the classroom!

Iam very satisfy with this book. The condition in which the book arrived in Puerto Rico was perfect. A great book to read especially for an educator.

Thank you;

Juan

It's great. Would definately order more books by Gary L. Musser

I was able to use this book for two semesters! It contains double the info and you don't have to buy a book the next semester.

Very fast receipt, well packaged, very well priced, and everything included. Outstanding service and will definitely consider buying used textbooks from this seller in the future!

I used the Mathematics for elementary teachers for a college level course. The text is interesting and provides the reader/learner with a solid foundation of Problem solving skills in learning and teaching mathematics. It has several useful examples of the strategies as well as challenging problems that can be solved on ones own. The problem solving strategies are new in the respect that "it's not your mama's math." There are several types of problem solving skills that I was not aware of and will come in handy for teaching and learning because not everybody solves problems the same. The text works at applying concepts to "real classroom" setting. Many of the strategies presented are in line with the National Council Of Teachers of Mathematics Curriculum and Evaluation Standards (NCTM)- the leading authority in the U.S. focusing on keeping standards in math curriculums across the country, to ensure that students are well prepared for future more complex mathematics. The chapters are followed by numerous challenging math problems to solve. And some of the answers are even in the back of the book so you can check yourself. A solid foundation of basic math operations and Algebra I is a must to keep up with the text. The only downside is that I wish there was a workbook to compliment the text. I found myself re doing the same problems in order to get the concepts down. It would have been better if there were more problems similar to the chapters. Another problem was that some of the answers in the back of the book were wrong.

Since I was unable to buy this manual at my college bookstore, it was great to be able to order it....and the manual was in perfect condition!