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Burch, Kerry T. (2000).
Eros as the Educational Principle of Democracy.
New York: Peter Lang.
Through this book, Kerry Burch, Assistant Professor of Philosophy
of Education at Northern Illinois University, aims "to provoke the next
generation of teachers to think about their vocation in radical new
terms." Defining eros (one of the Greek terms for love) broadly as
"soul" or "passion and connection," Burch states that historically eros
has been devalued because of prejudice against the feminine. He then
explores representations of eros through Western thought in four
historical periods: a) pre-philosophic and philosophic eros with
Plato's Symposium and selected parts of Phaedrus and the Republic; 2) a
Christian view as exemplified by Augustine's interpretation of the
Garden of Eve story; 3) a modern representation through Rousseau's
Emile; and 4) contemporary accounts including feminist theory. Burch
concludes by proposing a conceptual framework for thinking about the
pedagogical relationship between eros and democracy, particularly in
qualities and values such as questioning, the intense desire to know,
to revise, to envision a perceived good, and to participate in a
community of inquirers. Burch believes that eros should be treated as
the defining educational principle of critical pedagogy and democratic
citizenship.
This work has value as an upper level or graduate resource in
educational philosophy. While the topic is fascinating, the style is
dense, intellectual, and not easily absorbed.
Pages: 223
Price: $29.95
ISBN: 0-8204-4481-2
Reviewed by Laverna Saunders, Salem State College
Cecil, Nancy L. (2001).
Activities for Striking a Balance in Early Literacy.
Scottsdale, Arizona: Holcomb Hathaway.
In this follow-up to her textbook, Striking a Balance: Positive
Practices for Early Literacy (Holcomb Hathaway, 1999), Nancy Cecil
offers 70 activities for literacy instruction that "have been found to
be highly effective in today's diverse classrooms." Aimed towards
pre-service and new teachers, the book is divided into seven chapters
covering different aspects of literacy, such as spelling, vocabulary,
comprehension, and phonics. Each chapter includes: 10 activities, the
details of which are clearly described; suggestions for other
activities; a list of children's books that speak to the element of
literacy being addressed; other resources that may be used to help
develop early literacy; and questions to think about after an activity
has been completed by students.
The individual activities state the intended grade level (ranging
from pre-K to 3rd), the purpose of the activity, materials
required, and the procedure involved. Cecil also includes suggestions
on how to assess the activity. To help teachers integrate the
activities into their curriculum and evaluate their effectiveness in
doing so, Cecil provides an Appendix with suggestions for video
self-assessment, an instruction and reflection profile and a lesson
plan format. The book is three-hole punched and the pages are serrated
for easy removal.
These activities, based on what Cecil calls "state-of-the-art
understanding of the best practices for teaching young children to
become literate human beings," have been field tested by teachers and
thus should be practical and relatively straightforward to implement.
Pre-service teachers will find this book the most useful, but
experienced teachers would also gain insight and ideas from it. While
reading Striking a Balance is not essential to understanding
Activities for Striking a Balance, education students and
teachers will find the earlier title helpful in providing the
theoretical foundation for the activities.
Pages: 211
Price: $18.95
ISBN: 1-890871-31-1
Reviewed by Shellie Jeffries, Aquinas College
Kaufman, Douglas. (2000).
Conferences and Conversations: Listening to the Literate
Classroom.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Douglas Kaufman has produced a remarkable and refreshing narrative
for teachers who wish to become and remain reflective practitioners and
who wish to increase the quality and effectiveness of their classroom's
student-student and teacher-student communication.
Kaufman does not provide readers with a formula or step-by-step
process; nor does he suggest strategies such as "build rapport with the
students" or "act as a sounding board" without providing a clear model
and analysis. Indeed, Kaufman effectively combines research,
observations of a real world classroom, and the reflections of a master
teacher and her students to create an immanently readable and useful
guide.
The book is based on Kaufman's yearlong observations of Linda
Rief's middle school writing arts classroom. Rief, a master teacher, is
also a well-known author in the area of education. Her works include:
Seeking Diversity: Language Arts with Adolescents; Vision and
Voice: Extending the Literary Spectrum; and Staying Off-Balance
and Alive: Learning from My Students in All That Matters: What Is It We
Value in School and Beyond? She provides an exemplary model for
teachers of all levels and experiences.
Kaufman's observations of Rief's classroom practices are detailed
and specific. The observations, in and of themselves, would have made
for a revealing and enlightening case study, but his obvious care in
crafting his writing and pairing those observations and reflections
with current research and exemplary practices has resulted in a
marvelous resource.
Readers enter Rief's classroom, observe her teaching methods, and
hear her students' reactions. At the same time, Kaufman's personable
voice helps readers focus their observations of Rief, informs them of
related research, pushes them towards a greater understanding of their
own classroom interactions, and gets out of the way of their learning.
Even Kaufman's writing models the exemplary classroom practices he
describes!
The only quibble I have, and it is admittedly small, is that
Kaufman included several "see references" to the appendices in one of
Rief's books, Seeking Diversity. The references were
appreciated, but I would have preferred to have those particular
appendices reproduced in Conferences and Conversations for ease
of use. On the other hand, Kaufman has inspired me to delve further
into the processes that he and Rief have so invitingly shared. I now
have a copy of Rief's Seeking Diversity on my desk and an order
for Conferences and Conversations in my collection development
pile (the copy I received for review will not be donated to the
library, my usual practice, because I want it handy for my own
reference and inspiration!)
Pages: 214
Price: $20.00
ISBN: 0-325-00271-1
Reviewed by Jeneen LaSee-Willemssen, University of Wisconsin-Superior
Lake, Jo-Anne (2000)
Literature & Science Breakthroughs: Connecting Language and Science
Skills in the Elementary Classroom.
Markham, ON: Pembroke
Publishers. Published in the United States by Stenhouse.
There have been quite a few 'science and children's literature'
books published in the last five years. Literature & Science
Breakthroughs is sufficiently different to warrant purchase.
Jo-Anne Lake has written a thoughtful, well-organized book, which is
both theoretical and practical. Her approach to the topic is unique,
she uses the National Science Education Standards (National
Research Council, 1996) strands as her structure. Lake thoroughly
explains how books can be integrated into each strand discussing how to
get started, hands-on activities and assessment. The chapter on
assessment is excellent, clearly demonstrating that the use of
children's literature in the science classroom can be effectively
assessed. The list of suggested titles is extensive and includes a wide
variety of literature—picture books, fiction, information books,
poetry, folklore, etc. The last chapter illustrates how to integrate
materials across all the strands and into other areas of the
curriculum.
This is not a quick fix book with canned activities, it is a
thoughtful explanation of how and why children's literature can be used
in the elementary science curriculum. Literature & Science
Breakthroughs would be helpful to both preservice and in-service
teachers.
Pages: 128
Price: $18.95
ISBN: 1-55138-126-5
Reviewed by Judy Walker, University of North Carolina, Charlotte
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