|
|
|
Burke, Kay (2002)
Mentoring Guidebook: Mapping the Journey.
Arlington Heights, Illinois: SkyLight Professional
Development.
This book is designed to show mentors how to help beginning
teachers becoming competent and caring educators. The two sections of
the book address the needs of the mentor and the
protege.
Section I, "Setting the Course," provides definitions and ground
rules for those embarking on their shared journey through the mentor /
protege experience. These guidelines provide feedback and
demonstrations for the protege teacher to determine for herself the
improvements needed in her teaching. Definitions of terms, evaluation
forms, and a list of further activities for the mentor and protege are
available for photocopying.
Section II, "Planning the Itinerary," includes lesson plan
guidelines, lists of further resources, and scenarios for classroom
management and solving behavior problems. The mutually agreed upon
expectations of the mentor and protege allow the mentee to discover and
solve problems independently whenever possible, but leave room for
the mentor's intervention in a serious situation. Emphasis on trust
between the mentor and protege is useful. The practical tips such as
an observation checklist for reading, (available for photocopying) and
Burke's "Dirty Dozen" list of negative teacher behaviors (such as
sarcasm, put-downs, public reprimands) help the new teacher avoid some
problems before they come up.
The practical hands-on activities offered for both the mentor and
the protege makes this a very useful resource in the literature of
mentoring. Activities are presented as a shared journey. It is not
overly prescriptive, the mentor and protege select their route
together,
ensuring their cooperation for the rest of the journey.
Pages: 211
Price: $32.95
ISBN: 1-57517-546-0
Reviewed by Helga B. Visscher, University of Alabama
Hurst, Beth; Wilson, Cindy; Camp, Deanne & Cramer, Genny (2002)
Creating Independent Readers: Developing Word Recognition Skills in
K-12 Classrooms.
Scottsdale, AZ: Holcomb Hathaway
Publishers.
Focusing on word recognition skills and avoiding debates on various
(and contradictory) educational philosophies, Beth Hurst and her
colleagues from Southwest Missouri State University strive to provide
"practical suggestions for teachers and students" who are or will be
teaching reading. Sections throughout the book provide working
definitions for individual word recognition skills, strategies for
teaching beginning and experienced readers, and ways to assess how
effectively students use their word recognition skills. The authors
attempt to address the needs of both elementary, middle and high school
students, as well as match student learning styles with instructional
practices.
Chapter 1 offers an overview of word recognition and defines eight
methods of assessment of word recognition skills. The second chapter
describes those skills, such as phonics, structural analysis and
context cues, and offers activities to develop them. "Supporting
Skills," including previewing and visual clues, help readers become
independent learners; these are discussed in the third unit. In the
last chapter, the authors show how all the "pieces of the puzzle" fit
together to enable reading comprehension. A number of appendices list
common prefixes and suffixes, as well as technology resources,
references and a glossary.
Despite its short length, this title has much to recommend it. The
strategies discussed are supported by research, the suggestions for
activities are practical, the authors make an effort to address the
skill levels of a variety of readers, and they accommodate the
cognitive development of students. "Creating Independent Learners" is
recommended for any teacher or education student who wants to learn
about methods of incorporating word recognition skills into her
curriculum. Teachers specializing in reading will want to begin with
this book, but may wish to explore other titles for more in-depth
discussions of the topic.
Pages: 141
Price: $19.50
ISBN: 1-890871-36-2
Reviewed by Shellie Jeffries, Aquinas College
Ladson-Billings, Gloria (2001)
Crossing Over to Canaan: The Journey of New Teachers in Diverse
Classrooms.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey
Bass.
The need for teachers able to teach in diverse classrooms and
communities is evident and not going away in the near future. In this
book, Gloria Ladson-Billings explores the experiences of students in
the Teach For Diversity (TFD) teacher education program at a midwestern
university. While presenting to the reader her personal background as
an educator, as well as her motivation behind working with the TFD
program, the author offers a fine blend of observation and
storytelling.
Ladson-Billings highlights the pertinent issues and concerns faced
by educators in present-day society, such as: finding "teachers who are
capable of teaching successfully in diverse classrooms" (p. 12), what
"diversity" means in the year 2001 (p. 14), what "teaching" means in
the year 2001 (p. 26), and "theories of pedagogy (p. 29). After
addressing these challenges faced by teachers, the author introduces
readers to the "novice teachers" from one cohort of the TFD program.
The ethnic and socio-economic diversity represented among these
teachers impacts, as well as offers a better perspective on, their
experiences. For example, one teacher had taken part in a student
exchange program in Japan and knew what it felt like to be an outsider.
This experience helped her empathize with children feeling like
outsiders (p. 37).
Fellow "novice teachers" may find connections with the student
teaching experiences of the participants in the TFD program. The
author reveals the participants' concerns over whether student learning
was taking place and their struggles to work effectively with students
who present varied challenges to a teacher. All teachers will
appreciate the concerns addressed by the TFD program, including a
motivating premise that teacher education is in need of reform (p. 6)
and without reform, new teachers are being sent out feeling poorly
prepared (p. 7).
Another valuable aspect of this book is the exploration of
knowledge gained from the TFD program, as well as some of the pitfalls
of TFD. For example, TFD made clear to the sponsors of the program
that "(p)rospective teachers need the opportunity to do serious
intellectual work" (p. 136). According to Ladson-Billings some notions
of teaching are based more on the personality traits of teachers
(compassionate, for example) rather than on the planning teachers must
carry out or professional development teachers take part in after being
initiated in the field. One shortcoming the author found in the
program was the overkill of work with TFD. Student teachers' days were
packed with planned activities from morning to afternoon, which left
little time for participants to reflect on their teaching (p. 140).
Ladson-Billings showed support for the program while sharing realistic
outcomes.
Crossing Over to Canaan is a valuable read for those
interested in changing the way that teacher education is accomplished,
as well as for those teachers interested in teaching in diverse
communities. All readers should take away information about what may
and may not work in teacher education reform.
Pages: 172
Price: $24.95
ISBN: 0-787-95001-7
Reviewed by Joy T. Jodlowski, DePaul University
Sauerteig, Judy (2001)
Science to Go: Fact and Fiction Learning Packs.
Englewood, CO: Libraries
Unlimited.
In a brief, two paragraph introduction, Sauerteig explains that she
created these learning packs for parents. Each "pack" is a pair of
books, one fiction, one non-fiction and activity sheets to accompany
the readings. There are four sections, Kindergarten through grade 3,
with 15 packs in each for a total of 60 book pairs. Sauerteig
envisions schools making these packs available to supplement classroom
activities. She feels that it is important to encourage parents to
read and enjoy non-fiction with their young children.
Teachers and parents who share the author's concern about
introducing young children to non-fiction will appreciate the obvious
care with which the books have been matched. There are none that seem
inappropriate or unlikely. Sauerteig does not provide information
beyond author and title for recommended books, but most of them are
well known mainstream books available in any public library. The
suggestions for activities are less impressive. They are generally
very predictable lists of questions about a reading, recapping facts
and reinforcing new information. These may work well in a classroom
situation where groups of students can interact with each other in
response to the questions. In a parent-child situation, more
open-ended questions and items that spur the child to further interest
in the topic, would be welcome.
Pages: 186
Price: $30.00
ISBN: 1-56308-844-4
Reviewed by: Kate Corby, Michigan State University
|
home |
reviews |
editors |
contribute |
subscribe
| publishers