These reviews have been accessed 
times since October 1, 2006
Brief reviews for October 2006
Bianco, Arnie (2006)
Teaching Tips from Your One-Minute Mentor: Quick and Easy Strategies
for Classroom Success.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Pages: 134
Price: $29.95
ISBN: 0-7879-8241-5
Arnie Bianco, M.Ed., has been a teacher, a school principal, and is
now a mentor-principal of a charter school in Tucson, Arizona. He
designed Teaching Tips from Your One-Minute Mentor to educate and
assist teachers with managing classroom behavior and improving their
instructional time with students. He presents his strategies in short
paragraphs with many illustrations, in chapters of ten to fourteen
pages. Bianco also includes in each chapter at least one quotation that
he has found to be memorable, and which he uses to support the topic of
the chapter. He states that "the individuals who spoke or wrote them
[the quotations] have a special ability to express a lot of wisdom in a
very few words. These universal principles form a firm foundation for
successful living and teaching" (p. x).
Bianco's ten-chapter book is a simple easy to read volume that covers
topics on succeeding with challenges in classroom management, especially
in the first years of teaching. The book has at least one illustration
or table on each of the 128 pages and Bianco practices the good teaching
procedures of telling us what he wants us to learn, teaching us, and
telling us what he taught us.
In covering the topic of Active Learners (which takes two pages),
Bianco compares the classroom to an orchestra, and suggests that the
teacher as soloist (lecturer) should transition to teacher as conductor
(facilitator) in most circumstances. He gives examples of both types of
teaching and provides additional ways to get students to participate in
class. He offers "sweat box" when students names are put on wooden sticks
and drawn randomly from a box, or "Beanie Baby" when teacher tosses a
Beanie Baby to the student he is calling on, and the student, after
answering, tosses it back to teacher or to another student. On the very
next page (p. 39), Bianco concludes with his "great one-liners for active
listeners":
- Which one would you choose?
- I challenge you to. . .
- Tell me how you did that.
- What do you think might happen?
- What do you do next?
- Why is that one better?
Bianco's chapter on organizing the classroom includes a table on
behavioral symptoms and instructional diagnosis, such as "students are
bored, unchallenged = subject matter is too easy; students seem
frustrated, act as though 'I don't care' = subject matter is too hard; and
classroom features restlessness and noise = work is merely verbal" (p.
51). He explains and diagrams seating arrangements, with suggested
placement of high risk, medium risk, and low risk students, and
reminders to TWWA (teach while walking around) -- all information that
might be common sense to those who have already been teaching, but a
nice reminder to teachers just starting out in the profession.
The last two chapters of Teaching Tips are good mentoring ideas for
all educators, not just new teachers. Chapter Nine reminds us that
networking with colleagues is important, and keeping an optimistic
outlook and thinking proactively, rather than negatively, is the key to
success in the classroom. Tips from Chapter Ten for taking care of
personal growth include taking professional or personal development
classes, attending workshops and conferences related to your content
area or educational skills, sharing information with others, exercising
regularly, spending time with family and friends, and taking a vacation.
In summary, this book attempts to mentor classroom teachers in a
quick and positive manner. However, in Bianco's zest to simplify the
topics to fit his one-minute manager style, he has oversimplified
techniques of classroom management. An annotated bibliography, for
those who want to explore these topics in more detail, would add to the
usefulness of this book.
Reviewed by Betty G. Hubschman, Ed.D. Dr. Hubschman is an Associate
Professor and Director of the Human Resource Development Graduate
Programs at Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida. Her major
research interests are mentoring and coaching, technology, performance
evaluation and improvement, work-life balance, and organizational
change.
Brier, Norman (2006)
Enhancing Academic Motivation: An Intervention Program for Young
Adolescents.
Champaign, IL: Research
Press.
Pages: 155
Price: $21.95
ISBN: 0-87822-560-9
Brier's Enhancing Academic Motivation outlines a motivation
enhancement intervention aimed at middle school students who have
performed below grade level for at least one year. While this is the
program's target population, the author notes that it could benefit any
student. The program consists of 16 one-hour sessions (with flexibility)
to be implemented by educators, clinicians, or parents.
As the program progresses, its central objectives are for students to
adopt mastery rather than performance goals, understand that ability is
malleable rather than fixed, demonstrate approach versus avoidance
behaviors with regard to challenge, and utilize specific strategies to
be more successful (e.g. relaxation, reducing distractions, problem
solving). It is strongly based in theory. Goal Theory, Attribution
Theory, and self efficacy versus learned helplessness are not only
evident throughout the lessons and activities, but they are also
explained in brief at the end of the book. The user need not have
expertise in motivational theories, as they are built right into lessons
and activities.
Each session is organized into easy-to-follow steps. Objectives,
conceptual basis, necessary materials and scripted procedures are
delineated for every lesson. Lessons utilize a great deal of "case study
analysis" in which students read or are read a scenario and then discuss
or role-play resolution to the problem presented. This provides students
with very concrete examples of barriers to motivation and success and
how those barriers can be overcome. Additionally, the program
incorporates a self-monitoring component, with the students being
provided "motivation tracking forms" to record their motivation toward
academic tasks throughout the intervention. These, along with "leader
reviews" provided for each lesson, help the facilitator evaluate the
program, both in formative and summative terms.
I recommend this book for anyone seeking assistance with students who
are disengaged from school. It provides a good introduction to important
motivational theories and some very practical ways of using them to
orient students toward challenging, worthwhile endeavors. Even if the
program is not implemented as it is presented, the reader could
certainly take away several good ideas to incorporate into his or her
normal practice as a teacher, clinician, or parent.
Reviewed by Joshua M. Englehart, PhD. of LaMuth Middle School,
Painesville, Ohio. Research interests include class size, gender issues,
and student motivation.
Brint, Steven (2006)
Schools and Societies. Second Edition.
Stanford, CA: Stanford University
Press.
Pages: 340
Price: $70.00 (hardcover), $29.95 (paper)
ISBN: 0804755051(hardcover), 804750734(paper).
In Schools and Societies (2nd Ed.), Steven Brint
analyzes school systems in both industrialized and developing societies.
He describes two sociological theories of schooling: the
structural-functionalist theory, which sees society as a complex
system of many parts that work together to promote stability; the
social power theory, which proposes that the conflicts in
society stem from the inequalities in society. His view is that neither
theory alone provides an adequate sociological understanding of
schooling, but that elements from each theory are useful in analyzing
schooling systems throughout the world.
In his global assessment of schooling, Brint describes former and
current school systems within the sociological framework of
Macro-Historical, Meso-Institutional, and Micro-Interactional levels of
analysis. Macro-Historical analysis is used to facilitate our
understanding of current purposes and activities of schools (p. 20).
Through this perspective we learn how social institutions, including
schools, have evolved over time in industrialized societies.
Meso-Institutional analysis is an investigation of a social institution
at any given time. In a school system, information from this type of
analysis includes how schools are organized and how schools respond to
the external environment (p. 23). Micro-Interactional analysis is the
study of human interactions within a school environment. This includes
a critical appraisal of both the context and the process of the
interaction between people, including facial expressions, gestures,
posturing, and spoken words used during the interaction (p. 27-28).
Brint points out that individuals in industrialized societies attain
higher levels of education. These systems are more organized and
teachers have specific qualifications. For example, throughout the
industrialized world, except in Germany, students between the ages of 6
and 16 study basically the same curricula: reading, math, and science.
Around age 16 in most countries students are moved toward either a
vocational track or a higher education track. Historically, higher
education was the right of the wealthy and powerful who were trained for
leadership positions in government or businesses. Today, students have
the option (although not necessarily the means) to receive a higher
education in most industrialized societies around the world. Since the
1980s more students are going into the higher education track as
evidenced by the number of young adults returning to school for
additional degrees and certificates after completion of vocational
training.
In developing societies, issues of poverty, disease, and political
turmoil, influence both the amount of time children are in school and
the quality of education that they receive. Brint discusses factors
that impact the quality of education in developing countries, such as
economic stagnation, high financial indebtedness, and continued
population growth. He points out the correlation between problems in
developing countries and problems in the school systems of those
countries. The one generally accepted concept throughout the world is
that more education can and will solve societal problems for both
industrialized and developing countries.
In contemporary societies, according to Brint, schooling has three
major purposes: the transmission of school knowledge, socialization, and
social selection (p. 97). The transmission of knowledge refers to the
actual content that is taught by qualified teachers to students in
school. He examines this topic by providing historical background on the
development of curricula, comparing curricula in different parts of the
world, exploring what social forces have shaped curricula in different
countries, and looking at how well students in different countries
master course information.
Socialization is defined as the "efforts of the carriers of a society's
dominant ways of life to shape the values and conduct of others who are
less integrated into those ways of life" (p.132). This process includes
behavioral, moral, and cultural conformity. Again Brint looks at
patterns of socialization from an historical perspective in different
societies around the world to current practices in contemporary
societies. He goes on to discuss socialization in both the classroom
environment and on the playground which he defines as any space, other
than a classroom, in which children learn about friendships,
self-assertion, self-control, and conflict resolution. His belief is
that the socialization process at this level equips students with skills
they will need in informal adult social networks.
Social selection is, in Brint's view, the most important function that
schools perform today (p.187). He sees social selection as both an
opportunity and an inequality and examines each concept in depth from
both a macro-historical and a meso-institutional level. Schooling as
an opportunity for social selection has been increasingly important in
industrialized societies in the past fifty years. After World War II in
the United States, and later in European countries, occupational changes
accounted for increased numbers of people seeking a higher education to
secure better jobs. In the past twenty years, credential-based systems
have been used to select individuals for higher-level jobs in most
organizations and businesses in industrialized societies.
In Brint's view, inequalities in school performance and educational
attainment are influenced in varying degrees by class, race/ethnicity,
and gender. Social class can be either advantageous for success in
schooling, or contribute to a childs disengagement from learning,
leading to poor academic performance and early dropout rates.
Race/ethnicity in some societies play major roles in social selection
in schooling. Characteristics of the minority group itself, such as
cultural differences, attitudes toward schooling and how others treat
members of the group contribute to how much influence race and ethnicity
have at any specific time or place (p.199).
Gender inequalities also vary from one society to another. In
patriarchal and developing societies, women are excluded from
opportunities for higher education and the business world. Recently, in
many industrialized societies, secondary schools and institutions of
higher education have begun to show a trend toward equality in the
number of enrollments of men and women.
Schools and Societies (2nd Ed.) is for students and
educators interested in either education or sociology. Brint provides a
thorough explanation of basic sociological concepts and supports his
ideas/arguments with numerous references to existing studies, the works
of former and current experts, and demographic data from reliable
sources. He defines and assesses the complexities of school
institutions around the globe. He discusses government influences on
schools in both industrialized and developing nations, provides an
historical perspective and a current picture of education in six
countries, delineating both similarities and differences, strengths and
weaknesses of the six systems. The text is well written, providing both
general concepts and specific examples, charts and tables are clear and
concise, and it concludes with an extensive list of references for
further reading.
Reviewed by Patricia Kaufman, a Ph.D. student in the Doctor of
Education in Educational Leadership Program at Argosy University,
Seattle, Washington
Cowhey, Mary (2006).
black ants and buddhists: Thinking Critically and Teaching
Differently in the Primary Grades.
Portland, Maine: Stenhouse
Publishers.
Pages: 255
Price: $18.00
ISBN: 1-57110-418-6
Significantly, the book has the affirmation of Dr. Sonia Nieto, well
recognized for her work in multicultural studies, curriculum reform and
teacher
education particularly in the field of critical and cultural studies.
black ants and buddhists advocates peace, justice and respect
through forming a collaborative learning community. Substantial
emphasis is
given to critical thinking and experiential learning among a diverse
landscape
of students and as early as the first- and second-grade classroom. The
expansive issues covered from American imperialism, war, racism,
violence,
hunger, poverty, homophobia and so forth, are indeed staggering at
times.
The book serves as a philosophical, ideological and pragmatic map for
classroom practitioners by providing alternative perspectives focusing
on
critical teaching and learning steadfastly grounded in Freirean
liberatory
pedagogy and praxis. Yes, other important thinkers are included, but
Freire is
the standout protagonist. It would do well for teacher-education
programs and
preservice educators to study the breath of teacher knowledge set forth
in this
writing. The book is timely in its effort to address what is fast
becoming a
highly globalized classroom environment in American public schools.
Thinking,
visionary educators now demand recognition of diversity and pluralistic
thought
and action. Cowhey is advocating what is known in cultural critical
studies as
progressive, radical, transgressive approaches toward teaching and
learning that
in many ways are in opposition to the standardized, mechanized and
often
alienating educational experience that children most often undergo in
this
country.
In essence, the author admonishes public school teachers to move
beyond
the perfunctory, positivist, deterministic practice used to support
what
antioppressive educators deem as the hidden curriculum (Giroux, 1998).
A
curriculum that functions to buttress the power, privilege and thinking
of the
dominant few. Cowhey conveys deep concern over the politics of
identity linked
to difference which adversely impacts not only the learning, but also
the
social growth and development of the student. Contrastively, Cowhey
attempts
to interact and indeed reach each student individually as well as their
families-recognizing that all are unique human beings with varying
frames of
reference and worldviews.
At its core the book focuses on engaging students at a young age in
critical inquiry, pluralistic reflection and learning within the
context of
lived experience among self and other. "Each chapter in this book
tells a
story about teaching and learning and attempts to answer by illustration
some of
the questions teachers ask about teaching critically . . ." (p. 21).
Cowhey offers examples and solid ways and means for educators to engage
students in critical inquiry and discovery at a young age; to care
about
themselves and others, their families and communities. Her accounts,
drawn
from teaching experience, are valuable to both veteran and new
educators.
Examples and details provide insights into how she tackles a study unit,
parent-guardian-teacher relationships, and a host of other
responsibilities. All
of these demonstrate how this educator welds theory and practice into a
virtually seamless process.
Some readers may at times be taken aback by the confronting tone of
the
book. The prologue orients the reader to a key theme in the book:
that of
personal responsibility within our schools and homes, thereby cogently
establishing an activist tone for what is to come. Through the lived
narratives
of her own life, coupled with her teaching and dedication to activism
and
social justice, Cowhey gives strong evidence of her commitment to live
an
undivided life by making clear that there is no dissonance among her
pedagogic
creed, identity and daily living. Such thinking is grounded in the
work of
Palmer (2004), a consummate and highly awarded educator-whose work
reveals his
own quest for an undivided life, a search for wholeness. Palmer's
position is
in line with Freire's practice of striving for authentic selves.
Therefore,
Cowhey's book is replete with how her teaching and living are
intertwined. She
continually models for her students the relevance of lived experience,
equity
and justice within the adolescent classroom environment. Much in the
vein of
recognized teacher-author, bell hooks, who espouses connection and an
engaged
community of learners forged through transgressive teaching, Cowhey
too, shares
her own lived experiences of going against the grain of
socioeducational
injustices in an effort to extend student learning, comprehension and
reflection
of critical social issues.
Why the book's title? A Buddhist student of Cowhey's raises the
question as to why Americans feel it is okay to kill black ants, when
he
witnesses another student carelessly stomping ants. Upon reflection of
this
incident, the author offers the following insight to her
readers/teachers.
Some traditional teachers argued that it was fine to
continue
to sing Christmas carols at a concert and have Christmas parties in
classrooms
and color pictures of Santa Claus, because everyone in America knows
what
Christmas is, and if they don't, they should learn . . . not only is it
culturally acceptable for Americans to crush ants, but we land-mine and
carpet-bomb countries. We defoliated much of Vietnam. We carry out
"shock
and awe" bombing campaigns in the cradle of ancient civilizations (p.
4).
The above quote is reflective of Cowhey's resolute position against
mainstream education's unthinking and uncaring approach toward needless
violence and suffering in diverse and multicultural students' lives.
Again, the
content of the book is powerful, forceful and activist in tone. It
appears that
Cowhey took to heart Freire's mandate that teachers should be cultural
workers
and politicians working against the oppressively political environment
of
mainstream education. Importantly, the social messages and intended
consciousness-raising are made palatable for those who would otherwise
tune out,
even some teachers, by the inclusion of Cowhey's lived experiences
growing up
in hunger while facing other disheartening hardships, much like Freire.
Further still, the shared voices and lives of her students make even the
toughest heart yield to the authentic narratives of wisdom and
understanding
spoken through the words of children-who deftly demonstrate their
critical
thinking skills in learning while simultaneously expressing views with
relevance
to real world issues.
Freire forged his antioppressive pedagogy through lived experience
within a "middle-class family that had lost its economic base . . ."
(Freire, 2001, p. 13) revealing hunger and class borders among rich and
poor as
a child growing up in Brazil and within an oppressive political climate.
Through his observation and experiences of oppression there began a
fermenting
of sociopolitical and educational resistance toward unnecessary human
suffering
that would emerge in what has become the manifesto for
antioppressive/progressive educators, Pedagogy of the
Oppressed. It is no exaggeration that many who seek to practice
antioppressive education revere the revolutionary tenants of his
theoretical
framework. Freire's work often mirrors, and certainly extends, the
thinking of
John Dewey-renowned for his advocacy of democracy and freedom of
thinking and
human agency through progressive education.
Of the vast strands of thought that coalesce into Freire's
antioppressive pedagogy only highlights can be offered at this time
such as:
education should not be banked into the minds of students, whereby
educators
simply deposit information without engaging students in critical
thought.
Teaching and learning should be based in problem-posing practice
allowing
students to become viable participants in their own education through
the
dialectic or questioning and debate of all issues. Dialogue is
foundational to
emancipatory teaching-learning in the promotion of greater dignity and
human
connection. Education requires relevance of lived experiences and the
world.
The education model should be predicated on teacher-student and
student-teacher; where each learns from the other without impediment by
a false
hierarchal framework commonly found in educational systems and
practices of
public education.
It would be unfortunate for readers, particularly educators, to
misperceive the pedagogic depth of black ants and buddhists.
Make no mistake, this book, illustrated with children's drawings, is
not your
typical how-to, educator's book. Rather, this work should be
recognized as a
serious and aggressive effort toward teacher and educator reform, and
for which
the more traditional-minded teacher or as Cowhey might claim, the
stereotypical-minded, just might balk. With candor she reveals the
resistance
she feels--toward her resistance to the status quo and the conflicts
that arise
as she advocates and presses for success at the center of education for
students who too often are lost at the margins. The author should be
commended
for taking risks on several fronts: taking stereotypical teaching and
teachers
to task by refusing to dumb down students, addressing the politics
among
colleagues, new teacher fears, remaining true to her role as an activist
both
within and outside of the classroom setting, and confronting those in
positions
of local and national power who continue to oppress, the oppressed.
Cowhey's reference to Freire's pedagogic creed and practice is a
constant throughout black ants and buddhists. Her continued
study of this legendary educator inspired Cowhey's passion to
teach critically because I believe young children are
capable
of amazing things, far more than is usually expected of them. I am not
talking
about raising a score on a standardized math test (although that often
happens). I am talking about thinking critically and learning to learn,
learning
to use basic skills like reading, writing, solving mathematical
problems,
analyzing data, public speaking, scientific observation, and inquiry as
an
active citizen in your community. I believe young children can think
about
fairness and are deeply moved and highly motivated by the recognition
of
injustice (p. 18).
Every page is jam-packed with valuable information that defies a
single
reading. If there are any shortcomings, it is that Cowhey never fully
reveals
how she time manages individual student attention, parent-guardian
meetings and
weekly letters, teaching evening courses, implementing experiential
learning
and community activism in the curriculum, allocating significant time to
discussion and debate and numerous other activities and outreach
efforts while
simultaneously teaching to the test. Only surface-level reference is
made to
negotiating state-mandated testing and curriculum. No doubt, even the
veteran
educator would marvel in disbelief at this almost superhuman educator.
Parents
reading this work might question, where could I find such an archangel
for my
child? The closest the reader comes to a possible answer is that Cowhey
briefly
tells of how she purposefully sought out the principal and school in
which she
finds herself most gratefully in partnership. Cowhey has virtually
defied the
critics who claim that students cannot engage in critical thinking and
learning
while grappling with such hard-hitting issues at such a young age.
References
Freire, P. (2001). Pedagogy of the oppressed. NY: Continuum.
Giroux, H. (1998). Teachers as intellectuals. Westport, CT:
Bergin & Garvey.
hooks, b. (2003). Teaching community. NY: Routledge.
hooks, b.
(1994).
Teaching to transgress. NY: Routlege.
Palmer, P. (2004). A hidden wholeness. San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass.
Reviewed by B. Lara Lee, Ph.D. Candidate, Educational Leadership and
Cultural Foundations, University of North Carolina Greensboro. Lee
completed an M.A. in Communication with emphasis on rhetorical criticism
at Wake Forest University
Crow, Sherry R. (2005).
Information Literacy: A Guide for the Library Media Specialist.
Marion, IL: Pieces of
Learning.
Pages: 182
Price: $36.95
ISBN: 0-1-931334-51-X
In the article, "What Motivates a Lifelong Learner?" Sherry R. Crow
states, "Lifelong learners are people who display an attitude and
ability that prompts them to learn across their life spans" (2006, p.
22). That belief is the driving theme behind Crow's book,
Information Literacy: A Guide for Library Media Specialists.
Crow urges media specialists to "let go" of control and let the library
media center be used in a way that uniquely promotes information
literacy. An enthusiastic media specialist herself, she gives the
advice, "Offer support and ideas when problems occur, and offer your
teachers chocolate!"
Information Literacy is both a textbook and a resource. In
the textbook vein, Crow introduces readers to the Information Literacy
Standards for Student Learning, as set forth by the American Association
for School Librarians (AASL), in a way that it easy to understand and
picture being taught, promoted, and used. These Information Literacy
Standards, divided into three categories (Information Literacy,
Independent Learning, and Social Responsibility), serve as a foundation
for student learning, as well as for both personal and professional
application. Skills included within these standards include being able
to access, evaluate, and use information; choosing to pursue information
related to personal interests; and contributing positively to the
learning community.
As a resource, Information Literacy is an excellent tool
filled with lesson plans, templates, rubrics worksheets, checklists, and
project ideas. Most of the print resources found in these chapters also
can be found on the accompanying CD-Rom in Microsoft Word and/or PDF
formats so that users can more easily begin implementing Crow's ideas.
(The advantage of the Microsoft Word documents would be that you can
save and type in your own information. The advantage of the PDF
documents would be their high reproduction quality and ability to
preserve graphics in the original format.)
While Information Literacy primarily targets the library media
specialist, it could also assist teachers interested in promoting
information literacy in their classrooms or in their schools. To either
party, Crow advocates collaboration, flexible scheduling, assessment,
and motivational reading programs as means of accomplishing these goals.
Each of these facets is specifically and clearly addressed in its own
chapter.
Overall, the book is great as both a resource and a text. While the
skills taught within the text are not new, they continue to remain
necessary. The book also serves as a nice complement to Information
Power: Building Partnerships for Learning (American Library
Association and Association for Educational Communications and
Technology, 1998), the original document introducing the nine
Information Literacy Standards. The only change that might have made
this book more user-friendly is a more categorically-organized Appendix.
While the 90-page Appendix is filled with useful resources, it is
unclear how to find and select the most appropriate tool. Aside from
this factor, users will find Information Literacy to be an easy
read and motivationally stimulating.
References
American Association of School Librarians & Association for Educational
Communications and Technology. (1998). Information power: Building
partnerships for learning. Chicago: American Library Association.
Crow, S. R. (2006) What motivates a lifelong learner. School
Libraries Worldwide, 12(1): 22-34.
Reviewed by Jennifer Banas, currently on sabbatical leave from her
full-time high school health teaching position while working on her
dissertation in partial fulfillment of an EdD in Instructional
Technology. She also holds a MSEd in Curriculum and Instruction and is
a certified school media specialist.
Dede, Chris, editor. (2006).
Online Professional Development for Teachers: Emerging Models and
Methods.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education
Publishing.
Pages: 330
Price: $29.95
ISBN: 1-891792-73-3
With the current emphasis on educational reform, a plethora of online
professional development programs have emerged to foster teachers
application of research-based strategies to improve student learning and
achievement in classroom practice. The ever-increasing number of both
traditional and online professional development programs available,
however, can make it confusing for teachers, teacher educators, school
system leaders, staff development professionals, researchers, and
educational policy makers to compare and draw conclusions about them.
Online Professional Development for Teachers: Emerging Models and
Methods, edited by Chris Dede, a Timothy E. Wirth Professor in
Learning Technologies at the Harvard Graduate School of Education
(HGSE), offers practical insights and clear evaluations as it profiles
ten exemplary online professional development models with substantial
records of success. It analyses these innovative models in light of the
existing empirical research and proposes a design-based research (e.g.
Collins, Joseph, & Bielaczyc, 2004) approach for future investigations.
This book stems from the third conference of an invitational conference
series at the HGSE with a goal of finding a synthesis between research
and practice to create usable knowledge that solves problems of
educational practice and advances the basic theoretical knowledge of
educational issues. Additional details about the conference are
available at
http://gseweb.harvard.edu/~uk/otpd/index.htm.
The book is organized into twelve chapters. The first chapter
provides an overview of what is currently known and not known in the
empirical research on online professional development. Chapters two
through 11 each describe an exemplary online professional development
model. Some of these models focus on targeting teachers at specific
points in the pipeline (eMentoring for Student Success project,
providing science-specific mentoring and professional development for
early-career science teachers via an online community). Other models,
such as Indiana Universitys Quest Atlantis Project and HGSEs WIDE World,
help teachers go beyond learning new skills and methods towards
transforming their teaching practice. Some models use and disseminate
rich education resources (Seminars on Science at the American Museum of
Natural History). Still others engender an organizational
capacity-building approach (EdTech Leaders Online program). Finally,
chapter 12 contrasts current characteristics of these alternative
models, builds collective insights to guide design and implementation,
and proposes key themes and related methodologies for studying the
evolution of effective models.
This book is a timely response to the question that lies at the heart
of online professional development: How can professional development for
teachers be more efficient and effective? I found the literature review
on online teacher professional development in chapter one effectively
framed the descriptions of the online professional development models in
following chapters. Although many of the models focus on scaffolding
math and science teaching, some of the models also include improvement
of teaching in other disciplines. Dede and the team of four advanced
HGSE doctoral students working with him provide a particularly
insightful summary in chapter 12 that directly address the tensions that
exist between the various perspectives of the educational stakeholders
involved. I would recommend this book for all educators interested in
learning more about the innovations and challenges in designing,
implementing, and sustaining online professional development programs
for teachers.
References
Collins, A., Joseph, D., & Bielaczyc, K. (2004). Design research:
Theoretical and methodological issues. The Journal of the Learning
Sciences, 13(1), 15-42.
Reviewed by by Nobuko Fujita, a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of
Curriculum, Teaching and Learning at OISE/UT. Her research interests
include online learning technologies and teacher education.
Kramer, Pamela A. & Kappa Delta Pi. (2005).
The ABCs of Classroom Management: An A-Z Sampler for Designing Your
Learning Community.
Indianapolis: Kappa Delta
Pi.
Pages: 86
Price: $10.95
ISBN: 0912099437
This is an excellent little book focusing on the basics of effective
discipline. It is well organized and provides an easy to follow
step-by-step format for teachers to utilize. The book is intended to be
a guide and resource tool, not a magic solution to the age-old problem
of classroom discipline.
The authors provide a list of common classroom problems and offer
practical suggestions on how to handle each problem. Discipline has
been the number one problem in education for the past 25 years, which
clearly indicates that discipline is an ongoing process. The
suggestions presented are practical, useful, and can be utilized by both
novice and veteran teachers.
This book should be placed in the hands of all teachers at the
beginning of the year. The quick search format allows teachers to go
immediately to the problem they are encountering. It could also be used
as a staff development tool throughout the school year.
The short amount of time required to read the book would be a solid
investment for those who deal with students on a day to day basis. It
could greatly enhance their success as a classroom teacher. The
practical experience of the author is evident in that the solutions
offered are practical and workable, not just full of theory and what
should work. An enjoyable read!
Reviewed by Dr. David E. Lee, Educational Leadership and Research,
University of Southern Mississippi.
McDougal, James; Chafouleas, Sandra & Waterman, Betsy (2006).
Functional Behavioral Assessment and Intervention in Schools.
Champaign, IL: Research
Press.
Pages: 217
Price: $32.95
ISBN: 0878225552
McDougal, Chafouleas, and Waterman have written a practical guidebook
on functional behavioral assessments (FBAs) and their use in school
interventions. The book includes a table of contents, a listing of
figures and tables, a listing of worksheets, eleven chapters, three
appendices, and references. It does not include an index.
FBAs are an important tool for use with students who have
disabilities. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement
Act (2004) requires schools to conduct functional behavioral assessments
whenever a behavior problem is associated with the disability. FBAs
correlate problem behavior with the preceding environmental factors and
the consequential responses. This information is used to posit a
functional goal for the behavior. For example, a tantrum may occur
whenever a child is asked to read independently. If the response to a
tantrum is that the child is sent to the office and does not have to do
the reading, then the functional goal could be to avoid the task. A
behavioral intervention plan (BIP) will then be designed that uses the
hypothesis that the child wants to avoid independent reading. In this
hypothetical case, assistance in reading might help to reduce the number
of tantrums by eliminating the stressor in the environment.
All three authors are qualified both academically and professionally
to deal with the topic of FBAs and school interventions. The book is
well written and takes the reader through an organized process of
problem identification, problem analysis, assessment, intervention plan
development, and intervention plan evaluation. However it goes beyond
the traditional use of FBAs for children with disabilities and extends
usage to include problem behavior in the general population. School
psychologists and other trained specialists looking for a practical
guidebook on the traditional use of FBAs will find Conducting
School-Based Functional Behavioral Assessments (Watson and Steege,
2003) more helpful.
The difficulty with this book is that it is intended for use by a
wide range of readers: school psychologists, counselors, administrators,
and teachers. Readers without an adequate background in psychology and
assessment may not understand the limitations of functional behavioral
assessments. The authors provide a short discussion on the limitations
of FBAs in the concluding chapter. Readers needing more background on
FBAs can consult Gresham, Watson, and Skinner (2001).
Having pointed out the potential problems, I would like to say that
the authors have done a good job on extending the uses of FBAs beyond
students with disabilities to students in the general population who
manifest extreme behavioral problems. The management of disruptive
behavior has become a growing problem in classrooms. School
psychologists, counselors, administrators, and teachers may find this
book useful. I recommend it for academic and school libraries.
References
Gresham, F. M., Watson, T.S., & Skinner, C. H. (2003). Conducting
school-based functional behavioral assessments: A practical guide.
New York: Guildford Press.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, Pub L.
108-446. Accessed August 17, 2006 from http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/idea2004.html
Watson, T. S. & Steege, M.W. (2003). Conducting school-based
functional behavioral assessments. New York: Guildford Press.
Reviewed by Cynthia Crosser, Social Science and Humanities Reference
Librarian/Education and Psychology Subject Specialist at the University
of Maine. In addition to her M.S. in Library Studies from Florida State
University, she has an M.A. in Linguistics from the University of
Florida with a specialization in language acquisition. She is currently
pursuing an M.Ed with an emphasis on literacy and educational
assessment.
Meador, Karen (2005).
Tiered Activities for Learning Centers: Differentiation in Math,
Language Arts, Science and Social
Studies.
Marion, IL: Pieces of
Learning.
Pages: 104
Price: $15.95
ISBN: 1-931334-29-3
The book, Tiered Activities for Learning Centers, provides
elementary educators with ideas for utilizing learning centers in the
classroom. The focus of the book is on differentiating centers to meet
the needs of all students, from the least to the most capable. While
introducing the subject of centers, Meador poses and answers several
questions about the book's purpose, its audience, and its use. She then
presents some common myths regarding learning centers. The ones she
cites are thought-provoking , such as "Centers should be used solely in
the primary grades." The author dispels each myth, offering instead some
true facts about centers. I was interested in this book because I have
utilized learning centers in both the primary and intermediate grades.
Through my experience, I have found centers to be excellent motivators
for children.
Meador gives seven different reasons to use centers or stations,
explaining why they are beneficial to children. After that she offers
some suggestions on how to effectively plan centers. The types of
activities she presents can help educators think in different ways about
planning them. Sometimes teachers get stuck in a rut when using them,
planning similar types of activities for their students. Reading
Meador's list sparked my thinking about ways I can use centers I had not
previously considered. The author then gave a multitude of ideas on how
to arrange stations. One of my favorites was to place a poster display
under a desk with pillows and flashlights for the students to explore.
A center arranged in this manner would be sought after in my classroom
of second graders.
Meador then discusses the need for creating tiered centers, stating
the differing needs of the students as the primary reason for doing
this. Differentiating instruction for both lower and higher level
learners is vital in the educational field. Meador affirms this,
including several visuals to illustrate her point. She then gives
ideas for differentiating the learning, giving simple, yet effective
suggestions.
Center management comprises the next section of the book, and
including this topic in a book of this nature is important. Meador gives
simple guidelines for center work, some obvious, some less so. These
management tips would be helpful for a teacher new to the field. The
author's large and small group instruction model would be helpful to
teachers and could be used in a variety of subjects. A teacher could
employ this rotation model during literacy time while conducting guided
reading groups. Likewise, the teacher could utilize it during math to
reinforce or introduce concepts in a small group setting.
The remainder of the book introduces twelve specific center
activities spanning all subject areas. Each includes the standard
addressed, objectives, materials, student directions, and ideas for
tiering the center. I found the organization of this section to be
slightly confusing. Had the centers been organized according to subject
matter, it would have helped me more effectively absorb the information.
Although some activities spanned several subjects, they could have been
cross- referenced to each other.
I was hoping for student instructions that could be copied directly
from the book, but found those directions were printed with the same
size type and font as the other information. Some of the student
instructions would require either modeling by the teacher or a
simplified rewriting of the directions. For instance, I had a
10-year-old read the instructions for several centers, and she was
puzzled about what to do. After I explained the activities, she
understood them and stated that she thought they would be fun to do.
Printing the student directions in a larger type, on a separate page,
would make the book more user-friendly for teachers.
At this point, I will highlight several of the activities included in
the book. Although "Attribute Socks" was listed as a science and language
arts center, it is an excellent activity for math, too.
The "Morphological Matrix" activity looked like a fun activity to
reinforce knowledge of characters from a book. The author listed
specific characters from specific books on the character section of the
chart. It would have been beneficial if that area could have been left
blank for the teacher to complete. Teachers could write in the books
their class had read, personalizing them to their individual grade
level. For this activity, Meador included a Picture Matrix for younger
students or bilingual students, which was helpful. This center was
perhaps the richest in the book, as the author showed how it could be
used in language arts, math, and science.
The "Double Dipping" activity, which used a picture of an ice cream cone
to employ reading strategies, looked fun and interesting for children.
In "Ways to Measure," a math activity, the children decide which units of
measurement they would use to measure specific items. I would
definitely utilize this center in my classroom. It provided a rebus for
younger children to complete the activity, addressing several learning
styles. "Background Music" helps the children interpret texts when they
listen to music and match the music to specific parts of the passage,
engaging their creativity.
I found this book valuable, as it offered some new ideas on how to
effectively utilize learning centers in the classroom. It also showed
some simple, yet effective ways teachers can modify their centers to
accommodate the needs of all students. This goal of instruction is
paramount to good teaching, and the author helped emphasize that
important point. Last of all, the book presented new information while
sparking teacher creativity. To give teachers a starting point, along
with resources to continue on their own, is an important outcome for a
book. This book accomplishes that purpose, and offers valuable
information to elementary educators on differentiating center use in
their classrooms.
Reviewed by Ellen Shamas-Wright, second grade teacher at Mark Hopkins
Elementary School in Littleton, Colorado. Ms. Shamas-Wright has written
book reviews for Child magazine and Headlinemuse.com. She holds
a Master of Education Degree from Vanderbilt University. She has
started working towards her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and
Innovation with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education at the
University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center.
Richison, Jeanine D.; Hernandez, Anita C. & Carter, Marcia J. (2006).
Theme-Sets for Secondary Students: How to Scaffold Core
Literature.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Pages: 155
Price: $19.00
ISBN: 0-325-00914-7
It is not news that secondary level language arts/ English teachers
experience many challenges in today's classrooms. As the authors
Richison, Hernandez and Carter point out, our public schools are
demographically different now and the No Child Left Behind legislation
adds a high level of accountability. Middle and high school teachers see
both ends of a variety of student-learning spectrums. Often in the same
classroom, we now see greater diversity of language, ability, motivation
and development, which contribute to some students reading literature
reluctantly, if at all. Some students, who are able learners, prefer to
have teachers deliver the analysis instead of engaging in the hard work
of reading and grappling with their thoughts. To reach reluctant
readers, the authors offer a student-centered, differentiated classroom
methodology called theme-sets. Theme-sets enable a variety of students
to actually read, derive their own meaning, and demonstrate
comprehension in a numbers of ways. Another deeper outcome is that
students might even enjoy the process along the way as they build a
positive mental image of themselves as readers.
The book is set up in logical manner with introductory chapters
explaining the rationale and organizational logistics of developing
theme-sets (chapters 1-2). The authors explain that theme-sets are
groups of texts selected for shared literary themes and represent a
variety of reading levels. After all, students of any ability or
background can relate to big ideas like class conflict, loss, identity,
conceptions of beauty, faith, knowledge of self, dehumanization, etc.
Each set contains picture books, childrens chapter books, young adult
chapter books, the core literature selection, advanced reading
selection, and non-fiction or non-traditional texts. The core selection
is the focus of the lesson with the other readings supporting it at both
the easier reading and more challenging reading sides. The essence of
the methodology is to start with picture books to stimulate discussion.
Students can start by discussing: "Just what is the theme of these
picture books?" and concurrently activate their prior knowledge of the
topic, setting, plot line or character type. This scaffolding will help
introduce the material to reluctant readers. Next the students will read
childrens easy chapter books and participate in activities to activate
and develop understanding of the themes and sub-themes. From there,
students move up to the young adult books and finally to the core
selection. Like other differentiation strategies, students participation
is guided and they are offered choices along the way as they move from
simple, picture based text to increasingly more complex text.
The end of the book (chapters 8 -9) deals exclusively with core
academic instruction for English learners. The chapters are very useful
since many teachers have not had formal instruction in how to support
these students. The authors answer the question: what is academic
English and how can it be acquired? The presupposition is that students
who appear to be fluent in English may not have the linguistic,
cognitive, and sociocultural/psychological background necessary for
success in an academic setting. The authors present profiles of 3
students with varying needs and skillfully connect these English
language learners with theme-sets.
Richison, Hernandez and Carter offer a wealth of classroom experience
and speak with authenticity on how to organize and set up the
theme-sets. They discuss practical questions about journals, syllabi,
assessments and grades. They are forthright in their assertion that
finding the funds and time to purchase the books is often the hardest
part. However, they do offer suggestions for borrowing books as well as
finding the money to purchase them.
Five detailed theme sets are outlined in separate chapters (chapters
3-7) for quick accessibility. Theme sets include: Migrant Families (core
text: Grapes of Wrath), Growing Up Ethnic in America (core text: Their
Eyes Were Watching God), Literature of War (core text: Night), The
Bullying Mentality (core text: Lord of the Flies; Great Expectations; or
The Scarlet Letter) and finally Utopian/Dystopian Societies (core text:
Fahrenheit 451). Each chapter offers historical information and
background for the unit as well as an annotated, thematic book list of
about 30-40 books arranged in order of reading difficulty. Each chapter
outlines lesson plans and activities for each theme, and sub-theme.
These lesson plans clearly honor the work of John Gardner and include
assignments which celebrate multiple intelligences and students
different learning styles. Much of the coursework and projects is
creative and engaging. For example, in the bullying theme-set (chapter
6) students create life-size paper cut-outs of characters. Every time a
character is offended or hurt in the book, students cut off a piece of
the body then tape it back on with an apologetic note to the character.
Seeing the damaged, patched together characters enables students to
truly see the effect bullying can have and how it can relate to them in
life.
Literature Circles and Socratic Seminars are discussed without much
supporting detail. If a reader were not familiar with these powerful,
student centered discussion methodologies the reader would need to
research them further. The authors cite references through out the book
however, which allow thoughtful practioners opportunity for follow up.
There also are a number of scholarly citations and references in
sections dealing with rationale for theme-sets and historical background
for each theme. Technologically savvy teachers--and students--will
appreciate the plethora of web addresses included throughout the book.
This book is a highly useful resource for secondary level
practitioners. The title actually scaffolds the content of the book.
Richison, Hernandez and Carter offer a solid rationale, creative lesson
plans and comprehensive book lists to assist teachers in creating
differentiated theme-sets for their secondary level students. I would
highly recommend this book to educators moving beyond teaching the
traditional, beloved, canon in a traditional manner to those who are
embracing a focus on student-constructed meaning of text. When asked
what they teach, if teachers answer something like, We are doing Romeo
and Juliet, this book is for them! Theme-sets for Secondary Students
offers concrete guidance to those in transition from teaching a single
text with interpretations freely given by the teacher, to a
student-centered approach using a variety of high quality text and
diverse strategies to assess comprehension. In addition to teachers,
media specialists, literacy coaches, district curriculum personnel as
well as literacy oriented administrators all will glean useful
strategies, actual book titles and a methodology that respects all
learners.
Reviewed by Hilary Lang Greenebaum, Graduate Assistant, PhD Program:
Educational Leadership & Innovation,
University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center. She was
formerly a Middle School Administrator in Littleton Colorado.
Schaefer, Lola M. (2006).
Writing Lesssons for the Overhead, Grades 2-3: 20 Transparencies
That Show Models of Strong Writing with Companion Mini-Lessons.
New York: Scholastic.
Pages: 80
Price: $18.99
ISBN: 0-439-75369-4
When I taught at an alternative high school I had many students who
were still reading on the second and third grade levels. As we worked
with their reading and writing processes, I found that taking passages
out of many of the books that they enjoyed, adding a few errors, and
having them correct those passages worked well as a method of teaching
them to read editorially.
Lola Schaefer has saved harried teachers everywhere some hours of
extra work by creating a themed lesson, focusing structured
mini-lessons, then taking passages to which students can relate, and
creating overheads that help students to see and correct errors.
My favorite chapter, "Show, Dont Tell," explores how to make student
writing come to life. While most student writing is essay or research,
the author points out that students can and perhaps should still learn
many stylistic lessons from fiction writers. Life is too short to read
boring writing.
As with each chapter, the author constructs a clear and concise
lesson plan. She begins with a vision of the why. This is important,
particularly because beginning teachers are getting less about creating
vision in their teaching and more about constructing norm-driven
lessons. By giving an introduction that explains the vision, she gives
teachers the ideals of the lesson, and conveys in four short paragraphs
how the teacher can introduce the topic to their students.
When writers tell, they report information. It sounds
distant and businesslike. . . Invite them into the action and the
sensory details. (p. 46)
After the global introduction, Schaefer gives a model discussion of
how the teacher might lead a mini-lesson on show dont tell. She gives
sample questions, and possible answers, so that the teacher might think
through how the students will react prior to the lesson time.
If there is extra time, extra examples are given. The author suggests
having students find passages in books that each knows and appreciates.
She spends time talking about listening with their “writer’s ears.”
The mini-lesson tells where and how to use the overheads within each chapter.
It describes methods by which the students can be led to
ask questions about the different uses of verbs, methods by which
writers can choose different words to change the nuances of the
sentence, and how the vocabulary within the sentence can draw a
picture for the reader rather than simply explaining a point.
Schaefer includes a number of insets, including “Tips for Writers.”
In it she gives seven examples of how to take students through
activities that will help them add more detail and activity to their writing.
Though each chapter is short (Chapter 6 is only 6 pages), the author
packs much information into them. I was surprised that this book had
such a narrow grade-level focus. I think it could be used for many more
grades than just second and third. I suppose in this day of restricted
curriculum, authors and publishers have to make sure that books are
targeted to the "right" audience, but when I was teaching high school, my
students read books, and I used curricula from the whole spectrum. In
the old school we just used whatever worked. I think that for many
teachers looking for models of strong writing for their students, this
book will work.
Reviewed by Jennifer A. Borek, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Secondary
English Education at The University of Memphis.
Sher, Barbara (2006).
Attention Games: 101 Fun, Easy Games That Help Kids Learn to
Focus.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Pages: 184
Price: $16.95
ISBN: 0-471-73654-6
With the seeming explosion in the number of identified cases of
Attention Deficit Disorder, and the accompanying rise in the use of
prescription drugs to treat this exceptionality, there is a pressing
need for research and resources that might be used to help children
remain focused. Certainly, Attention Games, by Barbara Sher is
worthy of consideration in this regard.
As Sher points out, there are essentially two forms of attention.
The first is open and global, and provides an impression of the overall
environment, while the second, is more focused—requires sustained
concentration. Both of these forms of attention are needed, and, for
Sher, it is crucial that we are able to shift from an open to a focused
state of attention.
In Attention Games, the reader is provided with a series of
activities designed to target both open and focused attention, as well
as the transition between these two states of awareness. The games,
while simplistic, are easily implemented and are valuable in that they
may help to capture the interest of those children for whom remaining
focused is problematic. For example, a large personally decorated crate
can be transformed into a "thinking box" which, when turned on its side,
creates a soothing physical barrier to prevent children from being
distracted. This is but one example of how these games can be used to
help focus attention.
In addition, the manner in which Shers work is organized is laudable.
The book is divided into five parts, each section dealing with a
discrete group of children based on age, ranging from infants to teens.
This is invaluable in that each of these games is designed for a
specific population, thereby facilitating their ease of use. Too often,
activities of this nature are constructed and packaged in such a way
that it is purported that they can be used with all children, regardless
of age. This is highly problematic in that a one size fits all approach
is inadequate, particularly since more developmental change occurs
during childhood than during any other period. As such, what are
required are not activities that treat all children the same, but,
rather, those that recognize the inherent differences among them. Shers
work reflects this need to respect diversity, thereby adding to the
overall cogency of the book.
In sum, Attention Games is a thoughtful and informative work.
While not an academic piece, it offers a practical approach to helping
children remain focused. Certainly, owing to the obvious importance
attached to the issue of attention, this book is pertinent and timely,
and, is a great resource for parents, teachers and others who work with
children.
Reviewed by David Young, Faculty of Education, The University of Western
Ontario.
Sigmon, Cheryl M. & Ford, Sylvia M. (2006)
Just-Right Writing Mini-Lessons: Grades 4-6.
New York: Scholastic.
Pages: 128
Price: $17.99
ISBN: 978-0439-57410-5
The third in a series of writing instruction resources, Sigmon and
Ford's new volume contains little that is new. The chief appeal of the
book is the compilation of so many ideas in a short, easy-to-use
reference. Classroom teachers can quickly locate and implement a lesson
in response to students' instructional needs, and many teachers,
especially those just beginning their careers, will want to keep the
book close at hand.
The subtitle for this collection is "Mini-Lessons to Teach Your
Students the Essential Skills and Strategies They Need to Write Fiction
and Non-Fiction." I'm not sure students who have completed the fifty-plus
lessons will have these "essential skills," but Sigmon and Ford have
definitely addressed the issues of writing for standardized tests. In
preparing the lessons, the authors consulted curriculum standards of ten
states and include an index of standards on pages 14-15. At times, the
lessons seem too brief even for mini-lessons and do not seem to be
logically connected to each other. However, the introduction stresses
the fact that this book is not meant to contain the entire writing
curriculum and that teachers should address the specific needs of their
students and their curriculum standards in deciding which lessons to use
and when. In fact, the authors prepared their lessons with the idea of
their being part of a larger writing workshop program in the classroom.
A strong emphasis on the revision process is evident throughout.
Even many lessons of direct grammar instruction are followed by
suggestions on how the students can return to a piece they have written
and incorporate the new information. Another useful feature is the
appendix containing reproducible worksheets and charts. Two that would
be particularly practical for fourth through sixth grade students are
the "Rules for Capitalization" and "Use of Commas" charts which students
could keep in their writing folders for easy reference.
Experienced teachers will find the book less useful than novices who
have not developed their own similar mini-lessons, but the ideas
presented bear revisiting by all elementary writing instructors.
Reviewed by Jean S. Hamm, Assistant Professor, Clemmer College of
Education, East Tennessee State University.
Singer, Jessica (2006)
Stirring Up Justice: Writing and Reading to Change the World.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Pages: 146
Price: $18.50
ISBN: 0-325-00747-0
In Stirring Up Justice: Writing and Reading to Change the
World, Jessica Singer tears down some of the walls between our
school classrooms and the "real world" through a critical reading and
writing unit on social activism. Careful not to impose her own view of
activism or a personal agenda on her students, Singer employs five
reading and writing activities over an eleven-week period to help
students discover their own passions and social issues about which to
respond.
Although Singer created the unit for her ninth grade language arts
class, the activities in the book could easily be adapted for students
from middle school through college undergraduates. The five
activities—"Stories of Justice," "Book Choice," "Writing into
Activism," "Songs of Activists," and "Culminating Project"—are
presented as the first five chapters of the book. Each activity builds
on the previous, allowing students to become well-acquainted with a
particular activist and giving each student a chance to discover what
issue is most important to him or her.
For example, in "Book Choice" and "Songs of Activists," Ms. Singer
provides a list of books and songs written by and/or about activists or
specific social issues. For the reading, students in her class either
chose a book from the list or found one on their own. Several students
chose the autobiography of holocaust survivor Irene Opdyke, In My
Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer (1999). Likewise, one of
her students recommended King of the World (1998), a book by
David Remnick about Muhammad Ali. For the song activity, Ms. Singer
shared several songs that she had discovered were meant to inspire
change. Students then chose a song of their own,
explaining—through an analysis of the song's lyrics—how the
song promoted social activism.
The culminating project demonstrates how all of the reading, writing,
and discussion about each student's topic built to a lively and
inspiring presentation of students' work. Students moved from reading
and writing about the work of others and found an issue that they felt
strongly about. A couple of students wrote about funding cuts for
public education; some wrote about environmental issues that threatened
their region of the country; and some wrote about certain prejudices
that teenagers face from adults and their peers. For the final
presentation, Ms. Singer created a public gallery format where students
could teach their classmates about the particular social issue that they
had researched and could also explain how to take action in order to get
involved.
The power of the book comes from Singer placing the students at the
center of the project: "When students are kept at a distance with a
curriculum that does not feel connected to who they are as young adults,
the relevance of the work remains difficult for them to grasp" (p. 72).
Throughout the book, she uses quotations from her students' writing to
demonstrate how they took ownership of the project and of various social
issues. In addition, her writing prompts included throughout the book
provide teachers with practical resources to use in helping students
with, among other things, embedding quotes, writing leads, and revising
their work.
Singer does acknowledge that, obviously, not all of her students
embraced the project. Some avoided reading or struggled to find a topic
about which they felt passionate; and two did not complete the project.
However, the overall message and tone of this book is one of success.
Most of the students realized the power of social activism. Ultimately,
Singer's project and her book celebrate the optimism and hope that
teachers find in their students. She closes the book by reaffirming why
the walls between schools and the "real world" should be razed: "[My
students'] wholehearted participation gave me the greatest faith in the
ability of individuals to improve the world we live in" (p. 141).
References
Opdyke, Irene Gut & Armstrong, Jennifer. (1999). In my hands:
Memories of a Holocaust rescuer. New York: Knopf
Remnick, David. (1998). King of the world: Muhammad Ali and the rise
of an American hero. New York: Random House.
Reviewed by Blake R. Bickham, currently an instructor and doctoral
candidate in teaching and teacher education at the University of
Houston.
Turbill, Jan & Bean, Wendy (2006).
Writing Instruction K-6: Understanding Process, Purpose,
Audience.
Katonah, NY: Richard C. Owen
Publishers.
Pages: 240
Price: $24.95
ISBN: 1-57274-748-x
Educators attend countless workshops, courses, and institutes looking
for inspiration and ways to improve the work they are doing. Jan
Turbill and Wendy Bean's book, Writing Instruction K-6:
Understanding Process, Purpose, and Audience, provides just the sort
of stimulation teachers hope for when we invest time and money into
professional development.
As indicated in the forward, this book is recommended for "teachers
who sense they have lost their way in the teaching of writing..." Such
educators will be able to use the discussions in the first four chapters
about what writing is and how it is done to re-focus their thoughts on
how they would like to teach writing to their students.
Farther in, the chapters' organization changes to itemized models for
instruction (i.e. "The Four Pillars for Managing Writing Instruction")
which are developed through brief anecdotes from a variety of grade
levels and practical strategies. Readers will find it easy to jump
from consideration of this text to direct classroom application.
Turbill and Bean's ideas are clearly supported by sound theory. The
authors do much to remind us of the research that backs various
approaches to teaching writing and the links between reading and
writing. Some readers will enjoy the concise explanations of the
different approaches to teaching writing (i.e. Writing as Creativity,
Writing as Process, Writing as Thinking and Learning). The review of
this research works to help the reader understand what was learned from
these approaches and why the authors' focus on audience, purpose, and
genre is worth classroom use.
This book would work well as a graduate level text. The included
summary questions and professional development activities can serve to
fuel discussion and/or individual application. Readers are reminded to
take action with the new perspectives and teaching refreshment this book
offers.
Though worthwhile, the book is not seamless. The title is too
exclusive; the approaches to writing instruction and discussions are
valuable for all grade levels. Also, the bulk of the research is
disappointingly dated, with much coming from Turbill's research in the
1980s and studies cited in countless other books on teaching writing.
However, the authors suggest that the reader ought to be able to see
that the application of this more dated research still is valid.
Finally, the chapter on assessment does not offer much practical advice
on how to turn evaluation of the student's writing into a letter grade
or score, and in this section the reader may wonder about how practical
the application strategies are for producing an assessment that does not
promote a false sense of accomplishment. These caveats should by no
means dissuade teachers who are looking to redefine their writing
instruction from taking a look at this book.
Reviewed by Leah Lidbury, lecturer, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Van Zoest, Laura R., Editor (2006)
Teachers Engaged in Research: Inquiry Into Mathematics Classrooms,
Grades 9-12.
Greenwich, Connecticut: Information Age
Publishing.
Pages: 271
Price: $39.95
ISBN: 1-59311-501-6
Teachers engaged in research: Inquiry into mathematics classrooms,
grades 9-12 is one part of a four part series under the general
editorship of Marilyn Cochran-Smith. Laura R. Van Zoest is behind this
volume dealing exclusively with grades 9-12. The book consists of a
series introduction by Cochran-Smith, an introductory chapter by Van
Zoest and 13 chapters written by researchers and teachers from across
the United States (eleven chapters) and Canada (two chapters). According
to the Information Age Publishing website, the series is "sponsored by
the NCTM" (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics). The book itself
bears the NCTM logo, but the only other evidence of NCTMs involvement is
the inclusion of at least one NCTM Standards document (see http://standards.nctm.org/) in
thirteen of the fifteen essay reference lists.
Cochran-Smith's short introductory essay intersperses lavish praise
for her own project with a general statement of her objectives.
This remarkable quartet of books reveals what it really means for
mathematics teachers to engage in inquiry. The goal of all this inquiry
is nothing short of a culture shift in the teaching of mathematics—the
creation of classroom learning environments where the focus is deep
understanding of mathematical concepts, practical application of skills,
and problem solving. ... Taken together as a whole, the chapters in these
four books have the potential to inform mathematics education research,
practice and policy in ways that reach far beyond the walls of the
classrooms where the work was originally done. (p. x)
The essays in this volume are written either by teachers or by
teachers working with mathematics education researchers. Each essay
focuses on teachers attempting to put their understanding of research
into practice, either individually, or as part of a community of
teachers. Van Zoest states that the book is "written primarily for
teachers who have or who are being encouraged to develop an awareness of
and commitment to teaching for understanding" (p. 5). The book definitely
is written at a level that would be comprehensible to the average
mathematics teacher, with only modest explication of theoretical issues;
referenced mathematics education research literature is typically
brought forward in a straightforward, uncritical manner. The focus of
the book, to be sure, is the attempts of teachers to put new ideas into
practice. I will look more closely at two of the chapters, which I think
are interesting in their own right, as well as being illustrative of the
books general tone and content.
On the theme of teacher development, the seventh chapter, "Navigating
the learning curve: Learning to teach mathematics through lesson study"
stands out as a nice example of how change can be institutionalized. The
authors, John Carter, Robert Gallemgaard and Michelle Pope are all
teachers in a high school of more than 4500 students. The mathematics
department consists of 44 teachers. For new teachers, the school has
developed a teacher induction program consisting of five monthly
half-day meetings, each dedicated to an ongoing lesson study project.
Carter, Gallemgaard and Pope provide a clear description of the lesson
study activities on which the beginning teachers work. They describe the
levels of agreement and collegiality that develop over the five month
period, and conclude that the program assists teachers in their school
to develop good habits that help them to teach for understanding.
At the end of the lesson study period, one teacher taught the lesson
that had been developed while the others watched the teacher and
students. The conclusions are, of course, unsurprising. They agreed that
students should have time to think for themselves, that the classroom
environment is a significant factor in student thinking, that their own
collaboration reflects their desires for student work and that the
collegial discussions they had during the process led to changes to
classroom practices. While I doubt that many significant, general
conclusions are warranted from this account, I do feel a strong desire
to explore some of their activities with my colleagues. Perhaps that is
the real point of the book: it motivates teachers to put their
theoretically-inspired beliefs into practice and to reflect on their
successes and difficulties.
The eleventh chapter, "Teaching mathematics with problems: What one
teacher learned through research" by Nicole Garcia and Patricio Herbst is
provocative to the teacher in me, but like the earlier chapter, left me
with almost no general conclusions of the sort that I expect from
educational research. The essay is presented in Garcia's voice, as she
participates in Herbst's classroom research, at first while a student
teacher in "Megan's" classroom. "The project ... consisted of developing lessons
on area and evaluating how these lessons affected students' ideas of the
process involved in proving and what it means to do a proof" (p. 199).
Central to the lessons were to be " 'big problems', such as comparing the
area of a quadrilateral with the area of the quadrilateral formed by its
midpoints [i.e. the midpoints of the sides]" (p. 201).
The chapter begins a bit roughly, with what amounts to an insult to
Megan. "Whereas I respected the choices Megan had made regarding how to
conduct her classes, I was looking forward to learning how to create a
classroom environment in which students had lively discussions about
mathematics and felt comfortable expressing their views and concerns" (p.
198). The implication that Megans classroom is one in which there are no
lively conversations about mathematics and in which students do not feel
comfortable expressing their views and concerns seems to me to be
ill-mannered, and should not have been included in the chapter.
After working through problem-informed teaching and reflecting on the
experience, Garcia then writes of her experiences a year later, as a
salaried teacher in her own classroom. Here she reflects on her own
discontent with the earlier research project. She finds tension in what
she perceives to be classroom norms of fairness in problems, and her
goals as a teacher to use problems that are open. Some students, she
feels, have a legitimate expectation that teacher-posed problems have
solutions that are within their abilities to produce. For me, this is
the most interesting portion of the chapter. For better or for worse,
teachers regularly find themselves caught between what they think is the
best pedagogical practice and what students are prepared to accept. In
Garcia's case, she produced what she believed was a compromise solution:
she developed scaffolding problems that were solvable to the students,
but were open enough to satisfy her pedagogical desires. Other teachers
might solve the difficulty in other ways, but the chapter illustrates an
interesting and important challenge in putting teacher understanding of
research into practice.
Teachers Engaged in Research offers little to expand the
current state of knowledge about mathematics education, but that is not
the point of the collection. The book offers pre-service and practicing
secondary mathematics teachers some ideas for putting what they have
read into practice, and provides some good models of reflection and
refinement for such experiences. And while I do not share
Cochran-Smith's
optimism that this will amount to a "culture shift," I do believe that it
is a good and worthwhile pursuit for at least some mathematics teachers.
Reviewed by John S. Macnab, PhD. Edmonton Public Schools, Edmonton AB,
Canada.
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