Experimental Books

Classroom Instruction that Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement (ASCD)

Robert J. Marzano, Debra J. Pickering, Jane E. Pollock

Amazon Price: $26.10 List Price: $29.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Prentice Hall Amazon Marketplace: 45 new & used starting at $20.30

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Education Theory -> Contemporary Methods -> Experimental
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Instruction Method -> General AAS
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Pedagogy

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Inspiring 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The insights provided in this book guide and inspire the new teacher and the master teacher. The book left me excited about returning to school in the fall.

Sound Advice with Data to Back it Up 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

As a teacher I have encountered many points of view as to what will work best in my classroom. This book presents specific strategies that have the data and research to support their consistent use in enhancing student achievement. For seasoned teachers, like myself, although the strategies are not necessarily new, it is good to know which of the myriad of tools we have acquired over the years actually work and have the data to prove it. An excellent "tune up" for the classroom. I will put this into action right away this year and I am glad I read it over the summer to help me reshape my instruction for the coming year.

Editorial Review:

This brief book presents research on the best strategies for raising student achievement through classroom instruction. Readers will find a wealth of research evidence, statistical data, and case studies. Nine categories of instructional strategies—Identifying Similarities and Differences; Summarizing and Note Taking; Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition; Homework and Practice; Nonlinguistic Representations; Cooperative Learning; Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback; Generating and Testing Hypotheses; and Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers—that maximize student learning are introduced, along with the pertinent information to understand and synthesize each. For elementary school educators, administrators, and academic advisors and counselors.

Brain Gym (Teachers Edition: Revised)

Paul E. Dennison

Amazon Price: $19.95 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Edu-Kinesthetics, Inc. Amazon Marketplace: 6 new & used starting at $19.50

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Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> General
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 32 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Should have bought a diffrent edition 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I bought this because I read that Brain Gym was good for kids with special needs. Never having seen it done or used any other Brain Gym products- I naturally ordered the TEACHERS EDITION, thinking all the directions would be there for implementing this is my classroom. This manual would be for someone already familiar with the basics of Brain Gym exercises who wanted to find creative ways to use it within a classroom setting. I will be looking for Brain Gym products that meet my needs better.

Brain Gym 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a good book to get your students really thinking. It gives you ways to get them back on track and keep them there. It also gives your students an option of doing something on their own to help get them back on track.

Not up to standard! 2 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Although the content is very interesting, the quality of the graphics, typesetting and production is terrible! The illustrations are all line drawings by an amateur, and poorly illustrate the movements and postures described in the text. If the publishers didn't have a monopoly on the content, they simply couldn't get away with such a low standard. Considering the premium price point for this slender tome, one should expect a higher standard.

Editorial Review:

Brain Gym is made up of simple and enjoyable movements and activities . These activities make all types of learning easier but are especially effective with academic skills.

How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed Ability Classrooms (2nd Edition) (ASCD)

Carol Ann Tomlinson

Amazon Price: $20.40 List Price: $22.67 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Assn for Supervision & Curric Development (ASCD) Amazon Marketplace: 19 new & used starting at $15.30

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Excellent resource and easy to read and apply... 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Tomlinson presents the material in an easy to read and use format. The book is easy for the teacher to use immediately, either read one chapter at a time or all the way through. A great resource. Now if we could just get the regular education teachers to give it a try!!

Great teaching strategy book. 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I like the theory and implementation strategies behind this book! It was easy to read and understand, too. I bought it for an education/ teaching methods course and I've used it to write every lesson plan, unit plan since. It relates to the idea that classrooms are made up of so many diverse types of learners that you must try and vary your instruction. (It's a lot like Howard Gardner's "Ways of Knowing".) It gives suggestions on how to add "difference" to your lessons. A lot of school corporations near where I live are adopting "DI" as well. It's catching on along with "Understanding by Design." Differentiated instruction works really well with Special Needs students, too. I recommend that anyone teaching these students at least read a copy of the book if not keep one for their own libraries!

Editorial Review:

For education courses in Educational Psychology, Advanced Educational Psychology, Differentiated Instruction, Inclusion/Mainstreaming, Mild/Moderate Disabilities Methods, or General Methods (K-12). This brief Merrill/ASCD text provides guidance, principles, and strategies for teachers who are interested in creating learning environments that address the diversity typical of mixed-ability classrooms. The text will help educators understand what differentiated instruction is, why it is appropriate for all learners, how to begin to plan for it, and how to become comfortable enough with student differences to make school comfortable for each learner in the classroom.

The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners (ASCD)

Carol Ann Tomlinson

Amazon Price: $21.60 List Price: $24.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Prentice Hall Amazon Marketplace: 32 new & used starting at $18.22

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Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Psychology & Counseling -> Counseling -> General
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Psychology & Counseling -> Counseling -> General AAS
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Counseling -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Great Resource! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I read this book through as soon as I received it. Tomlinson is well-respected in her field. Most everything I have read concerns gifted students. This is an excellent resource for ALL students. Differentiation is absolutely necessary in today's classrooms. If all students are to reach their full potential, we must meet them where they are -- and they are all over the place! With so many learners requiring different strategies, finding a way to reach every child is a daunting task. This book gives you the strategies in clear, concise language. The information can be adapted to any subject area or age group. I wish every teacher in my school would read this book!

Editorial Review:

For education courses in Educational Psychology, Advanced Educational Psychology, Differentiated Instruction, Inclusion/Mainstreaming, Mild/Moderate Disabilities Methods, or General Methods (K-12). In this brief Merrill/ASCD text, the leading authority on differentiation explains the most effective classroom-proven approaches for teachers to use in order to meet the instructional needs of every learner in any grade level. The author introduces vivid classroom examples of real teachers using differentiated instruction to effectively show readers what, how and why to differentiate instruction.

Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work (Book & CD-ROM)

Richard Dufour, Rebecca DuFour, Robert Eaker, Thomas Many

Amazon Price: $18.45 List Price: $27.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Solution Tree Amazon Marketplace: 35 new & used starting at $15.98

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Policy

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Great Resource for PLCs 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 13 people found this review helpful.

Professional Learning Communities are the big buzz currently. Does your school district have professional learning communities? Have you wondered where to start? Have you wondered how your professional learning communities are doing? If you've wondered about any of those, then this is the book for you.

Learning by Doing is a great handbook for administrators and teachers to use as they implement professional learning communities in their school. This handbook gives an overview of the different components of the professional learning community process. As schools implement the professional learning community process this handbook is also a useful tool to assist in self reflection and evaluation.

As a school is developing professional learning communities, this handbook is a great resource to use through the process. It begins by giving advice on how to clarify the purpose of professional learning communities, how to build collaborative teams, and how to establish team norms. The collaborative foundation is essential to the success of the professional learning communities. The professional learning communities must collaborate in order to increase student achievement.

The handbook also shares information about how to collect data, how to use the data to improve results, and how to implement interventions in order to improve student achievement. These components help the professional learning community develop strategies to help each individual learner in their classroom. Schools must develop and support a pyramid of interventions in order to meet the students' needs.

This handbook includes many useful reproducible handouts and continuums which help analyze the progress of each professional learning community. The continuums are great conversation starters for the professional learning communities to use to evaluate their progress. This handbook can help your school improve the PLC process through self reflection and evaluation.

If you are looking for tools to help your Professional Learning Communities improve, this book is for you.

Editorial Review:

Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work helps educators close the knowing-doing gap as they transform their schools into professional learning communities (PLCs). This handbook is a guide for action that will: · Help educators develop a common vocabulary and consistent understanding of key PLC concepts. · Present a compelling argument that the implementation of PLC concepts will benefit students and educators alike. · Help educators assess the current reality in their own schools and districts. · Convince educators to take purposeful steps to develop their capacity to function as PLCs.

Home Learning Year by Year: How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School

Rebecca Rupp

Amazon Price: $10.17 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Three Rivers Press Amazon Marketplace: 59 new & used starting at $5.50

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 45 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Home Learning Year by Year 1 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

The author offers some very realistic goals and insights for teaching your child at home. I was very dissapointed that the resource suggestions in the book were nearly impossible to find. I had to go to ebay for every book I was interested in. This would be a better book if the resource suggestions were updated to include books that are still in print.

Editorial Review:

Finally, homeschoolers have a comprehensive guide to designing a homeschool curriculum, from one of the country's foremost homeschooling experts. , Rebecca Rupp presents a structured plan to ensure that your children will learn what they need to know when they need to know it, from preschool through high school. Based on the traditional pre-K through 12th-grade structure, Home Learning Year by Year features:

The integral subjects to be covered within each grade
Standards for knowledge that should be acquired by your child at each level
Recommended books to use as texts for every subject
Guidelines for the importance of each topic: which knowledge is essential and which is best for more expansive study based on your child's personal interests
Suggestions for how to sensitively approach less academic subjects, such as sex education and physical fitness

Teaching Montessori in the Home: Pre-School Years: The Pre-School Years (Teaching Montessori in the Home)

Elizabeth G. Hainstock, Lee Davis

Amazon Price: $9.11 List Price: $11.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Plume Amazon Marketplace: 70 new & used starting at $5.73

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Excellent Resource 5 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

I became interested in this method of schooling the first time I ever read about it. I had yanked my four year old son from his preschool program because he had gone from a normal happy preschooler to a biting, kicking, swearing little monster. He also has a speech delay, which did not help matters at all because we could not understand what he was talking about when he tried to tell us what was happening during his day.

His father and I decided to homeschool him until he's six, upon which time we will enroll him with the local charter school. So I started researching different methods and the first time I saw this I fell in love. But my heart sank when I saw just how expensive the equipment is. I was also dissapointed when I discovered that we have a local Montessori school only to find out it cost more than we make in a month. My husband is a full time student on a very low, limited income. I could not in good concious sanction spending that kind of money. So I read everything, online and books, that I could get my hands on. And while all I read talked of the different methods, it never said how to implement them.

I saw this at Paperback Swap (awesome site) and snagged it on impulse. I am so glad that I did. It gave me everything I needed to get a start. It helped me understand the resources I already had and told me how to pull them together in a cohesive whole. I have four children ranging from 8 months - 4.5 years. The three oldest think it's great and they are so proud of themselves every day. Even my husband got in on it and helped me construct several items. We both love this book and I reccomend it to everyone that talks about teaching Montessori.

I also reccomend Seven Times the Sun: Guiding Your Child Through the Rhythms of the Day by Shea Darian

Julius Caesar (An Adapted Classic)

Mark Falstein, Globe Fearon, William Shakespeare

List Price: $16.10 By: Globe Fearon Amazon Marketplace: 12 new & used starting at $3.99

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great edition of a great play 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I really enjoyed reading this edition of the play. Each scene is proceded by a summary of the secene and followed by commentary on the scene, and there are notes alongside the text explaining unusual words/phrases. As an actor, I have been reading Shakespeare for quite awhile, and I still found this book very helpful. If you are new to reading Shakespeare, I particularly recommend this because you will find it very helpful.

Simply the Best 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Arden Shakespeare series is the best, for either the beginning of scholarly research, the average needs of the English student, or as a resource for the informed theater professional. My only note of caution is for a casual reader who may find the extensive footnoting more of an interruption than a help. Love this book, love them all.

Editorial Review:

"Et tu Brute?" One of Shakespeare's best works, revised and repackaged, featuring a new Overview by Sylvan Barnet, former Chairman of the English Department at Tufts University. Includes an updated bibliography, suggested references, stage and film history, and an overview of Shakespeare's life.

Democracy and Education

John Dewey

Amazon Price: $18.12 List Price: $27.46 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Book Jungle Amazon Marketplace: 13 new & used starting at $16.73

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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

This book was... 5 out of 5 stars.
13 of 15 people found this review helpful.

Fantastic; a book I would recommend to just about anyone. To address some of the critics mentioned in the other reviews: RE: "Dewey Dogma" (1) There is absolutely no pretense of an application of the scientific method, hence there can be no mis-application; (2) This book strikes me personally as one of the least dogmatic things I've ever read in my life. The ideas are fresh, original, and beautiful crafted and ordered; (3) "Education is Socialization" - an equation of broadly construed "-tions" that results in a statement that one can neither agree nor disagree with.

I could be wrong, but nowhere did I read these ideas as explicit recommendations to be implemented, rather I read this book as a general exploration of educational aims and processes. Dewey (justifiably in my opinion) explores closely connected concepts which I imagine are left out of other educational texts, which is why some with pre-professional backgrounds in education count the length and depth of this book as a negative.

His writing, in my opinion, is clear and concise (at least in comparison with other great philosophers) - writing that I would personally aspire to. His ideas, and I can't say this enough, are some of the most original I've come across. We didn't really cover the pragmatists in any of my philosophy classes. Reading this makes me wish we had.

Editorial Review:

John Dewey was a 20th century philosopher, psychologist and education reformer. Dewey was one of the founders of the philosophical school of Pragmatism. He is also one of the founders of functional psychology and was a leading representative of the progressive movement in the U.S. schooling during the first half of the 20th century. Democracy and Education connects the growth of democracy with the development of the experimental method in the physical sciences, evolutionary ideas in the biological sciences, and the growth of industry.

There Are No Shortcuts

Rafe Esquith

Amazon Price: $11.16 List Price: $13.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Anchor Amazon Marketplace: 60 new & used starting at $5.80

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Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Professionals & Academics -> Educators
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Education -> Education Theory -> Contemporary Methods -> Experimental
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 80 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Year after year, Rafe Esquith’s fifth-grade students excel. They read passionately, far above their grade level; tackle algebra; and stage Shakespeare so professionally that they often wow the great Shakespearen actor himself, Sir Ian McKellen. Yet Esquith teaches at an L.A. innercity school known as the Jungle, where few of his students speak English at home, and many are from poor or troubled families. What’s his winning recipe? A diet of intensive learning mixed with a lot of kindness and fun. His kids attend class from 6:30 A.M. until well after 4:00 P.M., right through most of their vacations. They take field trips to Europe and Yosemite. They play rock and roll. Mediocrity has no place in their classroom. And the results follow them for life, as they go on to colleges such as Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford.
Possessed by a fierce idealism, Esquith works even harder than his students. As an outspoken maverick of public education (his heroes include Huck Finn and Atticus Finch), he admits to significant mistakes and heated fights with administrators and colleagues. We all—teachers, parents, citizens—have much to learn from his candor and uncompromising vision.