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Death and taxes come later; what seems inevitable for children is the idea that, after spending the day at school, they must then complete more academic assignments at home. The predictable results: stress and conflict, frustration and exhaustion. Parents respond by reassuring themselves that at least the benefits outweigh the costs. But what if they don't? In The Homework Myth, nationally known educator and parenting expert Alfie Kohn systematically examines the usual defenses of homework--that it promotes higher achievement, "reinforces" learning, and teaches study skills and responsibility. None of these assumptions, he shows, actually passes the test of research, logic, or experience. So...
An essential guide for all teachers, "Learning to Teach--Not Just for Beginners" offers a wealth of great strategies for all those who desire to instruct others as a career.
This smart, practical guidebook shows preschool, kindergarten, and primary teachers how to refine their literacy evaluation practices through careful kidwatching. By observing and recording children's literacy development, teachers also develop new understandings of the ways children think and learn. Ultimately, through kidwatching, teachers plan curriculum and instruction that are tailored to individual strengths and needs. Gretchen Owocki and Yetta Goodman are the perfect pair to guide teachers through the kidwatching process. Yetta coined the term in her seminal article in 1978 and has spearheaded the use of miscue analysis as a window into the reading process. Gretchen, Yetta's former gr...
Margaret A. Syverson discusses the ways in which a theory of composing situations as ecological systems might productively be applied in composition studies. She demonstrates not only how new research in cognitive science and complex systems can inform composition studies but also how composing situations can provide fruitful ground for research in cognitive science. Syverson first introduces theories of complex systems currently studied in diverse disciplines. She describes complex systems as adaptive, self-organizing, and dynamic; neither utterly chaotic nor entirely ordered, these systems exist on the boundary between order and chaos. Ecological systems are "metasystems" composed of inter...
What is reading? In this groundbreaking book, esteemed researchers Ken Goodman, Peter Fries, and Steven Strauss, explain not only what reading really is but also why common sense makes it seem to be something quite different from that reality. How can this grand illusion be explained? That is the purpose of this book. As the authors show, unraveling the secrets of the grand illusion of reading teaches about far more than reading itself, but also about how remarkable human language is, how the brain uses language to navigate the world, what it means to be human. Each author brings a different perspective, but all share a common view of the reading process. Together they provide a clear and su...
The first edition of Mentoring Beginning Teachers was named an Outstanding Academic Title by the American Library Association's Choice magazine in 2000. The expanded second edition -- packed with insights, anecdotes, and updated research -- provides mentors with a road map for helping new teachers become confident, reflective educators. The collaborative model outlined in the book is enlightening and rewarding for the mentor and the novice alike. The authors have incorporated the latest findings on all aspects of mentoring --from preparing to be a mentoring guide or coach to school culture and parent outreach. Teachers will find five new chapters on working with ELL students, working with pa...
Recipe for a Successful Study Group: 6-12 highly motivated teachers; 1 efficient and confident facilitator; 10 inspiring, open-ended questions; and 2 buckets of smiles (laughter optional) Directions: Mix all ingredients. Liberally sprinkle with positive attitude. Enjoy! When you're working with a study group, you're not just having fun. You're furthering your professional development in the best possible way! Research shows that your professional development is best handled by you, with other teachers at your school site, in a cooperative environment of trust and support. Having a forum for the exchange of ideas gives you the power to expand your expertise through observation, discussion and...
A holistic view of children's abilities in reading and language arts. Includes means for assessing and improving writing, spelling and emotional well-being; a full chapter on how to promote higher order literacy and a full chapter and appendices devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of dyslexia, or severe reading disorders.
In The Race of Sound Nina Sun Eidsheim traces the ways in which sonic attributes that might seem natural, such as the voice and its qualities, are socially produced. Eidsheim illustrates how listeners measure race through sound and locate racial subjectivities in vocal timbre—the color or tone of a voice. Eidsheim examines singers Marian Anderson, Billie Holiday, and Jimmy Scott as well as the vocal synthesis technology Vocaloid to show how listeners carry a series of assumptions about the nature of the voice and to whom it belongs. Outlining how the voice is linked to ideas of racial essentialism and authenticity, Eidsheim untangles the relationship between race, gender, vocal technique, and timbre while addressing an undertheorized space of racial and ethnic performance. In so doing, she advances our knowledge of the cultural-historical formation of the timbral politics of difference and the ways that comprehending voice remains central to understanding human experience, all the while advocating for a form of listening that would allow us to hear singers in a self-reflexive, denaturalized way.