Reviews (13)

Great ideas for assessing writing
I really enjoyed reading this book and I am excited about starting to use this method when school starts again. Teaching writing can be difficult, but how to give constructive feedback is even harder. I am optimistic that the ideas in this book will make it a whole lot easier to help my children.

invaluable
I looked at many writing books for my child. A school teacher recommended this one to me. After we used it as the primary writing guide, my child's writing took off. It's so effective that his writing has jumped from average to outstanding in his class. Now the book is one of our two MUST-DOs every week (the other is Beestar online ELA and vocabulary exercises, a wonderful web site www.beestar.org). Writing is a life-long skill. We will continue use this guide to improve writing for a long time.

6+ 1Writing from a teacher's viewpoint
My students' writing skills improved as soon as I started using 6 + 1 Traits. Besides being very readable, the book is packed with information, ideas, and rubrics for both teacher and student use.Just what a "harried writing teacher' needs when preparing students for a 'high stakes' writing test. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Composition and exercises    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. Elementary    5. English language    6. Language arts (Elementary)    7. Study and teaching    8. Study and teaching (Elementary)    9. Teaching Methods & Materials - General    10. Teaching Methods & Materials - Language Arts    11. Education / General   

Reviews (21)

Excellent book fora beginer working with young people
1. Easey to follow.
104 Activities that Build Teamwork
I give quarterly supervisor training meetings with about 10 supervisors from our division. I use the activities in this book to help build communications and teamwork with the supervisors.

Creative Ideas
I selected this book in order to complete a required communications class assignment that I am presently enrolled in. The title of the book caught my attention. I am an Assessment Coordinator and I work with approximately 10 to 20 individuals at a time with a new group every three weeks. Several of the issues that I need to address that are a major concern with our clients are covered in Alanna Jone's book. These are issues dealing with self-esteem, communication, anger management, self discovery and coping skills. As instructors and parents we often find ourselves in situations where people are resistant to learning. The many reasons for this vary.
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Subjects:  1. Education    2. Education / Teaching    3. Teaching Methods & Materials - Classroom Planning    4. Teaching Methods & Materials - General    5. Activity Programs    6. Educational Games    7. Game/puzzles    8. Management Games    9. Youth   

Reviews (5)

Practical
This book is full of practical advice as well as a ton of resources to use for professional development.Don't leave home without it!

Understanding by design: Professional development workbook
This is a very useful book for class. Has many good activities in it. I think it is worth the purchase.

The Most Focused Book on Education that I've Read!
I'm re-reading this fabulous resource as I start my fifth year of teaching since it keeps me focused on what I'm teaching and how to most appropriately assess how my students can apply their knowledge. The details and worksheets in this workbook help me put the book into practice day to day. Thanks Jay. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Education    2. Education / Teaching    3. Professional Development    4. Teaching Methods & Materials - General   

Reviews (4)

Hidden Gem!
I happened to find this book while browsing the teaching section.It has truly been a great resource that every (new) teacher should have.Unlike most of our teacher ed. programs, this book gives practical information about how to run a classroom.You won't regret buying this book, it is a wonderful resource!

A great resource for any teacher!
My school district gave every new teacher a copy of this book.The new teacher that I am mentoring shared it with me.After reading through it I was excited to find a book that focuses on instruction instead of some silver-bullet discipline plan.The instructional strategies are written clearly and consisely.Both of us bring our copies of Why Didn't I Learn This in College? and use them as we plan our units and lessons every Monday for the following week.I highly recommend this book to any teacher.

An ESSENTIAL for All Educators!
Practical, positive, and pure Paula! WHY DIDN'T I LEARN THIS IS COLLEGE? is an ESSENTIAL professional resource for educators at all levels of experience! Paula Rutherford applies her 30 years of teaching and educational leadership to create this book of research-based teaching tips and user-friendly tools that will help increase student achievement in our classrooms. She offers a logical framework for creating learning-centered environments, planning "with the 'end' in mind", and organizing learners and professional tasks for positive results for students, parents, and teachers. Read more

Subjects:  1. Classroom management    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. Education / Teaching Methods & Materials / General    5. Educational Policy & Reform    6. First year teachers    7. Higher    8. Professional Development    9. Teaching    10. Teaching Methods & Materials - General   

Reviews (110)

Fine if you are raising a military cadet
[I listened to the unabridged audiobook version of this book]
What I Discovered About Successful Student Discovery
This book must not be passed up by parents of students who enter classrooms and are already equipped with sufficient sensitivity, ability, motivation and innate self esteem to love learning and be successful without being discovered. I recommend it so that you may all cheerfully weather the process.Then pass the book on to your kids, parents.It is a must read for all of you.It would be an excellent required text for elementary students who are gifted in sensitivity, ability, motivation and/or innate self esteem or need for same.Ask them to examine and evaluate prize-winning teacher metacognition so as to better appreciate it and/or possibly get a leg up on it for their own present and future leadership development and advancement.Cut to the chase and involve students right up front in the shaping of the shaping of their shaping, so to speak.It is a fascinating study of the uses of power For Their Own Good and Our Own Professional Success.Every teacher and trainer of teachers should read this book in the highly likely event that their own future leadership development and advancement will be similarly shaped.Heads up!What's good for the goslings is surely good for the geese!Read it to your students and cut right to the social skills chase, why not, and stimulate some lively discussions about the meaning of success from a variety of viewpoints as well. There's plenty for plenty of people to think about in this book.
Well-marketed fluff
The problem with American education today is not that we don't have enough teachers like Ron Clark.The problem is that teachers like Ron Clark are being presented as models of good teaching.As the posted customer reviews reveal, more and more teachers are emulating this model, and our national educational system continues its steady decline.What is this model?Clark's students have fun.They really like him.He's making "connections" with them, by taking them to basketball games, baking them cookies, playing with them during recess, and otherwise entertaining them.Sure, they're engaged in the classroom, but to what?That his lessons consist of a whim isn't important, because he puts on a darn good show.His audience - and that's what his students become - predictably comes to enjoy school.Thus he has fewer discipline problems, but probably not because of the rules he's selling here.(Aren't most kids well behaved when they're being entertained?)Some learning occurs, too, but unfortunately one of the greatest lessons his students must receive is that every gain in life ought to be loads of fun and every reward ought to immediate and tangible.For all his efforts to instill discipline, his students can't possibly have learned self-motivation.Whatever ability they have in the future to meet a challenge that involves real work and pays only in personal satisfaction will not have come from his instruction.Yes, his is an inspiring (and let's be honest, politically correct) story, and by all accounts he is a dynamic public speaker - perhaps the two essential elements in becoming Disney's Teacher of the Year.But what we have here is the same "style over substance" formula that has been ruining our nation's schools for some time. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Conduct of life    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. Teaching    5. Teaching Methods & Materials - General    6. Education / Leadership   

Reviews (3)

Excellent resource for busy educators
Having purchased many types of teaching resources over the last few years, I have finally found onemore helpful than all the others combined. Evertson not only outlines the procedures in an easy to read manner, but she also gives excellent examples of her theories in practice. I was expecting a book that strictly dealt with keeping order in the classroom, but what I received was so much more. This book describes ways to teach that will ensure that classrooms run smoothly and more importantly the students learn. I only hope that other new teachers find this text at the beginning of their careers as the advice contained is invaluable. If your budget or time schedule only allows for one book, definitely buy this one!

Recommended 100%
Great Book!!!!Shipped quickly!!!!!Would order from again!!!!

Elementary Management for Elementary Teachers
Specific suggestions and tips help teachers solve common organization andmanagement problems *Case studies at the elementary level provideteachers withrealistic expectations of what they will encounter in the classroom and how to deal with a wide range of differentsituations.*Case studies give teachers real-world examples on managingcooperativelearning, literature-based and whole-languagelearning, and inclusionclassroons. *The authors have increased the coverage of diversity in student populations and have added new suggestions forworking withspecial needs students. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Classroom Management    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. Education, Elementary    5. Elementary    6. Teaching    7. Teaching Methods & Materials - General    8. Education / Classroom Management    9. Industrial or vocational training    10. Organization & management of education   

Reviews (63)

The best book in the world -ADHD approved by me
I have tried several things with my 6 year old son.He craves negative attention.He has been diagnosed with ADHD and ODD (oppositional defiance disorder). This is a simple plan that works.He has made outstanding improvements.I am using it also with my 12 year old daughter with out any problems.It is something that the non-difficult child can benefit from as much as the difficult child.If I had to pick a book solely on a name I do not think I would have picked this one but it came highly recommended to me. I am going to by 10 more copies and hand them out to anyone interacting with my children.If i had the money I would buy one for anyone who is around any child period.

Positive Paradigm
Transforming the Difficult Child The Nurtured Heart Approach is an awesome book. I am a teacher and plan to apply its principles in my elementary class. Using new paradigms, it enfolds your child in positives as a way of building inner wealth. It leads your child to be recognized for all of the positiveness he possesses. It helps him to feel loved and accepted, as well as to channel his energies in ways that make positive contributions to himself and those around him. This book will lead you on an exciting new way to enjoy life with a highly energized child.

Worth your time
I was a little dubious about this book when it was suggested that I read it, but I respect the co-worker who suggested it and decided to give it a try.It is an informative and emotionally challenging read.The book offers a different perspective about parenting, without passing negative judgements as many subject-related books do.The most useful component of this book is that it suggests small changes and shifts in focus to help families support a child who struggles emotionally and socially.These small changes do bring some measure of peace for parents who have been struggling to help their children become productive and successful people in the world. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Behavior disorders in children    2. Counseling of    3. Education / Teaching Methods & Materials / General    4. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    5. Family/Marriage    6. Parenting    7. Parenting - Hyperactivity    8. Problem children    9. United States    10. ADHD    11. Attention-deficit disorder in    12. Attention-deficit hyperactivit    13. Classroom Management    14. Teaching   

Reviews (185)

The First Days of School: How to be an Effective Teacher
Amazon was great as is this book. It really gives those wishing to be teachers a great view of things they should know...
Charming man, practical advice
I'm new to education. This book is very, very well read among educators. Looking at it with my fresh eyes, and with a need to quickly grab useful info for my 1st day at school I thought that:
Put "Elementary Teacher" in the title and I'd give it 5 stars
If I were going to rate Harry Wong's book based on his title's implied audience of all teachers, I would be forced to give it 1 star.This book is specifically geared towards elementary teachers only and more specifically to ones who can't possibly have earned a teaching degree yet.Giving this book to someone with teaching credentials would be equivalent to giving a certified mechanic a three-hundred page manual on how to rotate tires.
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Subjects:  1. Education    2. Education / Teaching    3. Effective teaching    4. General    5. Professional Development    6. Teachers    7. Teaching    8. Teaching Methods & Materials - General    9. Training of    10. United States    11. Vocational guidance   

Reviews (1)

Units of Study for Teaching Writing, Gr. 3-5 Units of Study)
Excellent step by step lessons for teaching writing. These units dofor the intermediate grades what Lucy's program does for the primary grades.Can'twait to use it with my 5th graders this fall. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Curricula    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. Teaching Methods & Materials - Classroom Planning    5. Teaching Methods & Materials - General    6. Teaching Methods & Materials - Language Arts   

Reviews (3)

Nice tool for new teachers.
This book is a practical resource for new secondary teachers. The authors discuss classroom set-up, student resources, and behavior problems.There are many ideas ready for application in your own classroom and no boring or unnecessary narratives that most classroom management books have.
Harry K. Wong Implements Research of Evertson
In his video series "The Effective Teacher" Part II: The First Days of School, Harry Wong cites the work of Carolyn Evertson and how he implements her research in the classroom:Wong says "Now, why do I assign seats?Now, you may know the name Carolyn Evertson.She is arguably the leading authority on classroom management.She did her work at the Univ. of Texas, Austin campus, many years ago.They wrote a book called Classroom Management for Elementary Teachers and a book called Classroom Management for High School and Junior High School Teachers.They went out and they looked at thousands and thousands of very effective teachers, and they went out and they looked at thousands and thousands of very ineffective teachers, and this is what they discovered.They discovered that effective teachers assign seats on the first day of school..."He shows a graphic of the covers of the two books.This is one of the books he refers to.Harry Wong is the author of the book The First Days of School.Anyone who liked The First Days of School, therefore, might be interested to read this resource that Harry Wong found to be useful.

This is a must have book for any secondary teacher.
I use this book as the text for one of my classes at VanderbiltUniversity.The students always love it.It is one of the most practicaltextbooks that I have seen.This book contains everything beginningteachers need to make a smooth and effective start on their journey as ateacher. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Classroom Management    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. Education, Secondary    5. Secondary    6. Secondary Education    7. Teaching Methods & Materials - General    8. Education / Classroom Management    9. Industrial or vocational training    10. Organization & management of education    11. Teaching skills & techniques   

Reviews (7)

From 2 Points of View
First and foremost, I am sorry that two readers have not had a positive experience from this book; however, they sound like they are 90 year old teachers who have forgotten why they entered the profession of teaching in the first place. Fill out the retirement papers and go home!
I love this book!!Judge it for yourself!!
I wish I had this years ago.My kids love it and soaking up everything we do.This half of the year is going great!!I've never had a class so interested in anything!

Excellent book for teachers who WANT to learn
For those great teachers out there, they will find they naturally use many of the strategies in this book. This books puts them all in one place and give you more ideas as well as the research to back them up.I do feel sorry for the rater that is having this approached forced on him or her. I am afraid to say that learner centered education is far from "trendy" nor is a constructivists approach to learning.Just throwing the books at the teachers not modeling the approach for even in teacher education, the adults should also construct meaning in their learning.I do agree with the reader that some teaching methods take more time upfront and there is a lot of pressure on teachers to hit all the standards but if retention is key, spend a little more time on the front end and they will retain it after a test rather than just for the test.This book is great if you want 20 specific ideas for injecting new way to learn in your classroom.It is not an all to nothing approach, just try one new thing while maintaining you own teaching style. Those teachers who are stuck in there own methods and fearful of sharing control of the learning with their students will have a hard time with this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Education    2. Education / Teaching    3. Effective teaching    4. General    5. Handbooks, manuals, etc    6. Learning    7. Lesson planning    8. Teaching Methods & Materials - Classroom Planning    9. Education / Teaching Methods & Materials / General    10. Teaching skills & techniques   

Subjects:  1. Composition and exercises    2. Creative writing (Primary educ    3. Creative writing (Primary education)    4. Education    5. Education / Teaching    6. Elementary    7. English language    8. Forums (Discussion and debate)    9. Study and teaching (Primary)    10. Teaching Methods & Materials - General    11. United States    12. Teaching skills & techniques   

Reviews (3)

I've seen better
The tenth edition is not very well organized. Overall, a very boring book.

Okay, but other books are out there.
Like I said in a precious review, I like National University, but they could have chosen a different book.I am Caucasian, white, Christian, heterosexual, male, with blonde hair and blue eyes, and let me tell you, this book will make it seem that the whit people in this country are racist bigots.And that we are trying to indoctrinate every single child that comes to America while keeping all the other people in lower classes.That is how I felt. Okay, for a Textbook
This book wasn't too bad, considering it is a textbook.If you're forced to read it for class, take heart!It's not too boring--once you get started, it actually moves pretty quickly, and you will learn a lot.If this isn't required for a class, I would not suggest curling up in front of the fireplace with this book, or, really, reading it at all, unless you're really into learning more about the basics of American Education. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Education    2. Education (General)    3. Education / Teaching    4. Educational sociology    5. History    6. Philosophy & Social Aspects    7. Professional Development    8. Study and teaching    9. Teaching    10. Theory Of Education    11. United States    12. Education / Professional Development    13. USA   

Reviews (5)

6 + 1 = 7
I'm sorry, but 6+1 equals 7. Just kidding- I understand why she called her book that. This is the best writing book I have come across for primary grades. Easy to use lesson plans, examples of student work, and book title suggestions all make this the perfect writing resource. If you want to purchase the titles referenced in the book, there is a website that I found that sells them in a set, plus a lot of other stuff: www.whoossmart.com. Check them out!

6+1 Traits of Writing for K-3 School Use
We are a K-3 public school with about 400 students.We purchased a book for each staff member and are using it as a "book study" reading and discussing a chapter a week as a staff.It has been very helpful in assisting us to improve student writing.

6 + 1 Traits of writing is easy to use.
I have found that implementing strategies and lessons from this book have helped my students better understand what is expected of them.It breaks down 7 elements of writing into teacher and kid friendly lessons. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Composition and exercises    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. Elementary    5. Elementary School Language Arts    6. English language    7. Language arts (Primary)    8. Teaching At The Elementary School Level    9. Teaching Methods & Materials - General    10. Education / Teaching Methods & Materials / General   

Reviews (6)

Practical & Informative
The title of this book pretty much spells it out: Dr. Sousa explains how brains learn.Considering the subject, the text is very readable--enough to recommend this book to anyone who wants an understanding of how we are able to retain information.It covers the entire gamut, from the basics of biology to the subtler aspects of the active mind.
Educator-friendly
This book is an excellent resource for educators.It is easily adapted to classroom use no matter what level is being taught.Great insights to hemisphere preference, transfer, critical thinking, teaching strategies.Even the biology and physiology is palatable.This book would lend itself well as a resource for inservicing teachers with its many practioner's corner activities.I recently read Jensen's Teaching With the Brain in Mind and, while I found that book to be a good one, this book if FAR more useful.Every teacher will find easily adapted activities to put to immediate use.Highly recommended.

A Classic!
A book designed to be used. It offers both theory and practice. There are fifty plus pages of practical suggestions: including "Testing Whether Information Is in Long-Term Storage," and "Using the Primacy-Regency Effect in the Classroom." It also contains a glossary, an eleven page bibliography (with five internet site references), and a three page index. A well balanced 305 page classic. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Brain    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. Educational Psychology    5. Learning    6. Learning, Psychology of    7. Physiological aspects    8. Research    9. Teaching Methods & Materials - General    10. Education / Teaching Methods & Materials / General   

Reviews (50)

"Poverty" Misunderstood.
Let me start off by mentioning all the positive elements of this work (of which there are not many). In the beginning, the author shares accurate Census figures about poverty along with insight that it is a relative condition which applies to all races and creeds. She also recommends that educators should teach and strengthen rather than praise and condemn. From here, however, the work slips into the abyss. A Great Start
I work in a large middle school which hit the 50% level of students in poverty a few years ago. The majority of our poverty students are white, while the number of African-American students is less than 5%.The percent of Hispanic students in poverty in our school/community is growing.Ruby Payne's description of students and families in poverty fits our school to a large degree.Our entire corporation has been exposed to her materials, we've had Ruby as a guest presenter and our entire middle school staff has studied her book. We continue to incorporate much of what her materials recommend.We are having good success with this endeavor, and like anything in education, it is a work in progress.
A Must Read for any...
This is a must read for all teachers, pastors, doctors, lawyers,who deal with various social levels and just about anyone else who feels they can't understand why poor people are poor and stay that way generation after generation.
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Subjects:  1. Classroom Management    2. Education    3. Education / Educational Psychology    4. Multicultural Education    5. Social Science / Sociology / General    6. Teaching Methods & Materials - General    7. Children's Studies    8. Current Events    9. Educational Psychology    10. Poor    11. Poverty    12. Social Science    13. Sociology - General    14. United States   

Reviews (1)

What works in Schools
I have been a classroom teacher for 25 years. In that time, I have seen many trends in educational philosophy. Finally, Marzano has written a book that addresses research based methods of instruction that actually are proven to increase student achievement. He addresses three key areas: School-Level Factors, Teacher-Level Factors, Student-Level Factors, and a section on how to implement these factors into classoom instruction. Marzano states,"Thirty-five years of research provides remarkably clear guidance as to the steps schools can take to be highly effective in enhancing student achievement."I have found that the researched based information that Marzano provides about each of these key areas to be invaluable in the instruction of our students. This book is a must read for all serious educators. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Academic achievement    2. Administration - General    3. Education    4. Education / Teaching    5. Research    6. School improvement programs    7. Teaching    8. Teaching of specific groups   

Editorial Review

As a spiritually inspirational book for teachers, Read more

Reviews (42)

Using Parker Palmer's The Courage to Teach
I was introduced to Palmer's book by a participant in a series of workshps I give on Teaching, Learning, and Technology. This participant said that my coverage of pedagogic and technologic issues would be augmented by dealing with the personal factors a teacher brings to a course. Having read Palmer sveral times as I offer these workshops, I can say that it is probably the single most important text I have found in my extensive review of literature on teaching and learning. This opinion is supported by the comments of people in my workshops, who universally agree that reading it has changed their approach to teaching in a positive way. I cannot recomment it more highly.

Gets better as it goes....?
I'll preface this by saying that I'm a university teacher who cares deeply about teaching, which I guess must be why this book was recommended to me in the first place. The early chapters I found simply intolerable, heavily reliant on unexamined truistic claptrap about self-knowledge, the soul, etc, etc. The whole book is overwritten and florid, like the inside of a greetings card. It is hard to be genuinely profound in that sort of prose, and I wished that Parker, who is clearly a wonderful and thoughtful teacher, had had the courage to write in something approximating the language of normal speech.
Takes Courage to Read It!
A moving, poetic, and inspiring work on the art, profession, and calling of teaching. "I am a teacher at heart, and there are moments in the classroom when I can hardly hold the joy" (p. 1). Palmer builds a theoretical framework of teaching based on integrity, authenticity, humility, community, hope, and love. Offers great hope to those temporarily mired in the minutia of teaching, as well as a frighteningly stark contrast for those not truly called to teach. Leaves little room for lukewarmness or doubt. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Education    2. Education / Teaching    3. Learning    4. Spirituality - General    5. Teachers    6. Teaching    7. Teaching Methods & Materials - General    8. Religion / Christian Education    9. Teaching skills & techniques   

Reviews (18)

What the Best College Teachers Do by Ken Bain
This book had some good insight.The emphasis on creating a community conducive to learning, while not novel, is important.I think, or at least hope, that the author was well-intended.However, most of the ideas were jumbled, inconsistent and presented in a highly condescending manner.The most annoying approach was creating a straw man, followed by destroying the straw man, and concluding with some statement to the tune of "now thay we've shown ...."Of course all Bain has shown is that some idea that most thoughtful instructors never considered a possibility is actually ... not a possibility. Often he would, later in the text, argue that he's proven something about good or bad instructors.As an example, in Chapter 4, "Recall that we found [in chapter 2] many less successful instructors who think of memory as a storage unit and intelligence as the capacity to use the information in that tank." Realistically, I suspect that most instructors are a lilttle bit more thoughtful about what constitutes intelligence. I found his shallow dualistic view of education demeaning to the intelligence of instructors and students.

Useful, sigh
If I had to summarize this book in two words, they would be "only connect" (E.M. Forster).Bain advises college teachers to orient their teaching to the students in the room.We--and I say we because I am one--need to know what presuppositions students bring to the class; we need to keep students' attention by connecting the new to the familiar; we need to turn students into learners and thinkers, instead of cramming facts into their heads.Etc. etc.
"In an ideal world..."
As a former college professor who does some online teaching from time to time, I was fascinated by Bain's book. Bain identified a number of teachers who made a meaningful impact on student lives. He and his team followed up to ask, "What makes them so great?"
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Subjects:  1. College teaching    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. Effective teaching    5. Higher    6. Teaching Methods & Materials - General    7. United States    8. Education / Teaching Methods & Materials / General    9. Higher & further education    10. Teaching skills & techniques    11. USA   

Reviews (1)

The Teaching Portfolio by Peter Seldin
This is an excellent guide for those looking to create a teaching portfolio and for those interested in improving education. Seldin's writing style is very easy to read and comprehend, and he offers excellent advicefor the components of a teaching portfolio, working with a mentor,preparing and using the portfolio, and improving teaching through use ofthe portfolio. Additionally, there are many sample portfolios from avariety of disciplines for the reader's review. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. College teachers    2. College teaching    3. Education    4. Education / Teaching    5. Evaluation    6. Higher    7. Portfolios in education    8. Rating of    9. Teaching Methods & Materials - General    10. United States