Book Description

This book provides readers with the needed skills in human relations that are becoming increasingly important for career success. It emphasizes the person in the organization and on the interactions between managers and other employees.Chapter topics include communication in the workplace; appraisals, promotions, and dismissals; conflict management; leadership; labor relations; intercultural relations; and more.For managers and other professionals in any field that want to learn the skills needed to interact most effectively with managers and co-workers. ... Read more

Book Description

Has your program suffered from a lack of funding? Do you find that your fund-raising efforts are not yielding a healthy share of the resource pie? In Grants, Etc., Second Edition Armand Lauffer offers concrete evidence that the resources are out thereùyou just have to know where to find them and how. He emphasizes methods of expanding what has been viewed as a finite pool of resources by detailing innovative ways of targeting markets and aligning program goals. He also provides specific guidelines for writing grant proposals, designing sound programs, developing and nurturing resources, and other key aspects of winning in the game of fund-raising. Through case illustrations, Lauffer spotlights grant seekers who share inspirational wisdom and the nuts and bolts of their success. But this is not just a how-to book. Lauffer is a serious student of the nonprofit and public sectors who documents changes in the funding environment and identifies trends in the making, highlighting those that involve the private sector as well as religious and civic organizations. Through scores of examples he spotlights the innovations in funding and fund-raising that are likely to characterize funding patterns in the early part of the 21st century. Grants, Etc. includes a step-by-step checklist of project design essentials as well as a new section on Internet access filled with key website links and information on creating your own web page. The wide range of examples provided in this book make it an invaluable guide for fund seekers of all kindsùnonprofits in the human services, health care, education, and the arts, as well as for-profit proprietary firms that depend on grants and contracts for their survival and growth. ... Read more

Book Description

This edition continues Sax's tradition of comprehensive and comprehensible coverage of testing and measurement principles while including the most recent theory and research. ... Read more

Book Description

How Do You Ensure that Employees Are Doing the Right Things?

Many of us ask, "What does it take to do a job well?" and stop there. But there's more to it than that.

What skills and knowledge are necessary for effectiveness in a certain job? Does the employee have the appropriate skills and knowledge, or is some kind of training necessary? Are these job expectations aligned with the culture and strategy of the organization as a whole?

These questions are essential to performance improvement efforts. And competency modeling is designed to help you find answers to questions such as these.

A competency model is . . . a descriptive tool that identifies the skills, knowledge, personal characteristics, and behaviors needed to effectively perform a role in the organization and help the business meet its strategic objectives.

From the authors of the best-selling book The Art and Science of 360? Feedback comes this guide to the design and implementation of competency models.

"The authors have taken competency modeling out of the domain of academics and social scientists by creating a practical 'how-to' work that clearly and simply explains the steps in developing and using competency models. I recommAnd this book to anyone whose job includes the pinpointing and sharpening of relevant competencies, for themselves or for others."
--Scott B. Parry, chairman, Training House

"Lucia and Lepsinger have demystified competency models and put in the hands of the reader a blueprint for developing meaningful recruiting, performance measurement, and succession planning systems. They succeed with a straightforward, pragmatic style, using actual examples that make the book an easy read."
--Frank Ashen, senior vice president, New York Stock Exchange

Get the Results You Expect!

Competency models are a means of ensuring that your investment in your employees will yield the expected results. The popularity of competency modeling is steadily increasing: human resource pro

You'll use this cutting-edge guide to:
• Clarify job and work expectations
• Hire the best available people
• Maximize productivity
• Enhance a 360? feedback process
• Align behavior with organizational strategies and values
• Adapt to change

... Read more

Reviews (4)

A good coverage of the field of competency models
Competency Models have become a must for an up-to-date HRM system - I have been helping companies to build this kind of models since 1996. These models make great tools for selection, training and development, appraisal and succession planning. Unfortunately, until I came accross this book, I found that most of the reference works to this field are quite unaccessible, not the kind I would put into the hands of a newcomer. This is a practical book, showing why competency models are important and helping the reader to go through the complete process of setting up such a system, including a chapter on how to sell the idea to others in the organisation - I wish some of the people I work with would have read this book before, that would have smoothened the problems that are caused if these steps aren't followed well. The book also shows how to transform your competence model into a 360° feedback questionnaire. It was the first time I came accross a book explaining how to do that! The only area that I found a bit weak is the compentency-interview (both for building the model, als doing behavior-based interviews for recruiting), but maybe that's a bias coming from my own expertise in that domain (my book "7 Steps to Emotional Intelligence" includes a full chapter on how to ask the right questions).

Conclusion - whether you know about Competency Models or not - add this book to your library! And if you are a consultant in the field of competency models, this is a book you might recommend to your customers.

Patrick E. Merlevede -- co-author of "7 Steps to Emotional Intelligence"

Very readable overview
This is a perfect choice for the novice reader who is trying to get a basic understanding of the whys and wherefores of compentency models. It's very readable book and not nearly as dry as I might have expected. In particular, the authors' copious use of real-world examples, cases and models is extremely helpful. I even got some great ideas for project management that I'll be able to apply broadly in my work, regardless of whether or not my organization undertakes a competency modeling project.

My only criticism is that the book focuses exclusively on CMs in a HRM context; there is no real discussion of industry-scale models, which was my main reason for reading the book. Nevertheless, a very good resource for a beginner.

A must read for everyone!
Well written. Reader-friendly without sacrificing depth of content. I am not an HR specialist, but I still find this book to be very useful. Provides me with knowledge on competency and how to build a competency model for my own company.

A "must" reading guide !!!
"Competency models that identify the skills, knowledge, and characteristics needed to perform a job have been in use for more than three decades. In the last five years, interest in them and their potential to help staffing and development efforts has increased dramatically among our client group. We believe this interest will continue to grow over the next few years due to three key, related trends-intensified competition, aggressive cost management and downsizing, and the proliferation of 360-degree feedback system (A. D. Lucia & R. Lepsinger / Preface xiii)."

In this invaluable study authors

* define what a competency model is, describe its components, and discuss some of their broad, general applications.

* examine how competency models can be applied within selection, training and development, appraisal, and succession planning systems to support an organization's business objectives.

* discuss establishing the performance criteria with which your organization measures success to better focus your data collection and analysis.

* describe specific action steps to follow during the development of the competency model from scratch.

* discuss various methods of data collection and how they can be used to increase the likelihood of identifying the knowledge, skills, and characteristics required to succeed in the job.

* describe the process of creating competency-based selection, training and development, appraisal, and succession planning systems.

* discuss the methods for converting the model into the necessary formats or tools to integrate the competencies into each step of human resource management.

This study is a "must" reading guide for HR professionals and line managers. I highly recommend.

See also :

* The Competency Casebook/D. Dubois

* Strategic Human Resource Leader/W.J.Rothwell et.al. ... Read more

Book Description

As awareness of Asperger Syndrome (AS) grows, it becomes increasingly important that all professionals are familiar with and understand the condition. However, for teachers it is difficult to quickly access the necessary details for working with AS children. This book bridges this gap and is the ideal foundation for learning about AS and how to get the best from an AS child. Providing a summary of the syndrome and covering all the key issues that concern teachers (e.g. social skills, homework, playground behavior), Matt Winter offers tips and practical ideas that are invaluable for anyone working within a school environment. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great practical ideas without all the complex medical terms
I recently purchased this book and it is a wonderful recource. It explains all of the medical terms that come with an AS diagnosis. Very easy to understand and great ideas. It can be read in a short amount of time and is not only great for teachers but for parents and family members wishing to learn more about AS and how to help an AS person better understand social situations. I highly recommend this book!

Fantastic First Step
I am a teacher and like most teachers have little time on my hands. This book provided an excellent introduction to Asperger Syndrome for me. It was small enough to be manageable and easily read, yet large enough to contain loads of practical suggestions.

The author writes in a very concise manner getting straight down to business rather than dragging out subjects just to fill the page. He also manages to really "get inside" the head of a child with Asperger Syndrome and allow the reader to see where the child is coming from.

I keep this book in my top draw so I can flick through and refer to it regularly. I highly recommend it as a great starting point for any teacher or educator. In fact, it is a great first resource for any person who will be spending time looking after a child with Asperger Syndrome. Buy it for yourself or give it out to those who need to know more. ... Read more

Book Description

Foreword by Susan Sullivan

"Schools as Professional Learning Communities is an extraordinary achievement. It brings together what a long-time practitioner can see and sense. It is an illumination of an exciting path to a constantly improving instructional community."
S. David Adler, Superintendent (retired)
Bergen County Schools, Newton, NJ

"This book is a must for those seeking to prepare school leaders as well as those seeking to improve school performance. Roberts and Pruitt have presented us with a scholarly work that provides the nuts and bolts for those seeking to understand school leadership."
Leslie Agard-Jones, Dean, College of Education
William Paterson University

Transform your school into a learning community with this practical, research-based guide!

Well-documented research shows that teaching, learning, and educational outcomes for students greatly improve when a school becomes a community--that is, when everyone works together to collaboratively search for and resolve problems in their schools. So if your ultimate goal is to help all members of the school community assume a leadership role, this one-stop sourcebook is exactly what you need to get started.

Authors Roberts and Pruitt provide the knowledge and skills necessary to work effectively with teachers, parents, administrators, and students to build a learning community. Schools as Professional Learning Communities is full of practical strategies, tips, and activities, and addresses the immediate issues faced by teachers in their classrooms and the work teachers, supervisors, and principals perform daily.

Highlights of this nuts-and-bolts guide include:

• Leading in the role of principal
• Working in groups and effectively using team processes
• Initiating study groups for building a learning community
• Providing learning opportunities for teachers through classroom observation
• Mentoring, providing collaborative assessment of student work, and other cooperative approaches
• Developing professional portfolios
• Sustaining the learning community

For school administrators and teachers focused on student achievement, equity, and teacher leadership, this is a must-have resource.

Book Description

For cosmetology Licensing candidatesThis is an up-to-date, essential guide for beauty industry candidates whoneed to pass state licensing boards in order to becomecertifiedcosmetologists. ... Read more

Book Description

Now from the author of the best-selling How the Brain Learns and How the Special Needs Brain Learns comes a new book dealing with gifted and talented students. How the Gifted Brain Learns helps you turn research on the brain function of intellectually and artistically advanced students into practical classroom activities and strategies.

David Sousa shows how the brain processes information and offers both simple and complex strategies that will help identify and challenge gifted students in your classroom. Building on the latest discoveries in neuroscience, learning, and the nature of intelligence, this book examines why traditional talent-identification techniques are inadequate (and often inaccurate), and presents methods that will allow you to identify giftedness and talent potential with greater accuracy than ever before.

This book will help answer such questions as:

• How are the brains of gifted students different?
• What kinds of strategies are particularly effective for students with particular gifts?
• What can be done to adequately challenge gifted students in our schools?
• What can we do to identify and help gifted students who are underachievers?
• How can we identify and help students who are both gifted and learning disabled?

Schools have a responsibility to provide for the needs of gifted and talented students—to challenge them so that they may reach their fullest potentials. Offering real strategies for real classrooms, How the Gifted Brain Learns is an indispensable tool for all educators—school administrators, teachers, staff developers, preservice students, and even parents who want to better understand their gifted children, and help them reach exceptional levels of performance.

About the Author: David A. Sousa, Ed.D., an international educational consultant, has conducted workshops in hundreds of school districts on brain research and science education at the elementary, secondary, and university levels. He frequently presents at national conventions of educational organizations and serves as a consultant to regional and local school districts across the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Book Description

Hot Topics is a must to shorten the time you will need to prepare for the PMP or CAPM exams. This book is updated to correspond with the 4th edition of the PMP Exam Prep book by Rita Mulcahy and the 2000 edition of the PMBOK Guide. It is designed to be a portable method to keep the topics on the PMP exam fresh in your mind. Simply read the front of each page and see if you can recall all the items on the back of the page and know what they mean. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Flashcards in a book
If you learn best by repetitive exposure (i.e., flashcards), this book is for you. Rita's Hot Topics allows you to "quiz" yourself or work with a partner or group to study for the PMP exam. I recently passed the PMP and was helped by using this book (although it wasn't my only resource). The CD version of this book is also helpful, as it can be used in the car or at home, and the built-in timing forces you to work on answering questions quickly and correctly. On the negative side, I found it easy to get bored with this format, and ended up relying upon the book more heavily. Overall, however, it was worth the money I spent on it [($$$)]. ... Read more

Book Description

"Bringing together the best experts in the business, Generating and Sustaining Nonprofit Earned Income offers up critical advice and insights to help even the most experienced social entrepreneurs improve upon enterprise performance; A critical addition to any practitioner resource library."
—Jed Emerson, lecturer in business, Stanford Business School and senior fellow, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation

"We live in a world that begs for the creation of new models of economic justice and opportunities. This book provides valuable information to support the efforts of nonprofit entrepreneurs to succeed in creating and operating ventures that are both sustainable and replicable while meeting economic and societal needs. Go for it!"
—Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, co-founders, Ben & Jerry's

"Nonprofit ventures have few of the traditional supports that are available to other types of organizations. Straddling the for-profit and nonprofit cultures, they inhabit a world not officially recognized, where roadmaps do not exist. Life on the thin strip between one land and another is always a precarious existence, full of trials and tribulations, but also charged with opportunity. This book provides the best thinking to help nonprofits capitalize on that opportunity."
—Bill Shore, chairman, Community Wealth Ventures

In collaboration with the Yale School of Management-The Goldman Sachs Foundation Partnership on Nonprofit Ventures, this comprehensive guide identifies best practices for generating a reliable income stream and ultimately reducing nonprofit organizations' dependence on traditional sources of funding. Edited by renowned scholar and consultant Sharon Oster and Cynthia Massarsky and Samantha Beinhacker, deputy directors of The Partnership on Nonprofit Ventures, Generating and Sustaining Nonprofit Earned Income: A Guide to Successful Enterprise Strategies will teach readers sound business planning strategies that can significantly benefit their organization's internal capacity and financial health. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A great collaborative effort!
This is a wonderful collaboration of some of the most respected and experienced people working in the field of social entrepreneurship. It covers a wide range of issues and does so in more detail than I have seen in other publications on the field. In particular, I was pleased to see a chapter on legal/tax issues and one on pricing - two topics that many organizations have a lot of questions about, and are often not emphasized in publications. This is definitely a good addition to your collection if you run a non-profit engaged in earned income activities, or if you interact with such organizations. ... Read more

Book Description

Foreword by Dennis Sparks

How do we determine the effects and effectiveness of activities designed to enhance the professional knowledge and skills of educators so that they might improve the learning of students? Thomas R. Guskey explores the processes and procedures involved in evaluating professional development, from the very simple to the very complex, at five increasing levels of sophistication:

• Participants’ reactions to professional development
• How much participants learn
• Evaluating organizational support and change
• How participants use their new knowledge and skills
• Improvement in student learning

. . . complete with sample evaluation forms, checklists, and helpful hints and tips.

 

 

Reviews (2)

Hegelian Dialectic Process
This book is an extension of the dialectic conscious process applied to staff 'developement'. A diverse group of people dialoging to conscious, over a social issue in a facilitated meeting to a predetermined outcome. This Socialist process is dominating current educational practices. Use extreem caution.

Must Read for Staff Developers
Dr. Guskey gives us clear, concise research on a topic that has long been neglected-professional development practices that work. This book offers clear direction to practitioners who want to increase the effectiveness of professional development and improve student learning. Should be required reading for everyone involved in changing what educators do by changing what they know. ... Read more

Book Description

Whether it's a new product idea or service, inventions abound. Coming up with the idea is one thing, getting it to fly is another. In his new book, Product Idea to Product Success: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Making Money from Your Idea, author Matthew Yubas offers readers a comprehensive, complete, practical, and easy-to-understand guide to the process of bringing an invention to market.

Anyone with a great idea for a new product or service can benefit from this book. In an engaging and conversational style, Product Idea to Product Success is filled with examples and real-world advice as Yubas takes readers through a step-by-step process to get from idea to finished product. Yubas even provides a method for determining whether a market exists before investing time and money on a product or service and then gives readers ways to brainstorm new ideas for future inventions. Product Idea to Product Success is an educational and thought-provoking mix of quizzes, surveys, marketing plans formats, and everything else readers will need to launch their ideas. Yubas fills Product Idea to Product Success with sound advice and cost-effective solutions which, if followed carefully, are almost guaranteed to produce success. This book will become a valued guide to new and experienced inventors and entrepreneurs alike. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

A Guidepost for Beginners
I am glad I purchased the book "Product Idea to Product Success."
It is a must read for anyone considering marketing a product.
I am thankful Matt Yubas decided to share his expertise with the world.
I never imagined how much research is necessary prior to marketing an idea
or product. This book is definitely the roadmap for getting started. I will refer to this book often as I sift through the details of my project.

Very Interesting and Helpful
I purchased this book via the internet, and I found out that it is full of usefull information which a new inventor or even an average guy with an idea which he seeks to possibly market .These information were explained in a manner that they are easily understood. Even the author is so helpful that he returned my email quickly when I was seeking his advice. I am giving this book 5 stars and would recommend it to anybody who has an idrea that they wish to market...yours truly Arnold Avillanoza

Emphasizing tested methods that work
Expertly written by Certified Product Marketing Consultant Matthew Yubas, Product Idea To Product Success: A Complete Step-By-Step Guide To Making Money From Your Idea is a handy financial and business guide to determining if an idea is commercially marketable; protecting rights; getting a competitive advantage; finding investors; making prototypes; establishing pricing strategies, and more. Emphasizing tested methods that work, Product Idea To Product Success is a superb guide for non-specialist general readers looking to profit off their own creativity, up to and including the desire to go into business for themselves.

A Must-Read for Anyone With a Marketing Idea
"Product Idea to Product Success" provides a systematic plan of action for being successful in business. This book is easy to read and takes you through the steps of recognizing an idea to making it successful. One of those books that you will refer to again and again.

Finding my way
Matthew's book gave me a road map in which I could plan my trip to product success. I have not arrived yet, but am traveling with confidence in the dirrection that Matthew's book has helped me decide on. It is an excellent book to keep as a reference to refer back to as needed. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

This Book Is Useful For School Psychology
This book is a quality textbook. However, if it is not used directly in your program then it will serve as an excellent reference book for the field of school psychology. The book is presented in three parts. Part one covers the student, Part two covers the learning process and part three covers classroom processes.

For this reader the most interesting section of the book is the one on learning. Some of the topics covered in the learning section are:
1. Behaviorist views of learning
2. Cognitive learning theory
3. Social cognitive theory
4. Cognitive views of learning
5. Information processing

Becoming a well informed teacher!
Eggen & Kauchak do an excellent work in presenting the latest research information, internet technology (CD included) bibliography, in learning and teachning. I'm glad to have used it as a textbook for a doctoral work, because the leads were easily attainable. No one should discuss the dynamics of education without reading this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Revised and updated from the award-winning classic Effective Teaching and Mentoring, this second edition is a practical, engaging exploration of mentoring and its power to transform learning. Filled with inspiring vignettes, Mentor shows how anyone who teaches can become a successful mentor.

"Nowhere else are learning, development, and mentoring so vividly and engagingly written about than in Daloz's book. . . . Already a classic in the field, this second edition updates us all on the awesome power and responsibility inherent in the mentor's role."
--Sharan B. Merriam, professor, Department of Adult Education, University of Georgia

"Essential reading.... This book will help more of us grow into one of the most life-giving relationships we can have with another person, one that will bring deep fulfillment to our own souls. Daloz has given a great gift to all who teach and learn."
--Parker J. Palmer, author of The Courage to Teach ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Inspiration to Educators
This is a wonderfully engaging book for anyone who has an interest in deriving a deeper meaning from teaching. The book offers interesting and applicable advice for promoting the educational process through establishing a mentoring relationship. The book explains and provides a definition of mentoring with an overview of its history, the importance of mentors and guidelines for mentoring.
Structure/Organization
A helpful review of adult development and learning theories is provided, as well as an interesting section on the differences between males and females as learners and mentors. This book confirms the importance of establishing a relationship with the learner, listening to the learner, and providing instruction which is flexible and individual. By providing insight into the learner/facilitator relationship, Daloz compliments and enriches the learning process.
The main themes of the book are confirmed with vignettes that are interspersed throughout the text. These keep the book interesting by providing the reader with personal application of the ideas and techniques discussed. Encouragement, support, trust and listening are recurrent themes throughout the book and their importance to the mentoring relationship is established through use of the vignettes. The vignettes also help establish and demonstrate the influence and role of the mentor, different phases of the mentoring relationship and traits of the mentor.
Evaluation of Author Success
This book is wonderfully comprehensive and very effective to the author's intent. The book provides a greater understanding and explanation of mentoring and its importance within education. Further, it offers an understanding of the learner as they return to school. Guidelines for becoming a mentor and qualities associated with the mentor role are interspersed repetitively throughout the book.
Personal Reaction
At times the author becomes a little too eloquent, offering perhaps too many analogies and flowery prose. While beautiful and evocative, these have little to do with the subject at hand. Despite these digressions from the intent of the book, it is extremely informative, powerful and effective to its purpose. The inclusion of information relating to adult development is a helpful reminder of the diversity of learners. Other works are cited within the book with enough information to determine if they would be of interest to the reader. I have already purchased one of the books suggested for additional reading related to these topics. This book provides inspiration that teaching may be taken to a higher level through effective use of caring and mentoring.
Effectiveness for Program Planning
Basic principles of program planning which are important to the program planning process are found within the text. While this book does not provide specific information on planning models or instructional design, it does offer a wealth of information in other areas. The program planner that accepts a personal stake in the success of the individual learner would benefit from this book. Challenge, encouragement, support, trust and listening are concepts that should be important to any program planner. Those who are confused that mentoring may be a 1:1 process may be surprised by the suggestion that it is possible to mentor a class. The sections on adult development and growth would facilitate the planner's understanding of adult learners and assist the selection of appropriate content, design and instructional materials.
Comparison to Caffarella - Planning Programs for Adult Learners
Though this book does not address program planning, there are many similarities to the information offered within Caffarella's Planning Programs for Adult Learner. Daloz acknowledges the necessity to meet the student's needs as well as the program's expectations. The environment where learning takes place is discussed as it relates to the individual learner. While Caffarella encourages sensitivity to diversity, due to the narrow scope and focus of this book, it is not surprising that race and class are not discussed. Caffarella notes that at times program planners have little influence regarding the content and design of the programs they are planning. Mentoring offers these educators the opportunity to obtain satisfaction in their role, benefit to the student and personal growth within their practice area.

Good Resource now tips to find the MENTOR
Mentoring is so important in the world today. Having a mentor, as this book details, helps people reach the next level in their careers. Mentoring is truly invaluable. A tough thing though is finding a mentor. Where does one look? Well now there is a place to both find a mentor and also be a mentor to share your knowledge. The site is Advance Mentoring, www.Advancementoring.com

You can search to find a mentor in any industry, or to be a mentor, or even both. Now the job of finding a mentor has gotten much easier. The site offers over a tremendous number of members from over 40 countries, so you are sure to find a mentor or a mentee. Good luck. http://www.advancementoring.com

Noah Cirincione, CEO
Advance Mentoring
http://www.advancementoring.com

And Not Only for Adult-Learners....
Both at work and at home, we function either as a mentor or as a student. And in some situations, as both. We provide or receive information, suggestions, criticism, etc. This is an on-going process. How can we help others to learn more? How can we can learn more from others? These and other key questions are posed and then addressed in this book. Daloz focuses primarily on the mentor (or teacher) whose "partnership" with each student "finally determines the value of an education. In the nature of that partnership lies the mentor's art." Those who share my high opinion of this book are urged to check out Peter Senge's The Fifth Discipline [bold face] and The Dance of Change bold face]. I am reminded of a situation years ago when there was a tuition increase at Harvard and parents vehemently protested. Then president Derek Bok responded "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance." The value of the mentor's art may be incalculable (I believe it is) but, as Daloz carefully explains, it is an art worthy of those who practice it with passion, competence, and commitment.

Daloz explains that this book "is directed to all those who seek a fuller understanding of the life changes accompanying adult learners as they go on to postsecondary education. But it does more than simply describe or dramatize those changes....It goes on to suggest how we can work more effectively with the new learners to enrich their educational experience and decrease the likelihood that they will drop out." That is to say, the primary purpose of this book is to "offer new perspectives for understanding adult learners and to suggest concrete and practical ways based on developmental theory how we can work more effectively to improve the quality of their educational experience." At the heart of Daloz' book are the interviews and personal descriptions needed to ground the principles, concepts, and theories. For it is in what Daloz calls "the living tissue of conversations between real students and real teachers" that we can best apprehend the developmental advising and instruction.

Addressing educator's roles with adult learners
Clear explanation of developmental theory in a readable format. I found the dialogues with Daloz's "non-traditional" students to be the strength of the book. Most existing developmental theory seems to end with college students. Daloz takes a look at adult learners (returning students, those older than the "traditional" 18-22 year old residential students) to find whether current theory is adequate to understand these students' experience and learning needs. Reading the book makes me personally consider what my role should be as an educator, a mentor in higher education to meet unique needs and life experiences of the growing non-traditional student population. Are their developmental needs different than traditional students? Will current programming for traditional students be adequate to meet needs of adult learners? If these are questions you are asking or NEED to ask, pick up this book.

A Book that Supports and Challenges
Daloz takes us on a journey through the wastelands and orchards of the educational experience. Through insights on developing learners through humanistic relationships, personal vignettes, and the best explanation of Perry's theory of intellectual growth I have ever read, Daloz leads us to the heartlands of transformative growth, for both teachers and learners. I highly recommend this soulful book to anyone who teaches, whether it be mentoring adult women learners as Daloz does, or lecturing in a traditional classroom. It is unusually readable, and you will find it hard to put down both times through. ... Read more

Book Description

"This weekend I read Getting Tenure with hopes of perhaps finding something I could use in my Academic Writing & Publishing class for graduate students. . . . Well, well, well . . . what a surprise!The authors, and yourself, should be complimented for producing an outstanding reality-based piece of work. As chair of the Rehabilitation Institute Faculty Productivity Committee for over a decade, and as a member of the Promotion/Tenure Committee, I can attest to the total accuracy of the contents of the book. . . . Congratulations on an excellent piece of work." --T. F. Riggar, Ed.D., Southern Illinois University at Carbondale Tenure. The one word guaranteed to send shivers of hope or dread down the back of any junior professor. Have I published enough?Will the department chair sponsor me through the process? What can I do to ensure that I get it? The process is a complicated one involving many players and all facets of the scholar's life, according to Marcia Lynn Whicker, Jennie Jacobs Kronenfeld, and Ruth Ann Strickland. Achieving success is not something to be left to chance or in someone else's hands; there are clear, positive steps you can take to help yourself toward that goal. The authors suggest being prepared to think politically, manage your image, and focus your attention on things that matter to the decision makers, for tenure is not simply rewarding the productive and discarding the rest. This brief, practical guide demystifies the tenure process and gives concrete advice to graduate students and junior faculty on how to strategize to maximize your chances of hearing those golden words "you got it." ... Read more

Book Description

"Here is a rare blend of storytelling and analysis, brought together in a book that is both insightful and inviting. Lee Bolman and Terry Deal allow us to see our schools, and ourselves, through the lens of imagination rarely found in educational literature, offering embattled and discouraged educators the precious gifts of vision and hope."
Parker J. Palmer, author
Let Your Life Speak and The Courage to Teach

"I love this book! Reframing the Path to School Leadership is full of great spirit, liveliness, and energy. Bolman and Deal are master storytellers, and this tale will inspire every school leader, whether administrator, teacher, coach, parent, or student."
Jim Kouzes, coauthor
The Leadership Challenge and Encouraging the Heart 

The key to becoming a highly effective leader is to develop powerful habits of mind!

The best leaders use multiple frames or lenses to view common challenges and to solve their most difficult problems. Through a series of dialogues between a novice and a master teacher, and between a new and a seasoned principal, best-selling authors Bolman and Deal demonstrate how framing—and then reframing—challenges brings clarity, helps to anticipate problems, and leads to more comprehensive and powerful leadership strategies.

The four frames most commonly used by teachers and administrators are:

• The political frame—conflict and compromise are a constant source of renewal
• The human resource frame—sharing individual needs and motives nurtures a sense of ownership
• The structural frame—clear organizational standards and goals lead to greater productivity
• The symbolic frame—culture, rituals, and beliefs cultivate shared values and meanings

By reframing situations, educators ultimately gain more confidence and certainty in their decisions, and reduce the anxieties that can arise with difficult choices. In Reframing the Path to School Leadership, Bolman and Deal provide an optimistic view of what can go right in schools today, and what possibilities lie ahead for classroom and school leadership!

Book Description

"A comprehensive guide to the uses and possible abuses of the lecture method. Supported by copious research, Bligh offers a wealth of practical suggestions for making lectures more engaging and effective. Written in an accessible and helpful style, What's the Use of Lectures? should be required reading for all college teachers who use this method."

--Stephen Brookfield, Distinguished Professor, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota

"A rewarding read for anyone who lectures--experienced or not. I wish we had a book this engaging and this informative on every element of the teaching art."

--Michele Marincovich, assistant vice provost and director, Center for Teaching and Learning, Stanford University

"A source of great insight for people who teach.... Bligh has spent more time and energy than anyone else in coming to terms with a task that bothers many teachers and trainers.... His research is impeccable and his conclusions are immensely practical. The new edition will be much welcomed."

--Alex Main, founding coordinator of Academic Staff Development for the British Universities, Murdoch University, Australia

In this first American edition of a best-selling classic, Donald Bligh draws from decades of research and hands-on experience to help college and university teachers develop and use lectures effectively. What's the Use of Lectures? is an indispensable guide for anyone who aspires to be a skilled lecturer and teacher. It examines the nature of teaching and learning in a classroom lecture--describing how students learn, how much knowledge they retain, and how to enhance their attention and motivation. Bligh builds on this information to share strategies for creating organized, thoughtful, and effective lectures. Topics include taking notes, using handouts, practicing different formats and styles, obtaining feedback, overcoming difficulties, evaluating the lecture, and testing alternative methods when lecturing is not adequate. Also included are tables and diagrams to illustrate different approaches to lecturing.

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Reviews (2)

A goldmine for lecturers
BOOK REVIEW: What's the Use of Lectures? by Donald Bligh. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000.
The following review is from from "Teaching Concerns" by Dustin Kidd

First, some disappointing news for those of us who lecture: lectures are ineffective, as compared to other teaching methods, for teaching values, inspiring interest, developing personalities, or instilling behavioral skills. So why lecture? That's the central question in Donald Bligh's What's the Use of Lectures? The answer seems simple enough: "Use lectures to teach information. Do not rely on them to promote thought, change attitudes, or develop behavioral skills if you can help it" (20). The logical question to ask next is "How can a lecture best teach information?"

Bligh offers eight principles to follow for using lectures to teach information.

Make the lecture meaningful to the students. Lectures are easier to comprehend when they connect with students' everyday realities.
Use "whole learning" to teach understanding and "part learning" to teach specific information. In my course on American society and popular culture, I open each lecture by asking students to think sociologically about the topic at hand and to identify important sociological research questions ("whole learning"). I then move to "part learning" as I teach the specific findings of research that has been conducted in particular areas.
Organize the subject. Summaries, overviews, and concept maps (a technique you can learn more about at the TRC) can provide an overarching narrative for each lecture. The syllabus and the construction of exams, papers, and assignments provide a similar narrative for the entire semester. This level of organization aids student learning by connecting the specific components of the course together into a comprehensible whole.
Put new information to use swiftly. Quizzes, short papers, discussions, and assignments provide an opportunity for students to put new knowledge to work, thus improving their retention.
Use repetition within lectures. State the key points at the beginning and at the end. Repeat the definitions of concepts and important conclusions often.
Frequently provide feedback on learning. Students learn better when they know how to evaluate their own progress. Testing knowledge early and often improves student learning.
Keep students alert. (Poor posture indicates low student attention.) Mix up visual and auditory stimulation. Provide an element of novelty in each lecture. Interject your lecture with "change-ups" that will energize your students' attention spans (see "The 'Change-Up': A Good Pitch to Have in Your Teaching Repertoire." http://trc.virginia.edu/tc/1997/ChangeUp.htm)
Connect new concepts to previous lectures. By drawing on previous knowledge to teach new information, you reinforce the earlier concept while making the new information easier to learn.
What's the Use of Lectures? supports these claims with a wide array of research from the classroom. The book also provides extensive suggestions for addressing these areas in very specific ways-from methods for teaching note-taking to your students, to tips on effective use of handouts. Whatever your academic field, this book is a gold mine of resources for achieving our goal as lecturers to teach knowledge and understanding

Definitive Pedagogical Guide to Lecturing
When this book was first published in 1971, the first edition sold out in ten weeks. Long regarded as a classic on the topic of lecturing, this book is an indispensable manual for anyone who aspires to be a skilled lecturer and teacher. It examines the nature of teaching and learning in a classroom lecture-describing how students learn, how much knowledge they retain, and how to enhance their attention and motivation.

Bligh offers a wealth of practical suggestions for making lectures more engaging and effective. Topics include taking notes, using handouts, practising different formats and styles, obtaining feedback, overcoming difficulties, evaluating the lecture, and testing alternative methods when lecturing is not adequate.

Written in an accessible and helpful style, this very readable book is a source of great insight for people who lecture-experienced or not. Teachers at every level will find straightforward and detailed practical advice to help improve their lectures. However, the author reminds us that, like musical composition and performance, lecturing is an art. Skill is acquired by practice rather than by reading books. Yet just as the budding composer may wish to study forms of composition known to have been successful, but later disregard them, so new lecturers may wish it worthwhile to consider the findings of research into lecturing before developing their own style.

Donald A. Bligh was a pioneer in university staff development when he joined London University's Teaching Methods Unit in 1970. He was the first professor and director of continuing education at the University of Dundee (1985-1989) and is now honorary research fellow in computer science at Exeter University. ... Read more

Book Description

This book uses practical applications and an accessible writing style to present a summary of psychological research on students' learning of academic subject areas. The book is organized into two main sections: the general principles of learning, memory, higher-order thinking, and motivation that apply to any school-related skill and specific developmental trends in the acquisition of skills in the areas of reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies. Unlike typical books on cognitive development, these general principles are explicitly translated to classroom practice. The reader will learn what children can understand and do at various ages in these domains. ... Read more

Book Description

Becoming a Master Student consistently gives students a framework for examining their lives from a self-discovery perspective, and the Tenth Edition continues this student-created, value-based approach to life and learning. The relevant articles, strategies, and exercises throughout the text help students understand their own strengths and weaknesses, set goals, and practice academic and life skills. Students are inspired and motivated to acquire and develop the skills needed for success in college and throughout life.

The Course Manual for instructors offers detailed support for each topic in the text and is tied to the HM ClassPrep CD-ROM, which provides text-specific tools, such as teaching tips, exercises, quizzes, and chapter-related web links.

• Student Voices features in every chapter connect former students with current ones, showing how the skills within the text can be applied to real life.
• Workplace Applications exercises help students learn how to apply their academic time management skills in their future careers.
• Parts of chapters 9 and 10 have been combined into a succinct chapter on effective communication through writing and speaking.
• A new chapter on effective financial strategies and resources includes an article offering suggestions on paying off student loans and preventing credit card debt.
• Updated coverage includes new web links and web related exercises; specific strategies for improving reading speed, comprehension, and retention; articles and exercises on diversity; and more strategies for avoiding procrastination.
• Updated Master Student Profiles include Greg Louganis, Student Success scholarship winner Suny Urrutia Moore, and Isabel Allende.
• Improved coverage of learning styles includes updated explanations and terminology in the Learning Style Inventory feature.

Reviews (12)

Great book if you DO it!
It's one of the BEST book I've ever read or seen.. Pages are all colorful and nice design very attracting the eye so we read more, and interesting story inside and motivational. I totally recommend this book if you are trying to pursue a better learning skills wether you are in school or you just want to learn to LEARNING about everything.. it's useful book for you!

A trite nearly useless book!
The only credit I can give this book is in its use of discovery/intention statements...Here is what I have discovered about becoming a master student, buy Walter Pauk's book "How To Study In College". Being a master student does not cover the Cornell note taking method clearly enough, which has been scientifically proven to be the best note taking method for students. Becoming a master student is so politically correct the information gets lost within the HE-SHE flip flops throughout the book. Being a master student fails to give the student the one most important question all students MUST ask themselves after a lecture or a reading session, DO I UNDERSTAND. Being a master student fails to get down to the point. The only thing this book is, or that I consider it to be, is a collection of hints and goofy quotes. If you want to understand what you have read buy "How to Read a Book" by Adler and Van Doren. If you want to take good notes follow these directions.

How to listen.
Attitude: Your obligation to yourself is to maintain a positive attitude towards the lecturer. The person speaking has spent hundreds of hours reading, studying, and researching in order to give you the information in your class.

Attention: Pay attention to how much attention you are paying to the lecture. Notice when you start to drift off. Think actively about the information being delivered. Become mentally involved with the lecture and ask clarifying questions. If you are getting confused ask more questions, this helps both you and the instructor. Anticipate what the lecture is going to be about and think ahead. Review the course syllabus before every class meeting. Listen for ideas not just for facts. Avoid distractions, both internal and external.

Adjust: Be flexible with the instructor. If the instructor goes off the topic, don't become upset, just roll with it. Be open to ideas and facts that might conflict with your own.

How to take notes.
1. Create short statements in the main body of your notebook using telegraphic and declarative statements.
2. Use plenty of paper. Each statement gets two to four blank spaces after it.
3. After the class is over fill in any gaps in your notes. Clarify any vague short-hand 'B5=bloody fifth'.
4. Summarize the lecture in complete sentences at the end of your notes. This is done between classes or at home. The sooner the better.
5. When you are home create questions and write them down on the blank side of the previous note-taking page.
6. Review all (entire semesters or quarters worth) of your notes at least once a week.

How to summarize.
Classify the lecture or book according to kind and subject matter.

State what the whole lecture or book is about with the utmost brevity.

List the major parts in their order and relation, and outline these parts as you have outlined the whole lecture or book.

Define the problem or problems the author or speaker has tried to solve.

Come to an understanding with the author or speaker by interpreting the key words that are being used.

Grasp the author or speakers leading propositions by dealing with the most important sentences that have been used.

Know the arguments, by finding them in, or constructing them out of, sequences of sentences.

Determine which problems the author or speaker has solved, and which were not solved; and of the latter, decide which the author or speaker knew that they had failed to solve

State what the entire book or lecture was about.
Break it into its parts.
Explain how the parts relate to the whole.

How to study your notes.
Read your cue questions.
Attempt to answer your cue question.
Don't struggle for the answer. Peek at the answer if you have to, and then move on.
Make over-learning (instant recall) your goal.
Refresh your memory at least three times a week.

If you want to improve your concentration and attention, put a wide rubber-band on your wrist and every time you notice your concentration or attention wonder snap the rubber-band on your wrist. Take my word for it you'll be a major concentration machine in a few weeks.

To answer your question, why did I buy this book? I received a "B" in a Spanish class and dicided that I may need a study skills class, even thogh I had spent two years researching study skills, I thought I might be missing something in my tool chest. Becoming a master student was the required text. In my opinion, Becoming a master student is the perfect book for someone in the 7th through the 10th grades. My niece who happens to be 13 now owns my copy of Becoming a master student.

Its not the book I'm unhappy with.
I used this web page to get my book. I needed the 9th Edition of this book. I was mailed the 8th Edition with the idea that I was getting the 9 Edition.

The problem is, I am behind and now I have to buy another book. I do not think I will use this website again.

I want to add that this does not reflect my idea of the book itself or physical condition of it.

I'd Like to Give this Book 7 Stars!
This book was required reading for my "Introduction to the Freshman Experience" class and it is a must read for everyone. Ideas and concepts found in "Becoming a Master Student" can be applied to every aspect of life. The techniques found in this book were very helpful to me as a student,an employee and as a person. I highly recommend this book.

Pleasantly surprised
I was pleasantly surprised when I started to read this book. I thought it would be a cheesy rehash of study tips. It is more than that. Although it does slide into a touchy-feely "what do you want to do with your life" kind of solitary soul-searching advice, it does have some good tips for studying, time management, and advice especially targeted for specific types of students (like how to study with children running underfoot, returning to school, etc). ... Read more

Book Description

In recognition of the tremendous variation across children and language, the fifth edition of this readable book devotes much more space to individual developmental differences and cultural differences. Discussion of other cultures has been included wherever possible. In addition, the sections on bidialectalism and bilingualism have been expanded to reflect more accurately the realities of everyday life in the United States. Developed within a chronological framework, every aspect of syntax, morphology, semantics, phonology, and pragmatics is examined. For anyone interested in language development. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Too much information
This book is packed with an incredible amount of information on language development making it a good resource. However, this incredible detail is confusing for students taking their first course in language development. ... Read more