The best teaching tool to learn Enyo
594940
This book is great.

I was participating at an app development contest and decided to use Enyo for my entry. I was an Enyo newbie and purchased this book to see if it could help me grok the Enyo way. I read it all in one day and went on to code my app. I won 3rd place at that contest.

I credit the easiness of development and how quick I could turn my software into a quality entry to this book.

Thanks to the clear explanations and concise writing, I could use Enyo without headaches or confusion and could focus on my business logic.
This book is small but that makes it very easy to follow and it teaches you enough Enyo to go build your own apps. After reading it, I no longer needed to keep checking the docs or worry if what I was doing was the best practice. My Enyo knowledge is far more advance now than it was before reading this book. Its impressive how such a small book can help you so much.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to build quality mobile apps or web apps using Javascript. Enyo is a great framework and this book is the best teaching tool for it.
674915
This is a great book for beginners. It really covers all the things that you need to succeed with Japanese. So far we're only in the pre-lessons, taking our time to try and get things right before we move on. They also have a website that goes along with the book. So if you're ever concerned with how you're pronouncing things or just want some more things to practice with - this is a great tool. We've been using both. We're about to start the first "lesson" after the pre-lessons and we're working on getting the vocab needed for it more familiar. It's nice that things are broken down in the beginning to let you know what you should already know, what you'll be working on, and  everything right up front before each lesson or pre-lesson. I like how there are pre-lessons to get you more familiar with the layout of the book while covering easier basic things like the vowel sounds and what double letters sound like. If you're looking for a great starter Japanese program, this is the one. It's progressive so as you learn sounds and their respective symbols (kanji) you'll start to see more of it in the book. They also have other levels so once you feel comfortable with 1 you can move on and continue to master the language. :) This is definitely a great buy! With the website, this is an absolute win!
3058075
Fantastic series!

What kind of learner am I?

I teach in a university-based adult education program, where many of my students are native Spanish speakers. My high school and college Spanish classes were a distant memory, but when I chose this book and its companions (complete grammar and pronouns/prepositions), I DID remember enough to communicate at a basic level. I've found this series excellent for improving my Spanish enough for my students to comment enthusiastically after a relatively short time. I have no instructor, but I learn well from books, and I already knew how to pronounce Spanish words. For someone else in my position, I can't recommend this series highly enough--it's the best I found after extensive searching, library loans, etc.

Getting the most from this product:

I also recommend getting all three books (complete grammar, pronouns/prepositions, and verbs) as I did. I've found that it's been helpful to work through a few sections in one book, switch to one of the others, and move ahead in similar jags through all three at once. I can tell when to switch by when I start to feel like I'm getting in over my head--I think it would be difficult to learn alone using just one of these.

Another tip: This series is pure grammar, but there's plenty of culture and literature available free online. I've supplemented the books by reading Spanish-language newspapers online (my favorite seems to be the BBC/Latin America), pasting the text into [...] to check my reading as needed. Often, I've translated these in their entirety for practice (the free translation's enough to understand, but not a particularly good translation). I also found a Spanish-speaking penpal by visiting Spanish chatrooms, and write back and forth frequently as a way to practice my written Spanish.  These activities have provided the learning richness that simple grammar texts aren't intended to offer.

Who shouldn't use this?

However, if (for example) you know no (or almost no) Spanish now or remember very little vocabulary, this would be a poor choice. It definitely assumes some level of familiarity with the language.  Also, if you're an auditory learner or need a human instructor, you won't find it in this (or any other) text-only book.
3274063
It has been many years that I'm trying to learn more about the Japanese Language and everytime I got my hands on a new book it left me perplexe.

Having no teacher to help me around I needed something that was build toward self-study. When I first received the Elementary Japanese Vol 1-2 and Teacher's Guide I was a bit uncertain as to what these books could help me with. But to my great suprise the content of these books proved to be exactly what I needed. The way the lessons are evolve troughout the entire serie is simply amazing in a mere month I found myself able to speak japanese!

On a side note I would not recommend this to be the very first japanese books, learn Kana first, this defenitly make it easier and the elementary japanese series use both Kana and Kanji (Kanji have furigana when first presented)

The best way to memorize Kana is [...] :)
3238915
This is a great way to learn Reiki. I took a lesson for one and two attunments. But I get more out of Steve Murray's information. I have all of his books, DVD's, CD's. I can go back at anytime to study the information. This way I learn it even better and grow with it. I can't go back to a class unless I pay BIG DOLLARS!!! This is well worth it, it teaches you the same thing a class does. When I did the first attunment I truly felt something, more than I did at a class. It give me more consentration being by myself so I get the real feeling. It's amazing. I now have my Master through this wonderful program.
2133113
The hallmark of any gaijin teaching her or himself Japanese is this: a bookshelf full of books, workbooks and flashcards of disappointingly low usefulness (and often exclusively in Romaji - WTF?!!)  Throughout my own trial-and-error, I'm grateful to have stumbled across one nugget of gold: White Rabbit Kanji Flashcards.

I'm taking University-level Japanese (we use Genki) and was looking for some supplemental Kanji materials (the Genki text is a little Kanji-light, methinks).  I tried several different books and cards without satisfaction (including Tuttle) until I discovered White Rabbit.  Now my Kanji skills are way ahead of everyone else in my class--I know on-yomi and kun-yomi, common compounds, stroke order.

Don't be daunted by what looks like TMI!  As other reviewers have pointed out, these cards are extremely well thought out and organized:
- They follow the JLPT levels (although I can attest that they are great even if you have no intent to ever take the JLPT)
- They use kana for all pronunciation (Sayonara romaji!)
- They incorporate 6 frequently used compounds on each Kanji (this has turned out to be a huge aid for me in memorization as it provides a "context" for the individual Kanji)
- Plus radical breakdown, stroke order, commonly mistaken Kanji, an excellent index, and they're really durable cards!

I've now moved on to Volume 2 and just cannot recommend these cards highly enough!  Max and Tomoko-san have earned an A+!

BTW, if you carry your flashcards around with you, White Rabbit sells some cool plastic cases that fit around 60 of these cards.
931379
I am teaching myself how to play the flute (after a few weeks of lessons many years ago) and I couldn't have done it without this guide. It has big diagrams of each of the notes, showing which keys to press. It folds out into 3 sections so you can lay it next to your music book and check which fingerings you need to play the correct note. I found some of the beginning flute books to be lacking in this department. Either the diagrams of what keys to press are quite small, or they are scattered throughout the books so you'd have to keep searching for them. This is a great learning tool!
1396834
I have been interested in the Tarot for most of my life. I have always wanted to learn but did not know how to find a great teacher. I have looked at a few books but always stopped after a few weeks as the exercises were boring or I found it too hard to try to memorise the meanings. The Easiest Way to Learn the Tarot - Ever was the perfect solution to my problems. This book has fun, interesting exercises and teaches you to develop your intuition rather than trusting in memorised meanings.

Perfect for beginners, the author walks you through the basics, buying a deck, etc and then leads you through exercises designed to help you get to know your cards and get comfortable using the Tarot. The exercises will the form the basis for more advanced work including spreads. After the exercises there are chapters on spreads, card meanings and workbook. There is a section on troubleshooting and a FAQ and there is also a brief history of the Tarot and a glossary. This is a thorough book and great for covering all the basics.

While this book is great for beginners, I think people with some experience will have trouble. They will have to forget a lot of what they have learned elsewhere and lose all bad habits. If you want to move beyond the basics, I think you will still need to learn from a teacher but you will have a great foundation and know what to look for in a teacher.

Along with the book, the author provides a website where you can ask questions and meet other students and free video lessons and a podcast. All together this is a great package that will help you learn in a fun, easy manner that you can do at your own pace, with no pressure. Highly recommended.
2826225
I bought this book directly from the Teach Me Korean tutors and to put it simply - I love it! It teaches you so much more than any other book Ive bought so far and the fact that they give you free access the online course too is perfect. The tutors even give you one-on-one support! I don't know any other book that would give you this personal support. In my opinion $22 is far too low. I cant recommend learning with Teach Me Korean enough.

I must say that I don't understand why people are commenting that this book doesnt come with audio files because not only does it state in the book how to download the audio file, but it also says on this Amazon product page too.

As for the review about there being grammatical errorswell, Ive now completed this book 3 times and Ive found 0 grammatical errors at all. In fact, its perfectly written! Give it a go yourself and youll see how good this book really is.
3131613
I am a nationally-certified medical interpreter and teach interpretation in a university program. I wish I had investigated these Interpretrain materials much sooner, because this is an excellent method for teaching note-taking for consecutive interpretation. The author starts with simple exercises, using ordinary words so the student does not have to worry about vocabulary in addition to everything else. Then the exercises become a little longer and more complex. I am now using this workbook in addition to some very good introductory videos explaining how interpreters take notes (by NIck Roche, Andy Gillies and Richard Fleming on YouTube) to give my students a clearer explanation and demonstration of this skill than I have been able to do on my own in the past. We JUST began using it, mid-semester; in the future, I will likely make it a required text in my course.

The book would also be useful for self-study, as the author gives detailed instructions on how to perform each exercise, either using the audio CD, or studying alone and making one's own recordings of the exercises, or having them read aloud by a "study buddy."

When I was studying for my master's in translation and interpretation, many (many, many!) years ago, our professors did not have materials of this type. (Maybe the 1980's weren't THAT long ago -  :-) -  but it seems like it when I compare and contrast the available teaching materials from then and now.) I'm quite grateful to all of our colleagues in the interpretation and translation community who have taken the time and effort to provide good, clear materials that are making my job a whole lot easier!
4110449
Ysaye Barnwell's teaching approach is in the oral tradition, which is rooted in African culture, so don't expect to find written music here. The four included CDs are the teaching tools. She breaks down the parts, and you learn by listening, not by reading music. The book and CDs reflect the teaching she does in her workshops by the same name. The textual content of the book supports the oral teaching by giving historical context, written lyrics, and a rich compendium of additional resources. I highly recommend both her workshops and her books as a way to both understand and learn songs in the African American tradition.
2357539
The pedagogy of this book mirrors the Suzuki method to learning language.  Because every lesson is manageable size, the students will have success right away and build their confidence.

Building upon previous lesson, the student can easily reach mastery before going on to next lesson using the audio files.

Incredibly, the pronunciation files for every lesson are FREE for download! There are also, FREE downloadable lesson-by-lesson lecture files from his web-site.  This is incredible deal. As a homeschool mom, we do research and know the cost of programs. Other language program charges at least twice as much because you have to buy the book and the audio separately.  I've used "Before You Know It" progam and this program is definitely superior, a lot cheaper and highly more effective.  This program is so affordable, valuable and cost-effective.
2121361
If you are looking for a successful reading program that's affordable, easy, and fun to use, then The Reading Lesson is a must have!

I bought the complete Reading Lesson set for my four year old twin daughters.  By age three, we'd managed to teach them the alphabet and letter sounds; however, I didn't know where to begin to teach them to read.  I had read several other books on the subject, but they just weren't what I needed. Either I did not finish the book because it was too confusing or if I did manage to complete the book, I'd have no idea how to implement what I'd just read.  With the Reading Lesson, getting started was literally as easy as opening the book to Lesson One.  Everything I needed to know to teach my daughters to read was explained in a clear and concise way, with no additional prep work needed on my part.  What a timesaver !!

In the beginning, I started out slowly using the book and the letter sounds VHS, which was just what we needed at the time.  Since The Reading Lesson COMBINES phonics with sight words (which I love), I feel like my daughters are truly learning how to read and decipher words for themselves; they are not simply memorizing words, except for articles, irregularly spelled words, etc. Each lesson provides lots of review opportunities, as well as cute illustrations which my twins love to color after our lesson is completed.  Now that we are a little further into the book, I adapted our lessons to include guided reading activities and writing activities using the Writing Lesson CD.  Since Montcastle Company offers so many other products to supplement The Reading Program book, the possibilities are endless.  With a little creativity , this program will be able to grow with my two daughters for many years.

The Reading Lesson is absolutely one of the best investments that I've made in my children's education.  At age four and a half, they are able to sound out small words and read some leveled readers, but more importantly we are having fun as a family.  This is our special time together, and we treasure it.  The girls actually ASK for their reading lesson every day and are so disappointed  on days when we are forced to miss it.  They eagerly show everyone what the are learning and even use our manual to "teach" their stuffed animals how to read.  Wathching my daughters have fun with learning and knowing that I'm instilling a love of reading in them at the same time is priceless.
1695132
Pecha -Kucha, Where have you been all my life? I had just recently heard about this technique invented by two Japanese architects when they wanted to give a spot on presentation. This method developed into a boon since 2003 by educators as an amazing tool to teach English Language Learners and more! As an educator I wish I had stumbled upon this during my years I spent in the classroom. Thomas Bakers book is what I would highly recommend to get you started. Being a highly acclaimed educator, Professor Thomas Baker teachers English and is the coordinator of the English Department in Chile. His vast knowledge of the inner workings of this method are portrayed here in his book. What I loved about this book was the easy format to follow! It will explain how Pecha-Kucha is unlike any other teaching tool you know. It will explain how to use the diversified slide version using 20 slides with 20 seconds for each student to speak. It is not your usual power point presentation. The speaker uses 20 slides with 20 images that correspond to the message. This message must be practiced and refined. Here the speaker hones in on a perfected oral presentation. That is the beauty of Pecha - Kucha! The book contains  a vast array of links to videos and research of the method which I watched and was hooked! This book is a MUST for educators. It can be used with any type of curriculum. Dont pass this one up!
2747835
I just bought this software and I am thoroughly enjoying it! My boyfriend (who is Japanese) and I will be traveling to Japan this summer so I purchased this so I could learn as much as possible before we go. It's amazing how much I've learned in just under a week. What makes this software so great is that it truely provides a natural way to learn a new language. It's perfect for everyone and every learning style because it teaches through visual stimulus of photos and foreign text, native speakers, and your own intuition. I expected to learn to speak Japanese, but this software is also teaching me to read and write Japanese! I'll revise this review again in a few weeks to report on my progress.
~ the only negative is that the software has a nasty little habit of freezing ~ hopefully they'll have an update out soon to fix this
4374988
This book is truly amazing. I have used many different textbooks over the years to learn the subjunctive, and nothing is as organized and clear as this book. The author gives so many examples, with lots of repetition for practice. There is also an audio program available that is reasonably priced and wonderful. The two together are the best and most fun way to really master the subjunctive verb forms and usage.
3079973
Superb book! Amazing tool for self taught learners (and probably for teaching a class as well)!