Pretty good teaching resource
581505
This book was required for class but it is one that I will use as part of my collection of resources in my classroom.
2301525
I got this book after finding a recommendation on Peter Norvig's web site.  It works out pretty well as a "Computer Science 101" text.  The author does a good job of explaining how one might solve typical programming problems, using Python as the example programming language.  It does this pretty well, although I think it really should have an early chapter on TDD.  How else is the student to gain confidence their programs are correct?

It has its deficiencies.  It has examples of how to program using graphics but these aren't supported for the Mac, other than an oblique reference to Tkinter.  How is a new CS student to figure that out?  Also, it teaches some poor Python habits, like using camelCase naming.
1187523
Wonderful resource book for teaching kids. Good purchase!
4446559
I have had a couple of teens in my youth group read certain chapters and complete the exercises. I think this is a good method of teaching without lecturing. There are some very valuable lessons in this book.
3747841
Unlike the previous reviewer, I found this book useful as a resource for teaching rhythm to groups of children. As is the case with many books on the Dalcroze method, the exercises may make more sense to someone who has had some first-hand exposure to the Dalcroze approach to teaching. The exercises are reasonably simple to begin with, such as passing a ball to a quarter note beat. They gradually expand in complexity to involve dynamics, changes in tempo, changes of direction, and so forth. These may not be particularly innovative from a Dalcroze perspective, yet they are far better than the standard music lesson approach to rhythm that involves clapping back rhythms presented by the teacher, and are simple enough not to lead to confusion.
I particularly enjoyed the accompanying CD. The music was fresh, and added a playfulness and a certain creative dynamic to the exercises. The only drawback to the music is that some of it was faster than what I would have preferred (for skips, for example), or too complex for younger age groups (for the exercise in dynamics). And I agree with the previous reviewer that one exercise was confusing to the student by not giving sufficient time to stop to an accented beat. But as a teacher you always have the option of using a drum, or making up your own improvisation at the piano. As for being a source of Dalcroze exercises, there are books I have drawn from more (such as Heather Gell), but this book is a good one to start with. Abramson doesn't deal extensively with the underlying philosophy of Eurhythmics in this book, or encourage the teacher to experiment, but at the same time, this book is all that I had expected it to be.
By the way, this book is much better than Abramson's other one "Feel It". I would suggest buying this one first.
404094
I purchased this book to prepare for a calling as Relief Society Chorister -- I was asked to prepare a "musical message" each Sunday, and I figured that teaching about the story behind a particular hymn every week would be inspiring.  I had seen this book in the library from time to time, and I decided it was worth buying my own copy rather than endlessly checking out the library's copy.

While not nearly as in-depth as I would have liked, this is a good basic look at the various hymns included in the LDS hymnbook, with a bit of history regarding each one.  Some of the information available on the hymns is rather sparse, and I would have appreciated a more in-depth look at some of them, but again, it's good for knowing the basics.  And there are some fascinating stories behind some of the hymns, both classics that are familiar to any Christian and songs unique to the LDS church.

This book also lists trivia such as songs that were once in the hymnbook but have been removed, books new to the latest edition of the hymnbook, and songs that have changed titles somewhere along the way.  Such information might not be entirely useful, but it is fascinating to know -- and probably helpful if one is looking for a particular hymn that happens to go under a different name now.

Useful as a chorister resource, this is also a good tool for anyone who wants to learn some of the basic information behind the LDS hymns.  I would have liked a bit more information myself, but this is a good starting point for learning more.
1684283
Good reference and teaching resource.  Can't wait to incorporate it in an upcoming workshop.
3936607
I teach C in adult continuuing education classes.  There are good tidbits  in this book that will be welcome in a classroom.  I learned from it too.  For the size of the book, I thought it a little pricey, though.
2865518
I purchased this book for a class I am taking. This book is a good resource, and I plan to keep it after I've finished my class. It contains a lot of examples of projects that you can do with children of various ages. There is also an emphasis on safety and age appropriateness.
3993905
This book is the 3rd in a series, and probably the strongest of the three.  It address narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive writing, and it does a pretty good job, especially in the persuasive writing section. It uses models for each type of writing, followed by analyses of each and exercises to make sure the student understands the process.  It offers more than one assignment to practice each type of writing and some good graphic aids for organizing and brainstorming ideas.
  That being said, I feel like it's a waste of space to include up to half a page or more of lines where writers can write their paragraphs/stories.  That space would be better spent on more teaching exercises that prepare the writer for the final task, best done on separate paper.

Again, there needs to be a section on comma rules, as by this age, I believe most kids are ready for and capable of learning and using them in their writing.

Also, I'll put this review in context by saying there is very little in the way of materials for teaching kids writing except as an afterthought to a grammar lesson, so this book does that pretty well.
2179983
As other reviewers have pointed out, if you do not need this book much of the content in this book can be found online. However, some of the content in the book is worded in a way that can be hard to find at other sources (careful if your teacher likes to take content right out of the book, as some of the content wording is unique to this book [surprise, surprise]). The practice homework that comes with the online access stuff is pretty helpful in understanding the material. You can buy the ebook from the connect website currently for about $62 (which includes the online code) or the code alone for $29; often times, you may have a trial period and the ebook on the connect site gives you the option of printing pages in various ways if you choose to do so.
2365935
This Math book is pretty good for kids like mine that are independent learners.  I have them do 6 lessons a week.  My kids are already pretty good at math so it's not too hard for them.  The only thing I don't like is that it is a bit repetitive.  They go over the same content over and over again. That might be good for slower learners, to make sure that they really understand, but for fast learners like my kids, it seems to be a bit wasteful as far as time goes.  They could be learning more content more quickly if it wasn't for the repetition.
2383850
I have found the book useful for instructing my younger guitar students. The book teaches you the notes for the open position C major scale on the fretboard and in standard musical notation and quickly expects the student to be able to remember where they are on the staff. Other than that there is not too much emphasis on theory, and for many practice tunes there is a melody shown that the instructor can play to give the tune a fuller overall sound.
2325968
Most everyone agrees that education is important to any society, but what cannot be agreed upon is the means to achieve an end; the most effective way to teach so that children emerge better informed and better suited for the ever- changing world in which we live. This book, Teaching as Leadership, claims to have the answers and it formulates its methodology based on the experience of teachers over a twenty-year span. The book strives to make teachers more effective, more successful, and more efficient through its articulated means for teaching and student involvement. It spells everything out, in chronological step- by- step order, covering everything from setting goals to execution to continuous improvement.

Teaching as Leadership does have some good advice to offer and I like the way it lays out its plan of action. It offers anecdotes and a helpful conclusion/summary at the end of each chapter that wraps up the key points. This is all fine and good, and the author's intentions are certainly positive and noteworthy. However, this book isn't quite the eye- opening read I was hoping for and the main reason is that most of the contents of this book cover strategies and material that teachers have heard and been trained on for decades. In addition to that, the book gets very monotonous after a while. You can easily predict what each section of each chapter is going to cover before you get there. If the author wanted to drive these points home through repetition, I would say he succeeded.

On the positive side, this book does more than simply lay out a plan of action through words and anecdotes. There are also some helpful appendices and other reference material throughout each chapter. Many concerned educators might want to turn immediately to Appendix A, which offers a rubric to follow for the different key points covered in the book's six chapters. Like the conclusion of each chapter, this rubric can easily substitute for reading the entire book because it tells you the important information you need to know, in a table format. A concerned educator can turn to this section and utilize the table to guide them through the process.

Teaching as Leadership includes advice that could apply to anyone at any level of teaching. However, readers will quickly realize that this book is primarily aimed at those who teach teens and children. I have many years of teaching experience, but my teaching has been limited to adults. Thus, I found the advice contained within this book a little less useful than I otherwise would. Like I said, the general advice still applies, but the way it is presented in this book makes it clear that the advice is directed at those in high school or earlier. This was a bit of a disappointment, because I was hoping for something directed at college- level teaching, at least to an extent.

Education is an important component of a functioning and thriving society and Teaching as Leadership aims to make teachers more effective and more successful. The book is a little dry, monotonous, and repetitive, but it still has some useful points to make and its bottom- line goal is commendable.
1794628
This book contains fun activities and lots of variety.  This is a good resource for teaching phonological awareness.  The arrangement of activities for skills and tier levels is helpful.
4872921
So far, I don't have many qualms with this book. It seems to fairly easily and in understandable terms teach economic math. However, after reading the first few chapters I have noticed the book expects a considerable established knowledge of math, especially notation. Without that introduction, it might be difficult for a reader to quickly read through the text. The second issue: the book might be improved by some real-world examples and anecdotes, which are more prevalent in modern textbooks. Lastly, the book can come off as a "wall-of-text", which some readers might find unappealing; a characteristic that has also changed with new iterations of textbooks. Other than that, worth the relatively small price tag.
1088281
I'm a Science / Geography teacher in Australia and bought it to supplement my teaching. So far, so good. It's a stand-alone resource: copy and go. Focuses on skills rather than content (graphing, interpreting, analysing, explaining etc). My only objection is that the perspectives of the authors are fairly industry biased (pro: G.M. foods, fracking, pesticides etc) which is an unforgivable sin only remedied by the careful use of white-out (liquid paper) on some of the pages.