A review of the new book What's a parent to do? (2022) is on the Network for Public Education website. https://networkforpubliceducation.org/blog-content/john-thompson-how-to-make-education-better-really/
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Whats-Parent-Do-Child-Education/dp/1475866798
Rowman link: https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781475866780/What%E2%80%99s-a-Parent-to-Do-How-to-Give-Your-Child-the-Best-Education
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Whats-Parent-Do-Child-Education/dp/1475866798
Rowman link: https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781475866780/What%E2%80%99s-a-Parent-to-Do-How-to-Give-Your-Child-the-Best-Education
Privatization of America's Public Institutions: The story of the American sellout
John Adams, the second president of the United States wrote, “Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity and happiness of the people; and not for the profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men..”
AMERICAN SELLOUT describes the shift in governmental purpose from service for the common good to a venue for profit for the wealthy. AMERICAN SELLOUT examines how the formerly public sectors of the military, corrections (prisons), k-12 schools, and higher education continue to be pillaged for private gain. The data is incredible, irrefutable, unsettling. Is this the way we want America to go? Read an excerpt here.
AMERICAN SELLOUT describes the shift in governmental purpose from service for the common good to a venue for profit for the wealthy. AMERICAN SELLOUT examines how the formerly public sectors of the military, corrections (prisons), k-12 schools, and higher education continue to be pillaged for private gain. The data is incredible, irrefutable, unsettling. Is this the way we want America to go? Read an excerpt here.
Project-based Writing in Science
Each lesson features a step-by-step guide; a summary of recent research; and a bunch of classroom-ready lessons. No BS, no fluff, only the good stuff. Writing assignments are central--narrative, persuasive, and informative--and include detailed rubrics that make grading straightforward and easy. Lessons involve responding to an outbreak of a novel virus (hmm...seems timely), surviving in the wild with no tech, dealing with drought in a densely-populated city, researching the behavior of animals, and calculating one's own physical prowess.
Engaging and demanding, Project-Based Writing in Science was written to help students understand the world as it is and perhaps consider ways the world could be improved. Or, at least, that was the idea behind the book.
Read an excerpt here.
Engaging and demanding, Project-Based Writing in Science was written to help students understand the world as it is and perhaps consider ways the world could be improved. Or, at least, that was the idea behind the book.
Read an excerpt here.
Teaching Challenging Texts
The brutal truth is that many students today not only do not want to read, they don't like to read. Many have poor comprehension and do not understand what they read. There's no getting around it.
TEACHING CHALLENGING TEXTS features ready-to-use, classroom-proven lessons, replete with handouts and assessments. CHALLENGING TEXTS suggests extensive use of images, films, commercials, websites, and all kinds of music. "Teaching Difficult Texts is a must-read for all of us to become better teachers of this new generation." Philip Zimbardo, former president of APA, author of The Time Paradox & The Lucifer Effect. If Philip Zimbardo thinks the book is worthwhile, then it's worth getting.
Read an excerpt here.
TEACHING CHALLENGING TEXTS features ready-to-use, classroom-proven lessons, replete with handouts and assessments. CHALLENGING TEXTS suggests extensive use of images, films, commercials, websites, and all kinds of music. "Teaching Difficult Texts is a must-read for all of us to become better teachers of this new generation." Philip Zimbardo, former president of APA, author of The Time Paradox & The Lucifer Effect. If Philip Zimbardo thinks the book is worthwhile, then it's worth getting.
Read an excerpt here.
Going Bohemian: How to teach writing like you mean it
Gobo is a compendium of writing strategies that Anthony Kunkel and I created over 20 years of teaching in some of the toughest schools in America. Bohemian writing lessons rely on unconventional strategies, art and multimedia, competitive games, and indirect approaches to teach some of the vexing challenges of writing. When kids are rioting and nothing seems to be working, it's time to pull out Gobo so you can salvage what's left of the day.
Read an excerpt here.
The Teachers We Need vs. the Teachers We Have
The Teachers We Need vs. the Teachers We Have reveals exactly how American teachers are taught, and it's depressing as hell. Doesn't the quality of the teacher matter? After all, children spent 180+ days per year for more than 12 years straight with teachers. If you were a parent, wouldn't you want the persons responsible for your child's intellectual, social, and emotional development over the course of 12+ years to be exceptional? How about competent?
"This book makes clear that there is a race to the bottom in teacher education, a situation that Baines documents well in this call to arms. A recommended read." (David C. Berliner, Regents' Professor Emeritus, Arizona State University). "A truly awesome compilation of data, with accompanying insightful interpretation, of the total disarray of teacher education in the nation." (J. Edmund Farrell, University of Texas at Austin).
Read an excerpt here.
"This book makes clear that there is a race to the bottom in teacher education, a situation that Baines documents well in this call to arms. A recommended read." (David C. Berliner, Regents' Professor Emeritus, Arizona State University). "A truly awesome compilation of data, with accompanying insightful interpretation, of the total disarray of teacher education in the nation." (J. Edmund Farrell, University of Texas at Austin).
Read an excerpt here.
A Teacher's Guide to Multisensory Learning
A Teacher's Guide discusses how to use multisensory techniques to help students interact with material more intensely and retain what they learn for longer periods of time. Here's a review from a person I've never met: "A great teacher resource! The author provides the reasons for using multisensory authentic instruction to teach our students in the best way so they retain learning. It begins with a look at students today, and points out the need to engage them in the central skill of literacy. There is a discussion of the history and research on the use of multi sensory learning and a separate chapter for each of the senses. There are lesson plans that can be adapted for all the senses. This resource needs to be in every school to encourage more teachers to adopt this rich, authentic, fun approach. It is unique in providing ideas for all grade levels through high school." (Review on Amazon).
Read an excerpt here.
Read an excerpt here.