Living a Life that Matters

Book Description

Most of us need to feel that we matter in some way; perhaps this explains the high value placed on titles, corner offices, and even fleeting celebrity. But most of us also need to feel that we are good people. In this luminous yet practical book of spiritual advice, Harold Kushner bridges the gap between these seemingly irreconcilable needs, showing us how even our smallest daily actions can become stepping stones toward integrity.

Drawing on the stories of his own congregants, on literature, current events and, above all, on the Biblical story of Jacob, the worldly trickster who evolves into a man of God --Kushner addresses some of the most persistent dilemmas of the human condition: Why do decent people so often violate their moral standards? How can we pursue justice without giving in to the lure of revenge? How can we turn our relationships with family and friends into genuine sources of meaning? Persuasive and sympathetic, filled with humanity and warmth, Living a Life That Matters is a deeply rewarding book.

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Drawing on the stories of his own congregants, on literature, current events and, above all, on the Biblical story of Jacob, the worldly trickster who evolves into a man of God -- Kushner addresses some of the most persistent dilemmas of the human condition: Why do decent people so often violate their moral standards? How can we pursue justice without giving in to the lure of revenge? How can we turn our relationships with family and friends into genuine sources of meaning? Persuasive and sympathetic, filled with humanity and warmth, Living a Life That Matters is a deeply rewarding book.

"A valuable companion... a set of guideposts for living a useful and fulfilled life, no matter what the future holds."
   THE BOSTON GLOBE

"A wonderful, much-needed primer on the truly important things in life. Many thanks to Harold Kushner for reminding us what we should never forget."
   MITCH ALBOM, AUTHOR OF TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE

"Full of great stories and subtle wisdom.... This is a book you don't want to put down or allow to be too far from you in times of crisis."
    THOMAS MOORE, AUTHOR OF CARE OF THE SOUL

Customer Reviews:

Thoughful.......2007-07-06

I found a copy of this thin book in the discount paperback section which I think is OK to say on Amazon since it appears to be no longer available here except through others just as the messages in this book are best understood through our relationships with others! This book threads the story of Jacob throughout, using this, other biblical insights and the Rabbi's experiences as a compassionate listener, to affirm the power and grace of right living; herein there is also a solid debate for forgiveness and citations of methods used for reconciliation.

This book created much meaningful discussion in our book club albeit not the preferred selection; several did not show that evening! I heard these comments from those who did show up; "this makes me think too much" "I don't like all the bible stories" "I like to do my own interpretation." The most revealing comment however I think speaks to why you should read this book and that was from one of the ladies looking almost angry throughout and when asked her opinion she honestly replied "I choose revenge." So read this book to see what you choose then consider how our choices shape the world we live in.

Living a Life That Matters.......2007-03-08

Absolutely wonderful book. Simple to understand and very inspiring!!!

Disappointed in the conclusion, tired of the technique :-(.......2006-08-25

This book began by raising some very interesting questions about "mother love" versus "father love", that is, about the need for a person to experience both unconditional love and earned love. I eagerly bought the book, logically believing these provocative questions would be answered at the end of the book, but IMHO Kushner wimps out. He writes that there really isn't any difference at all, despite the fact that he outlined significant differences earlier in the book.

I won't be buying Kushner's latest book, which was released earlier this month (although I'll probably read parts of it in a bookstore). I find myself growing a bit tired of his technique of profiling one Old Testament character per book. (He's profiled Job, the writer of Ecclesiastes/King Solomon, Jacob/Israel in this book, and Moses in his latest.) Kushner writes really well, and I'd like to see him break out of this mold and deliver some truly original ideas!

Rabbi Kushner is Wonderful: As Usual.......2006-05-09

I became a fan of Rabbi Kushner when I read his book "When Bad Things Happen to Good People". When "Living a Life That Matters" was published, he came to Denver to promote the book at the Tattered Cover Book Store. How could I miss a chance to meet him? I was number 6 in line for his autograph and as thrilled as some groupie getting to meet her favorite rock star.

Rabbi Kushner's works are a joy to read even when he writes of sadness and grief. He doesn't pretend to have answers but his gifts of words and empathy are comforting. He's a genuinely nice person with a wonderful sense of humor.

That's not a book review. That's an author review. Which pretty much sums up the book.

Do The Right Thing.......2006-02-18

Making hard choices gives us personal integrity. And this is pleasing to God as we can see in the story of Jacob wrestling with the angel. I love Rabbi Kushner's interpretation that the angel is not a demon but our own conscience. No amount of money, no success, no fruit of labor is as sweet as making right choices which lead to the lasting (and eternal?) satisfaction that is personal integrity.

Building Powerful Community Organizations: A Personal Guide To Creating Groups That Can Solve Problems and Change the World

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Excellen handbook for people working in communities...
Best book available on the subject
Enthusiastically recommended for anyone looking to harness communal effort and make a lasting difference.

Building Powerful Community Organizations: A Personal Guide To Creating Groups That Can Solve Problems and Change the World
Michael Jacoby Brown
Manufacturer: Long Haul Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0977151808

Product Description

A practical and personal guide to creating groups that can solve community and workplace problems. Using lessons learned, exercises and stories from the experience of the author and others, this book brings alive the process of community organizing and community building. It is for anyone who wants to start or strengthen a commuity group, a congregation, a neighborhood association, a civic group, or any other group that deals with the many problems and concerns we all face in our everyday lives.

Customer Reviews:

Excellen handbook for people working in communities..........2007-07-31

This book should be required reading for hospitals, foundations, public health agencies and people working on any form of community improvement. Michael has documented his learnings with stories and tools that can equip those willing to learn to build powerful community organization, as the title says. There are lots of various community organizing guides but this one mixes stories and tools in an easy to read, nicely laid out style. His wisdom comes from years of community organizing and translates here into practical, easy to access advice. This is the best handbook I have seen in a long time! The author makes himself available with info on how to reach him as well as a website with blog that makes him more than a distant author; he is approachable and willing to extend his teachings beyond the pages of his book. Not may authors do this.

Best book available on the subject.......2007-01-20

Author Michael Jacoby Brown has created a book with very detailed information on how to organize, create, and lead a community organization. In it he clearly explains all the steps necessary to create an effective organization that can resolve problems. The various areas discussed include the theory of how a group should work, the chemistry involved, the seven basic steps for building an organization, developing a mission statement, goals, and objectives, designing the organization to last, recruiting others, mobilizing, raising money and taking action. Throughout the book are case studies and exercises to help you not only understand how it all works but also to help you work through developing your organization correctly. If you want to change the world and know you need help to do it then you will appreciate this book. Building Powerful Community Organizations is easily the best book on the market today on this subject.

Enthusiastically recommended for anyone looking to harness communal effort and make a lasting difference........2006-12-10

Written by Michael Jacoby Brown, who has more than thirty years' experience in building community organizations, Building Powerful Community Organizations: A Personal Guide to Creating Groups that Can Solve Problems and Change the World is a handy step-by-step guide to creating, strengthening, and revitalizing grass-roots organizations for bringing about social change to solve problems in the community or workplace. From how to effectively recruit (learning to "listen not sell", when short or long visits are appropriate, and how to turn success into momentum) to how to mobilize resources and raise money to the steps for setting change into motion and more, Building Powerful Community Organizations walks the reader through the necessary skills and processes while warning against common obstacles and pitfalls. Enthusiastically recommended for anyone looking to harness communal effort and make a lasting difference.

James: Faith That Works : 9 Studies for Individuals or Groups (Lifeguide Bible Studies)

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James: Faith That Works : 9 Studies for Individuals or Groups (Lifeguide Bible Studies)
Andrew T. Lepeau , and Phyllis J. Lepeau
Manufacturer: InterVarsity Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0830830189

Book Description

We all want a faith that won't let us down in times of trouble or loss, uncertainty or fear. A faith that can pull us through the worst--and best--times in our lives. This is the kind of faith that James writes about. It is a faith that we must practice day by day. These studies on the teaching of James will help us grow a steadfast faith that can carry us through all the ups and downs of life.

The Oxford Group & Alcoholics Anonymous: A Design for Living that Works

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AA & the Oxford Group after 17 years of continued research
Oxford Group History
Oxford Group and A.A.
TAKE WHAT YOU NEED AND LEAVE THE REST ....
An attempt to force AA into a religion

The Oxford Group & Alcoholics Anonymous: A Design for Living that Works
Dick B.
Manufacturer: Paradise Research Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Annotated AA Handbook : A Companion to the Big Book

ASIN: 1885803192

Customer Reviews:

AA & the Oxford Group after 17 years of continued research.......2006-11-29

The Oxford Group and Alcoholics Anoymous is one of the early books Dick B. wrote. It has had several publishers, several reprints, and two editions. Since the original publication in the early 1990's, Dick has continued his Oxford Group and Oxford Group related research. And certainly one of the most important and developing truths he discovered is the number of wellsprings (other than the OG) which provided the complete A.A. picture - 14 elements by last count. They include Dr. Carl Jung and conversion; United Christian Endeavor and the practices of conversion, Bible study, prayer meetings, Quiet Hour, love and service; the Salvation Army with abstinence, salvation, and service; the Rescue Missions with altar call conversions, Bible reading, hymns, prayers, and testimonies; the writings of William James on conversions and the rescue mission testimonies; input from Rowland Hazard as to conversion and Oxford Group ideas; Dr. William D. Silkworth's ideas on alcoholism and on Jesus Christ, the Great Physician, as the cure; the Oxford Group and its 28 point life-changing program that wound up as the basis for Wilson's New York program and Big Book; the teachings of Rev. Sam Shoemaker which were virtually copied into the Twelve Steps; the teachings of Dr. Bob's wife before and after A.A. was founded and covering the Bible, the literature, the devotionals, most of the OG life-changing ideas, and practical advice for alkies and their families; the twisting into the A.A. story Richard Peabody's "no cure" ideas several years later; Quiet Time and its call for rebirth, Bible study, prayer, use of devotionals, and seeking God's guidance; the immense amount of Christian literature AAs read, including the many books read and circulated by Dr. Bob; the New Thought Movement's "higher power" theories coupled with bits of its universalim language; the Bible with the particular emphasis on the Book of James, Jesus's sermon on the mount, and 1 Corinthians 13; and the original program of the Akron Christian Fellowship that produced the great 75% success rate and was reported to AAs by Rockefeller's agent Frank Amos. And 17 years after Dick began his work, each one of the well-springs called for further exploration of each particular element. The Oxford Group history in A.A. was no exception. Not only did Dick revise the book and publish his second edition; he also wrote a dozen articles about Oxford Group literature, the four absolutes, the series of "Letters," the special role of Rev. Sam Shoemaker, the real source of God "as we understood Him" in Shoemaker's writings and experiment of faith, details on the Morning Watch and Meditation, and a new title: "Making Known the History of Early A.A.'s Biblical Roots"--which told of the 29,300 historical items, hundreds of Oxford Group books, and wide variety of sources and source information that needed to be factored in by those who choose to investigate and truthfully report or summarize the real A.A. program. You will find The Oxford Group and Alcoholics Anonymous, 2d edition, just as fundamental to understanding A.A. as the original edition. However, as Dick's research grew, the Oxford Group began to fit more softly, surely, and precisely in the Akron program, the New York conversion genesis, the relation to other wellsprings in existence before and at the time OG ws founded, and the particularly interesting fact that though the Akron program bore little resemblance to the Oxford Group program, its charismatic leadership, its houseparties, its huge meetings, its political outreach, and its often agnostic flavors, Bill chose to veer away from the Group, from the Bible, from Jesus Christ, from the Salvation Army and the Missions, cease talking about the Oxford Group, start working with Sam Shoemaker on an actual Oxford Group approach, and then incorporate those ideas in the language and "result" from "taking" Bill's Twelve Steps. Put the Oxford Group book at the top of your A.A. history reading, and be sure to look for its context as part of the other sources contributing to A.A.'s early years, and spiritual program of recovery.

Oxford Group History.......2005-11-25

It's a very good account of the Oxford Group, from which AA evolved.
As this is likely a topic of interest to a small group, I was happy to find it.

Oxford Group and A.A........2005-04-19

I learned so much from this book by Dick B. When I first started reading it, I remembered my old sponsor of 34 years sober, as he told me his version of the story. I have since learned, in large part because of A.A. Historian Dick B.'s many books, that not only was my sponsor wrong, but that, I was being told many untrue stories about the connection between A.A and The Oxford Group in A.A. meetings as well. The people that have stated untrue stories as fact, simply haven't read any of Dick B.'s books. I am much more educated on the truth, and do not put much importance upon a passing along of stories of old. There are stories and there is truth. I suggest reading this book and all of Dick B.'s other titles to my fellow drunks, sponsees, as well as others. I have had the plerasure of meeting and talking to Dick, and the man walks his talk. Thank you so much for helping me with my walk with our Creator- it has solidified my sobriety ten fold.

Sincerely,

Rev. Stephen J. Murray, MCRC / NICD Director www.nicd.us

TAKE WHAT YOU NEED AND LEAVE THE REST ...........2002-08-22

... As another reviewer correctly notes, the early recovery rates were nothing like 75 percent from initial contact. At the time of the writing of the Big Book, only a handful of alcoholics were solidly sober in New York, despite Bill's efforts of several years, and at least two of them were of an agnostic bent ... Hank and Jim B. In Akron, where they number 80 or so -- still less than 100, virtually all Protestant, virtually all men -- they were still putting the newbies in the hospital and then visiting them continuously for days before offering the message. It just could be that that sort of personal, intensive attention and identification had more to do with the better results in Ohio than the explicitly Christian message of the still-extant Oxford Group ``drunk squad.'' While much of value was retained from the Oxford Group, much else was quickly jettisoned with the formation of the first independent AA group in Cleveland. And it is from those roots that AA really took off, with the Plain Dealer articles, etc. I have heard a number of tapes (and a few talks in person) from alcoholics of that era. Clearly, the emphasis was more ``religious'' than today; Christian devotionals were widely used; in Ohio, the Absolutes and a respectful nod toward the Bible remained. But the evangelical Protestant tone of the Oxford Groups did not survive. Catholics and Jews were among the early second wave ... according to Clarence S., about whom Dick has written a book. I am in much agreement with much of what Dick has to say ... such attitudes as ``take what you need and leave the rest'' :) and explicitly virulent attacks on religion do not help alcoholics get and stay sober. Nothing in the program is a bar to the practice of religion and the book suggests consulting with our priest, rabbi or minister (not many Christians have a rabbi!) about our spiritual life. But it's hard to imagine something more divisive than evangelical Christian prosthelytizing in the context of an AA meeting. It's a message that can be carried ... outside those walls.

Again, I admire Dick's homework. There is lots of useful information here and in his other books that simply is readily not available elsewhere. Some of his premises are off-base, and hence some of his conclusions -- based on the sort of evidence that you get if you're hoping to build a case -- are equally off-base.

I have found the insights on such matters as morning meditation to be life-changing. Life-changing ... that's what it's all about. Not so much your mind ... or even your heart ... but your life.

Thank God for AA. And best wishes to Dick B.

An attempt to force AA into a religion.......2002-08-02

Exaggerated success claims for early AA don't justify the author's religious ambitions. A reading of the personal stories in the 1st edition of 'Alcoholics Anonymous' finds relapse after relapse. At the time of the book's publication, AA had less than 100 members, including only one woman (who relapsed soon after).

AA's success did not even begin until the grip of the Oxford Group was loosened. Bill W. had proselytized his religious enthusiams for six months before meeting with Dr. Bob. NOT ONE of his 'prospects' sobered up. Dr. Bob had been an Oxford Group member for several years before his encounter with Bill; his enslavement to alcohol had not been changed at all. Bill's 'sponsor,' Ebby T. spent most of his life drunk, living on the charity of AA members.

AA, as such, has no method for promoting religious, or anti-religious positions in the public sphere. Individuals like Dick B. are free to give the impression that they somehow 'speak for AA' without risking any censure.

AA is defined and preserved by its 12 traditions. An examination of the Oxford Group's conduct reveals consistent violation of ALL these principles. The fault does not lie with Buchman (the O.G's founder) but with the principles of the Oxford Group, in particular: its obsessive concern with money, property and prestige and its evangelical ambition.

The AA pamphlet '44 Questions' states in no uncertain terms:

"Is A.A. a religious society?

"A.A. is not a religious society, since it requires no definite religious belief as a condition of membership. Although it has been endorsed and approved by many religious leaders, it is not allied with any organization or sect. Included in its membership are Catholics, Protestants, Jews, members of other major religious bodies, agnostics, and atheists.

"The A.A. program of recovery from alcoholism is undeniably based on acceptance of certain spiritual values. The individual member is free to interpret those values as he or she thinks best, or not to think about them at all.

"Most members, before turning to A.A., had already admitted that they could not control their drinking. Alcohol had become a power greater than themselves, and it had been accepted on those terms. A.A. suggests that to achieve and maintain sobriety, alcoholics need to accept and depend upon another Power recognized as greater than themselves. Some alcoholics choose to consider the A.A. group itself as the power greater than themselves; for many others, this Power is God - as they, individually, understand Him; still others rely upon entirely different concepts of a Higher Power.

"Some alcoholics, when they first turn to A.A., have definite reservations about accepting any concept of a Power greater than themselves. Experience shows that, if they will keep an open mind on the subject and keep coming to A.A. meetings, they are not likely to have too difficult a time in working out an acceptable solution to this distinctly personal problem."

To anyone who is struggling with alcohol: remember that "The only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop drinking." There is NO religious requirement, indeed many old-timers advised all newcomers to 'check your religion at the door.'

Book Description

"This third edition from Murphy and Lick is a superb resource and a must read for all educators involved in the improvement of education. It should be in the hands of individuals from the state department of education to the classroom teacher, for it speaks to all layers of the system, and to the role that each person must play to assure successful learning for all students."
-From the Foreword by Shirley Hord, Scholar Emerita
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory

"Planning is an important thing. What Whole-Faculty Study Groups has done for us is to ensure that we never forget that implementation is the only thing."
Jack Ernst, Superintendent
Springfield Public Schools, Springfield, MO

One of the most successful and exciting approaches to staff development, school reform, and systemic change in education today!

Used by hundreds of schools and school districts across the country, the Whole-Faculty Study Group (WFSG) System is a student-driven, holistic process for facilitating major staff development and schoolwide change.

While providing a step-by-step methodology for the development and implementation of successful WFSGs, this newest edition of Murphy and Lick’s groundbreaking bestseller incorporates the most current theoretical concepts on change, the latest refinements to change management procedures, and a wealth of new experiences from more than two thousand individual study groups.

Other significant revisions to this edition include:

Three additional chapters: the research foundation for WFSGs, how to recognize and understand school culture, and fourteen key findings
A reorganization of chapters to make the book even more reader-friendly
New material on timely topics such as "learning communities" and "learning teams"
An increased focus on assessment of student results
Updated sets of resources and illustrations in the appendix

WFSGs are a proven way to successfully reform, improve, and transition schools to meet tomorrow’s needs. Filled with real-world examples and illustrative cases, this book provides both the practical knowledge and the theoretical foundation necessary to negotiate the societal, organizational, and cultural barriers affecting education.

This new edition is essential for administrators, teachers, and staff in K-12 schools, as well as district level administrators, teachers of education, and anyone interested in increasing student learning.

Groups That Work (and Those That Don't): Creating Conditions for Effective Teamwork (Jossey Bass Business and Management Series)

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Groups That Work (and Those That Don't): Creating Conditions for Effective Teamwork (Jossey Bass Business and Management Series)

Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1555421873

Book Description

Explores the design and leadership of groups, providing detailed descriptions of twenty-seven diverse work groups--including task forces, top management groups, production teams, and customer service teams--to offer insights into what factors affect group productivity, and what leaders and group members can do to improve work group effectiveness.

Customer Reviews:

BEST PRACTICE.......2007-03-28

THIS IS A WONDERFUL BOOK. I ORDERED IT FOR MY GRADUATE CLASS AND WAS VERY PLEASED WHEN IT ARRIVED WITHIN A FEW DAYS. IT IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. THANK YOU!! YOU SAVED ME SOME BIG $$$.

A Pig Don't Get Fatter the More You Weigh It: Classroom Assessments that Work: Classroom Assessments that Work

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A Pig Don't Get Fatter the More You Weigh It: Classroom Assessments that Work: Classroom Assessments that Work

Manufacturer: Teachers College Press, Teachers College, Columbia University
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0807747548
Release Date: 2007-03-01

Book Description

No matter how many times you weigh a pig, all you learn is how much it weighs. If you want to learn something else, you need a different assessment. This sensible book explains how well-constructed assessments provide data that is essential to the development of learning opportunities for all students. The text includes contributions from teachers and teacher educators, classroom vignettes, and alternative approaches that have been proven useful in assessing the needs of a wide range of students.

Methods That Matter: Six Structures for Best Practice Classrooms

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Valuable Ideas for Teachers
Excellent Resource
A teaching Methods for Teachers
need inspiring ideas?
A "must read" for 21st Century Teachers

Methods That Matter: Six Structures for Best Practice Classrooms
Harvey Daniels , and Marilyn Bizar
Manufacturer: Stenhouse Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1571100822

Customer Reviews:

Valuable Ideas for Teachers.......2006-06-30

This book provides teachers with many useful student-centered activities. Authors Harvey Daniels and Marilyn Bizar of National Louis University show progressive approaches that engage students in even the most difficult schools. Among their useful methods are integrative units, representing-to-learn, classroom workshop, and small group activities. The authors show how to use these methods by describing their application at Best Practice High School, an alternative public school in Chicago's inner city. Students at Best Practice are almost all low-income Blacks and Latinos, yet the school boasts far higher graduation rates than most city high schools - in part due to methods found in this book. As an "inner city" high school teacher who taught one semester at Best Practice (and much enjoyed it), I've used many ideas from this book over the last few years. The result? These methods work fairly well, although perhaps not to the level promoted by the optimistic authors. Still, good teaching ideas are always welcome, and educators will find several in this concisely readable book.

At this writing, Best Practice High School has lost many top staff members and arguably part of its character, apparently as a result of political conflicts with the Board of Education. Still, educators will benefit from the many solid teaching ideas in this very practical book.

Excellent Resource.......2002-11-22

A practical guide for teachers wishing to employ student-centered methods of teaching in their classrooms. The authors provide six step-by-step structures (integrative units, small group activities, representing-to-learn, classroom workshop, authentic experiences and reflective assessment) for implementing best practices in the classroom. Readers are given concrete examples of how to cross disciplinary boundaries through the development of integrated unit plans, engage students in exercises that promote deeper learning, and assess their effectiveness as teachers by comparing their experiences with case studies written by instructors who have used these methods in their own classrooms. Assessment guides and activities that can be adapted to any age group, are especially helpful for both novice and experienced teachers.

This book will remain within arms reach throughout my teaching career. I expect to
use it as a companion guide and reference to assess my own development as a teacher and to guide me in implementing best practice methodology in my classroom. I found it especially helpful to have the experiences of teachers who have employed the lessons included with each chapter.

A teaching Methods for Teachers.......2001-11-16

This is one of the most thorough books on how Best Practices works. Mariyln Bizar and Harvey Daniels explain the theory behind Best Practice and then explain how to implement it. We used this book in my Methods Class at National Louis University, where Marilyn and Harvey teach. I have also been to best Practice High School in Chicago and observed classes. Their theories hold up in the actual classroom. Students that you would not neccessarily have expected to do well,, do so with Best Practice Methods. Each and every child at Best Practice High School comes from the inner city , mostly from the West Side of Chicago. 80% of all graduates from Best Practice High School go on to college. Can your school say that?

Anyone who wants to teach or to change their teaching methods and get students involved in the process of their own education needs this book as a part of their library. When you do so, study it well and ask questions. Your students will love you for it and will buy into education. And isn't that worth every penny?

need inspiring ideas?.......2001-02-26

I don't usually take the time to write reviews for Amazon, but this education book inspired me enough to 'sell' it to you...

One of the reasons why I enjoyed this book was because of the wonderful layout and content presented in the text. It is cleverly divided into six fundamental strategies upon which "Best Practice" ideals are based. These activities (integrative units, small group activities, representing-to-learn, classroom workshop, authentic experiences and reflective assessment) are explained to the reader, one by one, then different teachers contribute activities which were effective for them. Their suggestions were innovative and useful in the classroom.

This book does not only focus on the language arts, but also spans across the math, science, art and phys ed curriculum. It discusses and explains how you can integrate several subjects into a lesson or workshop.

The activities can be used for primary students up to high school students, although I found it to be really useful for my junior/intermediate students. The activies are flexible and can be adapted for any grade level.

This book GAVE ME IDEAS right away. I highly recommend it. Read it, and you too might be inspired to write a review!

A "must read" for 21st Century Teachers.......2000-08-05

This book is an excellent overview of what it takes to be a teacher for today's world. Gone are the days of children sitting silently in rows while the the "sage on stage" lectures endlessly on facts and figures. In the year 2000, teachers need to be willing to share responsiblity for learning with their students, and present subject matter in relevant, engaging, collaborative ways. Daniels and Bizar do a masterful job presenting the "basics" for today. Teaching with integrated themes, the value of response projects, student conferences in their various forms, and creating a workshop atmosphere in the classroom are just some of the "methods that matter" presented in this highly readable, jargon-free book. If you are looking to to move toward stepping out of the spotlight in your classroom, to become a more child-centered facilitator of learning, this book is an excellent place to begin.

An added bonus: this book is not "pie-in-the-sky" idealistic, as many professional development books tend to be. Daniels and Bizar come across as "real", and acknowledge the realities that we as teachers face in the day to day politics that is American education today.

Skits That Teach: Lactose Free for Those Who Can't Stand Cheesy Skits (Youth Specialties)
Average customer rating:

Insensitive

Contains Racially offensive material against Asian-Americans.

Skits That Teach: Lactose Free for Those Who Can't Stand Cheesy Skits (Youth Specialties)
Eddie James , and Tommy Woodard
Manufacturer: Zondervan/Youth Specialties
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Religious & Liturgical | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Education | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Christian Living | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Youth Ministry | Ministry & Church Leadership | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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Spontaneous Melodramas 2

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ASIN: 031026569X

Book Description

Skits have never been this easy to do or this accessible. With more than 200 vignettes to choose from—as well as a topical and Scripture index—you can illustrate just about any lesson you want.

Customer Reviews:

Insensitive.......2007-02-25

Youth are impressionable and this is emphasizing the fact that whatever is "trendy" or "cool" also includes being desensitized to racially insensitive comments. The whole "It's just a joke" doesn't cut it when there's alot of history behind racial stereotyping and the results from it, "joke" or "no joke." It all starts somewhere. We get enough of this from the media. How is the body of Christ any different if we're allowing this kind of material to circulate? It's not an issue of "us" against "them" but about truly being brothers and sisters in the church representing love, understanding, and compassion standing in solidarity with each other. Is this what we're truly teaching our youth? Or are we simply adding anything to the name of Christ to make Christianity more "trendy" and "enjoyable"? When was Christ about those things? How much are we compromising? ANd where does "loving your neighbor as yourself" fit here?

Contains Racially offensive material against Asian-Americans........2007-02-25

pokes fun at Chinese food delivery man with a stereotypical immigrant accent. Here are some exerpts:

"Herro, Dis is Wok's Up Restaurant calling to confirm your order. . . . I think that, yes, you total is 14 dollar 95 cent."

"Herro? This is Wok's Up Restaurant again. We have drive and drive, and we can't find you house. We don't find you house soon, you pu pu get cold. Pu pu good when it hot."

(Hostile) "Okay, we drive for long time looking for you house. I tell you, you go outside and I look for you. I am driving a red Rincon (Lincoln) Continental. You pu pu still getting cold. Bye!

"Okay, I drive for long time and I stil not find you house. So I am eating you pu pu! Ruckiry it still warm. I was hungry, so I eat it. Mmmmm . . . this pu pu is good. (Smacks lips a few times) You on my bad rist. You don't call us anymore. Bye!

Impressionable youth may be exposed to racist attitudes and may make fun of minorities with their friends because of messages from secular media, but I never expected that an upstanding organization like Zondervan would send these messages. I am absolutely disappointed and outraged that these authors and Zondervan has the intention to teach this to American teenagers in the name of Christ. Please join me and speak out. Do not purchase this product.

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