Archive for the ‘Book Summaries’ Category
Wednesday, July 13th, 2011
Feel-Bad Education: And Other Contrarian Essays on Children and Schooling by Alfie Kohn (Beacon Press: Boston, MY ©2011) is his twelfth book where he argues that our schools are in the grip of a “cult of rigor” where harder is confused with better. Joy and meaningful learning are at risk. In nineteen recently published well researched essays, Kohn invites us to think beyond conventional wisdom. He questions much of what schools reflexively do and makes the reader understand why many current reform efforts are misguided. If you believe that NCLB and Race to the Top efforts make sense, you need to read this book. It will give parents and educators alike a fresh perspective they can use to shake the system for the better. Click the button below to purchase from Amazon.
Tags: Alfie Kohn, Feel-Bad Education
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Wednesday, December 28th, 2011
Finnish Lessons: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland by Pasi Sahlberg (© 2010, Teachers College Press: New York, NY) is the story of Finland’s extraordinary reforms and one that should inform policymakers and educators around the world, most of whom are on the wrong track. Sahlberg has lived and studied these reforms for decades and is a clever and engaging story teller. Click below to purchase this book today, and share with your colleagues.
Tags: Education in Finnland, Finnish Lessons, Pasi Sahlberg
Posted in Book Summaries, Education Books, Leadership Books | 2 Comments »
Thursday, September 22nd, 2011
Inevitable: Mass Customized Learning in the Age of Empowerment by Charles Schwahn & Beatrice McGarvey (©2011, Schwhan & McGarvey) shares an exciting vision for education that uses today’s powerful mass customizing technology to meet the individual learning needs and interests of every learner every day. The goal is to do for learners what Apple does for music lovers, Amazon does for readers, and what Google does for seekers of information. Mass Customized Learning is necessary and doable.
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Thursday, November 3rd, 2011
The Invisible Gorilla: And Other Ways Our Intuitions Deceive Us by Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons, (©2010, CROWN: New York, NY.) is about six everyday illusions that profoundly influence our lives. They are the illusions of attention, memory, confidence, knowledge, cause, and potential. These are distorted beliefs we hold about our minds that are not just wrong, but wrong in dangerous ways. Once you know about these illusions, you will view the world differently and think about it more clearly. You will recognize when people are taking advantage of illusions in an attempt to obfuscate or persuade. Seeing through these veils will help connect you with reality. I will soon post a summary of Cathy Davidson’s Now You See It which draws heavily on this book.
Tags: Christopher Chabris, Daniel Simons, Invisible Gorilla
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Tuesday, May 31st, 2011
Leading School Change: 9 Strategies to Bring Everybody on Board by Todd Whitaker provides excellent general advice for education leaders who need to guide their cultures through meaningful changes with the goal of improving the quality of instruction. Todd draws on his wealth of experience as a leader and as an author to provide a book that every school principal and superintendent should add to their shelves.
Tags: Change, Leadership, Todd Whitaker
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Monday, January 24th, 2011
Living Large: From SUV’s to Double D’s, Why Going Bigger Isn’t Going Better by Sarah Wexler, is a well researched, well written, and humorous tale of America’s fascination with all things large. Sarah immerses herself in her subjects and by so doing, gives us an understanding of ourselves that should open our eyes. Topics include: houses, weddings, breast implants, hotels, landfills, churches, shopping, and debt. This book is ideal for leaders, educators, parents, and students from middle school on up.
Click here for my summary of Living Large.
Tags: implants, Living Large, McMansion, Megachurch, Sarah Wexler, weddings
Posted in Book Summaries, Business Books | 2 Comments »
Thursday, July 7th, 2011
Managing the Millennials: Discover The Core Competencies for Managing Today’s Workforce by Chip Espinoza, Mick Ukleja, & Craig Rusch is a must read for leaders, teachers, and parents who have to deal with a generation raised at a very different time. It is based on abundant research and a two-year study conducted by the authors.
Tags: Chip Espinoza, Craig Rush, Managing the Millennials, Mick Ukleja
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Monday, October 17th, 2011
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success – How We Can Learn to Fulfill Our Potential. Parenting – Business – School – Relationships by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.(©2008 Ballantine Books Trade Paperback Edition: New York, NY.) will help you learn how a simple belief about yourself guides a large part of your life. Much of what you think about your personality grows out of your mindset. Much of what may be preventing you from fulfilling your potential grows out of it. Your true potential is unknown and unknowable. The hand you are dealt is just the starting point for development. If you believe that your qualities are carved in stone (the fixed mindset) you must prove yourself over and over. Dweck draws on twenty years of research to show that the view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life.
Tags: Carol Dweck, Mindset
Posted in Book Summaries, Education Books, Leadership Books | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 8th, 2011
Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention WIll Transform the Way We Live, Work, and Learn by Cathy N. Davidson (© 2011, Viking Penguin: New York, NY) shows how the phenomenon of attention blindness shapes our lives, and how it has led to one of the greatest problems of our historical moment. Many of us toil in schools and workplaces that were designed for the last century. Cathy believes we will find the answers we need in places where disruption and distraction are producing exciting results. She paints a picture of the future of work and education as she introduces us to visionaries whose ideas will effect us all. Drawing from the fields of brain science, psychology, education, management science, technology, and more, she presents a picture of an interactive world where each of us can make a valued contribution.
Tags: Cathy N Davidson, Now You See It
Posted in Book Summaries, Business Books, Education Books, Leadership Books | 1 Comment »
