Disrupting Thinking: Why How We Read Matters


Robert Probst - 2017
    Now, in Disrupting Thinking they take teachers a step further and discuss an on-going problem: lack of engagement with reading. They explain that all too often, no matter the strategy shared with students, too many students remain disengaged and reluctant readers. The problem, they suggest, is that we have misrepresented to students why we read and how we ought to approach any text - fiction or nonfiction. With their hallmark humor and their appreciated practicality, Beers and Probst present a vision of what reading and what education across all the grades could be. Hands-on-strategies make it applicable right away for the classroom teacher, and turn-and-talk discussion points make it a guidebook for school-wide conversations. In particular, they share new strategies and ideas for helping classroom teachers:–Create engagement and relevance–Encourage responsive and responsible reading–Deepen comprehension–Develop lifelong reading habits“We think it’s time we finally do become a nation of readers, and we know it’s time students learn to tell fake news from real news. It’s time we help students understand why how they read is so important,” explain Beers and Probst. “Disrupting Thinking is, at its heart, an exploration of how we help students become the reader who does so much more than decode, recall, or choose the correct answer from a multiple-choice list. This book shows us how to help students become the critical thinkers our nation needs them to be." Includes online resource bank.

Kids Deserve It: Pushing Boundaries and Challenging Conventional Thinking


Todd Nesloney - 2016
    In Kids Deserve It!, Todd and Adam encourage you to think big and make learning fun and meaningful for students. While you’re at it, you just might rediscover why you became an educator in the first place. - Learn why you should be calling parents to praise your students (and employees). - Discover ways to promote family interaction and improve relationships for kids at school and at home.- Be inspired to take risks, shake up the status quo, and be a champion for your students.#KidsDeserveIt"For anyone working with young people and in need of a pep talk, this is the book for you.” -Brad Montague, creator of Kid President“Kids Deserve It! provides real-life takeaways for anyone involved in making the world a better place for our kids." -Steve Mesler, Olympic Gold Medalist, co-founder and CEO of Classroom Champions"Kids Deserve It! is a brilliant—and much-needed—invitation to educators to dare to innovate.” -Peter H. Reynolds, author of The Dot “After reading this book, you will be crazy about all kids. They deserve it!” -Salome Thomas-EL, award-winning principal and author of The Immortality of Influence“It's an outstanding read for educators at any level.” -Angela Maiers, educator, author, speaker, founder of Choose2Matter“Whether you are a parent, teacher, or administrator, this powerful little collection of ideas and stories will nurture your spirit and refresh your memory about why you chose to work with kids in the first place.” -Erik Wahl, artist, author, ambassador for kids

Teaching Arguments: Rhetorical Comprehension, Critique, and Response


Jennifer Fletcher - 2015
    Students need to know how writers’ and speakers’ choices are shaped by elements of the rhetorical situation, including audience, occasion, and purpose. In Teaching Arguments: Rhetorical Comprehension, Critique, and Response , Jennifer Fletcher provides teachers with engaging classroom activities, writing prompts, graphic organizers, and student samples to help students at all levels read, write, listen, speak, and think rhetorically. Fletcher believes that, with appropriate scaffolding and encouragement, all students can learn a rhetorical approach to argument and gain access to rigorous academic content. Teaching Arguments opens the door and helps them pay closer attention to the acts of meaning around them, to notice persuasive strategies that might not be apparent at first glance. When we analyze and develop arguments, we have to consider more than just the printed words on the page. We have to evaluate multiple perspectives; the tension between belief and doubt; the interplay of reason, character, and emotion; the dynamics of occasion, audience, and purpose; and how our own identities shape what we read and write. Rhetoric teaches us how to do these things. Teaching Arguments will help students learn to move beyond a superficial response to texts so they can analyze and craft sophisticated, persuasive arguments—a major cornerstone for being not just college-and career-ready but ready for the challenges of the world.

The Dirtbag's Guide to Life: Eternal Truth for Hiker Trash, Ski Bums, and Vagabonds


Tim Mathis - 2019
    I'd love to just get this guide out there in response!” - Heather "Anish" Anderson. 2019 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, and author of Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home“Have you read Rolf Potts' Vagabonding? It feels a bit like the American Vagabonding.” - Six2 - Pacific Crest and Appalachian Trail Alum.“Gosh I love your book! I'm trying to read it, but for some reason I can't stop crying!!! It resonates so much and I feel so emotional about it.” - Kathy Vaughan, Team UltraPedestrian and co-author of 98 Days of Wind: The Greatest Fail of Our Life“You’re going to have to change the name if you want anyone to pick up your book who doesn’t consider themselves a “dirtbag,” “trash,” or a “bum.”” - Random stranger on Facebook who is not impressed with the title.Screw picket fences. Live your best life. Sleep in the dirt. While a life of adventure has traditionally been reserved for the rich and the sponsored, to the dirtbag, it's a birthright for the masses. Partly a celebration of an underappreciated subculture of hiker trash, ski bums, and vagabonds, and partly a "how to" guide for adventure on the cheap, The Dirtbag's Guide to Life is the first solid attempt to define an outdoor movement that has taken root in backpacker hostels, long trails, and climbing crags around the world.Distilling personal wisdom and practical lessons from dozens of the world’s most dedicated dirtbags, this book is for anyone who dreams of hitchhiking trips through Patagonia and summers spent trail running in Montana, but who can’t be bothered by mainstream frivolities like expensive clothes and basic hygiene.The book answers important logistical questions about the major barriers to a life centered on adventure, and covers practical topics like financial planning and career strategies. It also digs into the big philosophical questions that long-term dirtbags all eventually wrestle with - like how to manage your most important relationships, how to live as a responsible human being, and how to find meaning when you develop a life centered on playing outside.

The Talent Lab: How to Turn Potential into World-Beating Success


Owen Slot - 2016
    Something no other host nation had ever achieved in the next Games.In The Talent Lab, Owen Slot brings unique access to Team GB’s intelligence, sharing for the first time the incredible breakthroughs and insights they discovered that often extend way beyond sport. Using lessons from organisations as far afield as the Yehudi Menuhin School of Music, the NFL Draft, the Royal College of Surgeons and the SAS, it shows how talent can be discovered, created, shaped and sustained.Charting the success of the likes of Chris Hoy, Max Whitlock, Adam Peaty, Ed Clancy, Lizzy Yarnold, Dave Henson, Tom Daley, Jessica Ennis-Hill, Katherine Grainger, the Brownlee Brothers, Helen Glover, Anthony Joshua and the women’s hockey team, The Talent Lab tells just how it was done and how any team, business or individual might learn from it.

Gandhi's Life in His Own Words


Mahatma Gandhi - 1983
    And if every page of these chapters does not proclaim to the reader that the only means for the realization of Truth is ahimsa, I shall deem all my labour in writing these chapters to have been in vain. And, even though my efforts in this behalf may prove fruitless, let the readers know that the vehicle, not the great principle, is at fault.- M. K. Gandhi

The Connector Manager: Why Some Leaders Build Exceptional Talent - And Others Don't


Jaime Roca - 2019
    One performs much worse than the rest, and one performs far better. Which type are you?Based on a first-of-its-kind, wide-ranging global study of over 9,000 people, analysts at the global research and advisory firm Gartner were able to classify all managers into one of four types:- Teacher managers, who develop employees' skills based on their own expertise and direct their development along a similar track to their own. - Cheerleader managers, who give positive feedback while taking a general hands-off approach to employee development. - Always-on managers, who provide constant, frequent feedback and coaching on all aspects of the employee's performance. - Connector managers, who provide feedback in their area of expertise while connecting employees to others in the team or organization who are better suited to address specific needs.Although the four types of managers are more or less evenly distributed, the Connector manager consistently outperforms the others by a significant margin. Meanwhile, Always-on managers tend to see their employees struggle to grow within the organization. Why is that?Drawing on their groundbreaking data-driven research, as well as in-depth case studies and extensive interviews with managers and employees at companies like IBM, Accenture, and eBay, the authors show what behaviors define a Connector manager, and why they are able to build powerhouse teams. They also show why other types of managers fail to be equally effective, and how they can incorporate behaviors of Connector managers in order to be more effective at building teams.

Relationship Grit: A True Story with Lessons to Stay Together, Grow Together, and Thrive Together


Jon Gordon - 2020
    This time, he teams up with Kathryn Gordon, his wife of 23 years, for a look at what it takes to build strong relationships. In Relationship Grit, the Gordons reveal what brought them together, what kept them together through difficult times, and what continues to sustain their love and passion for one another to this day. They candidly share their mistakes, decisions that almost destroyed their marriage, and successes so you can learn from their experiences and make your relationship stronger.If you're a fan of Jon Gordon's work, you will enjoy learning about the man behind the message, as he and Kathryn share the intimate details of their life together. The direct, transparent, and personal style will draw you in and help you see that, if you are dealing with a challenge in your life and relationship, you are not alone. Working, writing, and raising children hasn't always been easy for the Gordons, but by committing to one another and embracing the principles of G. R. I. T., they emerged from their darkest moments and built a deep and lasting love. In Relationship Grit, they speak candidly about what they have learned and how you can develop the grit to build beautiful relationships.Discover--in their own words--what Jon and Kathryn have learned about staying together during their 23-year marriage Learn the four principles of G. R. I. T. that you can embrace today to build the high quality relationships you want and deserve Find the strength you need to confront your past, overcome your flaws, and change for the better to improve you and your relationship. Embrace the Gordons' practical advice including 22 quick tips for a great relationship--11 from Kathryn and 11 from Jon--and start making your relationship the best it can be Relationships--particularly marriages--are about imperfect people coming together to work on their individual flaws and emerge stronger together. Relationship Grit will inspire and motivate you to engage in this remarkable and rewarding process.

60 Ways to Lower Your Blood Sugar


Dennis Pollock - 2013
    Many today are well on their way to becoming a sad statistic in the war on obesity, high blood sugar, and the related diseases—including diabetes—that can result from a diet that’s seriously out of whack. In his previous bestselling book, Overcoming Runaway Blood Sugar, Dennis Pollock shared his personal experience with this deadly epidemic—including his success at lowering his runaway blood sugar to acceptable levels. Now Dennis offers readers the next step in the battle: 60 practical ways to manage their blood sugar without resorting to a bland unsatisfying diet of turnips and tuna fish. In this step by step, change by change plan, readers will learn how to: reduce their intake of carbs, exercise more effectively, and shed excess weight. A must-have book for readers serious about regaining their health while also lowering their weight and increasing their energy.

50 Myths and Lies That Threaten America's Public Schools: The Real Crisis in Education


David C. Berliner - 2014
    With hard-hitting information and a touch of comic relief, Berliner, Glass, and their Associates separate fact from fiction in this comprehensive look at modern education reform. They explain how the mythical failure of public education has been created and perpetuated in large part by political and economic interests that stand to gain from its destruction. They also expose a rapidly expanding variety of organizations and media that intentionally misrepresent facts. Many of these organizations suggest that their goal is unbiased service in the public interest when, in fact, they represent narrow political and financial interests. Where appropriate, the authors name the promoters of these deceptions and point out how they are served by encouraging false beliefs.This provocative book features short essays on important topics to provide every elected representative, school administrator, school board member, teacher, parent, and concerned citizen with much food for thought, as well as reliable knowledge from authoritative sources.

The Growth Mindset Playbook: A Teacher's Guide to Promoting Student Success


Annie Brock - 2017
    Studies show growth mindset results in higher engagement, better test scores, and all-around greater student success. In this follow-up to widely praised The Growth Mindset Coach, education professionals Annie Brock and Heather Hundley show how to take mindset to the next level with further resources, examples, and ideas. The all new book is packed with detailed lesson plans, hands-on activities, and discussion points for talking with parents and other educators. Featuring up-to-date information on brain science and current mindset studies, The Growth Mindset Playbook shares fascinating research, tips, and strategies that help educators fully understand and implement growth mindset instruction and best practices. They break down the research and studies into actionable steps for building a culture of mindset not only in the classroom, but at the school level as well.

The Power of a Plant: A Teacher's Odyssey to Grow Healthy Minds and Schools


Stephen Ritz - 2017
    After what can only be defined as a cosmic experience when a flower broke up a fight in his classroom, he saw a way to start tackling his school’s problems: plants. He flipped his curriculum to integrate gardening as an entry point for all learning and inadvertently created an international phenomenon. As Ritz likes to say, “Fifty thousand pounds of vegetables later, my favorite crop is organically grown citizens who are growing and eating themselves into good health and amazing opportunities.”The Power of a Plant tells the story of a green teacher from the Bronx who let one idea germinate into a movement and changed his students’ lives by learning alongside them. Since greening his curriculum, Ritz has seen near-perfect attendance and graduation rates, dramatically increased passing rates on state exams, and behavioral incidents slashed in half. In the poorest congressional district in America, he has helped create 2,200 local jobs and built farms and gardens while changing landscapes and mindsets for residents, students, and colleagues. Along the way, Ritz lost more than 100 pounds by eating the food that he and his students grow in school. The Power of a Plant is his story of hope, resilience, regeneration, and optimism.

Black Ants and Buddhists: Thinking Critically and Teaching Differently in the Primary Grades


Mary Cowhey - 2006
    Her students learn to make connections between their lives, the books they read, the community leaders they meet, and the larger world. Black Ants and Buddhists  offers no easy answers, but it does include starting points for conversations about diversity and controversy in your classroom, as well as in the larger community. Students and teachers investigate problems and issues together, in a multicultural, antiracist classroom.

Caught Between the Dog and the Fireplug, or How to Survive Public Service


Kenneth H. Ashworth - 2001
    The book is written as a series of lively, entertaining letters of advice from a sympathetic uncle to a niece or nephew embarking on a government career. The book will interest students and teachers of public administration, public affairs, policy development, leadership, or higher education administration. Ashworth's advice will also appeal to anyone who has ever been caught in a tight spot will working in government service.

Never Underestimate Your Teachers: Instructional Leadership for Excellence in Every Classroom


Robyn R. Jackson - 2013
    Jackson, author of the best-selling Never Work Harder Than Your Students and Other Principles of Great Teaching.In this book for school leaders, Jackson presents a new model for understanding teaching as a combination of skill and will and explains the best ways to support individual teachers' ongoing professional development. Here, you'll learn how to meet your teachers where they are and help every one of them--from the raw novice to the savvy veteran, from the initiative-weary to the change-challenged to the already outstanding--develop the mindset and habits of master teachers. Real-life examples, practical tools, and strategies for managing time and energy demands will help you build your leadership capacity as you raise the level of instructional excellence throughout your school.To move your school forward, you must move the people in it. If you want a master teacher every classroom, you must commit to helping every teacher be a master teacher. That work begins here.