Children are born learning machines who want to learn and can organize and manage their own learning. Unfortunately, today children have little choice over what they do in school and how and when they do it. Children prepared in this "other-determined" manner will be poorly equipped to navigate an adult world requiring that they act…

Teachers use traditional incentive and reward systems with the best of intentions. We're trying to support students' positive behavior and learning. We're hoping to motivate and inspire students to work hard and do well in school. "If everyone behaves, we'll have a pizza party. The more books you read, the more stickers you'll receive."…

As teachers and parents, our job is to teach students to tackle challenges rather than avoid them. Award-winning teacher and best-selling author Debbie Silver addresses the relationship between student motivation and risking failure, calling failure a temporary "glitch" that provides valuable learning opportunities. She explains motivational…

The authors discuss the sequential nature of becoming a teacher of the highest caliber, an "inspirational" teacher, by creating a personal mission statement, classroom mission statement, modeling, respecting listening and building relationships. The first level of inspirational teaching is the creation of a personal mission statement. Great…

This publication of 180 affirmations offers teachers encouragement and strength for the beginning of each school day as well as help in the search for personal growth. A daily quote is provided, along with an affirmation based on the theme of the quote. The quotes are drawn from a wide variety of sources in philosophy and religion, ethics and…

This book is a self-reflective guide to exploring the inner self and the difference one can make in the world, especially in the world of work. It encourages and guides persons in finding their purpose in life and how to implement it to realize their potential. The 22-chapter book is organized in three parts around three essential elements of…

The 15 chapters in this book include commentaries on 12 seminal works on self-directed learning (SDL) by Houle, Knowles, Tough, Spear and Mocker, Brookfield, Caffarella and O'Donnell, and Long et al. These works were identified by a Delphi panel of 49 experts. Chapter titles and authors are as follows: "An Introduction to the Study of…

The Quality Schools movement combines the principles of control theory with Edward Deming's principles of total quality management. The outcome is a school environment in which the focus is on quality work, discipline is maintained without coercion, and students continuously evaluate their own work. This book describes the application of Quality…

To teach responsible behavior means to encourage children to be motivated from the inside and to follow rules that help themselves and others. This guide, part of the "Seeds for Success" series, provides advice for parents for creating in children an inner sense of responsibility by means of nearly 100 simple activity ideas designed for use with…

Intended for students with learning disabilities, this new edition is intended to offer students practical suggestions on how to cope with their disability. This edition has added a chapter about Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and ADD with Hyperactivity, as well as glossary of terms. Individual chapters answer the following questions students…

This book offers college students ideas on how to maximize their success in college by examining the personal management techniques a student needs to succeed. Chapters are as follows: "Getting and Staying Motivated"; "Setting Goals and Tapping Your Resources"; "Conquering Time"; "Think Yourself to College Success"; "Understanding and Remembering…

Noting that school recess periods are one of the few times when children interact with their peers on their own terms--with minimal adult intervention--this book examines recess behavior and its social and pedagogical implications. In addition to studying spontaneous peer interaction among school children, the book addresses issues of: (1) the…

This text reviews academic, emotional, motivational, and social learning theories that help children to be their own teachers and teachers to be aware of the advantages of taking charge of one's own learning, rather than depending on teacher education methodology. Learning is described as more than learning facts and figures or directive…

This book provides teachers and other practitioners with a variety of procedures and materials to help students with disabilities become involved in their transition planning to the maximum extent possible. Chapters include: (1) "Student Involvement in Education Planning, Decision Making, and Instruction: An Idea Whose Time Has Arrived" (Michael…

When children feel that they are among friends in their schools and classrooms, they make the school community their own. Using classroom vignettes and collegial conversations, this book illustrates the creation of caring learning communities in six elementary school classrooms. Part 1 of the book, "Four Keys to Classroom Community,"…