Is your child getting lost in the system, becoming bored, losing his or her natural eagerness to learn? If so, it may be time to take charge of your child’s education—by doing it yourself. The Well-Trained Mind will instruct you, step by step, on how to give your child an academically rigorous, comprehensive education from preschool through high school—one that will train him or her to read, to think, to understand, to be well-rounded and curious about learning. Veteran home educators Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise outline the classical pattern of education called the trivium, which organizes learning around the maturing capacity of the child’s mind and comprises three stages: the elementary school “grammar stage,” when the building blocks of information are absorbed through memorization and rules; the middle school “logic stage,” in which the student begins to think more analytically; and the high-school “rhetoric stage,” where the student learns to write and speak with force and originality. Using this theory as your model, you’ll be able to instruct your child—whether full-time or as a supplement to classroom education—in all levels of reading, writing, history, geography, mathematics, science, foreign languages, rhetoric, logic, art, and music, regardless of your own aptitude in those subjects. Thousands of parents and teachers have already used the detailed book lists and methods described in The Well-Trained Mind to create a truly superior education for the children in their care. This extensively revised fourth edition contains completely updated curricula and book lists, links to an entirely new set of online resources, new material on teaching children with learning challenges, cutting-edge math and sciences recommendations, answers to common questions about home education, and advice on practical matters such as standardized testing, working with your local school board, designing a high-school program, preparing transcripts, and applying to colleges. You do have control over what and how your child learns. The Well-Trained Mind will give you the tools you’ll need to teach your child with confidence and success.

This edition contains revised and updated persuasion and propaganda theories and recent studies. The coverage of theory is expanded as is the discussion on the global war against terrorism, US attempts to "sell" itself to the Arab countries, and the question of ideological propaganda in a polarized mass media system. The authors incorporate examples from Jihad and US propaganda after September 11, 2001, and include new as well as revised case studies.

Long regarded as the gold standard in sensation and perception texts, E. Bruce Goldstein's SENSATION AND PERCEPTION has helped more than 100,000 students make the connection between perception and physiology. Goldstein has crafted a briefer, easier-to-understand, and more student-friendly book, without sacrificing the text's comprehensive examination of sensation and perception. Goldstein takes readers on an intriguing journey through their senses, and chronicles scientists' efforts to understand the fascinating behind-the-scenes activity that allows us to perceive. With balanced coverage of all the senses, this book offers an integrated examination of how the senses work together. Goldstein shows readers how seemingly simple experiences are actually extremely complex mechanisms and examines both the psychophysical and physiological underpinnings of perception. All material is presented in a way students find interesting and easy to follow. The book's visually dynamic presentation includes numerous color plates that are presented as visual topic essays. In addition, more than 50 hands-on demonstrations illustrate perceptual experiences. All are simple enough for students to do and are seamlessly integrated into the flow of the text.

"On Writing Well is a bible for a generation of writers looking for clues to clean, compelling prose." —New York Times A beloved classic and the definitive volume on the art of writing nonfiction On Writing Well, which grew out of a course that William Zinsser taught at Yale, has been praised for its sound advice, its clarity, and for the warmth of its style. It is a book for anybody who wants to learn how to write or who needs to do some writing to get through the day, as almost everybody does. Whether you want to write about people or places, science and technology, business, sports, the arts, or about yourself in the increasingly popular memoir genre, On Writing Well offers you both fundamental principles as well as the insights of a distinguished practitioner. With over a million copies in print, this volume has stood the test of time and remains a valued resource for writers and would-be writers.

While notions of what constitutes critical thinking vary, educators, politicians, and employers all agree that critical thinking skills are necessary for well-educated citizens and a key capacity for successful employees. In Teaching for Critical Thinking, Stephen Brookfield explores how students learn to think critically and what methods teachers can use to help. In his engaging, conversational style, Brookfield establishes a basic protocol of critical thinking that focuses on students uncovering and checking assumptions, exploring alternative perspectives, and taking informed actions. The book fosters a shared understanding of critical thinking and helps all faculty adapt general principles to specific disciplinary contexts. Drawing on thousands of student testimonies, the book identifies the teaching methods and approaches that are most successful when teaching students to think, read, and write critically. Brookfield explains when to make critical thinking the classroom focus, how to encourage critical discussions, and ways to reach skeptical students. He outlines the basic components required when reviewing a text critically and shows how to give highly specific feedback. The book also addresses how to foster critical thinking across an institution, beginning with how it can be explained in syllabi and even integrated into strategic plans and institutional missions. Brookfield stresses the importance of teachers modeling critical thinking and demonstrates himself how to do this. Crammed with activities and techniques, this how-to guide is applicable in face-to-face, online, and hybrid classrooms of all sizes. Each exercise includes detailed instructions, examples from different academic disciplines, and guidance for when and how to best use each activity. Any reader will come away with a pedagogic tool kit of new ideas for classroom exercises, new approaches to designing course assignments, and new ways to assess students’ ability to practice critical analysis.

In Teachers Matter, education researcher Marcus A. Winters, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, argues that our failure to identify and reward high-quality teachers has been devastating for public school students. The question is how do we sort out the good teachers form the bad? Sure to be controversial, Winters's plan will be of interest to the education community, policy makers, and parents concerned about the future of education in America.

This book draws on the research and developments of the following decade to reanalyze and reevaluate the teaching strategies that have the most positive effect on student learning.

Language is Music focuses on making learning foreign languages fun, easy and affordable for anyone with a desire to communicate effectively with people around the world. By applying over 100 simple tips to things you already do, such as listening to music or surfing the Web, you can experience the joy of "fluency" in any language without having to study abroad or spend money on private tutors. In Language is Music, Susanna Zaraysky masterfully shares her listening methods so that anyone can have fun learning any language. With over 100 tips and 100 free or low-cost Internet resources, you will learn how to use daily activities, such as watching T.V. or listening to music; conversation partners; and attendance at cultural events to become a masterful speaker of any tongue. "Learning foreign languages is like learning to sing a song or play music," says self-made linguist Susanna Zaraysky and author of Language is Music. Zaraysky has what you might call "an ear" for languages, having used music to successfully learn English, Russian, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Serbo-Croatian-all with excellent accents. Advance Praise for Language is Music "I love it! I think it will help people who want to learn, and those who are curious about additional language learning. Many people want to learn a language but are frightened, or disappointed by the courses they have taken. Reading Language is Music will encourage them to try again, on their own and with friendly supporters." -Dr. Elba Maldonado-Colon, Professor Department of Elementary Education Bilingual Program, San Jose State University LET IT JUST ROLL OFF YOUR TONGUE. With lyrical insight and solid experience, Susanna Zaraysky, author of Language is Music, provides easy steps for learning a language. Gone are the boring, disconnected strategies that most of us remember from school. You've never learned a language this quickly and easily. Zaraysky's methods embody fun, connection, rhythm, and above all...music. -Suzanne Lettrick, M.Ed Educator and Founder of The Global Education and Action Network "Forget dictionaries and phrase books . . . Susanna Zaraysky's easy-to-use guide to language learning is indispensable for any serious language learner wanting to become fluent--not just conversationally proficient--in another language. Language is Music will teach you how to make language acquisition a part of your daily life, and to recreate the kind of total-immersion environment necessary for fluency. Highly recommended reading for aspiring polyglots. Pick up this book and you too will be all ears!" -Justin Liang, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Marshallese, intermediate Spanish Back in France, I spent many years learning "academic" English in school. But I progressed much faster when I forced myself to listen to the BBC or not look at the subtitles when watching an American movie. I wish I had Susanna's book with me then. It's full of creative ideas and practical tips that are indispensable complements to the traditional methods of learning foreign languages -- and it's coming from someone you can trust, she speaks so many of them! -Philippe Levy, French native speaker This book is great. It showed me another aspect and a new approach of learning a language. I will put the book to good use. As a foreign English speaker, I spent many years at school learning English and did not make much progress. A lot of the tips that I read in this book, I learned them with time. However if I had read this book earlier, it would have made my life much easier and I would have saved so much time. I am going to apply the tips in Language is Music into learning a third language: Spanish. This time, I am sure I will make huge progress much faster. Not only is Language is Music useful in acquiring a foreign language, but the resources and websites in the book are valuable for someone who wants to travel abroad. -Fabien Hsu, French native speaker

In this galvanizing book for all educators, Kristin Souers and Pete Hall explore an urgent and growing issue--childhood trauma--and its profound effect on learning and teaching. Grounded in research and the authors' experience working with trauma-affected students and their teachers, Fostering Resilient Learners will help you cultivate a trauma-sensitive learning environment for students across all content areas, grade levels, and educational settings. The authors--a mental health therapist and a veteran principal--provide proven, reliable strategies to help you * Understand what trauma is and how it hinders the learning, motivation, and success of all students in the classroom. * Build strong relationships and create a safe space to enable students to learn at high levels. * Adopt a strengths-based approach that leads you to recalibrate how you view destructive student behaviors and to perceive what students need to break negative cycles. * Head off frustration and burnout with essential self-care techniques that will help you and your students flourish. Each chapter also includes questions and exercises to encourage reflection and extension of the ideas in this book. As an educator, you face the impact of trauma in the classroom every day. Let this book be your guide to seeking solutions rather than dwelling on problems, to building relationships that allow students to grow, thrive, and--most assuredly--learn at high levels.