Customer Reviews

Conversations : Strategies for Teaching, Learning, and Evaluating

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm a member of a mailring which includes classroom teachers and reading specialists (I'm a reading specialist). This book was recommended a number of times. I have so many professional books that I was leary of spending the money on one more, but I was at a workshop where I was able to preview the book and was impressed.

I purchased the book, and I was not disappointed! It's easy to read and has a lot of down-to-earth ideas based on the latest research and includes numerous charts, checklists and student work samples. It follows right along with expansion of ideas from Mosaic of Thought and Strategies That Work. I especially love the section on retelling.

I think teachers at any grade level could benefit from this book. There are examples at every level. This is not the kind of book you read from cover to cover. I'll use it as a reference book for years to come.

This book is an incredible source of information for teaching any aspect of a Language Arts program. It details reading approaches and writing techniques and shows how to bring them together for a Balanced Literacy Program. It also has a great index in the back listing all kinds of resources and childrens books.

This book is a good read for background information. A little too technical for me and not as teacher-friendly as Debbie Miller.

I was pleasantly surprised with this great book. I asked our school library if they could borrow this book from another library, because I assumed our small library did not own it. I was correct in my assumption, but our library decided to order this book to have on hand for other teachers to read. I had read previous reviews on Amazon, and that is why I wanted to read this book. Regie Routman is a great writer and an inspiration to all teachers. Although her methods focus mainly on the elementary levels, the ideas can be used at all levels of education (I teach middle school Title 1 reading). This is an EASY and engaging read! You will not be disappointed. I would recommend buying your own copy so you can highlight the important things.

Routman explains that any information that is not developed directly from the classroom is irrelevant to her. She ignores all scientific research as it relates to reading,writing, and teaching methods. Instead she uses names of individual teachers to endorse her methods and she believes that is a form of research. The result is a textbook that ignores foundations of teaching reading and writing as a part of the teacher in training's instruction. They are absent. She states in her introduction that reliance on them is a step backwards. Frequent references are made to the outsiders--including administrators, parents, legislators, and others that are attempting to undermine the educational system. This book is politically charged with a purpose to maintain control of the classroom by professional teachers and university educators. Ms. Routman's methods are like that of an emperor who wears no clothes but she believes they are beautiful because she wants them to be. Outcomes and needs of the students be damned.