Product Description

Of all the things that are essential to high performing schools, nothing is more important than the teacher and what that person knows, believes and can do. A teacher's skill makes a difference in student performance, not only in achievement scores, but also in students sense of fulfillment in school and their feelings of well-being.

Twenty chapters capture a blend of research and practitioner-developed approaches for using the research in the classroom. Each chapter lays out a known repertoire of strategies to help teachers fulfill a particular kind of mission from the spiritual imperative of communicating high expectations to the abstract challenge of planning lessons.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22261 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 544 pages

About the Author
Jon Saphier is the founder of Research for Better Teaching (RBT), a professional development organization dedicated to improving teaching and learning. In addition to The Skillful Teacher, Dr. Saphier is the author of several other books and articles on teaching, leadership and school improvement, including John Adams Promise: How to Have Good Schools for All Our Children Not Just Some (2005). Dr. Saphier devotes his time to long-term, in-depth, systemic change projects in selected districts. A masterful teacher, he conducts workshops, coaching sessions, and delivers keynotes that bring to life the principles and strategies descried in The Skillful Teacher. In addition, Dr. Saphier is passionate about and active in public policy reform to promote the professionalization of teaching and leadership. Dr. Saphier has also served as a school administrator, staff developer, and teacher (K-12).

Mary Ann Haley-Speca is a senior consultant with RBT and has worked with teachers and administrators in public, private, urban, suburban, rural and international school districts since 1990. A seasoned and engaging staff developer, Haley-Speca enable teachers and leaders to create school cultures and classroom environments that support high achievement for all students. During her tenure at RBT, she has also led the Training and Curriculum divisions, mentoring consultants and designing programs. She co-authored two popular RBT publications, Activators and Summarizers. Before joining RBT, Haley-Speca served as a district-wide staff developer, program supervisor, and classroom teacher in grades 3-12.

Robert Gower recently retired as a professor at University of Massachusetts Lowell, where he helped develop the doctoral program in Leadership in Schooling. He is still active teaching online courses for the university. Bob s distinguished career includes being an elementary teacher, a principal, a researcher, a pioneer in the study of teaching, and a standout instructor and mentor for generations of graduate students. In 2007, he received the Faculty Excellence & Service Award and was recognized as a 2007 Honors Fellow by the University of Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Best Synthesis of the Knowledge Base on Teaching Available
Research for Better Teaching has synthesized much of the knowledge base on teaching in one practical and useful manual. At last there is book that does justice to the complexity of great teaching. Jon Saphier and Robert Gower have divided the nuts and bolts of teaching into four areas:

* Management, which includes classroom routines and transitions, discipline, momentum, and getting students' attention,

* Instruction, which includes clarity, the principles of learning, and models of teaching,

* Motivation, which outlines teacher behaviors that establish high expectations for all, help with relationship building, and the classroom climate,

* Curriculum, which includes objectives, the learning experience, assessment, and curriculum design.

This 598 page book should be a mandatory text for all teacher training courses.

The Research for Better Teaching group in Acton Massachusetts offers several 6 to 7 day courses for teachers and administrators on teaching and supervising teachers. Their just published book, the Skillful Leader, offers help to school administrators looking for solid ideas on how to help struggling teachers.

After sending some of our administrators to Boston to take the Research for Better Teaching courses, we are convinced that educators in the Bay Area will soon discover this great professional resource located just outside Boston.

A University Professor's View
"The Skillful Teacher" by Saphier & Gower simply is the best single reference I could recommend for preservice and inservice teachers. I use this book in my Classroom Management class for student teachers and the feedback from students has been overwhelmingly positive. The practical approach built on sound educational theory makes this book enormously appealing. The chapters of the book address those skills prerequisite to successful teaching. I especially value the chapters on skills normally overlooked: Use of attention, momentum, space, time and routines. I have found that mastery of these skills along with high expectations, meaningful personal relationships, and positive classroom climate largely eliminate the need for "discipline." This is extremely powerful since teachers who exit the profession within the first three years consistently list "lack of effective discipline skills" as one of the major reasons for their departure. I advise all pre-teachers and teachers everywhere to buy, read, and use this book.

A comprehensive text
Saphier & Gower's book is an invaluable resource for preservice & novice teachers or experienced teachers wishing to improve their pedagogical skills. The methodologies are applicable to most grade levels, content areas, and teaching situations. Great for use in teacher education courses. Exercises or suggested activities are given at the end of each chapter.