Ask the Teacher: A Practitioner's Guide to Teaching and Learning in the Diverse Classroom

I bought this book for my teaching/credential program and found it very interesting. It gave me a lot of helpful information for teaching and different strategies to use. The book also gave a lot of extra resources in the bibliography that are helpful in many different areas of teaching and beyond the classroom. I liked the way the author set up the book and made it an easy reference guide for the reader to learn new information. I would definately recommend this book for students and teachers to keep in their library!

This book was the easiest to read of all assigned textbooks, while taking graduate courses at National University. To be honest, most assigned readings put me to sleep...this book was more like what I read for pleasure. It was a nice change to have something that was both informative and easy to read! This book is a keeper.

I bought this teacher's guide for a class at National University. It has all sorts of useful info. for the classroom. Also, I had Mark Ryan, the author, as one of my instructors for a different course. His knowledge is broad and I respect his opinions and the advice he shares in his book. I used "Ask The Teacher" for citations in other classes more than any other text. It is a great resource to have on hand. In addition to that, I appreciate Mark Ryan's pro-parent stance. Time and time again he advocates parent involvement and teacher/parent communication. I would recommend this book to anyone who is working on their teaching credential or who is a new teacher looking for some solid advice from a seasoned veteran on virtually every aspect of teaching.

I also purchased this book for a teaching credential/graduate program. It was one of the first books I purchased and it immediately appealed to me as a parent and an educator. It is written in easy to understand language, yet deals with complex subjects. Many discussions about proposed changes at my children's school were addressed in Ask the Teacher. I felt more equipped to participate in those discussions with this book in my hand. In addition, I found that I used the book throughout my two year graduate program in other classes. The Q & A format is great for getting introductory information about specific issues. If more information was desired, I found additional resources through his bibliography. I have also used the book in my classroom when reflecting on how to address specific issues in a better way. It is unusual to find a book helpful beyond a class, in both your professional and personal life. This one will stay on my bookcase.

Dr Ryan obviously cares about students and teachers. As a parent of three bi-racial children, I appreciate his views on diversity in the classroom. ASK THE TEACHER was an indispensable tool raising my children, one of which had ADHD and a learning disability. The author advises educators and parents to approach each student as a unique individual-each with their own gifts, challenges and learning styles. Even though his views are progressive, Dr. Ryan doesn't advocate permissiveness; on the contrary he teaches that each student should be held responsible for his or her actions. I loved this book and will buy one to pass on to my sons as they raise their own children!