The Skillful Teacher: Building Your Teaching Skills

This is by far the best book on teaching pedagogy that I encountered throughout my entire Masters program in Education. For anyone interested in learning the masters' way in the classroom: read and practice this book. It may take a lifetime of practice, but every skill of teaching we learn from this book, for this generation particularly, we are helping others also learn how to teach in the home, in business, in management and in every arena of life.

I'm a new teacher this year that came into a difficult position (I'm my students 4th teacher in 6 weeks). I was having trouble with classroom management and went to search for books (and more experienced teachers) to help me. This book and "The First Days of School" by Harry Wong were the best help I found. First Days gives a framework and The Skillful Teacher gives specific strategies that can be used within that framework. I give both books two thumbs up for any new teacher who has a battle before her/him.

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.

"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.

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.