“Teachers who inspire realize there will always be rocks in the road ahead of us.  They will be stumbling blocks or stepping stones; it all depends on how we use them.”  ~Author Unknown

Good teachers can be made.  This book is intended to give educators all the tools they need to become effective teachers, with the understanding that each individual teacher is different and has their own unique personality and way of doing things.  The book is organized around the five keys to effective teaching: 

·         Management–discusses the teacher’s role as a manager and supplier of procedures.

·         Mastery–how to become an effective teacher, focusing on standards and assessment

·         Method–differing methods are discusses for teaching mainstream and special students and for teaching literacy.

·         Expectation–how do we understand learning and how do we achieve our goals as a teacher?

·         Personality–the teaching personality (which is the unifying theme of the book) combines character, values, and thinking skills.

This practical and theoretical text for general methods classes describes the difference between instruction and learning, while also discussing various approaches and instructional methods for effective teaching.  Classic approaches to learning are discussed along with specific methods that can bring these approaches to life in the classroom.  Examples are provided through case studies throughout the book for practice and understanding.  The book explains what special education is and is not.  The standards movement and its impact on student achievement is discussed from the perspective of the teachers’ role, lesson planning, and assessments.  A whole chapter on lesson planning is included along with a discussion of the importance of good planning in being an effective teacher.