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80th out of 295 books
—
209 voters
What Great Teachers Do Differently: Fourteen Things That Matter Most
This book describes the beliefs, behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that form the fabric of life in our best classrooms and schools. It focuses on the specific things that great teachers do ... that others do not. Readers of author Todd Whitaker's best-selling WHAT GREAT PRINCIPALS DO DIFFERENTLY asked him for a companion volume focusing on great teachers and their cla...more
Paperback, 144 pages
Published
October 10th 2003
by Eye on Education
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This book is a dud. It is a perfect example of why Goodreads exists; to let the world know when a book fails to deliver on its promise. The book cost $29.95 and it is 122 pages of actual text - this is a very expensive pamphlet.
Why such a tiny book ought to cost so much is beyond me. The trend I see more often lately is that books are sparing in substance and the lion's share of their marketability is spent on zippy titles that are big on promises and woefully lacking on substance.
I wish I hadn'...more
Why such a tiny book ought to cost so much is beyond me. The trend I see more often lately is that books are sparing in substance and the lion's share of their marketability is spent on zippy titles that are big on promises and woefully lacking on substance.
I wish I hadn'...more
I had to read this book twice. The first time I found it overwhelmingly treacly. It seemed like the kind of book that would be useful for teachers who use the canned worksheets with the big pictures and give extra credit for neatness.
Possibly due to lowered expectations, the second time I read it, I found it full of useful ideas and good examples. It is short and easy to read.
Some of the things are clearly good advice. "Great teachers have the ability to to ignore trivial disturbances and the a...more
Possibly due to lowered expectations, the second time I read it, I found it full of useful ideas and good examples. It is short and easy to read.
Some of the things are clearly good advice. "Great teachers have the ability to to ignore trivial disturbances and the a...more
This is a short book, weighing in at 126 pp. minus the two to three blank pages between each of its sixteen chapters. What's more, much of the advice to teachers is leavened with advice to principals (author Whitaker was one himself). I agree whole-heartedly with every point Whitaker makes, but I also think experienced teachers will see little new here. In addition, the same thoughts are put forth only in a more thorough manner and accompanied by more concrete ideas, by other authors. Robyn Jack...more
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Excellent advice for teachers. Succintly, witty, thoughtful.
I'm interested in this book because I teach in a variety of capacities, but I also enjoy the articulation of sound principles related to working with people. For example-
'You've heard of having high expectations for students, but anyone can have that- great and poor teachers alike. What great teachers have that poor teachers don't, is high expectations of themselves.'
True with teaching. True with parenting. Can be applied to most any relationship.
And this-
'When the students of the best teacher...more
'You've heard of having high expectations for students, but anyone can have that- great and poor teachers alike. What great teachers have that poor teachers don't, is high expectations of themselves.'
True with teaching. True with parenting. Can be applied to most any relationship.
And this-
'When the students of the best teacher...more
This book is not unlike many other professional development books. You'll still find some of the same advice: care about people, worry more about people than programs, ignore the little things, prevention is the key to classroom management, treat people with respect (even if they don't seem to deserve it), etc. Good advice, just nothing really new. However, there were a few points that really stood out to me:
*The author suggests that in every situation you should ask "Who will feel the most comf...more
*The author suggests that in every situation you should ask "Who will feel the most comf...more
had to read this book for a course on teacher disposition during my professional semester (prior to student teaching) While the points made were well intentioned I felt the way it was worded came across a bit cocky and obvious reading it as someone who has experience in the teaching field. Now, that is not a bad thing and the simplicity of the statements made weekly review assignments easy to discuss as we had to debate with them. They are very easy to debate on with varying teaching styles and...more
First I will preface this review by admitting that anytime an educator tells me that sarcasm has no place in education, I want to respond with "Really?" in a sarcastic tone. Sometimes sarcasm is appropriate, especially when giving non-examples or examples. Would I use sarcasm to belittle a student? Never. But do I use sarcasm in my classroom? Yes. Do I think this is OK? Yes.
That aside, perhaps I am more used to more thoroughly researched and developed arguments, but this book seemed to not cite...more
That aside, perhaps I am more used to more thoroughly researched and developed arguments, but this book seemed to not cite...more
Arriving an hour early for my job is not too tragic an event because I get to read. This book was part of another raid on a teacher's bookshelf.
This book was short, and just the right size to feel useful. The author had a voice instead of being a peer-reviewed, soulless narrator like so many teaching books. Plus, it was a nice voice that I wanted to hear.
The book outlines 14 perspectives that good teachers have. Some of the things were good reminders, but I feel are obvious like good teachers...more
This book was short, and just the right size to feel useful. The author had a voice instead of being a peer-reviewed, soulless narrator like so many teaching books. Plus, it was a nice voice that I wanted to hear.
The book outlines 14 perspectives that good teachers have. Some of the things were good reminders, but I feel are obvious like good teachers...more
I know people who think this is the best book of teacher common sense ever printed. And I know people who think that teachers who depend on books like this probably can't figure out how be good teachers on their own--making the book an expensive, thin-gruel crutch with limited value to accomplished practitioners.
I liked the book much more than I thought I would (with a couple of exceptions). There's a great deal of sound thinking in the book. Michael Fullan has said that a good philosophy is a l...more
I liked the book much more than I thought I would (with a couple of exceptions). There's a great deal of sound thinking in the book. Michael Fullan has said that a good philosophy is a l...more
This is the kind of book most could zip through while sipping their first cup of coffee in the morning. The book is concise, the chapters short, and Whitaker assumes the voice of an avuncular principal, the type to use phrases like, “let’s rally our troops, folks.” For some new teachers, this book probably has some usefulness. Whitaker draws extensively from his experience, structuring the book through anecdotes illustrating sound teaching principles.
For most new or experienced teachers, though...more
For most new or experienced teachers, though...more
My Personal Take-aways:
People, not programs, determine the quality of a school.
Great teachers have a plan and a purpose for everything-not just a reason
Great teachers consider-what will the best people think?
Great teachers treat everyone as though they are the "good" one
Great teachers care about their students. They understand that behaviors and belief are tied to emotion, and it is that emotion that has the power to jump-start change.
People, not programs, determine the quality of a school.
Great teachers have a plan and a purpose for everything-not just a reason
Great teachers consider-what will the best people think?
Great teachers treat everyone as though they are the "good" one
Great teachers care about their students. They understand that behaviors and belief are tied to emotion, and it is that emotion that has the power to jump-start change.
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The basic thesis of Todd Whitaker's book is that great teachers all share common traits, not the least of which is high expectations for themselves and their students. He then proceeds to list these traits. "What Great Teachers Do Differently" is an easy read, and is barely over 120 pages in length. Some of the content can be considered common sense, but I found much of it to be thought provoking. For teachers and educators both new and experienced, I highly recommend this book.
I just re-read this book because I remember being really inspired by it the first time I read it. It's a great book that really drives home the importance of the teacher in the classroom. This is not a book about teaching strategies or classroom management. This is a book about the attitude and moral code we bring to the classroom. It should be required reading for teachers with bad attitudes. It reminded me to set high standards for myself. One of my favorite strategies, which applies to any fi...more
Given as a gift by my current principal to his staff, I found this to be just
the booster I needed to recalibrate and face second semester.
Great teachers have high expectations for their students, and even higher ones for themselves.
They consistently strive to improve, and focus on the students first. They create a positive atmosphere
in their classrooms, treat everyone with respect, and filter out the negatives that don't matter.
I learned a strategy to use when faced with a decision or classroom...more
the booster I needed to recalibrate and face second semester.
Great teachers have high expectations for their students, and even higher ones for themselves.
They consistently strive to improve, and focus on the students first. They create a positive atmosphere
in their classrooms, treat everyone with respect, and filter out the negatives that don't matter.
I learned a strategy to use when faced with a decision or classroom...more
Good ideas abound in this book, but ways to implement them are not quite so plentiful. I really enjoyed reading this book, but like so many education books that read very well, implementation is not as easy as the book makes it seem. I did enjoy what is written in the book, and I will be trying to use these ideals in my classroom. Overall, it is a worth while read with helpful information.
The title is kind of a misnomer. It's more like "here's some stuff bad teachers do and what you an administrator can do to stop them from doing those things." That's all well and good, but we need specific pointers about how to then do something that WILL address the problem. It didn't address my needs as a teacher at all really.
This book is an exciting look into what my career could include. My colleagues and I aren't there yet, but we are dependent upon the vision of administrators and politicians who make implementation decisions. I have a strong desire to teach in a cutting-edge and innovative institution. This book was inspiring.
The suggestions in this book seemed to rely too much on common sense. Plus, the irony is that "bad" or "ineffective" teachers aren't going to be motivated to read the book in the first place. Parts of it also reminded me a bit of the FISH! philosophy: Be There, Play, Make Their Day, and Choose Your Attitude.
Like most good books, this made me look at myself and the world differently. I read a lot of practical, feasible advice about how to run my classroom and how to approach difficult situations. I might re-read this before next year to get myself in the right frame of mind before going back to school.
This book should be given as a mandatory course for all College of Education students!!!
I know I will be using it as a guide when I graduate! It's like a teacher's secret weapon..
Will never be able to describe how seriously amazing, useful and cool was/is this book!
I know I will be using it as a guide when I graduate! It's like a teacher's secret weapon..
Will never be able to describe how seriously amazing, useful and cool was/is this book!
This book has some valid points that are important to reiterate, for example setting high expectations, the negative use of sarcasm, and treating students fairly. While this may be an effective book for new teachers, I didn't gain any new insights.
I cannot overstate how great this book is. So practical and informative and inspiring for teachers. It's a quick read, but packed with great information. It's a perfect companion to the Substitute Teacher Handbook - ahem.
This is one of my all-time favorite professional development books. It's a quick, easy read and gave me ideas I could implement right away. It also reinforced some of the things I already do in my classroom.
There are no revelations or groundbreaking approaches in this book. Instead, it is an expanded list of common sense practices and things you hope all teachers are already doing (or at least trying to do).
This was a suggested read at my high school as a mock-up book club type activity. Whitaker has some interesting ideas and promotes positive behavior and change. Honestly, more than anything, reading this made me sad that there are teachers who think negative behavior/sarcasm/put-downs are ok.
It's a quick read, but more than anything, this made me feel confident that I am doing the right thing.
It's a quick read, but more than anything, this made me feel confident that I am doing the right thing.
While there wasn't much in this book that was earth shattering in its newness to me, I did feel inspired while reading this book. I also felt some affirmation for many of my own practices.
This is pretty quick, so it's not a bad thing to read right before school starts, as our principal wanted us to do. But I found it pretty light-weight and full of a lot of truisms.
Though it started slow and I initially expected little from it, I put many of its ideas into practice while reading and found that it was a "stitch in time."
The big secret seems to be that great teachers approach every part of their job positively.
I wish the book had spoken in more specific terms, though.
I wish the book had spoken in more specific terms, though.
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