Presentation Rubric for Book Reviews

for Class and PLC/Discussion Board Collaboration

Part 1: Professional Reading Assignment
Select/read a book from the list in the syllabus or one of your choice (with approval of professor) that
meets the criteria of a professional level book related to teaching and learning.
One book can be selected for the PL group to read or different books can be selected. !he
responses will still be made by individual group members.
!he key is to syntesi!e te information and encourage others to read the book. Link the
information to the "ig #dea of increasing student learning.
Do not recreate or try to teac te entire book. Others can read the book if they are interested.
$our %ob is to syntesi!e te information and present it in a compelling and professional manner.
&se the notions of De"t and Com"le#ity in your review.
Amanda $orbes % &D' ()*
+eac Like ,our -air.s on $ire/ Rafe &s0uit/ *112
+ask Res"onse
Select '() key
areas or points
made by the author
that add to your
professional learning
and synthesi*e the
ideas by making
connections to other
relevant research
and current
information to
support the validity
of the book content.
Point 1
!he first key point made by +s,uith is the importance of building a classroom with a foundation of
trust- rather than a foundation of fear. !he author points out that many teachers- especially young
or new teachers- tend to use fear tactics in order to maintain order and respect in the classroom.
+s,uith however- urges teachers to use trust as a foundation for classroom management. .e
e/plains that teachers must earn the trust of their students in order to earn their respect. !eachers
must follow through with their promises- be dependable- and discipline techni,ues must be logical-
not emotional. !eachers must be a role model for their students.
Point *
Once trust is established- +s,uith uses 0 Levels of 1oral 2evelopment adapted from Lawrence
3ohlberg. !his is the second key point in +s,uith4s book. Students are not test scores. 5hile test
scores are important- +s,uith urges teachers to assist their students in learning 6character-
honesty- morality- or generosity of spirit7 (+s,uith 8)). !he author focuses a large amount of his
te/t on encouraging students to be moral- honest and good people- rather than %ust priming them
for standardi*ed tests. !his point made by +s,uith is very important. #n most of my observation
and volunteer hours in classroom across content(areas and grade levels- # have heard endless
lectures about how important tests are. 9s a high school student- # was drilled on how big of an
effect the S9!s would have on my future. 9t times- # felt as if my entire high school career was
based on prepping me to pass this test- however little to no effort was put into teaching myself or
my classmates how to be good citi*ens or compassionate people.
Point 3
!he third key idea of +s,uith4s te/t is that the amount of time and effort that teachers put into their
classroom and their students will determine how well their students succeed academically and
how much they grow as good individuals. +s,uith has built his classroom and his group- the
.obart Shakespeareans- on his own time. .e e/plains that to truly succeed as a teacher- one
must dedicate heart and soul and all of their time to the cause. .e opens his classroom doors
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before school begins- does after school meetings- Saturday studies- and countless field trips.
5hile this is a sacrifice on his part- he states that the payout for this sacrifice is more than worth it
to see his students flourish.
+laborate on these
key ideas (in
previous task) by
evaluating the ideas
and applying the
ideas to professional
practice.
4dea 1:
#mplementing the idea of building a classroom based on trust can be difficult- as pointed out by
+s,uith. 5hile many teachers- particularly young teachers- come into their classroom e/perience
with the idea that the first day of class every year is the time for them to 6lay down the law7 with
their students. !his is the time to instill fear in order to gain respect and earn obedience from the
class. Laying down the law- will work to create an obedient group of students- however it does not
help these students grow as individuals and it certainly does not allow students to trust their
teacher as their educator and their life coach. +s,uith e/plains that building trust in the classroom
is a two(way road. !eachers must e/plain to their students that they want to trust them. !hey want
to trust them to be respectful in the classroom. !hey want to trust them to put all of their effort into
their education. !hey want to trust them to turn in assignments on time. +s,uith urges teachers to
e/plain that at some point one of those things will be broken during the school year- however trust
will only be broken through lies. #t is okay for a student to miss a due date if they are truthful with
why the assignment is not done and talk to the teacher about a solution to the problem.
On the other side- teachers must help their students trust them. !his is not achieved through fear.
+s,uith e/plains that students can trust their teachers once their teacher proves to be dependable.
#n implementing this idea into the classroom as a professional- teachers must follow a few rules.
!eachers cannot make promises they cannot keep. #f a teacher offers a reward for good behavior-
that reward must be given. #f an activity is promised to the class- that activity must take place.
3eeping promises is the first step to gaining students4 trust. !he second rule is that discipline in the
classroom must be logical. #mplementing this rule means that teachers cannot discipline an entire
class for a single student4s misbehavior. +s,uith also states that in his classroom discipline also
includes e/clusion from activities and in his classroom that is punishment because he makes sure
that all activities are educational and e/citing.
4dea *:
!he si/ levels that +s,uith teaches in his class are based on his love for the novel- To Kill a
Mockingbird. .e e/plains that level one thinkers follow instructions and rules simply because they
6don4t want to get in trouble7. 5hile this creates behaved individuals- it s,uashes individual
thinking and ,uestioning of why rules are what they are. Level two thinkers obey because they
6want a reward7. 9gain- this leads to obedience- but +s,uith argues that students should want to
be good people- not %ust for reward. Level three thinkers want to 6please somebody7- mainly the
teacher in a classroom setting. 5anting to please their teachers is good- however students should
do things to please themselves as well. Level four thinkers make decisions to 6follow the rules7.
5hile following rules is great- students must learn to do things for reasons other than %ust following
the rules in life. !hey need to be deeper thinkers- not %ust rule followers. Level five thinkers do
things because they are 6considerate of other people7. !his level of thinking is wonderful- however
+s,uith claims that we can get students to do more. +s,uith urges teachers to train their students
to be level si/ thinkers. Level si/ thinkers 6have a personal code of behavior and follow it7. !his
means that while a teacher can model good behavior and admirable morals- students must decide
what morals are important to them and create their own code of behavior to follow- not only during
school years but throughout their lives.
Putting this idea into professional practice would include the teacher being a role model in the
classroom. Students watch everything their teachers do and listen to everything they say. #t is
every teacher4s responsibility to model the moral behaviors they would like their students to learn.
5hile classroom rules and conse,uences are a standard way to do this- +s,uith urges teachers to
show rather than tell students how to be moral and compassionate.
4dea 3:
+s,uith demonstrates his dedication to his students4 success through the amounts of time he puts
into his classroom.
9s an elementary teacher- +s,uith knows the pressure to teach mainly +nglish and 1athematics-
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however he dedicates multitudes of his time and resources to incorporating things that are
important to his students into his classroom as well- like science- music and arts. 5hen +s,uith
became aware that a number of his students in band had such a love for music- he toured as
many schools as he could to observe their music programs. .e compiled ideas and activities for
music to incorporate into his classroom. !he author humbly admits- his is not at all artistically
inclined- however through the years he put time and effort into finding fulfilling art pro%ects to
incorporate every year in his classroom. 9s for science- +s,uith states that as an elementary
teacher- it is very hard to teach science. !here is a lack of funding for much more than outdated
science te/tbooks. .owever- being dedicated to his students- +s,uith began taking donations and
putting together lab kits so that his students can participate in actual science e/periments at their
young ages.
!his type of dedication to his students boils down to time. .e commits all of his time to teaching.
5hen he sees something lacking in his classroom he researches- observes and puts together
plans of action. !his is something that # hope to mimic as a teacher. !his point of dedication can be
put into practice by every teacher. 9s professionals- teachers should be researching online- in
other classrooms- in other school districts- and collaborating with other teachers to find strategies
and activities to implement in their classrooms. 9s +s,uith points out- gaining student trust
depends on their ability to see your dedication to them. #n the case of teaching- dedication is time.

+valuate the content
in relationship to a
hristian worldview.
2escribe and
e/plain areas of
compatibility and
areas of
differences:
+s,uith4s te/t relates to hristian worldview in many ways. .e writes about the importance of
teaching children to be moral and kind people. .e complains that in today4s education system
many teachers and administrators focus solely on students4 test scores- instead of their character
as individuals. +s,uith4s plea for new teachers to be role models of morality and compassion
reminds me of a few "ible verses. Proverbs '';0 says- 6!rain up a child in the way he should go;
and when he is old- he will not depart from it.7 9s teachers- we lay the moral groundwork for
students. #f we train students up in the moral ways they should go- they will have a path to follow
as they grow and mature.
+s,uith also speaks about teachers gaining the trust of their students by being dependable and
and understanding- rather than instilling fear. < orinthians =;' says- 61oreover- it is re,uired of
stewards that they be found trustworthy.7 9s teachers- we are stewards. 5e look over children and
we manage their education and their knowledge. 9s stewards of our students be must be
trustworthy individuals- not only to gain their trust but because the Lord demands it of us.
Lastly/ &s0uit wants teacers to dedicate as muc time and effort as tey can to teir
classroom and teir students5 6en 4 read tis idea/ Romans 1*:782 came to mind5 4t
says/
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6e ave different gifts/ according to te grace given to eac of us5 4f your gift is
"ro"esying/ ten "ro"esy in accordance wit your fait: if it is serving/ ten serve: if
it is teacing/ ten teac5; As teacers/ our gift is teacing5 As tis verse says/ if our
gift is teacing/ we must teac5 +is means dedication/ effort and "assion5 4t means a
lot of "lanning and "re"aring/ a lot of long nigts and a lot of eartace/ but dedication
is wat will "ut our <od8given gifts to good use5
Link the book
content to
one/several of the
four theories we are
studying in this
course. Provide a
comprehensive
overview of how the
content of this book
falls into the
category of one or
more of these four
theories.
# believe that +s,uith4s book and his ideas about education strongly link to the Learning !heory of
onstructivism. #n the book he talks about the need for teachers to allow their students to
e/periment in their learning and to fail. .e states that students must fail sometimes in order to
come to conclusions about what went wrong- and try again. onstructivism also calls for students
to construct knowledge through active in,uiry and active discovery. +s,uith also urges teachers to
make their classroom a safe environment for learning- meaning students are comfortable
communicating with their teacher because they will not be mocked or embarrassed. onstructivist
theory lists part of the teachers role as creating learning situations in which students feel safe
,uestioning and reflecting on their own processes. +s,uith outlines a multitude of activities in
which students e/plain their preconceptions about a sub%ect- discuss it with peers- and then test
new ideas through activities- which directly links to onstructivism as well.
onstructivism is based on students being active participants in their own learning- which is also
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the basis of +s,uith4s lessons and classroom management system.
Describe183 Big
4deas that seem to
link your book to a
theory we are
studying and provide
a rationale for your
choice. +/plain in
full detailed manner.
"ig #dea ><
Learners do not passively absorb information from the environment; rather, they
actively work to make sense of their environment and construct their own, unique
understandings of the world.
!his big idea is linked throughout +s,uith4s te/t. .e makes all content(area activities hands(on
e/periences in which students are active participants to learning- rather than passive absorbers.
+s,uith also puts a ma%or emphasis on the importance of students constructing their own uni,ue
understandings of the world. "y the end of their year in his classroom- his goal is that each student
has created their own personal moral code and has already begun to follow this personal code. .e
fights the commonly accepted practice that teachers are in control- and students should blindly
follow their rules and be obedient bystanders. .e urges teachers to create a learning environment
in which students watch his behavior as a model- and they decide what they feel is morally correct
for their own lives.
"ig #dea >'
Learning is more likely to occur when learners pay attention to the information to be
learned.
!his big idea links to much of +s,uith4s te/t. .e e/plains that lessons and activities should be
engaging and fun. !e/tbook passages and writing paragraphs do not get learners to pay attention
to information. +s,uith takes time to make his lessons engaging by making them hands on. ?or
science instruction- +s,uith ensures that students are using lab e,uipment and following
e/periment procedure to form ideas and conclusions. .e makes history engaging by
supplementing te/t with videos and interactive materials. .e uses math drills that involve the entire
class working together- which seems more like a game than a math drill. #n every content(area
+s,uith4s goal is to get students interested in learning. 5hen activities and information is
presented in a fun manner- students are more likely to pay attention and in turn more likely to
learn.
"ig #dea >)
Learning is enhanced when learners engage in self-evaluation.
!his big idea strongly links to +s,uith4s book. Students in his classes engage in self(evaluation on
a regular basis. !hey use self(evaluation on assignments- including writing assignments. !hey
work on writing assignments throughout the year in which they write- evaluate- re(write- evaluate-
and so on until they feel that they have written the best possible piece that they can. Students in
his classes also use self(evaluation for personal issues. ?or e/ample- a student missed turning in
multiple assignments. She came to +s,uith and apologi*ed that she did not have her homework.
5hen he asked why she answered that it got lost from her folder. .er folder was completely
unorgani*ed. She offered to re(do the assignment and apologi*ed. +s,uith asked her what may be
a better solution to this problem so that she could get future assignments turned in. She thought
for a moment and then answered that she should re(organi*e her folder. !his was a perfect
e/ample of +s,uith allowing the student to engage in self(evaluation which led to her creating an
in(depth- instead of temporary- solution to a problem.
.ow has this
reading helped you
develop a deeper
conceptual
knowledge of this
content: @efer to
deeper learning in
Learning Sciences
article.
!his reading helped me develop a deeper conceptual knowledge of teaching in a few ways. !he
learning sciences states that 6deep learning re,uires that learners relate new ideas and concepts
to previous knowledge and e/perience7. !his reading re,uired me to take +s,uith4s ideas of
activities in various content areas and apply his concepts to what # have already learned and
e/perienced in my classes.
+s,uith4s te/t also re,uired me to look for patterns and underlying principles in his te/t.
!hroughout the reading # found patterns like +s,uith4s urgency to take every opportunity possible
to help students grow as moral individuals. # also found the underlying principle that he believes
that every student has the ability to learn. .is school is a low(income school in L.9. with many of
his students as +L learners. 2espite all of the things that should hold these students back- his
principle of dedication allows students to push past obstacles and not only thrive in their education
but to create a path of morality and compassion that they will continue to travel on as they mature.
4
De"t and
Com"le#ity; .ow
did you achieve
deeper learning for
yourself in your
study of this book
content: Provide
e/plicit evidence.
# achieved deeper learning for myself in my study of this book in that # no longer carry the same
ideas that good teachers are the ones that put up their money for e/tra school supplies. #
previously felt that good teachers use their curriculum- care about student learning and with
budget(cuts good teachers willingly pay for what their classroom needs. 9fter reading +s,uith4s
book- # now understand more deeply what a good teacher is. +s,uith does not use a bunch of
money for his classroom. .is contribution to his students has nothing to do with school supplies or
following curriculum. .e is a good teacher because he dedicates every spare moment of his life to
his students. .e hosts before and after school meetings for students to engage in learning. .e
uses class time to the fullest e/tent by pre(planning lessons and activities that are educational-
meaningful- and engaging. .e participates in students4 personal interests and finds ways to
incorporate those interests into the classroom. .e dedicates time on weekends to meeting with
students. .e helps his students achieve and succeed at every point that he can and he never
gives up on them. 1y understanding of what a 6good teacher7 or 6good teaching7 is has changed
drastically through this reading.
.ow has this study
helped move you
from novice to
e/pert professional:
See chapter 17 of
text regarding
novice and expert
professionals.
!his study has helped me move from novice to e/pert professional in that it has provided me with
classroom activities that engage students in writing- reading- mathematics- science- art- physical
education- history and music. "ecause +s,uith is an +lementary teacher- # will be able to
implement these strategies in my future elementary classroom.
!his te/t has also help me to become an e/pert in that +s,uith e/plained ,uite thoroughly that at
one- or many points teaching will seem overwhelming. # will have students that will test my abilities
and make me ,uestion whether or not # am fit for this career. &nderstanding that state tests and
administration policies will sometimes add to the challenges of teaching- # can prepare. # can now
prepare myself for the times at which teaching will seem to be too much and that my abilities seem
to be too little. # can prepare for responding to challenges in the road to teaching. +s,uith4s book
has allowed me to remember what is truly important in teaching and to always keep my head up
and roll with the punches.
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