From the Publisher:
THEME: The text is based on the theme that children who are successful learners are active, reflective thinkers who construct their understanding, develop positive learning strategies, monitor their learning, and are motivated and goal-directed.
DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS: The text affirms that teachers of successful learners adapt their instruction to developmental needs and individual differences, understand contexts, set challenging standards, and effectively assess learners.
APPLICATIONS TO TEACHING: Detailed applications to teaching immediately follow each concept and theory. Teaching Strategies sections spell out step-by-step best-practice plans for successful classroom use of the research discussed in the text.
AUTHENTIC VOICES: The text includes authentic teacher and student voices - the observations, comments, and stories of a diverse group of award winning classroom teachers and their students in such features as Teaching Stories, Through the Eyes of Teachers, and Through the Eyes of Teachers.
CONSTRUCTIVIST: The text has an evident and solid constructivist emphasis. It also stresses a developmental perspective, covering not only elementary education, but also early childhood and secondary education - and draws on Santrock's extensive writing in developmental psychology.
RESEARCH FROM 1998-2000:Extensively researched, the text's citations are mostly from 1998-2000. More than 300 are from 1999-2000.
CRITICAL THINKING:At the end of each chapter an Adventures for the Mind section poses four critical-thinking exercises for students.
DIVERSITY: Diversity is integrated throughout the text and in numerous Diversity and Education boxed features.
TECHNOLOGY: Technology is addressed in a dedicated chapter (Chapter 10) and in Technology and Education boxed features. Approximately 15-30 times each chapter Internet icons in the text margins signal an extension to the Santrock Online Learning Center Web site.
CROSS LINKAGES: A system of page-referenced cross-linkages, unique to educational psychology texts, refers students back to the primary discussion of key concepts.
CLASS-TESTED: The book was class-tested at both the University of Texas-Dallas and at Virginia Tech. A student focus group provided valuable feedback. An expert research consultant and/or master teacher reviewed each chapter of the book and other experts evaluated the entire text on ethnicity and culture, gender, early childhood education, elementary education, and secondary education.
COMPING GUIDELINE: Look for users of all major introduction to educational psychology texts, especially Woolfolk, Ormrod, Slavin, and Eggen/Kauchak.
BOOK'S POSITION: Fresh, innovative, involving, full-color; emphasizes important contemporary themes such as diversity, technology, and development issues within a constructivist framework. Understandable, and equipped with strong student pedagogy, especially very specific, step-by-step Teaching Strategies features that apply concepts and research to real-world classrooms. Most citations are from 1998-2000.
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