An often engaging guide, but parents may wish it were less pedagogical and more practical.
An educational consultant enthusiastically discusses the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) method in an example-driven resource for parents and teachers.
In a world that’s seen leaps and bounds in technology, what progress has been made in how kids are taught in school? Novak (UDL Now!, 2016), who’s also a parent herself, is convinced that today’s children need an updated mode of learning that meets their individual needs. To make this change, she says that one may use the well-known UDL educational framework. The method, she says, breaks down the learning process into three parts: the affective network, which “has to be motivated”; the recognition network, which “has to be resourceful”; and the strategic network, which “has to be self-directed.” The author uses an abundance of metaphors to help explain this method, encouraging readers to “think of the brain as a heating system” with the three aforementioned networks acting as the “thermostat,” the “burner”, and the “blower,” working together to heat a home. This metaphor is expanded with examples of UDL lessons in action in classroom settings and in Novak’s own life, showing how paying attention to these three parts of the learning process can better engage students and children at home. Subsequent chapters discuss the value of variability, the hardships that teachers face, and the power of high expectations. The intriguing metaphors help to make some of the jargon more palatable, each chapter ends with helpful “key takeaways,” and snappy line drawings illustrate Novak’s points through the book. Although she has written the book as a resource for parents, the majority of its ideas are meant to be implemented in the classroom. Readers may want more examples of how a parent can engage their child’s teacher with these tools. There’s some discussion of specific challenges (the chapter “What Teachers Are Up Against” is a welcome addition), but some other factors that may influence kids (poverty, trauma, stress) aren’t addressed. That said, the book’s bright metaphors, sample lessons, and anecdotes will make the UDL method appealing, even to readers with no teaching experience.
An often engaging guide, but parents may wish it were less pedagogical and more practical.Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-930583-16-0
Page Count: 170
Publisher: CAST Professional Publishing
Review Posted Online: Sept. 26, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
The sub-title of this book is "Reflections on Education with Special Reference to the Teaching of English in the Upper Forms of Schools." But one finds in it little about education, and less about the teaching of English. Nor is this volume a defense of the Christian faith similar to other books from the pen of C. S. Lewis. The three lectures comprising the book are rather rambling talks about life and literature and philosophy. Those who have come to expect from Lewis penetrating satire and a subtle sense of humor, used to buttress a real Christian faith, will be disappointed.
Pub Date: April 8, 1947
ISBN: 1609421477
Page Count: -
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1947
An intriguing approach to identifying and relating to one’s emotions.
An analysis of our emotions and the skills required to understand them.
We all have emotions, but how many of us have the vocabulary to accurately describe our experiences or to understand how our emotions affect the way we act? In this guide to help readers with their emotions, Brackett, the founding director of Yale University’s Center for Emotional Intelligence, presents a five-step method he calls R.U.L.E.R.: We need to recognize our emotions, understand what has caused them, be able to label them with precise terms and descriptions, know how to safely and effectively express them, and be able to regulate them in productive ways. The author walks readers through each step and provides an intriguing tool to use to help identify a specific emotion. Brackett introduces a four-square grid called a Mood Meter, which allows one to define where an emotion falls based on pleasantness and energy. He also uses four colors for each quadrant: yellow for high pleasantness and high energy, red for low pleasantness and high energy, green for high pleasantness and low energy, and blue for low pleasantness and low energy. The idea is to identify where an emotion lies in this grid in order to put the R.U.L.E.R. method to good use. The author’s research is wide-ranging, and his interweaving of his personal story with the data helps make the book less academic and more accessible to general readers. It’s particularly useful for parents and teachers who want to help children learn to handle difficult emotions so that they can thrive rather than be overwhelmed by them. The author’s system will also find use in the workplace. “Emotions are the most powerful force inside the workplace—as they are in every human endeavor,” writes Brackett. “They influence everything from leadership effectiveness to building and maintaining complex relationships, from innovation to customer relations.”
An intriguing approach to identifying and relating to one’s emotions.Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-250-21284-9
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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