Review of Intro to EM Book by Griffiths

Introduction to Electrodynamics is a great course in electromagnetism written by great David J. Griffiths. He writes about electromagnetism in a concise, easy style, and, as a rule, tries to create a physical picture of the ideas explored before delving into the underlying mathematics used to describe them. The discussion is accompanied by many examples and exercises that definitely help the readers apply the material they've learned. This textbook is definitely counts as one of the really good ones when it comes to beginner introductions to electrodynamics and will serve as a great reference for years to come.

This textbook presumes that the reader has knowledge of elementary calculus, but introduces to the reader the ideas of vector analysis which form the necessary mathematical background to learn from most of the book. This is the most well-received introductory textbook on electricity and magnetism, and has won that eminence by being an uncomplicated, educational and thorough introduction to topic. The introduction to the mathematics is extremely useful, not only for applying the physics but also for learning applied mathematics and for learning other branches of physics and understanding the basis of the mathematics used. This introduction actually does a better job of explaining vector mathematics than most other textbooks used in undergraduate calculus studies - those specifically written for this subject - that's how clear Griffiths is!

The foremost concern about the text is that the solutions to the book's exercises are only found in the instructor's handbook.This introduction is a marvellous complement to an undergraduate-level| electrodynamics class and a wonderful reference on the subject matter, but somebody self-learning from the book might not be able to solve all of the end-of-chapter problems without access to the solutions or a knowledgeable mentor as guide. But, it's good to know that the elemental problems can be simply untangled with the guidance of the in-chapter examples. Basically, if you have access to the solution manual of even if you do not, you will get the material. If you need it, you can find help on internet discussions and forums, from a mentor by thinking about things on your own for a little longer than usual.

Introduction to Electrodynamics is the best introductory text to electromagnetism there is and a fantastic beginning for anyone interested in understanding the subject. I strongly suggest purchasing this text for your course if it is required and even if it is just a recommended book - you will use it many times. For the amateur, I do recommend this text if you want to solve puzzles and understand the workings of electricity & magnetism in a mathematical way.

For a more in-depth review of Introduction to Electrodynamics by David J. Griffiths visit whichtextbook.com, a website dedicated to finding the best way to learn, the best textbooks and self-learning.

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Review Aims to Avert Cheating on State Tests

New York State education officials announced Monday that they had begun to review the way they detect and prevent cheating on standardized tests, taking a step to avoid the cheating scandals that have engulfed school systems in other states.

New York does not conduct statistical analyses of its high-stakes third- through eighth-grade tests to scour for suspicious results that could signal cheating, like unusual spikes in a school’s scores or predictable erasures on multiple-choice questions, officials said.

Analyses in Atlanta and Philadelphia, among other cities, have produced evidence of tampering on a scale that calls into question those cities’ educational achievements.

The State Education Department released a brief statement on Monday saying that the education commissioner, John B. King Jr., had convened a ?high-level working group in mid-July to begin an immediate review of “all aspects of the state’s testing system.” Officials said details would be available soon.

The group, headed by Valerie Grey, the executive deputy commissioner, will make recommendations to districts that will ensure “the integrity of our testing system before our students return to school in September,” though it may continue making recommendations after the school year starts. Schools are due to get the results of the 2011 third- through eighth-grade tests this week.

“We are in a period now where I believe the results of state testing systems around the country are coming under scrutiny,” Merryl H. Tisch, the commissioner of the State Board of Regents, said in an interview, adding that the state was acting to shore up public trust in its tests.

One hurdle, she said, was technological: the state’s testing systems are not designed to send computerized versions of results for easy comparison. But the state has hired a new testing company, Pearson, to develop its middle and elementary school tests beginning next year, and “the next iteration of test production will add technology to the system to make these types of studies much easier,” she said.

While New York City conducts investigations when questions about results are raised at a particular school, the city’s Education Department does not look systemwide for suspicious patterns on the tests. Those tests are the primary way the city judges the performance of elementary and middle schools on its annual school report cards. Before Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg won control of the schools, the city did conduct erasure analyses, but they were stopped by the Board of Education because of concerns about cost and effectiveness, city officials said.

On the state tests for high school students known as Regents exams, an analysis by The New York Times found a suspicious spike in the number of students who scored just over the passing bar, a statistically improbable result. The city has begun to audit those exams, and the state has changed a policy that had required teachers to re-grade Regents tests of students who came close to passing.

On the elementary and middle school tests, however, the main concern of policy makers has been score inflation, not cheating.? Acknowledging that the tests had become too easy to pass, the state adjusted scoring last year, causing hundreds of thousands of additional children to fall below proficiency.

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Book Review: Gorillas in the Mist, by Dian Fossey

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Textbook Book Review - An Introduction to Business

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How Colleges Have Given Up on Educating Your Child: A Book Review

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The Myth of Alzheimer's - A Review

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Textbook Book Review - An Introduction to Business

Are you considering a career in business? Perhaps now is the time to get yourself ready, as the economy starts to recover and jobs start to come back to America. Are you considering getting an MBA, or a degree in business? Do you see yourself in the future as being a business manager of a business unit, or retail store? If so, perhaps you should learn more about how businesses operate, make their money, and manage their employees.

Of course it's not all that simple, s there is a lot more to it than that. Nevertheless, it makes sense to get an early start, and perhaps consider some business courses as well. If you don't have time to go to school right now there's a very good book that I would like to recommend to you. It is a textbook, and it is available online. It is a book that I do own in my personal library for reference, even though I am a retired franchisor, and perhaps I could've written the book myself.

The reason I keep this book is because I believe it's interesting to get the academic perspective on the topic, and to learn what our business schools, and community colleges are teaching future students who will attain business degrees, and then move into the workforce. The name of the book is;

"Intro to Business" Fourth Edition) by Steven A. Eggland, Les R. Dlabay, James L. Burrow, Robert A. Ristau, South Western Educational Textbook Publishers, Cincinnati, OH, (2000), 677 pages, ISBN: 0538-69146-8.

This book is broken into chapters or sections, which are referred to as units. Each unit and subsequent chapters goes into a different aspect of business, things that you need to know. For instance unit one talks about the economic environment, which is extremely important right now, as we exit the downturn in the business cycle to an inflationary period. Learn about business cycles, creating statistical modeling, and making proper economic decisions. Then there is a section or unit on business operations, and one on business and government regulations.

There are also units on international business, as well as small business management. Also you can learn about business credit and financing, as well as strategic investment strategies and risk management and return on investment. This is a very well-rounded book, easy-to-read, nicely formatted, and pre-highlighted to make your learning much easier. If you are looking for a starter book on the introduction to business - this is definitely a book that I would like to recommend to you, and like I said you can find it online.

Lance Winslow is an Online Author, his latest eBook about Boat Detailing is now available in the "Lance Winslow Small Business Series" titled; "How to Start a Boat Cleaning Business" (a Nook Book available at the Barnes and Noble Website). Lance Winslow is semi-retired and Founder of the Online Think Tank http://www.worldthinktank.net/ - You may contact Lance Winslow by email for dialogue, discourse, discussion, or debate on interesting topics.

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Book Review: Gorillas in the Mist, by Dian Fossey

Dian Fossey was brutally murdered in 1985, her attacker or attackers splitting her skull with a machete, the type commonly used by poachers. She was found in the bedroom of her cabin in Virunga Mountains, Rwanda, and had apparently tried to load her pistol during the attack. To this day her killer or killers have not been found.

While Fossey worked primarily as a zoologist in the mountain forests of Rwanda, she was also involved in strenuous and time consuming anti-poaching activities. While it was illegal to poach gorillas in the Virunga mountains, this law was barely enacted by local authorities, who would pretty much turn a blind eye. Fossey single handedly took it upon herself to police the poachers and confiscate their traps. Speculation abounds as to whether she was murdered by the poachers, or if the Rwandian authorities had got sick of her presence and determination to protect the gorillas from human intervention - either for tourist purposes, or poaching them to ship them off to European zoos.

Fossey described her type of conservation as 'active'. The meaning is pretty clear. She was a hands-on practitioner who believed 100 per cent in enforcing the law and making those who broke it pay the penalty. She dismissively characterised 'theoretical' conservation as the type that ticked all the boxes, but didn't do the hard work of enforcement. Theoretical conservation was all motherhood statements, while active conservation meant risk taking and putting oneself on the line to make positive outcomes happen, even when this unsettled the status quo or threatened the interests of a powerful few.

Eighteen Years Following and Making Contact with the Gorillas

Gorillas in the Mist is Dian Fossey's memoir covering her 18 years of closely following and making contact with gorilla groups in the Rwandian mountain forests. Fossey first started her work in the late 1960s, and was still actively involved in field work up to her death in 1985. This was hard, unglamorous work that demanded a certain level of fitness and fortitude (one is amazed at Fossey's nicotine addiction, and how she managed to track gorillas through such tough terrain with her worsening emphysema). The weather was frequently damp, and Fossey in one section of the book describes a typical day of waking up and having to put on wet clothes and then scythe her way through dense mountain vegetation to follow the gorillas.

Fossey's style if often light and cheerful, and she is fond of making jokes. When describing the gorilla's habit of eating their own dung (perhaps, it is speculated, in order to get vitamin B12 which is fermented in the stomach), she called such fare "instantly warmed TV dinners". The breeziness of the narrative, and her uncomplaining attitude to hardships, is occasionally interrupted by passages of terrible grief and trauma. When one of the gorillas, Digit, is killed by poachers, Fossey recorded her feelings in this deeply moving passage:

"There are times when one cannot accept facts for fear of shattering one's being. As I listened to Ian's news all of Digit's life, since my first meeting with him as a playful little ball of black fluff ten years earlier, passed through my mind. From that moment on, I came to live within an isolated part of myself."

There would be many more gorilla deaths due to the activities of the poachers. The reason so many gorillas die is that, when the poachers try to kidnap one of the younger gorillas, all the family members fight to the death to protect them. Fossey had many of these gorillas buried outside her cabin, where she would eventually also be laid to rest.

A Social History of the Mountain Gorillas

The most extraordinary thing about Gorillas in the Mist is that it presents a social history of the various gorilla groups that Fossey studied and the family groupings within those groups. Fossey named all of the gorillas she followed, also describing in minute detail their personalities and the strategies they used to survive and thrive in those groups. As you read about the many different gorillas and their interactions - great gorilla personalities like Digit, Macho, Uncle Bert, Beethoven, Effie, Peanuts and Coco - you almost start to merge the gorillas into human personalities. Hence Gorillas in the Mist almost reads like the history of a group of people. Of course Fossey gives lots of other zoological information that she learns about the gorillas, like dietary and mating habits, but overall the book concerns itself with the personalities and politics of the gorilla groups.

The reader comes away from Gorillas in the Mist with a deep respect for Dian Fossey. She must certainly have been part nut case to take on the hard and physically demanding work of gorilla tracking. Only a person totally obsessed could put up with the conditions, non-existent pay and constant battling with the poachers. But as Fossey always told her students, their pay was the privilege of working with the gorillas. Nor was Fossey some airy headed idealist. She knew the poverty of the Rwandian people, how over populated and hard pressed for land they were, and that conservation of the gorilla population was the last of their pressing problems.

Gorillas in the Mist is a unique journey into the mountain forests of Africa to meet a gorilla society, and experience their struggles and joys. It also raises many complex questions about the ethical treatment of animals and human responsibility for natural conservation.

Gorillas in the Mist, by Dian Fossey. Published by Phoenix. ISBN: 9-780753-811412

Chris Saliba is a book reviewer from Melbourne, Australia.

More of his book reviews can be read at: http://chrissalibabookreviews.blogspot.com/

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How Colleges Have Given Up on Educating Your Child: A Book Review

I am a mother of two teens. I am a college graduate and a Master Degree drop out from St John's University, New York. In fact, I was accepted by St John's and decided not to attend because they required a year of English Language course and also other subjects that I have already taken. I felt it was unnecessary and a waste of time and money.

For the past year, I have been researching on the relevance of college education in this new economy. In my journey of researching, I found out that there are many roads that lead to a child's success in life and career. In this nation, the vast majority of us are categorized as middle class families. Good old fashioned, hard working Americans looking for ways to help our children advance socially and economically.

However, with the price tag of college education increasing each year, most families are going into certain types of loans just to 'buy' an education for their children. But parents, is that the only road to advancement? Do we want to see our children in debt just to get that education and later find out that it does not buy success? Have you wonder why so many young graduates are struggling financially even with a college education?

One of the books that I have recently read is "The Five-Year Party: How Colleges have given up on educating your child and what you can do about it" by Craig Brandon. I do not agree with everything, however, there are many tips and checklists to take away from Mr. Brandon's book.

Craig Brandon said the purpose of this book is to inform parents about the abuses of higher education that party schools engage in to maximize the number of customers and their incomes at the expense of real education.

He defined party school as a relatively inexpensive four-year residential college/university that rates among the third and fourth tiers (rated by U.S. News and World Report), that admits low grades and low SAT scores.

These are the colleges that most middle income Americans goes to. According to his research:

1. Majority of the students are no better than a high school drop out after graduating. These students are not interested in learning and do not put in effort to learn.

2. Since early 1990s, colleges have been reinventing and transforming into institutions that focus on profits instead of education. Because of this transformation, the administrators want to ensure they retain students by giving exactly what they want, that is, less work more fun.

3. To retain students who are their 'customers', they enlarged dining halls into gourmet food courts, campuses with hot tubs, water parks, climbing walls, work out centers and wide screen television sets all over.

4. Dormitories being replaced by luxury condominiums. So instead of spending money on education, they used it for facilities and luxuries.

5. They use grading curve to transform an F score to a magical B. There is no high expectation for quality school work. Flunking is almost eliminated.

6. Focusing on increasing revenue, they squeezed as many students as possible onto campuses for the highest tuition and longest possible amount of years.

7. When parents and their high school age children tour the campus before they make decision, they are given a 'golden walk'. They give a misrepresentation, misstatement and 'lies' to entice them to sign up.

8. 21 cents to a dollar of your college tuition is for instructions and the rest go to administrators' salaries, construction programs and multi-million-dollar advertising and public relations campaigns.

9. Because of the high tuition fee, two thirds of students need loans to complete their studies and the schools have private loan companies to offer loans to students. Most students do not understand the terms and conditions of the loans until they graduate and are faced with the truth.

10. He outlined the dangers of these campuses because of alcohol, crime, rape, and their obsession with secrecy where parents do not find out the problems until it is too late.

Craig Brandon offered an action plan and a call to action for parents. We need to reinvent higher education with main focus on:

Educating not entertaining.

Go back to basics, the goal is to create "no frills colleges"

Replace unnecessary irrelevant courses with core subjects necessary to maintain our economy, our government and the future of our country

Students need to pass a "value added" exam before granted a degree. Value added means skills and knowledge required to be a leader

Transparency for all college policies and proof that colleges are providing education

My conclusion from this book: talk to our children and find out what are their strengths, goals and passion in life. Without a serious talk,direction and a game plan, we will walk the road to nowhere. Colleges are not the only roads that lead to our children's success.

For further information on strategies to educate your children, please download our Free Report, which is on the top right hand corner of this page. Please leave us a comment on our facebook wall.

Claudia is a mother of 2, wife and stay at home and work from home mom for 16 years. She desires to see parents stepping up to be their best and raising up a generation of uncompromising, relevant and purposed driven adults. She believes traveling, volunteering and learning another language in addition to English are important tools for educating children.

You can find her at http://www.uncommongeneration.com/. You can download a FREE REPORT: 7 Little Known Strategies the Elite Few Use to Educate their Children without Breaking the Bank!

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Review - Astronomy for Beginners

Astronomy for Beginners, Jeff Becan, 2007, ISBN 9781934389256

This book attempts to explain Earth, the solar system, our galaxy and our universe, in clear and easy-to-understand language.

For thousands of years, humans had made quite detailed observations about the heavens. It wasn't until the 14th century, when humanity emerged from the Dark Ages, that people started to test their theories about why the heavens were the way they were. Stars, like the Sun, emit energy in wavelengths shorter and longer than visible light, ranging from gamma rays to radio waves to ultraviolet light. Detecting those waves can tell a lot more about objects in the sky than just what we see.

Billions of years ago, matter, time and energy existed as what is known as the initial singularity, smaller than an atom and with nothing else outside of it. Then the Big Bang happened. If the expansion had happened just a little faster than it did happen, then gravity could not have drawn matter together to form stars and planets. Of the four forces that affect various kinds of matter (strong nuclear force, electromagnetic force, weak interaction and gravity), gravity is the weakest, but it has an unlimited range, working over hundreds of millions of miles.

The book explores the Solar System, giving a short profile of all of its inhabitants, from the Sun to Pluto (no longer considered a planet). Also explored is the search for life on other planets; as of now, there is no actual evidence of life anywhere except on Earth.

The axis of Earth is tilted by approximately 23 degrees, which helps to explain Earth's seasons. At the summer solstice, the North Pole is tilted toward the Sun, so its rays beat down most strongly on the Northern Hemisphere. At the winter solstice, the North Pole is tilted away from the Sun, so its rays beat down on the Southern Hemisphere. During the spring and autumn equinoxes, the tilt is sideways to the Sun, so both hemispheres get an equal amount of light.

The author does a very good job at presenting the material in language accessible to anyone. For those who want to learn more about the heavens, but consider themselves scientifically illiterate, this is an excellent place to start.

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Home Style Teaching - A Handbook For Both Parents and Teachers - A Book Review

In the field of education as it is seen today, there can be a tendency to view it as an 'us versus them' mentality when it comes to who is more responsible for the children's education. On one side of the line are the parents; on the other side are the teachers.

From a purely academic standpoint, the teaching profession believes it to be eminently qualified as the best avenue to a child getting a proper education as society deems acceptable. From a practical position, parents feel the need to have great sway regarding their children as to what curriculum is presented that best suits their children's educational needs.

Into the middle of this situation come Raymond and Dorothy Moore. Known around the world as fully qualified within the academic field, they have also taken up the cause of the parent's right to determine what is best for their children. From this position we find an excellent book that addresses both viewpoints titled "Home Style Teaching".

"Home Style Teaching" is more than just another book written that positions itself as to what is best for the child from the parental point of view. It also takes the side of the teachers, understanding why they are so passionate about their perspective when it comes to the education of the child. "Home Style Teaching" is a great resource for teachers and parents alike as it determines to quench the differences between the two camps and accentuate the positives that each has to offer.

Here is an excerpt from "Home Style Teaching" authors Raymond and Dorothy Moore, describing their own reason for writing this book in the first place:

"Home Style Teaching is a simplified, research-based handbook designed for both parents and professional teachers and for student teachers who are worried about becoming professionals. The parents may be either home-schoolers or those who wish to help their children who are troubled by school or are failing. This book sets out to make clear what education should really be and to make the art and science of teaching as understandable, successful and thrilling as it can be...With this book, we hope to take parents and teachers by the hand and lead them to courage and wisdom in one of the greatest of all professions."

From the beginning "Home Style Teaching" sets the stage for cooperation between teacher, parent and student alike. In the sections contained in this powerful book you will find answers to such issues like 'Becoming a Good Teacher' to 'Some Teaching Secrets Not Commonly Practiced'. You will gain insight from "Home Style Teaching" as you explore issues such as 'What We Mean by Curriculum' and 'How Children Develop'. As a bonus, in the appendix, you are given names of well-known individuals that were educated at home, as a source of encouragement that it can be done right and successfully.

In "Home Style Teaching" the authors encourage the option of homeschooling without giving the impression it should be mandated for all. As a result, it can be read from the standpoint of simply learning what is best for the child's education, whether it be received in the public, private or home school environment.

Raymond and Dorothy Moore have placed between the pages of "Home Style Teaching" a ray of hope that will unite both parent and teacher to establish common ground; to agree that all they both really desire is that the child receive the best form of education, resulting in their best chance of succeeding in the world as productive members of society.

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Einstein's Telescope - The Hunt For Dark Matter and Dark Energy in the Universe - Book Review

A few years ago scientist thought they were well on the way to understanding the universe. New tools allowed them to look further and to see more than ever before. One thing that they needed to do is to get some idea of the amount of mass that the universe contained. This should be easy. The matter that we have here on earth is the same kind of matter that shines in the stars. Picking a representative area of the cosmos and getting an inventory of what is visible should give us the answer. Imagine their shock when they found that the normal matter that we all know is only 5% of what the universe contains. A type of matter called dark matter is 23% and the rest is dark energy at 72%. How can we find out about dark matter? We can't see it. As it behaves just like normal matter with respect to gravity, we can find out how much there is by how it influences the normal matter that we can see. It is the motion and speed of the things we can see that tell us it must be there. Dark energy is even harder to pin down. The explanation of why scientist believe it's there is a bit more convoluted, so I'll leave that one up to the author.

One thing that helps us find out about dark matter is Einstein's telescope. We have much better telescopes and other instruments today than we ever had but Einstein's telescope is not one that we can build. Einstein's theory told him that when light from an far object in space passed near an object closer to us like our sun the light would bend so that the apparent position would be shifted from the actual position as observed from the earth. It took an eclipse of the sun with a very bright object slightly behind it and a few years but conditions were finally right and Einstein's prediction was proven. It is the bending of light through a lens that makes a telescopes work. So light bent by a mass in space makes it act like a telescope. This means that, we can use massive objects in space to see images of the objects behind them. The image is somewhat distorted and sometimes multiple images of the same object are created but we can often see objects that we could never see with our normal telescopes. It's best when the massive object is about half way between us and the distance object. Some of the most interesting results come from when the massive object is a cluster of galaxies. But the other important thing is what we learn about the lens. The angle that it bends the light tells us it's mass and every thing that isn't visible normal matter is dark matter. There are other little tricks to getting it right, so again, I'll leave that to the author.

This book takes you on a journey from the universe of Einstein to the universe as it is understood today and beyond to the edge of what is unknown and maybe unknowable. Evalyn Gates is the perfect person to take us on this journey. She is the assistant director of the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics and also a senior research associate at the University of Chicago. She is the former astronomy director of the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum. She makes a complex subject accessible to the average reader. She doesn't assume that you have the prior knowledge and background to understand the subject matter. She uses the first three chapters to make sure you have the background to understand the rest of the book. If you want to get the latest knowledge for understanding what is known about our universe, this book, with it's accessible explanations and many helpful illustrations is the one to get. The author tells you to start with the beautiful color pictures of actual telescope images located in the middle of the book, just for their beauty. Then go back to them as they illustrate the topics in the book.

All my life I've been a seeker after knowledge. I've worked in science, music, the financial field and spent many years as a member of a public speaking organization. I am an avid reader of non fiction books on many different topics. I have a knowledge web site. It's purpose is to share knowledge. Right now it has an extensive music section, some pages on how money works, and a book review section. I like to keep up with scientific knowledge and try to read all the latest books.

http://tonyknows.com/bkrvwsscnc

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School Can Wait - Why it is Wiser to Wait When it Comes to Your Child's Education - A Book Review

Often referred to as the scholarly version of the book "Better Late Than Early" Raymond and Dorothy Moore's book "School Can Wait II" is indeed a compilation of ten years worth of research packed into "just" 300 pages. With 37 pages of references to back up their position regarding when to begin educating children, the Moores have provided an invaluable service to society. According to their son, Dennis (who is a contributing author) the name is a misnomer. It is actually "School Can Wait-Second Edition". No matter, this book is much more than just another book.

As a follow up to their book "Better Late Than Early", the Moores establish the fact that children are expected to learn much sooner than their cognitive skills will allow. Through painstakingly seeking out a large number of both men and women well qualified in the field of education and child development, "School Can Wait" establishes the position that children can wait.

From such thought provoking chapters like "Readiness for School" and "Readiness for Reading" to "Neuropsychological Factors in Learning" you will find a wealth of statistical analysis to back up the Moore's position as it pertains to a child's ability to learn regardless of age. They go to great lengths to confirm what so many contributors to this timeless documentation agree on: children are not ready to learn when we think they are solely based on their age alone.

"School Can Wait" is not an easy read at times, due to its deep insights from an intellectual point of view, but it is a valuable resource to establish anyone's position that children need to be taught based on a number of considerations apart from their age. Through chapters such as "Effectiveness of Early Schooling" to "A Positive Approach to Early Learning" you will gain invaluable insights when it comes to determining when, as well as how, to begin your child's education.

Coupled with "Better Late Than Early" "School Can Wait" will confirm what many parents have suspected all along: that the world is just as much a classroom as any four walls in a building could ever be. Also, once again it is the position of the authors that parents are just as qualified, if not more so, to determine the educational needs of their children than the most educated teacher.

Be assured that "School Can Wait" will challenge you at times due to its extensive in-depth writings. But do not be discouraged to give it a read and thereby educate yourself to the facts that "School Can Wait" is the perfect title to confirm that position for your child.

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Are You Looking to Write a Term Paper Or Report - A Book Review

Let's face it, it's not easy to writing a term paper, and if you are writing a research report; it's even tougher. Perhaps, that's why I'd like to recommend a very good book to you, one that I actually own, and one which can help you along in the process. The name of the book is;

"How to Write Term Papers and Reports - Eight Keys to a Successful Paper" by L Sue Baugh

Anybody who spends a lot of time in college knows that writing a good term paper will make or break your grades. Of course, once you get out into the real world if you are going to do any type of scientific research writing or are required to write any reports, you'll note that it's just as important to your reputation, future career, and upward advancement. In other words, there's money at stake which is even more important than grades.

In this book, the author explains why it's important to focus on your topic, and why you must organize and be disciplined in preparing your document. She suggests a preliminary statement, or a first rough draft abstract, which you will most likely (99% of the time) change later. And you can tell that the author is highly passionate and ethical as she is gives advice to concentrate on in-depth research, and to keep meticulous notes.

She goes heavy into the planning process of writing a paper or report, including the use of outlines. And she states that just because you are done with the first draft does not mean you are anywhere near completed, as she says or suggests that editing can often be 80 to 90% of the work. She also spends a whole chapter on how to select topics in various research strategies to use once you do. The author also explains how to evaluate information using statistics, and research with a critical eye.

There are also chapters on how to document references, logical developments, writing style, mechanics, grammar tips, and how to prepare illustrations, along with the graphs, charts, and pictures you use. Lastly, the author goes into how to give oral presentations about your work, rounding out the perfect research project. Indeed, I highly recommend that you have this book in your writing library, if you are going to create term papers or reports for school or business. Please consider all this.

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'Outliers' Review

Sometimes a book comes along that stops you in your tracks. Sometimes you are so compelled to read and to finish a book that all of your other commitments seem to melt away and disappear. Other times, however, you'll find yourself mildly entertained by a book but not really too engrossed by it. When 'Outliers: The Story of Success' was released by Malcolm Gladwell, I wondered which of these it would be. After reading it I can say that it is definitely the former.

The book is about success - what makes people successful and others not so successful. Gladwell argues that our genetic heritage and cultural legacy have much to do with how successful we are and argues his points brilliantly with mountains of examples and research. You get the feeling when reading 'Outliers' that you are learning about something quite revolutionary - something that is barely even accepted by most people yet, but something that will be very soon.

The level of detail that Gladwell has gone into in this book is quite astounding, and is surely the new benchmark for any aspiring writer or scientist. One example that he gives is all about why Korean pilots crash planes far more than any other race. His conclusion is quite brilliant (and backed up with evidence), yet it is one that you might feel that a lot of people would find difficult to accept (because he is stereotyping people by their race). At the end of the book Gladwell talks about how we must first understand our cultural legacy in order to change it, by which point of the book I felt extremely uplifted.

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Book Review - A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

I just finished reading (actually, listening to) a scientific book by Bill Bryson, someone I knew nothing about, on a subject that has been - for most of my life - a kind of love/hate relationship. If you want to read a book full of complex scientific and mathematical computations, where its companion title being an unabridged dictionary, look elsewhere. A Short History of Nearly Everything is a book for the rest of us. For all of us.

I've always loved learning about science, but not necessarily doing science. At least, not what I was exposed to as a student K-12 in the American public school system. But this book captivated my attention before I finished the first chapter and I became engrossed and fascinated with the shocking, if not often, hilarious accounts Bryson describes concerning the history of human scientific endeavor.

Reading this book is like wandering through history, somewhat haphazardly, though did I grow tired or bored. It's just so enchanting, how divisive people were (are), and how an individual's life can be summed up in a single sentence, leaving you wondering what else there was. I think this is why I chose history as my specialty in both my undergraduate degree, and now as a graduate student. I am in awe of people who come before me, and now only exist through pictures, remains and through the written record. This book seems to capture the exhilaration I feel.

If you are even remotely interested in scientific topics, this book is a must read. It has re-sparked my love of scientific discovery and enlivened in me a renewed desire to learn more on the subject.

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A Book Review - Educational Leadership in Pakistan: Ideals and Realities

All about the Book

This is the first ever book on educational leadership, published in Pakistan. Dr. Jan-e-Alam Khaki and Dr. Qamar Safdar are the editors of this book. The book consists of a series of empirical studies undertaken by qualified educational researchers in Pakistan, associated directly or indirectly with AKU-IED. There are various thought provoking and insightful topics in this book; each complements our learning experiences. The book is divided into four sections and fourteen chapters; each section and chapter is intertwined with each other and illuminates issues and its remedial measures. Section one describes the development of education leadership in Pakistan. The second sections deals with the Diversity of Leadership: perceptions and practices of leadership in Pakistan. The third session looks at the role of the educational change agents, and the fourth sections explores the future prospects of educational leadership in Pakistan. In order to get in-depth insights from the book, we decided to focus on first two sections and reviewed initial six chapters.

In first chapter, Dr. Sajid Ali and Muhammad Babur highlight the issues and nature of governance during pre and post independence. Structure of education during British and after independence is analytically compared. Chapter indicates that involvement of educational leadership is missing in both periods, causing various issues in education system, ineffective management and indistinct teaching methodologies, etc. In the second chapter, Zubaida Bana reflects upon the understanding of effective leadership. Using the Katha (storytelling) approach, she starts the discussion pints of a headteacher who imaginatively discovers the meanings in allegories and metaphors in order to understand the roles and responsibilities of an effective education leader in his/her school. Katha of leadership described in this chapter stimulates our minds that every person has the capacity to lead. Some may lead in wider space; others may lead in smaller landscape.

The third chapter is all about of a female pedagogical leader's journey in a traditional context in Pakistan. The writer reflects upon the critical incidents, she came across in her personal to professional life, which helped or impede her way to become a pedagogical leader. The notion of 'leader as a bridge between management and stakeholders' and 'leader as a life-long learner' is evident from her story. In the fourth chapter, Qamar Safdar explores the roles of two effective headteachers of early years in two private schools. The writer reflects on the capacity and ability for the overall development of children. The chapter 5, deals with an ethnographic study conducted by Mola Dad Shafa in a rural context of northern areas of Pakistan. The author discusses the challenges the headteachers faced and the way addressed them. The chapter six, 'Effective School Leadership Practices' is a doctorial research of Dr. Jan-e-Alam Khaki. In this case study, Khaki explores the roles and beliefs of three effective secondary school headteachers and their influences on the teaching and learning practices in schools.

Key Learning from the Book

Being a student of Teacher Education, I was very unfamiliar with different kinds of leadership and its characteristics. The very first time, in our PL course, I heard the terms instructional, moral, transformational, participative, managerial, contingent and pedagogical leadership. But these terms were not much clear to me; I mostly thought them as just theories with no connection with practical life of a leader. This book review provided me with access not only to understand and differentiate in different kinds of leadership, but also relate it with real-life situations.

I have learnt many new things about effective leadership from this book, but due toe limited word limit I will describe some crux of it. While analyzing the first chapter of the book, I feel the same that governance and planning has the role in deteriorated education system in Pakistan. It takes a lot of time in planning and framing the policy, then sending it to the national assembly and senate for debate and translating it into the law. Then piloting of the policy takes long time and when it comes to be implementation, the government gets changed and so the policy. It creates the environment of despair, but when I go through the second chapter (Katha of Leadership), it gives a hope. Here, I learnt that nothing is unachievable in this world. Every person is capable to contribute in the process of change and everyone has capacity to lead. We should not stay waiting for any cosmos power to come to help us; it is high time for everyone to come forward and lead.

The third chapter of the book was the most inspiring and learning factor for me. Here, I learned that how a person (particularly a woman), with her/his strong will, sincerity and zeal breaks the chains of traditional rules. While reading that article, I was deeply thinking that someone has to initiate and take the first step toward the collective development. This article took me in my own context, where female is still considered as the property of the man and only the reproductive machine. Education, even the good food is the sole right of male child. Here, my elder sister (who could not get education herself) by sending her daughter into school, proved herself as traditional rule breaker. Some of other females start following her foot-steps by sending their daughters to the schools. Ten years back, there was no single literate girl in my village, but due to that small step, more than forty to fifty girls have completed their primary education so far. Besides it, I also learnt that leader is life-long learner. He/she learns through self-reflection and negotiating and discussing the issues with others and seeking guidance from them.

Overall, this book serves as a pioneer of exploring our thinking about our own role as a leader and proves to be a best resource for the policy makers to develop alternative approaches to deal with school and teaching and learning practices.

Conclusion

This book very obviously describes the role of leadership and management in an educational organization. A leader being a role model should motivate and encourage the staff because performance and commitment of people employed in any organization makes it effective. Through critical analysis of the book, I came to know that this book possesses stories and cases from Pakistani context so many of the ideas suit my own. So, it would be easier for my future role as a teacher educator to deal with the school management and leadership related issues in an effective manner.

Sayed Muzaffar Ali Shah
M.Ed. student
Aga Khan University, Institute for Educational Development, Karachi, Pakistan

Reference:

Khaki, J., & Safdar, Q. (Eds). (2010). Educational Leadership in Pakistan: Ideals and Realities. Karachi: Oxford University Press

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Muzaffar_Shah

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Some Thoughts on the History of American Education - A Book Review

Often, people complain about the schools in the United States, and there are some that say that we are number 50 in the world as far as our schools are concerned. Still, there those of us that know the difference, and also understand that those that are doing these surveys are not from the United States, and they use different criteria to judge what a good school is. And the reality is the United States does have great schools.

No, they are not perfect, and we should always strive to make them better, of course that's what we've been doing since the nation has been founded. If you would like to learn more about the history of education in America, then I'd like to recommend a very good book to you. The name of the book is;

"Traditions of American Education" by Lawrence A. Gremin, 1977

Indeed, I am happy to say I have a copy of this book signed by the author. The intent of writing this book for the author was to make a difference transforming American Education; schools and colleges. The book examines the transformations of family, libraries, museums, publishers throughout the 19th century. There are also chapters on the Civil War factories, slavery and education, missed education, colonial education, education in the periods of 1783 to 1876, 1876 to 1976.

Also an explanation of how we adopted some of the European school system policies, and the author discusses rural versus metropolitan schools in America and the history behind it. There is information on 17th-century issues and the abandonment of feudalism, population growth, land speculation, social mobility, and religious strife all changing education along with the advances of science where Earth was no longer the center of the universe, and how English law, language, and culture ended up triumphing and changing education around the world due to colonial expansionism.

He talks about compulsory education and he explains how the church and family used to dominate education and how today the family has fallen apart and the churches are not allowed to dictate issues in schools.

He also speaks to vocational training, corporate training, union training, and the progressive mass media which has contributed to the way we think and learn. This book is completely comprehensive and an incredible study in the history of education. It's a must read for any school administrator who wishes to led, they must know the history. Often however I find when I discuss this with them they don't, that to concerns me. Please consider all this.

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Biology With Masteringbiology - College Biology Textbook Review

Biology with Masteringbiology is the most widely used college biology textbook in the world. Published by Pearson and now in its eighth edition, this book is the standard textbook in two out of three introductory college biology classrooms. Loved by students and professors alike, this textbook is authored by scientists Neil A Campbell, Jane B Reece, and five coauthors. The coauthors have brought to this edition the latest scientific advances and new insights to make this the most comprehensive of any edition of this popular textbook. Although intended as a college level book, Biology with Masteringbiology is widely used in advanced biology courses at the high school level.

In the tradition of all previous editions, this textbook is written in an easy to read, student-friendly style and is beautifully illustrated with the finest graphics to enhance the understanding of the book's clear explanations. Each chapter is introduced by the four to six key concepts that will be covered in detail in the section. This helps students focus on key points and creates easy-to-review topics when quizzes and tests are upcoming. Using the concept of scientific inquiry, the text presents at least one example of the experimentation behind the concepts in each chapter. Each chapter ends with a series of questions that helps cement the knowledge gained using critical thinking and analytic skills.

Key topics covered in great depth in Biology with Masteringbiology include biochemistry, the structure and function of animal and plant cells, cell division and genetics, the theory of evolution, the evolutionary history of life on earth and the resulting biodiversity, plant structure and functions, animal structure and functions, and ecology. A massive book at 1393 pages, the sections covering topics such as genetics and biodiversity are as comprehensive as many single texts on these topics. Insightful diagrams are plentiful in the text helping students visualize difficult concepts.

To complement the information in the textbook, Pearson has a MasteringBio website that offers an e-book version of the text available to students along with quizzes and tests that review the material. There are also animations of key concepts presented in the book. One highlight of the website is the ability to download and insert the diagrams from the book into notes taken on the computer.

Why Rent Textbooks?

Rather than buying a book new or used, finding an outlet where it is possible to rent textbooks for just the time they will be used is a growing trend catching on in colleges across the country. Especially in a time of depressed economic condition and rising tuition costs, students need to look at ways to save money and the option to rent textbooks cheap is appealing. Biology with Masteringbiology is an expensive book with the retail price around $190 dollars. Due to its vast popularity, it is a wonderful example of a book that is easy to find on websites that rent textbooks online.

Not only do students save money when they rent textbooks cheap, they save time. Rather than waiting in lines to sell back books for a small fraction of the original cost, by choosing to rent textbooks online, the text is simply mailed back at the end of the semester.

With an estimated cost of $700-$1000 per year, textbooks are an overwhelming expense for many students struggling just to make tuition payments. By renting textbooks, it is estimated that students can save up to 50 percent of that cost. Textbook costs have skyrocketed in the last 30 years with costs rising at twice the rate of inflation. Unless a book is one that the student would like to keep for future reference, the wise choice, especially in these rough economic times, is to rent textbooks.

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Better Late Than Early by Raymond and Dorothy Moore - A Book Review

There was a time in our nation's history that children were seen more for their value around the house and farm than whether they could read and write. As this began to change, the one room schoolhouse was the norm. You would find children of all ages and both genders crammed into learning at the same level regardless of age or capability. By the turn of the 20th century, a different approach was taken in the form of grades that enabled children of different ages to be grouped with those of their own age. This alleviated many of the problems resulting from placing all age groups into one standard form of curriculum, but not all.

There was still a problem with standardizing curriculum for a particular grade, regardless whether all in that grade were able to keep up. In the end, it became apparent that some would need to be "held back" a year in order to better comprehend the lessons. As the education system has progressed, there have been many innovative ideas explored and implemented to better fine tune the educational process.

Today, as we continue to learn about the educational process, it has become increasingly clear that not all children are created equal. Borne of this philosophy, the special education classes and schools have sprung up to accommodate those children either considered "gifted" or "challenged". By the 1970's a new approach was presented by educational pioneers Raymond and Dorothy Moore.

Their contention, through much research, was that children were being forced into the educational system way too early. Thus, after many years of study and documentation, comes the book "Better Late Than Early". With many years of research and nearly 29 pages of references to back up their claim, the Moores have produced a compelling reason to consider waiting until the cognitive skills of the child are fully developed before entering the educational system.

In "Better Late Than Early" you will find a thorough A to Z compilation of helpful chapters that present a irrefutable position that your child should wait until the age of eight or later before beginning their education journey. By employing this approach it is the author's contention that the child will still end up far and above where he or she would have anyway. This position hinges on the belief that they would greatly benefit from the better late than early mindset. To force the child into an environment that is contrary to their cognitive level ultimately does more harm than good.

Chapters such as "Some Common Fears and Questions" lay to rest many concerns parents have about entering their children into the school system at a later age. "When They Are Ready For School" explores timelines and aptitudes to determine at what age they can begin the education process. "Learning to Reason" helps both parent and child to understand what it means to apply this principle at its proper place in the child's learning process.

Part two of "Better Late Than Early" deals with separate age groupings, starting with birth to 18 months and ending the ages 6 to 8 or 9, in order to further demystify the mindset of the 'one size fits all' mentality. It lays to rest once and for all that a date on the calendar is no true measurement of capability or readiness to learn.

"Better Late Than Early" is a tried and true approach, fully documented and thoroughly researched with reputable references that will have you rethinking the current position that a child conform to an age group and be placed in a classroom with their peers in varying degrees of learning capability. Raymond and Dorothy Moore have produced a book that is as relevant today as ever, an evergreen book that challenges the status quo with irrefutable evidence that it is not a harmful approach at all to start a child's education better late than early.

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