In this article, the author reviews "Theory and Educational Research" and concludes that given some misgivings, the collection arrives at a nonfetishized appreciation for the role of theory in empirical research in education. Jean Anyon and her colleagues give theory its due, not more but also not less. In the same move, they recognize…

This article evaluates a writing assignment in which students read a non-fiction book that they chose from a list provided by their instructor, identified examples of social psychological phenomena, and fully explained how those examples fit social psychology concepts. This novel twist on a traditional assignment yielded surprisingly robust…

Concepts of Mathematics (21-127 at CMU) is a course designed to introduce students to the world of abstract mathematics, guiding them from more calculation-based math (that one learns in high school) to higher mathematics, which focuses more on abstract thinking, problem solving, and writing "proofs." This transition tends to be a shock:…

This article presents a list of the best audiobooks of 2008, selected by intrepid band of audio reviewers, range from tales of Bengali and Haitian immigrants to political autobiographies. There's "cake" from Sloane Crosley and emotional pyromania from David Sedaris; a biographical tribute to Maya Angelou and debut novels laced with the…

The authors--drawing on their varied experiences as authors and publishers of a journal and several book series--provide a historical review and consideration of peer review in publishing. They find that scholarly peer review, from the question of signed reviews to the practices of digital publications, is in the midst of change, but that at the…

Mystery and suspense fiction remain as popular as ever for as many reasons as there are readers. "Those who wish for escape or respite read cozies, historicals, or romance crossovers," says Poisoned Pen editor Barbara Peters. "Those who want to stay on the cutting edge of society read thrillers [from authors] like Daniel Silva, Alex Berenson, or…

In this article, the author examines Louise Rosenblatt's "Literature as Exploration," a popular textbook used since 1938 (in five successive editions) in high school English classrooms across America. He discusses how the one-time college roommate of Margaret Mead managed to transform teaching literature into a form of student therapy that…

This article presents a list of new novels. The entire compilation is grouped into pop fiction, literary, thrillers, Christian fiction, mystery, romance, historical fiction, street lit, science fiction/fantasy/horror, and graphic novels.

The iGeneration is radically different from any previous generation of students and a variety of existing technologies can be used to engage and excite them in the learning process. The iGeneration is a creative, multimedia generation. They think of the world as a canvas to paint with words, sights, sounds, video, music, web pages, and anything…

A survey of thirteen books on Einstein is presented. Its gives an idea on how much is written about the man and how frequent are the publications. The year 2005 saw the most publications. It is the centenary for the Miraculous Year. Interestingly some books can just sustain their readers' interest with just words. Einstein comes alive with the…

An African-American stripper's false accusation of rape against three white Duke University lacrosse players in 2006--and the overzealous prosecution that followed--ultimately exposed prosecutorial misconduct, a rush to judgment, and simmering tensions of class, race, privilege, and gender. Michael L. Seigel, a professor of law at the University…

Offering a counter-narrative to the school improvement prescriptions that dominate national education debates, a new book based on 15 years of data on public elementary schools in Chicago identifies five tried-and-true ingredients that work, in combination with one another, to spur success in urban schools. The authors liken their "essential…

This review essay of "Producing Success: The Culture of Personal Advancement in an American High School" by Peter Demerath focuses on the theory of cultural dysfunction. It places the book within a theoretical tradition of social reproduction and status attainment using other ethnographies by Varenne and McDermott, Lareau, and Howard. It argues…

Literature circles or book clubs are small, heterogeneous groups of students who have chosen to read and discuss the same book together. The research on literature circles suggests that they hold great promise for increasing students' enjoyment of reading and honing their literacy skills. When evidence-based strategies are embedded into a…

This study tested the hypothesis that children's books accurately reflect the gender-based division of labor in the culture and historical period in which they were published. A content analysis was performed on illustrations in books that won the Caldecott Medal or Honor between 1990 and 2009. The final sample included 490 illustrations in 68 of…