Sage Publications

Achieving outstanding on your teaching placement; early years and primary school-based training.

Glazzard (primary initial teacher training, U. of Huddersfield, UK) and Stokoe, a head teacher at a primary school who works in partnership with the U. of Huddersfield to support trainee teachers, provide a guide for trainee teachers in school-based training. They cover the key characteristics of these teachers, how they can develop creative and innovative approaches to teaching by taking risks and being flexible, the wider UK policy context for teaching and embedding these policies in practice, effective planning, the elements of a good lesson, assessment for learning, collaborative working, classroom management, professional development, organization, going beyond standards, and developing a professional identity. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Action research for business, nonprofit, & public administration; a tool for complex times.

Intended for graduate students in business, nonprofit, and public administrations disciplines, this guide to action research principles and practices provides companion practical advice designed to be used in conjunction with more traditional theoretical texts on the subject. The volume covers research proposals and ethics, methodologies, working with individuals and groups, employing networks for change and analysis, and reporting results. Chapters include sidebars that provide inspirational quotes and questions for reflection. James, Slater and Bucknam are action research trainers. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Answering questions with statistics.

In this textbook for an introductory statistics course for social science majors, Szafran (sociology, Stephen F. Austin U.) presents statistical techniques routinely appearing in the professional literature of social service professionals. Throughout the text, students will use General Social Survey data from 1980 and 2010 to compare the lives and attitudes of two generations of young people. SPSS is integrated throughout the text with step-by-step explanations, screenshots, tips, and practice problems. Part 1 covers data sets, introduces data analysis and SPSS, and offers a brief introduction to research methods. Part 2 covers descriptive statistics, from frequency tables through multiple regression. Part 3 covers inferential statistics. This section introduces a four-step approach to hypothesis testing, then covers different types of hypothesis tests. The text's two-color layout includes math and research tip boxes and summary charts. A student website offers quizzes. Online resources for teachers include a test bank with multiple-choice, short-answer, simple computational, and output-interpretation questions. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Business writing in the digital age.

Canavor, a business writer, author, and communications consultant who has a background in journalism, magazine publishing, and public relations and teaches at New York U., helps business and communication students improve their writing in areas like email and letters, proposals and business plans, websites and blogging, social media, PowerPoint, and résumés, cover letters, and networking messages. After detailing the strategic aspects of writing, she explains a basic process applied to each document and differences between them. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Cities in a world economy, 4th ed.

In this urban sociology textbook, Sassen (sociology, Columbia University) shows how some cities have evolved into transnational spaces which have more in common with each other than with smaller cities in their own nations. This fourth edition stresses the trend toward inequality in cities; there is a new opening chapter on the impact of environmental problems, the global financial crisis, and cities as strategic sites for asymmetric war. Also new to this edition are five chapter appendices offering maps and data, plus new case studies and new material on global labor markets. Some chapter topics include place and production in the global economy, the urban impact of economic globalization, global cities and global survival circuits, and global govnernance challenges. The text includes 50 pages of references and suggested reading. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Constructing an online professional learning network for school unity and student achievement.

This guide offers a conceptual framework and step-by-step guidance for planning a professional learning network (PLN) and creating and organizing content, leaving other works to cover the more technical aspects. The book details the components of a PLN and explains how schools can increase their focus on technology, communication, achievement, and professional development by designing and using their own online PLN. Chapters cover areas such as leadership and framing curriculum, and instruction. The book includes case studies, a glossary, and worksheets for planning, needs analysis, and data analysis, along with b&w charts and screenshots of an actual online PLN. Author information is not given. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Corrections; the essentials. (companion website included)

Stohr (criminology and criminal justice, Missouri State U.) and Walsh (criminology, criminal law, statistics, and correctional counseling, Boise State U.) introduce undergraduate and graduate students to the field of corrections. They include two chapters on history and incorporate research findings from various sources to help students understand policy decisions, their impact, and comparisons to other countries. They describe the corrections system, staff experiences, parole and reentry, and issues for women, minorities, and juveniles, as well as legal issues and correctional programming. The companion website includes instructor and student resources such as quizzes, audio and video, corrections state rankings, and journal articles. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The counseling skills practice manual.

This companion to The Essential Counselor: Process, Skills, and Techniques is aimed at students wishing to improve their counseling skills. It consists of 12 practice sessions each focusing on a specific skill set, such as using questions, nonverbal behaviors, making reflections of client meaning, feeling, dealing with reluctant clients and those in crisis, confronting appropriately, and giving and receiving feedback, as well as ethical and cultural issues. Hutchinson (psychology and counseling, Johnson State College) reviews each skill before presenting examples and exercises. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Debt and death in rural India; the Punjab story.

Researching farmer suicides in India, the late Sidhu was pursuing a sociology doctorate at Panjab U. (Chandigarh, India) when she was killed in a traffic accident, leaving it up to her father to compile and edit her data into this book, which documents and enumerates cases of suicide by farmers and farm laborers in the state of Punjab between 1988 and 2008 and assesses causal factors, including government policy and lack of access to water. The volume also addresses survival strategies of farmers and farm laborers and issues of rehabilitation and compensation. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Developing critical cultural competence; a guide for 21st-century educators.

This guide outlines a program for teacher educators, workshop facilitators, professional developers, and district- and building-level administrators who will help pre- and in-service teachers understand diverse students. The program begins with several chapters of activities asking teachers to explore their own cultural beliefs and their personal and professional identities, then invites teachers to consider their students, their school, and the communities that the school serves. The book's activities, such as classroom observation, touring the school's neighborhood, and empathy exercises, are designed to engage teachers in discussing charged issues such as race and racism. Each activity includes instructions, discussion and reflection questions, and ideas for modifying the activities for use in online professional development or for facilitating professional learning communities (PLCs). A companion website offers reproducibles for activities, plus lists of recommended books and videos, sample scenarios, and sample session and program plans. Cooper is affiliated with the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Economic analysis of institutions; a practical guide.

Santhakumar (Azum Premhi U., Bangalore) incidentally analyzed the economic functioning of several public bodies before he focused on the task and began approaching it systematically. In case studies from the past decade or so, most in India, he demonstrates the approaches and techniques he has developed. His topics include what is wrong with self-financing colleges, what institutions would best support agriculture, institutions to regulate emigration and immigration, how to address conflict in fisheries in the developing world, and whether citizens' actions compensate for the weak enforcement of laws by the state. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Effective instructional strategies; from theory to practice, 3d ed.

For this third edition of a text for an undergraduate teaching methods course, chapter sequence has been reorganized, with two new chapters on teaching diverse students and using classroom technology. Decision-making cases have been added to each chapter, and there are new technology exercises. The practice-oriented text emphasizes applying theory to the classroom and using research to improve instruction. The text starts with an orientation to teaching, accountability, and educational law, then covers the classroom environment and using technology, developing daily and unit lesson plans, assessment, and constructing and grading tests. The final section shows how to use direct, authentic, and integrated teaching methods for instructional delivery. Appendices give information on state licensure and certification, and reflective teaching. Other learning features include b&w photos and cartoons in a two-color layout, ideas from real teachers, reflection and application exercises, discussion questions, web links, and field activities. A student website offers full-text journal articles and video clips of interviews and teachers in action. Moore is affiliated with Henderson State University. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Encyclopedia of global religion; 2v.

In their introduction, editors Juergensmeyer and Roof (both: U. of California, Santa Barbara) identify global religion as an emerging field and specify the ways in which this two-volume reference differs from other resources pertaining to the study of religion. These differences include the fact that every entry (all are written by leading authorities) "...illumines some aspect of global religion or a subject related to it, such as globalization, transnational activity and themes, and aspects of global society including nationalism, terrorism, cyber culture, and the effects of information technology." Roughly 750 entries encompass a remarkably inclusive selection of topics, meaning that this reference "...contains an essay on the religious aspects of every nation in the world....No other sourcebook is as culturally diverse and geographically comprehensive." Entries are alphabetically arranged and include biographies, concepts, events, influential texts, movements, traditions, and social issues. Like other offerings from Sage Publications, this encyclopedia is thoughtfully prepared and includes a Reader's Guide in the front matter that sorts entries by theme, plenty of cross references and further-reading suggestions in each entry, and a detailed index. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Encyclopedia of social networks; 2v.

This encyclopedia is intended as "...an extensive, if not totally comprehensive, expert and informed basic reference..." in a field that has evolved incredibly rapidly in recent years and has become ubiquitous, shaping research in many areas of scientific and social investigation. Editor George A. Barnett (communication, U. of California at Davis) provides an introductory essay briefly discussing the history of the field and explaining that this reference is neither a technical primer nor a comprehensive source of knowledge, but rather an entry point for a wide range of students and professionals attempting to understand this burgeoning discipline. Two volumes contain 400 alphabetically arranged entries — signed articles with references and cross references. The reader's guide groups entries according to themes, which include history (entries include ancient China, Egypt, Greece, India, Rome; and the history of social networks era by era from 1865 through the present); US social networks by state (each state has an entry); privacy and rights; analysis and issues; social networking around the world (each country has an entry); and organizations, among other themes. The second volume contains a glossary, resource guide, and index. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Encyclopedia of sports management and marketing; 4v.

This four-volume reference is shaped around the seven Common Professional Component topical areas identified by the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation as essential content of a sport management degree program. Thus it will certainly be useful for students, but the clear presentation of multiple facets of the profession will make the reference useful to practicing professionals as well. A reader's guide groups the 834 entries according to broad themes that include advertising, customers & fans, economics, event marketing and management, major national and international events, facilities and operations, financing, Internet and mobile aspects, leagues and organizations, legal issues, management challenges and issues, news media, sponsorship, and teams and their management, among others. The entries are in-depth articles, alphabetically arranged, signed, referenced, and cross referenced. Along with the index, supplementary material in volume 4 includes a glossary, resource guide, and appendices: Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act, Anabolic Steroid Abuse Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX Education Amendment of 1972, Uniform Athlete Agents Act (Utah), and the Madrid Protocol. The two editors are affiliated as follows: Linda E. Swayne (sports marketing and management, U. of North Carolina, Charlotte) and Mark Dodds (sports marketing and sports law, State U. of New York College at Cortland). (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The essential counselor; process, skills, and techniques, 2d ed. (DVD included)

Emphasizing the development of the therapeutic alliance regardless of theoretical bias in this update of the 2006 text, Hutchinson (Johnson State College, Vermont) traces the counseling process in ethical, culturally-sensitive practices from requisite pre-session attitudes and tasks, through basic and more advanced action planning skills, to self-care to avoid burnout. He also treats special clients including children, the addicted, and the seriously chronically mentally ill, and particularly challenging situations such as crisis intervention, and working with reluctant clients. The text includes sample case dialogues, lab practice activities based on the Ivey Microcounseling Training Model, reflection exercises, and a DVD with demonstrations of role-playing skills. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Essentials of cross-cultural counseling.

Twelve international psychology and counseling academics and practitioners contribute nine chapters to a supplemental text for counseling graduate programs, students, practitioners, educators, researchers, program planners, policymakers, consultants, and administrators worldwide. The chapters first appeared in Part One of the editors' 2009 publication, the International Handbook of Cross-Cultural Counseling. They were slightly revised and restructured for the current volume to provide a shorter, accessible publication for understanding and effectively functioning cross-culturally, cross-nationally, and in international settings. The text presents a wide repertoire of research, theoretical, and professional issues and a broader perspective regarding the appropriate roles and activities of mental health professionals around the world. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Essentials of social statistics for a diverse society.

Sociologists Leon-Guerrero (Pacific Lutheran U., Washington) and Frankfort-Nachmias (emeritus, U. of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) present a textbook for a course introducing students to statistics as they are used in the social sciences. Most social scientists do not actually use statistics in their work, so they emphasize reading and understanding them as much as doing them. They also demonstrate that substance and statistical techniques are related in social science research, and use prose rather than mathematics to explain the principles and techniques. Among their topics are the what and the why of statistics, measures of central tendency, the normal distribution, testing hypotheses, and regression and correlation. Revised from Social Statistics for a Diverse Society (3rd edition 2002). (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

From Seva to cyberspace; the many faces of volunteering in India.

This interesting and timely study on internal philanthropic activity in India examines the attempts by elites within the country to bridge the gap between the rich, the beneficiaries of the nation's tremendous economic growth, and the millions of its citizens living in abject poverty. The work details the history of volunteering in India, explores the demographics of philanthropic organizations, and discusses the contributions of diverse populations and divergent interest groups in programs for the poor. Handy, Kassam and Ingold are academics in social policy, sociology and South Asian studies at the University of Pennsylvania and Ranade is an NGO worker engaged in programs for empowering women in India. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

From seatwork to feetwork; engaging students in their own learning.

Nash, who has been a middle and high school social studies teacher, explains how teachers can create a student-centered environment that turns students into active participants rather than passive learners. He shows how the role of teachers must change to facilitate the move from students sitting at their desks to more active and engaged work like analyzing, explaining, and evaluating. He discusses how education has changed, especially with technology use, to create a new learning atmosphere; the relationship between exercise and the learning process; the importance of slowing down to give students the opportunity to reflect and process information; the benefits of competition and collaboration; how to create a learning environment and climate; and how to shift the workload from the teacher learning all the information and presenting to students, to students becoming more involved. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)