Choice 评论

How best to instruct students is the central theme of the late Jeanne S. Chall's last book. Chall reviews and evaluates the many educational reforms and innovations that have been proposed and employed over the past century. She systematically compares the achievement rates that result from traditional, teacher-centered approaches with those resulting from progressive, student-centered methods. The author shows that certain basic distinctions have remained the same; one approach is concerned with academic learning while the other focuses more on student development and motivation. The findings presented are very clear: teacher-centered approaches result in higher student achievement overall. The ten chapters focus on all aspects of the issue including thorough discussions of traditional, teacher-centered education versus progressive, student-centered education trends in reading, mathematics, science, and social studies, and conclusions and recommendations. An appendix shows the key differences between the two strategies in a clear, concise manner. Highly recommended at all levels. ; University of Central Florida