In a world like today, man's very survival depends on his need and quest for Knowledge. Education is the vehicle to drive for this knowledge; Learning is the fuel that powers that vehicle's engine, which is Teaching. Engine and fuel components must be in good condition for a smooth operation of the vehicle. Our educational system has a malfunction in either or both of those components. As proof, President Obama cited a 50% High School drop out rate, when he recently proposed needed educational reform. Ineffective teaching or inadequate learning or both result in poor testing ability, which delays our journey to good education. Phil Labbe, from his school years and afterwards, discovered that learning from classroom only returned lower than expected test performance. Loving to learn, he realized that self-motivation, desire to learn on his own, plus classroom teaching, improved his learning potential and test results. He proved it to himself and to others. How and how much you learn make a difference. By taking an active part in his learning, the student/learner becomes selftutored; therefore, enters TUTOR YOURSELF. This book demonstrates that when students make a covenant with themselves to reach a definite goal, and condition themselves to follow strategies to enhance learning, they succeed with good test performances, higher grades, graduation and a good job. Unless we develop our innate skills for learning, it is very difficult to improve our lot. In this context, Phil Labbe developed and completed the method HOW TO PASS ALL TESTS. Tests are very important. While there is no known panacea against failing, the approach in this book shows that Active Learning does lead to more successful test passing. This book could give students a leg up in their "Race to the Top"(Reform campaign just launched by Education Dept.). It is a race that so vitally needs to be won.

If you want to start an argument in a teachers' lounge, bring up the topic of how best to teach grammar. There is a wide spectrum of opinion. Traditionalists claim that we must explicitly teach grammar. Students drill the basics and diagram sentences. Sometimes their study and drills take the place of writing, but these teachers claim that good writing demands good grammar. At the opposite end of the spectrum are teachers who claim that the best way to learn grammar is to write, thereby being forced to use grammar in writing and editing. They reason that students will learn grammar in the context of actually using it, without all the drills and worksheets. They trust the writing process to instill an appreciation for grammar, instead of actually teaching it. Teachers on the write-to-learn-grammar side claim that students who are only taught grammar rules might pass tests, but since they didn't learn in the context of writing, they typically don't apply the rules when they write. Grammar traditionalists say students in writing classes never learn grammar at all, because it is not explicitly taught. In Tools, Not Rules, authors Tommy Thomason and Geoff Ward take the middle-ground position that grammar should be taught as part of the writing process. Tommy Thomason is a veteran journalist and university journalism professor at TCU. Geoff Ward is a well-known Australian professor and associate dean from James Cook University in Townsville. Both have written several books and work extensively with American teachers. Publisher's website: http://www.eloquentbooks.com/ ToolsNotRules-TeachingGrammarInTheWritingClassroom.html

The ability to demonstrate critical thinking is essential for students who seek to achieve good grades at university but it typically creates a lot of confusion and anxiety. Critical Thinking Skills provides an easy to follow, step by step guide to developing analytical reasoning skills and applying them to tasks such as reading, note-making and writing. A complex subject is broken down into easy to understand blocks, with clear explanations, good examples, and plenty of activities to develop understanding at each stage. Students can use this book to: * Critically assess other people's arguments * Recognise flawed reasoning * Evaluate the material used to support arguments * Apply critical thinking when reading, writing and making notes * Write excellent essays and reports The 4th edition features a new section on argument mapping techniques, which help readers to visualize the structures of an argument. It also contains new and updated examples that link to current affairs, showing the importance of critical thinking as a lifelong skill. Written by internationally renowned author Stella Cottrell, this is an essential resource for students looking to refine their thinking, reading and writing skills.

This book comments on growing authoritarianism in democracy and suggests how it ought to be instead. It asks if some degree of authoritarianism is the need of the hour to address potentially existential issues facing the human race. Readers are encouraged to analyse the state of democracy in their own countries and verify if it meets their expectations, or if it is just a myth or an imposter, or a necessary but imperfect compulsion in the absence of a perfect alternative. The book presents a commentary on the state of democracy in some of the world's leading democracies. It aims to challenge the human mind, which seems to be getting accustomed to not having to think, thanks to a constant bombardment of information-real and fake and in-between-that it receives through social and print media, which is freely accessible through smartphone to which it has become addicted. It discusses how the drivers of capitalism - through their business-like connections with powerful and influential politicians and celebrities-could be cleverly manipulating the gullible human mind and exploiting the system to their own material benefit.