The Skillful Teacher: Building Your Teaching Skills

by Jon Saphier, Robert Gower

Fifth Edition (revised): This book has become a standard text in many teaching courses. Designed for both the novice and the experienced educator, The Skillful Teacher is a unique synthesis of the Knowledge Base on Teaching with powerful repertoires for matching teaching strategies to student needs. Designed as a practical guide for practitioners working to broaden their teaching skills, the book focuses on 17 critical areas of classroom performance. Numerous examples illustrate teaching approaches, and chapter-by-chapter bibliographies provide additional sources for further research. This expanded fifth edition includes new chapters on Assessment, Expectations, Classroom Climate, The Importance of Teacher Beliefs, and Conditions for Teacher Learning.

Genres: Education, Teaching, School, Nonfiction, Reference, Professional Development

598 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Long, comprehensive, repetitive, overly simplistic. This book had its pros and cons. I did admire the insistence to never give up on a child and to continuously explore and expand teaching repertoires in order to match up with kids' learning styles.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book packed with information and specifics on the skills needed in the classroom. It's going on my bookshelf right next to Harry Wong's "First Days of School". It's an essential resource - one to be read a reviewed yearly - a book to keep at your fingertips, like the dictionary.

[Jeffrey Tomlinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS is the book you MUST HAVE to push your teaching to the next step. It's written in such a teacher-centered way, that you can use it the NEXT day in your classroom. It's not overwhelming, complicated to implement, and it's nothing short of what GOOD teaching is. The book really helps you analyze and evaluate your current teaching skills and work to improve them. This is the only book about teaching I've read that clearly spells out, "ok, so what do I do now?". GET IT!

[Aryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the amount of care, reflection and through that goes into good teaching is often underestimated. A good teacher works seriously hard. This book is an excellent and practical guide for reflecting on your teaching style and building your teaching skills in order to ensure that kids learn more and you work smarter.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good overview of most of the issues in teaching. While content-specific books or grade-level specific books will also be necessary for preservice teachers, this will head off a lot of mistaken turns.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This provides a nice overview of Models of Learning, Bruce Joyce et al. and is not comprehensive but strong and broad as a guide to the literature about effective teaching practices over the last four or five decades!

[Star · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent resource that I read for the first time several years ago. This year, as a twenty year veteran teacher, I had the opportunity to take the Skillful Teacher course. This book and the accompanying binder are amazing resources I will continue to use.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the cornerstone of all of my teacher development work. If there was such a thing as the "bible of teaching," this would be it.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good, useful information. As I read, I kept thinking "need to memorize...need to memorize." Very helpful for beginning teachers or others hoping to strengthen their skills.

[Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this for class and am keeping it. Lots of good practical information for the teacher in training.

[Bryan Zugelder · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible and practical guide for coaches/mentors to use in working with novice teachers.

[Darby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely helpful for teachers. Most of my issues with this text are with my former school's tendency to raise this text up as a holy text for education. As long as the reader has a moderate view of this book, I think it is an excellent tool for understanding the profession and becoming a better, more efficient educator.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the chapters (Clarity stands out) were written with a pretty snarky tone as if the authors were clearly judging teachers who were trying to get through to students but not succeeding. Otherwise, this is an excellent resource for new teachers and I will be holding on to it for a long time.

[Tiffeny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was required reading for a course. While there are many great ideas in here, I feel a lot are common knowledge once you have spent some time as an educator in any capacity (teacher, substitute, special ed, paraprofessional, etc).

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Get the most recent edition not this

This Kindle edition does NOT match the hard copy of the 6th edition. The chapters are off. It is also outdated at this point; the technology stuff is really, really old. Just get the newest edition (at the writing it's the 7th).

[Michele Dale · Rating 2 out of 5]

Its okay. A lot of general information collected in one location.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written and well-organized text. I will always refer back to these chapters when I have my own classroom!

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

One may not agree with everything written here; however, it is a pretty good foundational start to a conversation...at least.

[Stephen Haines · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely dry at times but packed with useful and sometimes crucial research-based information on good teaching practices.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Used this text with my secondary MAT students. It was chosen before I started teaching the class. For folks who know little about teaching, it's a very useful handbook. The students seemed to agree.

[Kirstin · Rating 5 out of 5]

If it's wasn't one of my text books I would love it a whole lot more. However really great information.

[Alfonso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book, an excellent overview in teaching. Great for new or experienced teachers.

[James]

Great fundamental teaching resource

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a great book for young teachers or college students in teacher prep programs. Lots of resources and different theories on educational practice.

[Araminta Matthews · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dated and full of "Engfish", but otherwise some useful tips.

[SahooraQ · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a gift from the writer when I was in college..it helped me a lot when I became a teacher

[Michelle Chan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful read