Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

"Dr. Glasser translates choice theory into a productive, classroom model of team learning with emphasis on satisfaction and excitement. Working in small teams, students find that knowledge contributes to power, friendship and fun. Because content and the necessary student collaboration skills must be taught, teachers need to develop skills if they are to use this model successfully. The dividends are 'turned-on ' students and satisfied teachers."
--Madeline Hunter, University of California at Los Angeles

"Choice Theory in the Classroom is a landmark book, without question one of the most important and useful books for teachers to appear in a long while. Written with rare lucidity and grace, the book has numerous instantly usable ideas that will contribute fundamentally to the success of classroom teachers. William Glasser combines his extensive theoretical expertise and wide practical experience to provide a practical and illuminating guide for teachers [that] should be required reading in every college of education in the country."
--David and Roger Johnson, University of Minnesota

"Choice Theory in the Classroom presents an insightful analysis of what is wrong with traditional school and what need to be done about it. Dr. Glasser gives a compelling rationale for the use of learning-teams in schools to capture the excitement and commitment students display in sports but rarely in the classroom. The book is well written and persuasive. I hope every teacher in America buys it, believes it, and behaves accordingly."
--Robert Slavin, John Hopkins University

Average Customer Rating:

One of the Giants!	Customer Rating:
Glasser is defenitely one of the extra-sensory GIANTS! A great tool for anyone with an open mind to upgrade their teaching skills. If you only beleive in what your 5 senses tell you then this book is probably not for you.

Choice Theory for Science Teachers is a joke.

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Let me start by saying this book is not useless. William Glasser is an egomaniac, but he has some good ideas (though they arn't as original as he claims they are). The eternal concept of always having a choice is important and can help student and teacher alike. However, as a science teacher, there was one section of the book that completely ruined it for me. Glasser likes to describe everything as choice; we are depressing rather than depressed, because being depressed is a choice (forget clinical depression -- doesn't exist, says Glasser)... mark 1 point against Glasser for throwing medical research into the fire. What REALLY got me upset (As a science teacher) was this little diddy -- "Wehn you run on a hot day, you sweat, but do not be misled into thinking that the running is causing the sweating. It is not. The sweating is the correct or normal physiological component of the total behavior; running..." (pp 53). While the aforementioned philosophy might be a *useful* way to think about things, it is scientifically WRONG. There is a direct cause and effect link between running and sweating (well documented on the microscopic level!) -- to imply, many times, that science is wrong to me, a science teacher, is offensive. Again, this book is not useless, but it should not be considered scientific. The concept of choice theory and 'total behaviors' are potentially useful, just like the mental tricks used by Buddhists for thousands of years might be useful -- but, now matter how much he thinks it is, Glasser's "revolutionary" choice theory is NOT scientific. I did read the whole book. I got furious at it a few times, but I don't regret reading it. It has some good ideas -- but the Glasser thinks way too much of himself and his work. Only read this if you have a very open mind and are willing to work hard to find diamonds in the rough.

If you want a book that will help you in the classroom...

Customer Rating:

...I don't believe this is a book you will want. This is one of those books that I bought sight unseen based on the recommendations written by others on amazon (for this book and the precursor _Control Theory..._ by the same author). The prohibitive postage costs saw me retain possession rather than return it for a refund. I haven't got a lot of time for dry books of educational theory without practical examples. Great, so the current system of institutionalized teaching is not doing what we want it to do and it needs to change. Fantastic, tell us how. I never finished this book in detail. It was so dull, so unhelpful. Reading the glowing quotes on the back cover makes it seem that I skipped over something vital: "translates choice theory into a productive, classroom model", (I do hope the comma after productive was a type setting error and not intentionally used) "numerous instantly usable ideas". These phrases describe what I was after and I what I did not find. It's possible I could choose to dig it out from the back of my bookshelf and re-read it, discover something of use but it's more likely I'll choose to spend my time in more interesting and profitable pursuits.

Fashionable Nonsense

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Glasser takes an idea that has some merit and then keeps pushing it long after it becomes unhelpful. Glasser would have teachers quit using rewards and punishments to motivate students. He tries to justify this warm and fuzzy theory by pointing out misuses of rewards and punishments but its hard to understand how he could be blind to productive and fair uses of rewards and punishments that many teachers use. I know a poor teacher that use Glasser's model and a teacher that is good despite using it. If you want more objective research on schooling check out Stevenson and Stigler's the Learning Gap.

It's "Control Theory" all over again.	Customer Rating:
This book is the updated of "Control Theory in the Classroom". If you have that book, you don't need this one. If you don't, this is a great book for educators.