A Guidance Approach for the Encouraging Classroom, 5th edition

Review
My overall impression of the product is positve. In comparision to the Wheeler text that I used this past year, I am happier with the Guidance text by Gartrell. My students lack the understanding of the guidance tradition and the historical roots of the tradition are important for students to understand. Furthermore, I like the classroom application pieces in Chapters 5 and 6.

The book above all is an excellent book. There are many positive techniques taught to support children?s social development. It addresses the problems which exist in our society, the developmental understandings of children at certain ages that can cause behavioral problems.

The content and orgranization of the text correspond to our course syllabus. The author is clearly aware of current problems in our society and their effects upon children and their families. Dr. Gartrell is clear in his writing style and strives to use practical examples that are relevant to children and to classroom teachers. He includes material that is current and the chapter summaries are helpful to students.

The text?s greatest strength is that it takes a proactive stance to guidance not reactive and covers all areas that feed into an all-inclusive guidance program. It demonstrates that teachers can create a caring environment without the classroom becoming chaotic.