Those Who Can

In any endeavor, it is difficult to know what excellence is without knowing what excellence looks like. Linking theory and practice, Those Who Can: Why Master Teachers Do What They Do illustrates what instructional excellence “looks like” by detailing what elite instructors do and as importantly, why their pedagogical choices lead to uncommonly good student results. Thoughtfully written, clearly explained, and thoroughly researched by a master educator with more than four decades of public school experience, Those Who Can provides school administrators, education students, and teachers of all experience levels with a no-nonsense practical blueprint indicating what instructional strategies promote learning, what approaches undermine learner performance, and the behavioral principles underlying both outcomes. In demystifying the so-called art of instruction, the approaches outlined in Those Who Can will improve student achievement with little investment other than the time it takes to read the book, the courage to implement its concepts, and an open-minded willingness to challenge the educational status quo of what is for the instructional promise of what could be.

Bright outlines and supports his argument that increased student achievement is dependent on improved teacher skill with appropriate and ample research in his introduction. From there, he delineates and explains 14 practices of effective teachers. Bright makes an effort to link theory with practice, and clearly draws on his experiences as an educator to address topics including vision, curriculum, student motivation and expectation, instructional responsibility, classroom management, questioning techniques, and working with parents. Additionally, he offers practical examples in each chapter and sample rubrics in the appendix for readers to consider. The author's writing style has the conversational tone of an expert lecturer speaking to his audience. It is readable and contains a great deal of helpful research, discussion, and suggestions. It would prove valuable to all educators, particularly those actively seeking greater professional efficacy and improved student success. Bright's most obvious audience is the classroom teacher or prospective classroom teacher, and the book would be appropriate supplemental reading in teacher preparation classes. School administrators would also benefit from reading this book as they lead their staffs toward master teaching. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, research, and professional collections., The book’s greatest contribution lies in its recognition that masterful teaching is more than using research-based practices. It involves an unwavering belief in the importance of education as life preparation, an understanding of teachers’ own role in modeling, scaffolding and promoting deep and meaningful learning, and a recognition of their own interdependence with colleagues, administrators and parents., I have read Those Who Can: Why Master Teacher Do What They Do and enjoyed it immensely. I liked and agreed with all of Neil Bright’s essential practices of master teachers and was particularly impressed by his thorough references to scholarly research---another characteristic I believe master teachers should possess. I want to thank Professor Bright for his contribution to this scholarship., I have read Those Who Can and have shared it with a couple of my colleagues. In fact, I have suggested that the Director of Field Placements require her student teachers to purchase this book. Currently, I am on a U. S. Department of Education grant to transition candidates from other careers to teaching math or science at the high school level. I have 12 students who will soon be completing their professional development practicum and I am requesting that they purchase this text. Professor Bright has delivered an important message in a pleasing tone…not something readily found in academic tomes., After reading Those Who Can, I was struck by the congruence between so many of the practices Professor Bright advocated, such as using Bloom’s taxonomy in generating classroom questions, and how we instruct our university students in our Multiple Abilities Program to craft questions for their science and social studies units. Moreover, I certainly appreciated all of the book’s citations, felt that the work would be particularly good in a Master’s program, and found myself in agreement with Mr. Bright nearly all of the time. I am glad that I bought the book and was happy that it was brought to my attention.

Neil Bright is a retired Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, a former faculty union officer and chief negotiator, a college professor of Psychology and Government, a staff developer, and a teacher of students from fifth grade through high school seniors. Currently a writer and student teacher supervisor in New York’s Catskill Mountains, he was nominated for the Dean’s Award as distinguished county educator, was named outstanding district instructor, and gained semifinalist recognition for the New York State Teacher of the Year competition in 1992.