Book Review: The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom (2nd Edition) by Stephen D. Brookfield (Jossey-Bass, 2006)

Excerpt: This second edition of Brookfield’s book covers a wide variety of topics relevant to the issue of effective teaching. A key addition is a chapter on online teaching, and material in other chapters has been updated as well. Brookfield presents numerous anecdotally- and research-based strategies for creating an effective classroom learning environment, including practical suggestions for facilitating classroom discussion, conducting formative evaluations of student learning, and grading class participation and essays. Many of Brookfield’s suggestions are also aimed at making the classroom environment rewarding for teachers; the aforementioned suggestions for grading class participation and essays are..