Book Review 55 Creating the Dynamic Classroom: A Handbook For Teachers

Schwartz and Pollishuke have done an admirable job in compiling and organizing the physical plans of a classroom for the beginning primary teacher. Creating the Dynamic Classroom is organized into 12 practical overview chapters which include such topics as: setting up the desks and classroom layout; how to timetable subjects; planning theme-based units; setting up learning centres; activities and materials for reading; how, where, and when to use computers; partnering and assigning homework with parents; and self, peer, and expert assessment. The authors use their 50 years of classroom field experience to provide the organizational tools and practical materials necessary for the beginning teacher in grades K-4. New teachers who have not had the good fortune of practice teaching in classrooms like that of Schwartz or Pollishuke will be thrilled to find much of the classroom preparation groundwork laid out for them in this book. It is also a useful resource for pre-service teachers. The philosophical underpinnings of the handbook evolve from Brian Cambourne’s ‘seven conditions of learning’: immersion, demonstration