Allyn & Bacon is a company that publishes textbooks for university and college courses. Founded in 1868, and headquartered in Boston, it was an independent company for over a century. Then, beginning in the early 1980s, Allyn & Bacon was purchased successively by various firms, finally merging with Merill in 2007.
Much of the material available at Allyn & Bacon consists of books that are guides for the educator, providing advice on the correct way to teach. They also, as we shall see, deal with psychological problems such as addiction. Several of those books, grouped under various topics, include the following:
– general education and foundations
– “The Teacher’s Guide to Success” has a blue cup with the words “World’s Greatest Teacher” on the cover. The book is filled with anecdotes beginning with “Teacher Talks…” and “Student Says…”, and a variety of other labels providing ideas for meeting the needs of today’s educators.
– counseling
– “Basic Psychopharmacology for Counselors and Psychotherapists” is a guide for non- medical professionals to the problems that counselors encounter while on the job.
– “Foundations of Addiction Counseling” deals with issues in the profession that many similar books have had the tendency to ignore, like gender issues and addict disabilities.
– “School Counselor Accountability: A MEASURE of Student Success” gives advice on how to implement a system of accountability in a school counseling program. The word MEASURE is given in all caps because it refers to a model (and is probably an acronym).
– “The Joy of Teaching: Making a Difference in Student Learning” uses an approach that makes student progress the measure of a teacher’s success.
– special education
Teaching children with disabilities is a major challenge in education. (I know this because I have a disability myself.) One book on the subject is “(Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder): Achieving Success in School and in Life.”
Shipping and handling on all items is free, and those who hold membership with Allyn & Bacon get reduced prices. Allyn & Bacon provides a number of other services besides books. There is a blog section where one can discuss topics like Language Wizards, Ideals for Teaching Persuasive Writing, Substitute Teaching, and others.
Articles also appear on the website of Allyn & Bacon. As an example, one called “Two Antidotes to ‘Kindergarten Cram'” discusses how to prepare children for what they will encounter in kindergarten. Finally, there is a section where one can download podcasts that give additional information on teaching. As of now, they all go under “Anita Talks About Teaching” and “Creating Writers with Vicki Spandel.” Allyn & Bacon is filled with valuable resources for the prospective teacher that should be included in every university education curriculum.
