Quick Read Research Articles

Room

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Book ReviewFull AccessRoomJeffrey L. Geller M.D., M.P.H.Jeffrey L. Geller M.D., M.P.H.Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:1 Dec 2010https://doi.org/10.1176/ps.2010.61.12.1266aAboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail Emma Donoghue takes on quite a challenge when she restricts herself in the first half of Room to having all action take place in an 11-square-foot room occupied by two characters, a mother and her son. Other than cameo appearances by their captor, that's it for 137 pages. But in the second half of the book, reintegrating the mother and son into "society" after their long captivity proves to be more challenging, and here Donoghue doesn't do nearly as well. As if those aren't enough challenges for an author, the book is narrated from the perspective of five-year-old Jack. His mother (whose name is rarely used because he calls her Ma) is 26 years old, and she has been in the room since she was 19, after being kidnapped from her college campus. All manner of detail emerges about Ma in the second half: she was adopted at six weeks, she had an abortion at 18, and she had a prior pregnancy by her captor—the infant a girl who died at birth, strangulated by the umbilical cord. The relevancy of these details is difficult to determine because, for a reason unclear to me, the author makes Ma disappear from most of the second half of the book after she unsuccessfully attempts suicide. She stays in the private psychiatric hospital where mother and son were sequestered after their rescue while Jack goes to live with his maternal grandmother and her second (and recent) husband. The first part of Room, in the room, is absolutely fascinating and filled with creative meanderings over tremendous distances, even though the action never ranges beyond 121 square feet. The second part is unbelievable and somewhat boring. The characters are flat. Jack, who we know is precocious, must have an IQ exceeding genius. He masters everything in one trial. He alternately speaks like a five-year-old and a university English professor. Their stay at the private psychiatric hospital after the rescue is an attempt to help them reacclimate to the "real world." (Jack makes sophisticated observations that the real world is in many ways less real than the room that had been his world for five years.) The psychiatrists and other staff are portrayed as competent, caring individuals who go to great lengths to assist the two victims. They blur boundaries in helpful, respectful, caring ways that are just what is needed by the family. All in the mental health field should appreciate this portrayal of our work.In the end, I suggest borrowing the book (from the library or a friend) and reading only the first 155 pages (through the rescue). It's a quick read. You'll enjoy the book more if you create your own second half.Dr. Geller, who is the book review editor, is professor of psychiatry and director of public-sector psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester. FiguresReferencesCited byDetailsCited byNone Volume 61Issue 12 December, 2010Pages 1266-1267PSYCHIATRIC SERVICES December 2010 Volume 61 Number 12 Metrics PDF download History Published online 1 December 2010 Published in print 1 December 2010

Call for Manuscripts: Quick Reads: November 2010

Sometimes valuable information comes in small packages, which is the idea behind this call for manuscripts for “Quick Reads.” It will consist of manuscripts that are approximately 1200 to 1800 words that contain a single, well-developed idea.

Quick Reads: Another Good Idea: Kickin' It with “Integer Football”

Students often struggle with adding and subtracting integers. To help alleviate this struggle, I found a way to relate integers to a topic that is practically universal: football. I developed the game of “integer football” as a way for students to practice the skills of adding and subtracting integers and to show them how these concepts work outside the classroom.

Tuberculosis (Biographies of Disease)

A great story has drama, mystery, conflict, interesting characters, intrigue, and excitement. The story of tuberculosis (TB) has all of these. It is a story of epic proportions. Carol Dyer’s Tuberculosis (Biographies of Disease) is not a textbook or a history book; it tells us the story of this fascinating but deadly disease. Dyer, a science writer, takes us from the mummies of ancient Egypt, with their visible signs of TB, to the skepticism that met Robert Koch’s discovery of the tubercle bacillus, to today’s global TB public health emergency. Thought by many to be a disease of the past, the final chapters of the book jolt us into today’s reality. As the drama unfolds, Dyer describes how TB ravaged Europe’s working class during the industrial revolution. More personal accounts from the Romantic Age are especially interesting. She tells us how 6 siblings of the famed literary Bronte family died of TB. She describes the tragic death from TB of the poet John Keats at age 26. And the personal anecdotes continue; from the scientists who advanced our knowledge of TB to the artists whose lives and art were affected. By describing its influence on literature and the arts, Dyer brings to life the profound effects of TB on humanity. Her discussion of the victories and setbacks in the fight against TB provide a context for what she considers to be the story’s main plot: how is it possible that TB remains a leading cause of death from infectious disease globally? Her description of the complex biology of the organism and the societal characteristics of the disease help us understand why, despite the discovery of effective chemotherapy, TB continues to devastate. The final chapters provide a sobering picture of the current state of TB. Dyer describes the serious effect of the HIV epidemic on TB and warns of the alarming rates of more dangerous forms of drug-resistant TB. However, the story she tells ultimately becomes a hopeful one. She discusses how the world community has come together, leading to new funding initiatives and prevention and control strategies. This book is a quick and easy read (120 pages). However, the organization of its 8 chapters is peculiar. The reader might be tempted to skip to the third chapter on the history of TB or even stop reading, as he or she get bogged down in some of the medical details in the first 2 chapters. Occasional overuse of technical detail gets in the way of the story. Sidebars with anecdotes and scientific summaries, scattered throughout, are a nice addition to the format of the book. The timeline at the end is also helpful. The book falls short in describing the epidemiology of TB. More quantitative information would provide the reader with a better understanding of the magnitude of the problem. Despite this issue and several minor technical inaccuracies, the book is informative and at times exciting. It captures all the elements of this great story. Overall, this book is a great read for public health professionals and the general public. For the reader engaged in global public health efforts, the book should be a call to action.

Sophie Simon Solves Them All (review)

Reviewed by: Sophie Simon Solves Them All Deborah Stevenson Graff, Lisa. Sophie Simon Solves Them All; illus. by Jason Beene. Farrar, 2010. [128p.] ISBN 978-0-374-37125-8 $14.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 3-4. Genius third-grader Sophie can't convince her loving parents, who think their daughter should be average and "well-adjusted," that what she really wants is a graphing calculator to do calculus. Her classmates have similar parental dilemmas: Owen can't make his mother understand that all he wants for his birthday is a bunny and not some striking exotic pet; klutzy Daisy yearns for her parents to let her drop out of ballet; Julia resists her father's desire to make her into a mathlete and aspires toward journalism instead. Can Sophie's brilliance link all these problems together and solve them in one fell swoop? Graff, author of solid, accessible realism in The Thing about Georgie (BCCB 4/07) and Umbrella Summer (BCCB 7/09), here takes a somewhat farcical approach, evident in elements such as the teacher's ever-growing list of absurd rules ("No dropping three things at once"; "No reading books fatter than your head") and the ballerina sit-in at Daisy's recital. Sophisticated touches in the vocabulary (the draconian French ballet teacher is Madame Robespierre, for instance) make the book particularly suited to young Sophie-type overachievers looking for a quick read, but kids of all stripes will recognize the frustration of dealing with parents who think you're someone you're not and admire the quick shuffle that gets all the beleaguered youngsters what they want. Beene's black-and-white illustrations offer polished exaggeration in their character caricature and a nicely against-type portrait of young Sophie. Copyright © 2010 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Nuts (review)

Reviewed by: Nuts Jeannette Hulick Cook, Kacy . Nuts. Cavendish, 2010. [160p]. ISBN 978-0-7614-5652-0 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 4-6. When eleven-year-old homeschooler Nell finds a baby squirrel in her yard, she [End Page 476] deliberately evades adult guidance (and possibly the laws) about wildlife in order to keep the baby, whom she dubs "Mantha" (short for Samantha). As the summer passes, Nell gradually realizes the seriousness of the project (and the deception) she has undertaken, and she comes to grips with the fact that what she wants to do and what's best for Mantha are two different things. This is certainly purposive but its message is important, and Cook's likable characters and the attractive novelty of the situation will draw in many readers. Although there's some contrivance—Nell's voice is exceptionally mature, and a friendly nature-loving boy provides a convenient mouthpiece for alternative views—this is still a riveting read for kids who would rather be out in the woods than inside playing Wii. Cook does an excellent job of balancing the very real concerns and complications of the situation with Nell's sincere desire to help and her more selfish desire to keep cute little Mantha for her own pleasure. Additionally, the fairly low page count and short chapters make this a quick read. Hand this to readers who enjoyed Rabe's Mr. Wellington (BCCB 9/09), or use it as part of a nature or wildlife study. Copyright © 2010 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Quick Reads: Another Good Idea: From Geometric Shapes to Algebraic Symbols

Connections between algebra and geometry are so explicit that it is difficult to firmly separate these two branches of mathematics. Geometric representations are often used to help students visualize algebraic expressions.

Call for Manuscripts: Quick Reads: May 2010

Call for Manuscripts: Quick Reads: May 2010

Quick Reads: Another Good Idea: Podcasting for Understanding

The sixth graders were in my face. “How'd I do?” “What did I get?” “Do you even have them graded yet?” I had graded their unit tests on operations with fractions, and the results were catastrophic. The class of twenty-four students had a range of 0 points up to a perfect 32 out of 32, with a mean score below 50 percent. How could their grades be so low after we had spent six weeks on this material?

Muddy as a Duck Puddle and Other American Similes (review)

Reviewed by: Muddy as a Duck Puddle and Other American Similes Deborah Stevenson Lawlor, Laurie. Muddy as a Duck Puddle and Other American Similes; illus. by Ethan Long. Holiday House, 2010 [32p]. ISBN 978-0-8234-2229-6 $16.95 Reviewed from galleys Ad 6-9 yrs Are you "independent as a hog on ice?" Do you sometimes feel "zany as a chigger chased around a stump"? You'll find these and other usefully phrased characteristics laid out in Lawlor's tribute to colorful American language, which lays out twenty-six similes in A-to-Z format. The idea has obvious potential for the language arts curriculum, and kids will particularly appreciate the predominance of animals in these lively phrases. Unfortunately, the concepts aren't very well conveyed by either the illustrations or the closing explanatory notes (which provide a regional citation as well as a gloss for each entry); the explanations are often unclear, unhelpful, or simply uncomprehending—"happy as a clam at high water" doesn't actually mean "safe and secure," for instance, and the "fine as frog hair" note never explains which meaning of "fine" is being employed. Long's digitally created illustrations are loud and cartoonish, with plenty of humorous exaggeration in their dramatization of the concepts; the compositions sometimes lack focus, though, a drawback emphasized by the fatness of the figures. Despite the flaws here, the title's easygoing format and [End Page 343] colorful flair make it enjoyable as a quick read as well as a readaloud, and it could add some linguistic brio to the classroom. Copyright © 2010 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

The Other Blocking: Teaching and Performing Improvisation , and: Theatrical Improvisation: Short Form, Long Form, and Sketch-Based Improv , and: Process: An Improviser's Journey (review)

Reviewed by: The Other Blocking: Teaching and Performing Improvisation, and: Theatrical Improvisation: Short Form, Long Form, and Sketch-Based Improv, and: Process: An Improviser's Journey Matt Fotis The Other Blocking: Teaching and Performing Improvisation. By Tom Smith. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing, 2009; pp. xii + 131. $37.95 paper. Theatrical Improvisation: Short Form, Long Form, and Sketch-Based Improv. By Jeanne Leep. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008; pp. xvi + 186. $69.95 cloth. Process: An Improviser's Journey. By Mary Scruggs and Michael Gellman. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 2008; pp. xxvii + 155. $17.95 paper. Although improvisational theatre has exploded onto the theatrical landscape over the past fifty years, it remains relatively unknown and misunderstood. Three recent improv texts seek to clarify the art form. Tom Smith's The Other Blocking provides a basic theoretical and practical introduction to improv that is perfect for the beginning performer or instructor; Jeanne Leep's Theatrical Improvisation offers a more detailed and thorough theoretical and historical investigation of performance improvisation that is a must-have for those looking for more advanced academic or professional study; while Mary Scruggs and Michael Gellman's Process offers an advanced how-to guide geared toward the seasoned professional performer and/or teacher. From the perspective of an experienced improviser and teacher, Tom Smith's The Other Blocking: Teaching and Performing Improvisation provides a basic introduction to teaching and performing improvisation. It attempts to mix basic improv theories and philosophies with practical application. Smith works to "bridge the gap between the practical knowledge important to performance groups and the theoretical knowledge valuable to academics" (xi). While veteran performers and teachers won't find much new ground covered in it, the book is excellent for those just entering the field or anyone looking for a primer on improvisation. Smith charts the basic history and structure of improv, also providing applicable exercises and techniques. He mixes in several interviews with improvisers throughout, which provide a nice insight into the professional world, although one wishes that they were more extensive. What this book does offer that many introductory books do not is a balanced look at both short form and long form improv. Furthermore, it is not simply a collection of games and "expert" advice on how to get the most laughs; instead, Smith presents the main theoretical components of improvisational theatre and examines the ways in which it functions. He also offers numerous classroom exercises, including a sample semester outline. In this way, Smith's book is most helpful to teachers of improvisation that are looking for more than just games to play, but also structural and theoretical underpinnings. Teachers looking to incorporate improvisation into a traditional acting class or those already teaching improvisation will find useful explanations and theory written in easy-to-follow language. Beginning improvisers or those familiar with only one type of improv will also find this book enlightening. It is a quick read that will provide a basic understanding of improvisational theory and practice, and lay a nice foundation for future exploration. Joining the small though emerging field of contemporary scholarship established by Amy Seham's Whose Improv Is It Anyway? Beyond Second City, which looks at Second City and improvisational theatre's development through the lens of race and gender, Theatrical Improvisation: Short Form, Long Form, and Sketch-Based Improv offers the first thorough "comparison of styles, forms, histories, and companies" (4). Jeanne Leep aims to clarify our understanding of improvisational theatre by analyzing performative improv in each of its three main genres: short form, long form, and sketch. After a succinct overview of improv in performance, Leep begins with the most widespread and popular form of [End Page 83] improv—short form. She focuses her study on performative short form improv in three main variations: team competitive format (Theatresports), individual competitive format (Whose Line), and the team noncompetitive format (River City Improv). In outlining each form, Leep is careful not to proffer one style as "better" than any other, although she does provide a critical analysis of Whose Line's impact on performative improv. Using her own experience with River City Improv, Leep offers significant insight into the unstudied area of...

Quick Reads: Another Good Idea: Poematics: Exploring Math through Poetry

Abraham Ayebo and Lynda R. Wiest One important key to a student's success in math is being able to communicate mathematically. To do so, students need to develop a language for expressing mathematical ideas (NCTM 2000).

The Billy Goat Curse: Losing and Superstition in Cubs Baseball Since World War II (review)

Reviewed by: The Billy Goat Curse: Losing and Superstition in Cubs Baseball Since World War II Robert M. Carrothers Gil Bogen. The Billy Goat Curse: Losing and Superstition in Cubs Baseball Since World War II. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2009. 218. pp. Paper. $29.95. A recent focus on “sports curses” coupled with the 100th anniversary of the Chicago Cubs’ last world championship opens the door for Gil Bogen’s The Billy Goat Curse: Losing and Superstition in Cubs Baseball Since World War II. Bogen starts with a review of the “glory years” of the early 1900s when the Cubs were competitive and always a threat to win the pennant. Early in the work, Bogen also introduces William “Billy” Sianis, the man at the center of the “Curse of the Billy Goat” said to have plagued the franchise since 1945. Sianis’s immigrant story is intertwined with brief coverage of the Cubs’ exploits from 1911 to 1945. Using an odd plot device, Bogen wonders what Sianis was doing or feeling during various points in Cubs history long before Billy’s path would cross with the franchise in any meaningful way. Entering the 1945 season, we see the Cubs again competitive and Billy Sianis a successful man-about-town and owner of a tavern in close proximity to both Wrigley Field and Chicago Stadium. The epicenter of the curse begins [End Page 190] as Sianis purchases a ticket for himself and his goat, the mascot of his bar, to watch Game 4 of the 1945 World Series. Competing stories have Sianis being turned away at the gate or asked to leave after being allowed in because Cubs owner Phillip Wrigley thought the goat smelled. Infuriated, Sianis placed a curse on the franchise, sending a telegram reading “Who smells now?” to Wrigley as the Cubs lost the series. The book chronicles the Cubs’ struggles over the next twenty-five years as Sianis becomes increasingly successful. Bogen indicates the location of Sianis’s tavern allowed him access to generations of Cubs fans who would stop by to have a drink after the game and hear Sianis boast of his curse. In 1964, the tavern was moved to a new location near the media centers in Chicago, giving Sianis a new audience for his curse story—newspaper writers who had the power to spread the story to a wider audience. Bogen goes on to give detailed summaries of several modern, successful seasons on the northside (1969, 1973, 1984, 1989, 1997, and 2003), including the late-season collapses in each case. In 1970, Billy Sianis died, leaving the tavern and the legacy of the curse to his nephew Sam, who tried several times to help end the curse. On July 4, 1973, Sam visited Wrigley with the goat where they were again turned away at the gate, precipitating a 7–30 collapse by the previously first-place Cubs, and later they appeared outside Wrigley Field prior to Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS (the now-infamous “Bartman game”). The work finishes with short chapters mixing recent Cubs history with discussions of superstition, other sports curses (such as the “Sports Illustrated jinx”), and the possibility of using exorcism to remove the curse on the Cubs. While a sometimes interesting and relatively quick read, the book never effectively establishes its stated premises. Though the title indicates a work about “losing Cubs baseball since World War II”, the seasons Bogen chooses to log in detail are the most successful seasons of the recent Cubs past, while the truly miserable seasons are passed over with one line or ignored entirely. Even a chapter titled “Bad As Usual” documents the 2004 season where the Cubs won 89 games and were in the playoff race until the last days of September. The intent of chronicling the good seasons is to highlight the most well-known occurrences of the curse when a good Cubs squad collapsed under the weight of history. This strategy would have been more effective had the superstition and curses portions been better constructed. Superstition is mentioned sparingly, specifically appearing in a few mentions of fan rituals and one short chapter listing the quirks of several big-league players. None...

<i>Creating the Entrepreneurial University to Support Liberal Education</i> (review)

Reviewed by: Creating the Entrepreneurial University to Support Liberal Education Julie B. Walsh-Covarrubias (bio) S. M. Hines. (2008). Creating the Entrepreneurial University to Support Liberal Education. Washington, D.C.: Association of American Colleges and Universities. 40 pages. ISBN: 978-0-9796181-2-3. $25.00 paperback. Is a liberal education a luxury, or is it actually a necessity for higher education to survive and prosper in today’s challenging environment? Are today’s colleges and universities becoming increasingly tenuous due to the new and many challenges facing them? In Creating the Entrepreneurial University to Support Liberal Education, Samuel Hines makes the argument that liberal education is a necessity in today’s world. Hines asserts that liberal education empowers individuals, through a combination of “ knowledge, wisdom, and skills,” to become “global thinkers” who can adjust to and/or overcome the challenges in our ever-changing environment. Additionally, he claims that due to the challenges caused by financial problems, for-profit competitors, technological innovations, etc., liberal education universities must become entrepreneurial in order to survive and flourish in the twenty-first century. So, according to Hines, liberal education is the foundation of the entrepreneurial university and an entrepreneurial university is crucial to the survival of liberal education—thus, making each dependent on the other. In his writings, you find examples where Hines has drawn from his considerable academic leadership experience. In 1973, he began his career at the College of Charleston, where he held numerous faculty and administrative positions, including serving as dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and was the founding dean of the School of Languages, Cultures, and World Affairs. In July 2007, he became the provost and dean of the College for The Citadel. [End Page 141] The ideas presented are insightful for the challenges experienced by both administration and faculty. Hines seems to be sensitive to the potential issues for all those involved in developing this entrepreneurial spirit, which centers around the message that universities must become more “market smart and mission centered.” The text includes examples of entrepreneurial models, including one in which the author is personally involved. Hines describes how the entrepreneurial collaborative ventures between communities and higher education can positively impact all involved. His vision for the desired culture of an entrepreneurial university is a team-based leadership style that treats all individuals as the stakeholders of any venture. He describes one of the major strengths of the entrepreneurial university as being the emergent synergies of students, faculty, and the administration. Hines outlines enabling conditions in order to adopt the entrepreneurial model; describes the many political, economical, and social issues involved in higher education; highlights some of the rewards and risks associated with the entrepreneurial model; and concludes with the importance of a strong, collaborative, and communicative leadership. The final pages of the book are devoted to four colleagues’ perspectives. With two of his colleagues, the similarities in views are more pronounced, and vice versa with the final two perspectives. Although this is a brief read, Hines and his colleagues are able to provide a solid message that there are significant fundamental issues facing higher education in the twenty-first century, creating a situation in which it may be very difficult to continue to produce much needed graduates who have a liberal education. The brevity of the book makes it a quick read. The writing style, the author’s use of examples throughout for illustration, and the sensible layout of his argument make it a very easy read. Hines has also amassed an impressive list of references focused on the survivability of higher education. However, what makes this book most pleasurable is the author’s passion and dedication to truly strive to make a liberal education not something of the past. Creating the Entrepreneurial University to Support Liberal Education is an insightful resource for higher education faculty and administrators. Whether you agree completely with the author or not, you will likely find some ideas worth considering for making colleges and universities more competitive and successful in the twenty-first century. [End Page 142] Julie B. Walsh-Covarrubias Julie B. Walsh-Covarrubias is an associate professor and the associate director of education...

Emotionally Intelligent Leadership: A Guide for College Students (review)

Reviewed by: Emotionally Intelligent Leadership: A Guide for College Students Ann M. Miller Marcy Levy Shankman and Scott J. Allen. Emotionally Intelligent Leadership: A Guide for College Students. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2008. 160 pp. Cloth: $25.00. ISBN: 978–0–470–27713-3. Emotionally Intelligent Leadership: A Guide for College Students by Marcy Levy Shankman and Scott J. Allen is just that, a straightforward guide for Emotionally Intelligent Leadership (EIL). It is obvious that Shankman and Levy had a student audience in mind; it is short, direct, and a quick read. It could easily be taken apart and used with students in stand-alone sections or as a whole. The book begins with a good introduction to the concept of EIL—not exhaustive by any means, but thorough enough to give a student the background needed to understand Shankman and Allen's take on EIL. The book is then split into three parts, one for each of the EIL consciousnesses: consciousness of context, consciousness of self, and consciousness of others. Part 1, "Consciousness of Context," covers environmental awareness and group savvy. Shankman and Allen explain this consciousness as "the environment in which the leader and followers work … a combination of setting and situation" (p. 12). Within this consciousness students are asked to step out of their traditional role in a group to focus on the environmental dynamics of the organization by asking: Who are the leaders in the meeting? Who are the followers? What does the organization value? Is there pride in the organization? etc. Group savvy emphasizes being able to pick up on the culture of an organization and adjust to meet the needs of that culture. Part 2, "Consciousness of Self," focuses on being aware of oneself in terms of abilities and emotions. The capacities covered in this section are emotional self-perception, honest self-understanding, healthy self-esteem, emotional self-control, authenticity, flexibility, achievement, optimism, and initiative. While this section covered a great deal, there are a few tools and explanations that are extremely practical for students. First, the chapter on honest self-understanding provides students the tools with which to ask for feedback. Not only are sample questions given as a jumping-off point for students, but Shankman and Allen also touch on the concept that who is asked to give feedback and when are just as important as the questions a students asks them to respond to. Second, Shankman and Allen explain achievement not as winning awards, padding a resumé, or getting good grades, but as the result of working hard on something that a person is passionate about. Third, the authors cover optimism as a realistic approach to tackling challenges. Part 3, "Consciousness of Others," centers on being aware of relationships with others and how they affect leadership. Capacities covered are empathy, citizenship, inspiration, influence, coaching, change agent, conflict management, developing relationships, teamwork, and capitalizing on difference. This section brings the book together, as there are many chapters that focus on how leadership cannot be a stand-alone process, multiple people need to be involved, and everyone needs to buy into what the organization is trying to do. [End Page 294] Students are again provided with tools to help achieve these capacities, specifically in chapters on inspiration, conflict management, and developing relationships. The authors conclude with suggestions for putting the concepts covered in the book into practice. They admit that becoming an emotionally intelligent leader is a never-ending process and that each time a leader thinks he or she has perfected the process, the context can change and people must adapt and continue learning. One of the strengths of this work is the simple, everyday examples the authors use to explain concepts. Any student will be able to see himself or herself in the situations and see the benefit of working on EIL. A second strength is the "Student Voice" sections. Each chapter has direct quotes from students around the country commenting on each of the capacities. Finally, the authors end each chapter with reflection questions. These questions help lend the book to group discussion or one-on-one conversations between students and their peers or university professionals. While reading this...

Quick Reads: Another Good Idea: Active Involvement for Clear Assessment

Math teachers want to know if students get it when a new mathematics concept has been taught. Because we are not our students' mind readers, it is difficult to know who does and does not understand. Students often will not admit that they do not understand and are embarrassed to raise their hands when we ask, “Are there any questions?”

Why less can be more in medicine

The Clinical TeacherVolume 6, Issue 4 p. 289-290 Why less can be more in medicine First published: 17 November 2009 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1743-498X.2009.00327_3.x There should be systematic training of doctors in heuristics, to allow them to make ‘empirically sound, quick and transparent diagnostic decisions' Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume6, Issue4December 2009Pages 289-290 RelatedInformation

Working Together or Apart: Promoting the Next Generation of Digital Scholarship (review)

Reviewed by: Working Together or Apart: Promoting the Next Generation of Digital Scholarship Allyson Mower Working Together or Apart: Promoting the Next Generation of Digital Scholarship Council on Library and Information Resources, March 2009, 78 p. $25 (ISBN 978-1-932326-33-8) This collection of white papers argues that, although a scholarly paradigm shift is occurring because of computer technology, the Web, and an abundance of data, the existing cyberinfrastructure is not well suited to promote the next generation of digital scholarship. Researchers need new methods, new tools, and a new familiarity with data in order to advance scholarship. Working Together or Apart brings together experts from computational linguistics, digital librarianship, applied physics, art history, computer science, information graphics, and classics. It contains six white papers presented at a symposium sponsored by The Council on Library and Information Resources and The National Endowment for the Humanities and also includes two additional chapters: Amy Friedlander's discussion of the day's events (and what led up to them) and Diane Zorich's summary [End Page 519] of digital humanities centers. Anyone wanting a substantial introduction, along with a fair treatment of what needs to be considered for the future, will find this book useful. The report provides a comprehensive overview of the current issues and trends in digital scholarship and does so in a concise, readable manner with extensive references following each chapter. Topics range from philology, American studies, and automated language processing to information visualization, art history, and the nature of social attention in the age of the Web. Although not exhaustive, the book reports on the heart of the matter—the fact that the Web and the vast amounts of digital information it facilitates create opportunities that go beyond a single author, work, region, or country. More extensive works on digital scholarship include Alexander Hars' From Publishing to Knowledge Networks: Reinventing Online Knowledge Infrastructures (Berlin: Springer, 2003); Charles Franklin Thomas' Libraries, the Internet, and Scholarship: Tools and Trends Converging (New York: Marcel Dekker, 2002); and, of course, Christine L. Borgman's Scholarship in the Digital Age: Information, Infrastructure, and the Internet (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2007). The chapter on e-philology sums it up best by reminding readers that print technology will never provide researchers with the opportunity to consume vast amounts of information in order to provide analyses that are both in-depth and have breadth. Gregory Crane et al. point to new kinds of research taking place in which digital collections are used to study the influence of authors (Plato, for example) across a wide range of cultures. This also was a theme in Caroline Levander's discussion of the discipline of American studies and what it means in a global era of distributed networks, where geography and nation-state boundaries are less meaningful than cultural influences. Anyone unfamiliar with automated language processing tools for the humanities and social sciences (as I was) will find Douglas Oard's very concise and quick read on the topic of particular interest. Oard defines terms, provides background, and also puts forth a salient point—headlined Mastering Their Voodoo—by calling attention to the fact that better tools can only be built as long as those doing the research and those building the tools maintain open and constant communication. Analyzing images and visualizing data become a particularly sticky point for digital scholarship. As Maureen Stone and Stephen Murray explain, the nature of representation can be a powerful tool but requires a new kind of literacy with which many researchers (and students) will need to become more familiar. This kind of knowledge and expertise will be necessary in the coming years as the Web exerts its growing influence. Bernardo Huberman brings in the social aspects of digital scholarship and argues that attention has become academia's main currency; finding ways to gain people's attention will be essential. Working Together or Apart offers a survey-level view of trends in digital scholarship and also provides a nearly complete bibliography for those wanting to explore digital scholarship further. [End Page 520] Allyson Mower University of Utah allyson.mower@utah.edu Copyright © 2009 The Johns Hopkins University Press

How to Liberate Yourself from Pain Brown Grahame Winn Denise Human Givens £9.99 224pp 9781899398171 [Formula: see text

WRITTEN AT an appropriate level this book is an easy and quick read. It is a resource for all nurses to use when patients are keen to understand more about their pain and how to manage it. The authors have tackled issues including personal and psychological factors that affect perceptions of pain. They dispel many of the myths that patients hold, for example, that pain equals damage.

Editorial

<i>Editorial</i>