Books by Frank Thoms
Behind the Red Veil
SKU: 978-1-68463-055-4
In October 1985, Frank Thoms first ventured into the Gorbachev's Soviet Union. By the time Gorbachev resigned as general secretary, he taught in four schools in three cities, Leningrad, Moscow, and Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan. In 1994, he returned, this time to the new Russia to lead a seminar in Yakaterinberg, Siberia, for teachers coming to America.
He discovered, in his passion to find common ground with Russians, that he did not judge them but learned from them, not to bring America to them but to be an American with them. He taught using Soviet pedagogy but for the most part, his own. He befreinded hundreds of students and teachers.
His book is lively, provoactive, and personal. The Red Veil is his metphor for how the Communist Party projected itself to its own people, to foriegn visitors, and to the world at large. The writing is crisp, to the point, and honest. The book is an extension of his classroom philosophy, which was centered on being alongside his students, not as a deliverer of information but as a partner in learning with them.
Exciting Classrooms: Practical Information for Student Success
SKU: 9781475823035
Thoms offers readers a robust model for instructional improvement, an inspiritional set of insights, and a pragmatic toolkit of strategies to sharpen pedadgogy and engage learners.
He sees the teaching process as a joint venture between teacher and student, where the teacher brings learning to the student and, at the same time, brings the student to the learning. This process demands at least as much listening as talking, a new habit that teachers and principals need to learn.
"I enjoyed reading Exciting Classrooms, learned from it, and I am a better teacher because of it."
"Exciting Classrooms is the best book on education I have read. I love how it combines some of the best ideas for really engaging the students. If any teacher embraced the attitudes, approaches, and methods in Frank’s book, she would be catapulted into “master teacher” status more quickly and effectively than she would from reading any other book on education, or just learning by experience."
Mona Seno, art teacher, Northfield-Mount Hermon School
Listening Is Learning: Conversations between 20th and 21st Century Teachers
SKU: 9781475840148
Veteran teachers, recognizing the challenges of 21st Century children, offer engaging ideas for revitalizing the face-to-face classroom. A place to learn the value of body language and tone. A place where gestures, animation, eye contact, and voice make for deeper understanding of one another. Human society began with people sitting around campfires having conversations. In his appealing book, Thoms advicates to continue that tradition.
"In a warm and gentle voice, Thoms offers both emotional wisdom and practical support for new teachers and for veterans thinking about how best to support new teachers. He makes a good argument for collaborative relationships among teachers and between teachers and students."
Teaching from the Middle of the Room: Inviting Students to Learn
SKU: 978-0-615-35891-8
In twenty-seven stimulating chapters, readers learn of the myriad of methods that provide stimulating invitations for students to want to learn. It was written before the impact of digital devices in students' lives. Nevertheless it offers ways to bring students into face-to-face learning necessary to counteract the isolation of the digital culture.
"Frank Thoms is a passionate teacher, and his powerful book is all about "stance"––how a teacher places him or herself physically, emotionally, intellectually, and organizationally––with respect to students, knowledge, and learning. Every teacher, from a first-timer to an old hand, will learn much that is practical, and even more that is inspirational, from reading this book."
"Frank Thoms draws our attention back to the locus of learning––the synergy between teachers and students. He offers empathetic and passionate teachers the thought tools and practical steps they need to invigorate a collaborative classroom."
Teaching That Matters: Engaging Minds, Improving Schools
SKU: 978-1-4758-1413-2
By meeting innovative practitioners who engage students, this intriguing book will help readers shift from traditional classroom practices into exciting alternatives.
"Teaching That Matters is a delightful concoction of philosophical and psychological reflections and provocations on the art of teaching. Creative teachers will find Frank Thoms's book highly engaging and his practical teaching recommendations enormously useful."
former secretary of education,
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
"I feel your energy and commitment and can also hear your voice, literally, as I read. Your book feels like a personal conversation rather than a broadcast. Perhaps that is why you were was such a good teacher!"
"The chapters are so intriguing. I just want to curl up with my favorite plush blanket and spend the day reading what Frank Thoms had written."