MSI Press Blog

  Introduction Ever wonder why you just could not get along with Sally Jo in high school?   Why you, as a teacher, cannot reach a particular student no matter how much one-on-one time you provide them?   Why two learners in your classroom squabble all the time and seem to delight in challenging you? Why some classes seem so harmonious, and others are clearly dysfunctional? The answer to these questions and many others lies in understanding intragroup dynamics.   These dynamics, exposed, show us an invisible, or hidden, classroom, that can differ quite remarkably from the classroom we think we are seeing, whether we are a student in it or a teacher of it (Ehrman & Dornyei, 1998). In this book, we will be using examples from and demonstrating the dysfunction that occurs in foreign language classrooms, including English as a Second/Foreign Language. Although we address the language classroom specifically in this book, the core causes of dysfunction can occur in any classroom—any

  Confidence Dogs will perform silly little tricks to earn affection from their masters. Cats will never stoop to that level. So, while my childhood cocker spaniel would happily present his paw for me, Shelly would roll her eyes at what an idiot I was for even asking for it. We're not all born with an innate sense of confidence and self-worth. So, think like a cat, and don't do things that are beneath you. You're better than that. Just because someone tells you to dance doesn't mean you should bust out the Macarena.   There's no reason to kiss up to your boss, praising his genius for every pointless idea he suggests. Unless you're a ninja at brown-nosing, it'll be obvious what you're doing. It won't make you look good, either. You'll just seem like someone who lacks the confidence to say what he really believes. Think in the same terms for your relationships. If your girlfriend blames you for something that went wrong, that doesn't me

  From the interview: Rainstorm of Tomorrow  shares your provocative philosophical insights on truth, ethics, and aesthetics. Why was this an important book for you to write? “Philosophy is dead,” declared Stephen Hawking in agreement with many others. “As philosophers have not kept up with science, their art is dated.” However, if we refer to the history of how humans pursue knowledge, we will not find that different disciplines replaced one another in sequence. It is not that the wilt of religion gave rise to philosophy, or that the denouement of philosophy set the stage for science—nor is the world segmented into discrete, incompatible disciplinary fields. Every discipline is a language capable of encompassing all phenomena in the world. Each speaks with a unique voice. In practice, however, we rarely lean on one discipline alone to explain everything around us. For example, we are not likely to use the language of physics—despite its sufficiency—to restore psychological activities

  Written by an expert with 20 years of experience in observation and study in the classroom and recreational programs, this book focuses on behavioral challenges in children and serves as a guide for parents on how to improve their child's behavior.   ·      Does your child struggle with age expected tasks and have difficulty socially, trouble focusing, managing school or with sibling relations? ·      Is your family struggling because one of your children seems to consume all of your parental energy?   Franki Bagdade (M. Ed.), a dynamic and creative consultant skilled in problem solving and out-of-the-box solutions, provides a new approach with simple steps that establish new structures, systems, and strategies in and out of the home to empower your child take responsibility for his or her own behavior-and allows you to once again enjoy your child. Read more posts on MSI Press parenting books HERE .

  (photo by Lisa Lavignano) THE ALTAR The altar is the most important part of the church. The altar is where the priest celebrates the Mass, offering the Sacrifice (body and blood of Christ). Without an altar, there cannot be a Mass.  What happens at the altar is mysterious and highly spiritual. The priest consecrates the host (bread) and the wine, blessing it by prayer and asking the Holy Spirit to descend upon it to change it into the body and body of Christ. This change is called transubstantion.  Altars have been used in worshipping God for a very long time. At first, they had to be made of stone, but that is not the case today. If you read the Old Testament, you will read that God’s chosen people, the Jews, in the old days, San Juan Bautista Mission long before the time of Jesus, used altars to offer to God sacrifices like lambs, or, yikes!, (almost) Isaac, Abraham’s son. That’s a story of incredible trust, the kind of trust that helped Abraham to be the progenitor (t

  Excerpt from the review: Rainstorm of Tomorrow  is an thought-provoking book written in a way that’s accessible to average people. It serves as a guide to help humanity understand what will possibly be best for us in the future. It traces a line that covers our past and makes us think about the evolution that we will have to maintain to guarantee that the world will continue to grow and become a better place for the future generations.  Rainstorm of Tomorrow  is an enthralling and brief history of the evolution of humanity that will give you a better appreciation of the human world as it centers around our individual and collective search for truth, ethics and beauty. To read the full review, click HERE . To read more posts about Renyuan Dong and his award-winning book, click HERE .