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 i...

  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 ac...

Reissued -- two beloved oldies in the language teaching world. These books have been published continuously since we first published them years back. We transferred them shortly after publication to Villa Magna LLC. Recently, Villa Magna made the decision to focus on the works of Omar Imady (also one of our authors, whose works we will eventually be transferring to Villa Magna) and recently transferred their language books to us. Both books are unique -- and likely foretell the future of language teaching though the focus they suggest is only slowly starting to become part of the profession, on the periphery. We are confident, however, that, in time, they will represent the mainstream of teaching approaches. Communicative Focus   describes in detail the theory and nature of the principles and practices used in his approach to language teaching. He is not afraid to talk about some aspects of language learning and teaching, such as the development of lexical and grammatical accuracy,...

The author of I Love My Kids, But I Don't Always Like Them , Franki Bagdade graduated from Michigan State University with a BA in Elementary Education. She received her MA in Special Education from Wayne State University. She is currently enjoying her largest “pandemic purchase” and is half-way through earning her master’s in clinical social work at University of Kentucky. She has spent more than 20 years specializing in the world of children with extra needs, including non-traditional learning environments, camp settings, and everything in between. Her traditional mainstream educational experience includes all types of general classroom teaching, running a special needs resource room, consulting for pre-school through high school resource programs, and conducting training sessions for professional development. Most recently, she was the assistant director of Tamarack Camps, one of the largest overnight camps in North America. Franki is the owner and founder of FAAB Consulting, wh...

One of the most comforting and helpful resources we found when Carl was in the final days of hospice -- more helpful than what hospice workers could tell us and more than doctors did tell us -- was a little book, called Gone from My Sight: The Dying Experience by Barbara Karnes, RN. As Carl went through each predicted and predictable stage from being distant mentally, to not eating, and then to not drinking, this little book told us the range of expectations and what was happening to his body in preparation for death in relation to what he was and was not doing. The book description on Amazon is very accurate:  The biggest fear of watching someone die is fear of the unknown; not knowing what dying will be like or when death will actually occur. The booklet "Gone From My Sight" explains in a simple, gentle yet direct manner the process of dying from disease. Dying from disease is not like it is portrayed in the movies. Yet movies, not life, have become our role models. Death ...

  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 .