The Tone of Teaching

Book excerpt: In the revised and updated second edition of The Tone of Teaching, bestselling author Max van Manen defines sound pedagogy as the ability to distinguish effectively between what is appropriate, and what is less appropriate in our communications and dealings with children and young people as parents and educators. The author: -Shows how tactful educators develop a caring attentiveness to the unique; to the uniqueness of children, and to the uniqueness of their individual lives-Describes how this "tone" of teaching can be sustained by the cultivation of a certain kind of seeing, listening, and responding to each child in each particular situation-Offers practical insights for both educators and parents