Douglas Patterson: 7 books

Historically schools operated as transmitters of knowledge. A teacher’s job was to pass the beliefs and the traditions of his culture on to his students. The young person’s job was to assimilate that pre-packaged knowledge and to apply it to his daily life.This tradition grew out of religious...

In this book, I focus on economics at a very basic level. Using American psychologist Abraham Maslow’s triangle as a conceptual framework, I define wealth in terms of our physiological and psychological needs, and I attempt to explain why we value those things that we do. I have employed the phrase...

Educational planning should be based on realistic assumptions concerning the children that enter our classrooms. We must recognize that they are a diverse group and that a one-size-fits-all approach in not going to work very well for many students. The notion that all children can live up to a single...

This e-book is designed for use by teenagers and young adults in their English composition courses. It deals with the literary - as opposed to the literal - side of writing. Most course syllabi use the label Creative Writing to name courses in which this e-textbook would be appropriate. I prefer the...

Americans during the first decades of the 21st century have enjoyed a very high standard of living; even though we may vary greatly in wealth, few people in this country actually go hungry. Most enjoy adequate nutrition and shelter and medical care and transportation and communication services; many...

This book is designed for use in English composition courses. It focuses on the generally accepted practices by those writers who attempt to present the unvarnished truth. Unlike the literary writer, one who writes on a literal level does not wish to suspend reality but rather to present his thoughts...

The cover of this book features a picture of Noah Webster, the man most responsible for creating standard American English. He lived during the American Revolution and was an avid supporter of American political and cultural independence. Webster was a successful teacher and writer. His spelling book...