Decision theory: general Books

Book SynopsisDecision-making is an activity in which everyone is engaged on a more or less daily basis. In this book, Karin Brunsson and Nils Brunsson explore the intricacies of decision-making for individuals and organizations. When, how and why do they make decisions? The authors identify four distinct ways of reasoning that decision-makers use. The consequences of decisions vary: some promote action, others impede it, and some produce more responsibility than others. With in-depth discussions of rationality, justifications and hypocrisy, the authors show how organizational and political decision processes become over-complicated and difficult for both decision makers and external observers to understand. Decisions is a concise and easy-to-read introduction to a highly significant and intriguing topic. Based on research from several fields, it provides useful reading and essential knowledge for scholars and students throughout the social sciences and for everyone who wants to understand their own decisions and those of others.Trade Review'Decision-making is often a confusing and confused process. Emotions, judgements and prejudices can all play a part, whether a decision is made by an individual, a group or an organization. The study of decision making, however, doesn't have to be either confusing or confused as this excellent book eloquently demonstrates. The four logics of decision-making identified here provide the authors with a framework which enables them to explain in clear and simple terms decisions that appear complex, confusing or irrational.' --Yiannis Gabriel, University of Bath, UK'This rich, imaginative little book offers fascinating insights into the intricacies of decision making by both individuals and organizations, and a sobering appraisal of the delayed Swedish response to the 2004 tsunami. Any new book by Karen and Nils Brunsson is a welcome treat, and this one is a gem!' --Walter W. Powell, Stanford University'Decisions: The Complexities of Individual and Organizational Decision-Making by Nils and Karin Brunsson offers an excellent introduction to the complexities of decision-making. Decades of research on decision making are succinctly summarized and presented in a refreshing and easily accessible way. A must read for researchers, students and practitioners who want to get an overview of the latest insights into the particularities of individual and organizational decision-making.' --David Seidl, University of Zurich, SwitzerlandTable of ContentsContents: The Quake 1. Decisions 2. Individuals as decision makers 3. Organizations as decision makers 4. The Consequences of Decisions 5. Complex decision processes After the tsunami References Index

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Book SynopsisCollective decision making seems a straightforward matter: people come together and decide. But why is it that today's winners can turn into tomorrow's losers? Why can't you always get what you want? How does the interaction between the decision makers influence the outcome? And are opportunists better off than stubborn decision makers? This book takes a refreshing look at collective decision making by using models of evolutionary biology and naturalistic decision making to analyse real-world cases. These cases include the rise and fall of the Dutch high-speed railway project and the unexpected effects of introducing public-private partnerships to connect the new Thai national airport to Bangkok. Gerrits and Marks successfully guide the reader towards an in-depth understanding through rich empirical research and uncover the beautiful complexity of collective decision making. Understanding Collective Decision Making will be of great interest to academics working in public administration, political science and evolutionary theory. Public managers will also find this book helpful to understand why and how collective decisions are formed.Trade Review'For a while, complexity theory holds the promise of a new paradigm for the planning sciences. This book is a major step forward in that endeavour. It provides a unique blend of analytical reasoning and in-depth case studies within an original and coherent framework.' --Koen Frenken, Utrecht University, the Netherlands'Brilliant! Grounded in the concept of fitness landscapes - as well as the latest advances in case-based modeling and critical realism, and also visual and social complexity - this book is a significant breakthrough in the study of collective decision making, particularly as it unfolds across conceptual time/space. To do so, Gerrits and Marks appeal to the readers' intuition, helping them navigate two fictional worlds (clock and cloud) to arrive at four different real-world empirical examples, which are wonderfully illustrated. There is also a web-based software package (un-code.org), which the authors developed and which readers can now use to employ these new tools. An absolute must-read!' --Brian Castellani, Kent State University, USTable of ContentsContents: 1. An uphill struggle 2. Models of social evolution: fitness landscapes 3. The transformation of fitness landscapes 4. The model 5. Memory of a dream: High-speed rail in the Netherlands 6. Enter in time: Analysing dynamics in three empirical studies 7. Evolution in collective decision making Index

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Book SynopsisEngaging Resistance provides a new empirical framework for understanding the nature of resistance to organizational change. This book points the way towards strategies that can be successfully employed by change champions as they work to engage less enthusiastic colleagues.Trade Review"Engaging Resistance meaningfully builds an emergent theory in an engaging style. Anderson grounds his framework well, illustrating how two institutions of higher education overcome resistance to change. The stories of these institutions include exemplary detail, so that students can easily transfer the lessons-learned to other organizational settings. This book makes a welcome addition to the reading list for my Strategies for Institutional Change course."—Sharon F. Rallis, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, author of Learning in the Field: An Introduction to Qualitative Research"In a refreshingly clear voice, Anderson presents powerful ideas on transformational change and resistance in an easy-to-understand format. Engaging Resistance serves as a template that may be used by change agents anywhere who are committed to making a positive difference in for profit, non-profit, and governmental settings."—Jane C. Edmonds, Senior Fellow, Northeastern University College of Professional Studies

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Book SynopsisIn a fast-moving world, the necessity of making decisions, and preferably good ones, has become even more difficult. One reason is the variety and number of choices perhaps available which often are not presented or understood. Alternatives are often unclear and complex paths to them confusing and misleading. Thus the process of decision making itself requires analysis on an ongoing basis. Decision making is often made based on cultural factors whereas the best alternative might be quite different. The subject touches ethical aspects as well as psychological considerations. This book presents important research on the psychology of decision making related to law and law enforcement, health care and science.

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisIn a fast-moving world, the necessity of making decisions, and preferably good ones, has become even more difficult. One reason is the variety and number of choices perhaps available which often are not presented or understood. Alternatives are often unclear and complex paths to them confusing and misleading. Thus the process of decision making itself requires analysis on an ongoing basis. Decision making is often made based on cultural factors whereas the best alternative might be quite different. The subject touches ethics aspects as well as psychological considerations. This new book presents important research on the psychology of decision making related to health care and medicine.

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Book Synopsis"Pullman offers his readers essential insights into how humans reason and make decisions. Both concise and far-reaching, his work teaches us how to challenge intuitive logic and examine the processes for deliberative reasoning. This text will prove foundational for students in their intellectual journey toward the development of real skills in critical thinking. By pointing to simple yet profound examples, Pullman's text is both readable and provocative as it challenges us to consider the very mechanisms by which we understand our own cognitive biases." --Bradley A. Hammer, Department of English and Comparative Literature, University of North Carolina, Chapel HillTrade Review"A Rulebook for Decision Making is a really helpful set of ideas for those who want to learn more about how decisions are made. It is not a set of rules as much as a set of considerations that can be customized and applied by each reader—in fact, there are a few that I have not seen elsewhere. This is a book that is useful both to readers wanting to understand more about their decision making, and to those studying the topic." --Robert S. Duboff, CEO, HawkPartners

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Book Synopsis"Pullman offers his readers essential insights into how humans reason and make decisions. Both concise and far-reaching, his work teaches us how to challenge intuitive logic and examine the processes for deliberative reasoning. This text will prove foundational for students in their intellectual journey toward the development of real skills in critical thinking. By pointing to simple yet profound examples, Pullman's text is both readable and provocative as it challenges us to consider the very mechanisms by which we understand our own cognitive biases." --Bradley A. Hammer, Department of English and Comparative Literature, University of North Carolina, Chapel HillTrade Review"A Rulebook for Decision Making is a really helpful set of ideas for those who want to learn more about how decisions are made. It is not a set of rules as much as a set of considerations that can be customized and applied by each reader—in fact, there are a few that I have not seen elsewhere. This is a book that is useful both to readers wanting to understand more about their decision making, and to those studying the topic." --Robert S. Duboff, CEO, HawkPartners

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Book SynopsisProcesses of collective decision making are seen throughout modern society. How does a government decide on an investment strategy within the health care and educational sectors? Should a government or a community introduce measures to combat climate change and CO2 emissions, even if others choose not too? Should a country develop a nuclear capability despite the risk that other countries may follow their lead? This introductory text explores the theory of social choice. Social choice theory provides an analysis of collective decision making. The main aim of the book is to introduce students to the various methods of aggregating the preferences of all members of a given society into some social or collective preference. Written as a primer suitable for advanced undergraduates and graduates, this text will act as an important starting point for students grappling with the complexities of social choice theory. With all new chapter exercises this rigorous yet accessible primer avoids the Trade Review...an outstanding Primer for the field of social choice that will surely become a standard reference for those wanting to be initiated in the field. * Cambridge Journals *Table of ContentsGLOSSARY OF MAJOR CONCEPTS; HINTS TO EXERCISES

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Book SynopsisExperience the joy, freedom, and fulfillment God wants for you by learning the key to making God-glorifying choices: the power of pre-decision.What if we actually have the ability to break free from the pitfalls of impulsive decisions and develop positive, godly habits? What if becoming the person you want to be starts now, before you make a decision?Craig Groeschel—author of Winning the War in Your Mind—will empower you to put into action seven life-defining pre-decisions that will help you overcome the daily temptations, distractions, and influences that constantly bombard us. Drawing on Scripture, story, and the latest research into human behavior, Think Ahead will help you: Understand the science behind your decision-making habits. Equip you with the tools to avoid sinful and damaging patterns. Overcome decision fatigue and debilitating fears. See how your small choices shape the kind

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Book SynopsisPre-order now for June 1 sales release.The Foundation for Critical Thinking has developed an authoritative system of competency standards to ensure successful and consistent integration of critical thinking skills in schools and educational programs at every level and in every discipline. The critical thinking competency standards articulated in this guide serve as a resource for teachers, curriculum designers, administrators and accrediting bodies. As part of the Thinker's Guide Library, this book advances the mission of the Foundation for Critical Thinking to promote fairminded critical societies through cultivating essential intellectual abilities and virtues across every field of study across world.

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Book SynopsisThis critical thinking guide introduces concepts and strategies for developing essential reasoning skills and intellectual character. As part of the Thinkerâs Guide Library, this book is an essential resource for students learning new academic disciplines and encountering new situations in life.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisMany of the complex problems faced by decision makers involve uncertainty as well as multiple conflicting objectives. This book provides a complete understanding of the types of objective functions that should be used in multiattribute decision making. By using tools such as preference, value, and utility functions, readers will learn state-of-the-art methods to analyze prospects to guide decision making and will develop a process that guarantees a defensible analysis to rationalize choices. Summarizing and distilling classical techniques and providing extensive coverage of recent advances in the field, the author offers practical guidance on how to make good decisions in the face of uncertainty. This text will appeal to graduate students and practitioners alike in systems engineering, operations research, business, management, government, climate change, energy, and healthcare.Trade Review'Ali E. Abbas' new book on utility theory is a comprehensive treatment ranging from simple distinctions about facing uncertainty to general multiattribute utility theory. Beginning with a general approach to MAU, it then specializes to show how popular versions, such as additive utility, are actually very restrictive and other simple approaches, such as additive value functions with risk aversion, are much more general. He derives the complete forms of multiattribute utility functions having additive value functions. With utility transversality, he also demonstrates that there is only one dimension of risk attitude, as the value function translates risk attitude across dimensions. Abbas's book promises to be the standard reference work for decades to come.' Jim Matheson, Chairman and CFO, SmartOrg, Inc.'Foundations of Multiattribute Utility provides a much-needed update, a comprehensive structure, and indeed a vision for a field that has blossomed in the forty years since Keeney and Raiffa's Decisions with Multiple Objectives. The book synthesizes recent results by others and by the author, including an elegant copula representation. Thanks to the book's accessible style - which even includes Socratic dialogues - readers will appreciate its place within the rich mathematics of preference and economic utility theory and the rich practice of decision analysis. The book offers many rewards for modelers in these fields, while for researchers it is required reading.' Jeffrey M. Keisler, University of Massachusetts, Boston'The definitive work on preference, value, and utility that can serve the full range of decision situations. If you need to tackle a complex multiattribute preference problem, the answer is in this book. Ali E. Abbas has created a great text of a graduate course and a valuable reference for the practitioner.' Carl Spetzler, Strategic Decisions Group and author of Decision Quality'In Foundations of Multiattribute Utility, Ali E. Abbas has brought together divergent themes of research in decision-making with multiple objectives into a single, coherent whole. This book can serve as an introduction for decision-makers who want to think carefully about making trade-offs. It is also a reference for researchers who want to understand the latest developments in the field. I know I will be keeping this book close at hand in my office for years to come.' Jason Merrick, Virginia Commonwealth University'This book is a long overdue. It is encyclopedic in nature, chronicling many recent developments in utility theory, while summarizing the classical results in the field. The book is a perfect companion to Keeney and Raiffa's (1976) seminal book on multiattribute utility. It should be on the desk of any decision analyst, economist, or statistician who does research in or teaches utility theory.' Kenneth C. Lichtendahl, Jr, University of VirginiaTable of ContentsPart I. Foundations of Preference, Value, and Utility: 1. Preference, value, and utility; 2. Foundations of expected utility; 3. Some flawed methods of decision making; Part II. Deterministic Decisions: 4. The order rule: preferences for deterministic consequences; 5. Getting the attributes right; 6. Preference functions for single attributes; 7. Preference functions for multiple attributes; 8. Additive preference functions; 9. Valuing deterministic consequences – value functions; Part III. Decisions with Uncertainty: Multi-attribute Utility Functions Using a Value Measure: 10. Single-attribute utility function; 11. Multi-attribute utility functions using preference and value functions; 12. Utility functions over additive preference or value functions; Part IV. Decisions with Uncertainty: Properties of Single-Attribute Utility Functions: 13. The role of the utility function in valuing uncertain deals; 14. The risk aversion function; 15. Scale transformations applied to lottery outcomes; 16. The invariant transformation of a utility function; 17. Valuing changes in investment opportunities; 18. One-switch utility functions; 19. Utility transversality; 20. Multi-attribute risk aversion; Part V. Decisions with Uncertainty: Multi-attribute Utility Functions without Preference or Value Functions: 21. Attribute dominance utility; 22. The two-attribute utility tree; 23. Independence conditions for two attributes; 24. The multi-attribute utility tree; 25. Independence conditions for three or more attributes; 26. Higher-order independence conditions; 27. One-switch utility independence; Part VI. Utility Copula Formulations: 28. Multi-attribute utility copulas; 29. Archimedean utility copulas; 30. Assessing Archimedean utility copulas; 31. Utility copula functions matching all boundary assessments; 32. Bidirectional one-switch ordinal copulas; 33. Reflections of what we have learned.

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Book SynopsisNancy S. Kim taught and researched the psychology of belief as Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Psychology at Northeastern University, USA.

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Book SynopsisThe Question is the Answer is a teacher's guide to helping young readers generate text-based questions. The purpose of this book is to help teachers and parents value and promote student-generated questions to facilitate motivation, engagement, and cognitive development.Trade ReviewBrilliant. Molly Ness takes decades of research on the cognitive role of questioning and distills it into concrete plans for classroom practice. The Question is the Answer will bring greater curiosity, learning, and wonderment to any classroom. -- Daniel Willingham, professor, department of psychology, University of Virginia, author of “Why Don't Students Like School?”, “When Can You Trust the Experts?”, and “Raising Kids Who Read”Ness has done it again! This is an innovative and authoritative look at how children use questions to learn, and how we – teachers and parents – can use these questions to improve children’s learning and achievement. This book is scientifically grounded but full of practical guidelines. A brilliant read! -- Laura Justice, EHE distinguished professor, education and human ecology, The Ohio State UniversityI wholeheartedly applaud Dr. Ness for delivering a book that celebrates, encourages, and expands on children’s natural curiosity. The Question is the Answer helps teachers find a way back to joyful, collaborative exploration in the classroom. This book can be used to guide instruction and learning within elementary classrooms or as a tool to promote vertical alignment across the grades. It is a treasure from cover to cover! -- Gary Wellbrock, PhD, first grade teacher (at PS347 The American Sign Language and English Lower School) in ManhattanPresents a highly readable approach on how to enhance comprehension and excitement about learning. Supported by current research and filled with real-world examples and practical strategies that are incredibly useful for parents, teachers, and anyone working with young children. -- Naomi Schimmel, curriculum coordinator, The Shefa SchoolMy visits to elementary classrooms have convinced me that teaching students to generate questions is often a hit-or-miss endeavor. The truth is, being effective requires far more than asking students to ask questions. This is why The Question is the Answer is such an important book. In it, Molly Ness has crafted a superb resource that should be on every teacher’s must-read list. She distills the research evidence into easily understood approaches that together define best practice. Her vignettes illustrate these approaches with true insight, and they reflect a writing style that is both warm and engrossing. I rarely say this about an academic book, but this one’s a page-turner! -- Mike McKenna, Jewel Professor of Reading at the University of VirginiaGrounded in what we know about inquiry, effective teaching, and what it means to learn alongside our students, Ness helps us consider not only the structure and substance of our questions but the ways in which we grow and build questioning skills over time. This book is about far more than a collection of strategies for the classroom (though it has those in abundance). This is a book that challenges us to firmly root schooling in what it means to discover, to question, and to learn. -- Sara Kajder, clinical assistant professor, college of education, University of GeorgiaTable of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter One: Inside Inquiry-Based Classrooms: The Research Basis for Question Generation Chapter Two: Tried But True Questioning Strategies Chapter Three: Questioning Inside Kindergarten Classrooms Chapter Four: Questioning Inside First-Grade Classrooms Chapter Five: Questioning Inside Second-Grade Classrooms Chapter Six: Questioning Inside Third-Grade Classrooms Chapter Seven: Questioning Inside Fourth-Grade Classrooms Chapter Eight: Questioning Inside Fifth-Grade Classrooms References

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Book SynopsisSixty decades of US history have witnessed tremendous and tumultuous societal changes, including educating our children. In response to President John F. Kennedy's call to ask not, what their country could do for them, but what they could do for their country Baby Boomers answered. Catalysts for Change: Baby Boomers Reflect on their Legacy to Public Education shows reflections of veteran educators who have devoted their lives to service through education. They write about the changes, evolution, successes and challenges, and lessons for current educators who must take this mission forward to tackle current educational challenges.

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Book SynopsisToday’s instantaneous and ever-present news stream frequently presents a sensationalized or otherwise distorted view of the world, demanding constant critical engagement on the part of everyday citizens.The Critical Thinker’s Guide to Bias, Lies, and Politics in the News reveals the power of critical thinking to make sense of overwhelming and often subjective media by detecting ideology, slant, and spin at work. Building off the Richard Paul and Linda Elder framework for critical thinking, Elder focuses on the internal logic of the news as well as societal influences on the media while illustrating essential elements of trustworthy journalism. With up-to-date discussions of social media, digital journalism, and political maneuvering inside and outside the fourth estate, Fact or Fake is an essential handbook for those who want to stay informed but not influenced by our modern news reporting systems.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Why Critical Thinking is Essential to Making Sense of the NewsThe Logic of the News MediaWhat is News?Political Views in the News – Understanding the Liberal MindPolitical Influences, Advertising, and Group ThinkTechnological Noise in the NewsWhat We Need the News Media to Do for Us Chapter 1: Current Trends Affecting How We See the News Key Critical Thinking Questions to Ask When Seeking the NewsRealities That Impede Our Ability to Get Objective News The Problem of Fake NewsSocial Media as an Unreliable News Source Chapter 2: Essential Critical Thinking Tools for Understanding Media Logic Defining Critical ThinkingA Comprehensive Approach to Critical ThinkingAll Humans Use Their Thinking to Make Sense of the WorldAll Thinking Is Defined by the Eight Elements That Make It UpAnalyze Thinking Through its Elemental StructuresQuestion the Reasoning Embedded in a News ArticleQuestion Your Own Reasoning While Reading the NewsReason Through News Articles, Editorials, and Stories – a ChecklistEvaluate Reasoning Through Critical Thinking StandardsCritical Thinking Standards for Assessing News Articles, Editorials, andStoriesDefining Characteristics of the Disciplined Mind – and How They Help Us See Through Bias and PropagandaRational or Irrational Tendencies Can Control the MindHumans Distort Reality Through Irrational LensesThe Problem of Egocentric ThinkingThe Problem of Sociocentric ThoughtChapter 3: Objectivity, Bias, and Underlying AgendasDemocracy and the News Media Myths That Obscure the Logic of the News Media Bias and Objectivity in the News Media How the News Media Views ObjectivityForms of Objectivity The Perception of Bias in the Mainstream Propaganda and News Story Writing Protecting the Home Audience from Feelings of Guilt How the News Media Fosters Sociocentric Thinking Chapter 4: Become an Astute Media ConsumerHow to Obtain Useful Information from Propaganda and Typical News Stories Steps in Becoming a Critical Consumer of the NewsMedia Awareness of Media Bias Sensitivity to Advertisers Sensitivity to Politicians and the GovernmentSensitivity to Powerful Interests Sensitivity to Their Competitors The Bias Toward “Novelty” and “Sensationalism” Critical Consumers of the News Dominant and Dissenting Views: Finding Alternative Sources of Information Buried, Ignored, or Underreported StoriesReadings that Help You Become a More Independent Thinker Chapter 5: The Future of the NewsIs It Possible for the News Media to Reform? Is the Emergence of a “Critical Society” Possible? Afterword: How the Internet and Other Technologies Pervade Our LivesHow the Internet Works: The Big PictureAssess a Given Website Using Critical Thinking Standards Appendix: An Abbreviated Glossary of Critical Thinking Concepts and Terms

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Book SynopsisCollective Vision: Igniting District and School Improvement describes a school district's ten-year journey of transformation and how research was leveraged to help achieve improved educational outcomes for learners. The journey began with the creation of a district-wide shared vision, mission and values, using a unique appreciative inquiry process that engaged all stakeholders in the school district, thus establishing shared ownership and responsibility for the outcomes.The book demonstrates how the power of a collective vision and collaborative inquiry across a system helps establish a district-wide culture of collective efficacy, leading to improved learning. All too often in the field of education promising practices are discarded before improvements can be noted. Additionally, schools are often charged with the responsibility of improvement without enough support or guidance from district leaders and governance. This story describes how a ten-year process of continuous inquiry and support led to significant district improvement and transformation.This story will inspire educators at all levels of the system to take steps toward district and school improvement. The book is unique in that it is written through the experience of practitioners who actioned educational research to achieve results. The book serves as a practical guide that provides useful lessons learned and questions for self-reflectionthroughout.

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Book SynopsisCollective Vision: Igniting District and School Improvement describes a school district's ten-year journey of transformation and how research was leveraged to help achieve improved educational outcomes for learners. The journey began with the creation of a district-wide shared vision, mission and values, using a unique appreciative inquiry process that engaged all stakeholders in the school district, thus establishing shared ownership and responsibility for the outcomes.The book demonstrates how the power of a collective vision and collaborative inquiry across a system helps establish a district-wide culture of collective efficacy, leading to improved learning. All too often in the field of education promising practices are discarded before improvements can be noted. Additionally, schools are often charged with the responsibility of improvement without enough support or guidance from district leaders and governance. This story describes how a ten-year process of continuous inquiry and support led to significant district improvement and transformation.This story will inspire educators at all levels of the system to take steps toward district and school improvement. The book is unique in that it is written through the experience of practitioners who actioned educational research to achieve results. The book serves as a practical guide that provides useful lessons learned and questions for self-reflectionthroughout.

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Book SynopsisWhich is smarter,your head or your gut? It's a familiar refrain: you're getting too emotional. Try and think rationally. But is it always good advice?In this surprising book, Eyal Winter asks a simple question: why do we have emotions? If they lead to such bad decisions, why hasn't evolution long since made emotions irrelevant? The answer is that, even though they may not behave in a purely logical manner, our emotions frequently lead us to better, safer, more optimal outcomes.In fact, as Winter discovers, there is often logic in emotion, and emotion in logic. For instance, many mutually beneficial commitments,such as marriage, or being a member of a team,are only possible when underscored by emotion rather than deliberate thought. The difference between pleasurable music and bad noise is mathematically precise yet it is also something we feel at an instinctive level. And even though people are usually overconfident,how can we all be above average?,we often benefit from our arrogance. Feeling Smart brings together game theory, evolution, and behavioural science to produce a surprising and very persuasive defence of how we think, even when we don't.Trade Review"It is that rare book that a casual reader could open at a random page and expect to find something interesting...For the casual reader, Feeling Smart is a fascinating...romp through the positive ways that emotions can shape our actions. It is also a helpful balm for those who worry that their emotions occasionally over-run their 'higher faculties'."--Financial Times "Insightful and intriguing." --Success Magazine "Filled with fascinating studies and personal anecdotes...A lively, accessible work." --Kirkus Reviews "[Feeling Smart] gives plentiful insights into the many factors that govern our choices...we can at least begin, with its help, to reason with our emotions through their inherent foundation of rationality." --Publishers Weekly "Eyal Winter's book admirably draws together the important recent work on social and individual behavior and its implications for economic behavior. He shows clearly how the more traditional rational analysis remains an important part of explanation, but is by no means adequate. His exposition is breezily informal, yet rigorous; accounts from his family join seamlessly with citations on the literature, to which he himself has made significant contributions."--Kenneth Arrow, Nobel Laureate in Economics "Feeling Smart puts the social back into social science. The truth is that there's a touchy feely aspect of Game Theory, and Winter shows how expressing and understanding your feelings (and those around you) will help you become a far better strategist. Be smarter or be smarting, your call."--Barry Nalebuff, Milton Steinbach Professor, Yale School of Management, and coauthor of The Art of Strategy "Emotions and rationality are often thought of as polar opposites. But Eyal Winter--a leading game theorist and economist--shows compellingly that emotions can actually promote rational behavior. His book makes fascinating reading."--Eric Maskin, Nobel Laureate in Economics "It is a pleasure to follow Eyal Winter as he explores the deep logic of illogical emotions and helps us to see the rationality of irrational behavior."--Roger Myerson, Nobel Laureate in Economics "Much like Sigmund Freud, Eyal Winter knows that understanding human behavior demands listening and observing rather than labeling and categorizing. But here's what Freud didn't know: that framing his findings in the rigorous language of economic theory would be so illuminating, so surprising, and so exciting."--Robert Lucas, Nobel Laureate in Economics "Eyal Winter's breezy guide to when and why it is sometimes perfectly rational to let the heart rule the head is as fresh as it is clever. In his brisk tour of the burgeoning field of experimental economics, Professor Winter shows that sense and sensibility are complements rather than polar opposites, and proves his point with intriguing insights into hot-button issues like affirmative action and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Feeling Smart will leave you feeling not only smarter, but more optimistic as well."--Sylvia Nasar, author, A Beautiful Mind "In Feeling Smart Eyal Winter shows us how the emotions that we sometimes wish we didn't have, such as anger and envy, can be surprisingly useful. You will certainly not be less angry after reading this book, but you will better understand the focus that shapes your emotions."--Dan Ariely, bestselling author of Predictably Irrational "Many suppose that the domains of emotion and rational thought are always separate. But as this intriguing book demonstrates they are wrong: emotional sensibility makes an important contribution to rational decision making. Feeling Smart shows us how."--Lawrence Summers, former President of Harvard University and former Secretary of the Treasury of the United States "We are used to thinking that emotions such as anger, love, insult, and so forth are irrational. In his new book, Eyal Winter explains why these emotions are actually very rational, fulfilling important functions that usually advance the most vital interests of each of us. This is an important, enjoyable, and convincing book."--Robert J. Aumann, Nobel Laureate in Economics "Eyal Winter, a distinguished game theorist and behavioral economist, writes about rationality and emotion with compassion and empathy."--Alvin Roth, Nobel Laureate in Economics "Eyal Winter has written engagingly on the science of action and emotion; on why and how feelings make us smarter and are central to understanding rational action and interaction in processes of human betterment that are subtly inaccessible to our self-aware consciousness." --Vernon Smith, Nobel Laureate in EconomicsTable of ContentsCONTENTS Preface ix Introduction: What Is Rationality? xv PART I: ON ANGER AND COMMITMENT CHAPTER 1: What Is the Point of Getting Annoyed? Emotions as a Mechanism for Creating Commitments 3 CHAPTER 2: Why We Love Those Who Are Cruel to Us: Stockholm Syndrome and the Story of the Nazi Schoolteacher 12 CHAPTER 3: Emotional Impostors, Empathy, and Uncle Ezra's Poker Face 18 CHAPTER 4: Game Theory, Emotions, and the Golden Rule of Ethics 31 CHAPTER 5: The Prisoner's Dilemma in Repeated Interactions: Do Drawn Knives Increase Cooperation in the World? 38 CHAPTER 6: On Decency, Insult, and Revenge: Why Don't Suckers Suffer from Disgust? 51 PART II: ON TRUST AND GENEROSITY CHAPTER 7: On Stigmas and Games of Trust: Why Did the Bees Commit Suicide?, 61 CHAPTER 8: Self-Ful?lling Mistrust 69 CHAPTER 9: Cultural Differences, Palestinian Generosity, and Ruth's Mysterious Disappearance, 73 CHAPTER 10: Collective Emotions and Uncle Walter's Trauma 87 CHAPTER 11: The Handicap Principle, the Ten Commandments, and Other Mechanisms for Ensuring Collective Survival, 98 CHAPTER 12: Knowing How to Give, Knowing How to Receive: The Full Half of the Cholent, 110 PART III: ON LOVE AND SEXUALITY CHAPTER 13: The Spray That Will Give Us Love: On the Hormone that Creates Trust and Neutralizes Suspicion 117 CHAPTER 14: On Men, Women, and Evolution: Testing the Myths 121 CHAPTER 15: Make Me a Match Made in Heaven: Reproduction and the Mathematics of Romance 145 CHAPTER 16: From Cavemen Flutes to Bach Fugues: Why Did Evolution Create Art? 160 PART IV: ON OPTIMISM, PESSIMISM, AND GROUP BEHAVIOR CHAPTER 17: Why Are We So Negative? The Arithmetic of Emotions 167 CHAPTER 18: On Arrogance and Humility: The Norwegian Professor's Syndrome173 CHAPTER 19: Overcon?dence and Risk: The "It Can't Happen to Me" Syndrome 178 CHAPTER 20: The Voice Is Herd: On the Sources of Herd Behavior 189 CHAPTER 21: Team Spirit: The Paradox of the Generous Bonuses and the Lazy Workers 201 PART V: ON RATIONALITY, EMOTIONS, AND GENES CHAPTER 22: Irrational Emotions 219 CHAPTER 23: Nature or Nurture: What Is the Source of Rational Emotions? 228 Epilogue 233 Notes 239 Index 247

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Book SynopsisSimon Feldman is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Connecticut College, USA.

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