Book excerpt: The Act of Teaching, Sixth Edition, is intended to get students up-and-running, ready to teach. The content is drawn from Educational Testing Service Praxis II Standards and INTASK studies of what pre-service teachers should know and be able to do, and National Board for Professional Teaching Standards of what competent experienced teachers are like. This comprehensive text includes relevant information on teaching diverse children (Ch. 2 & 3), learning theories (Ch. 4), knowing and motivating students (Ch. 5), planning instruction (Ch. 6), multiple teaching methods with sample lesson plans (Ch. 7 & 8), assessing student learning (Ch. 9), characteristics and skills of effective teachers (Ch. 9 & 10), and effective classroom management (Ch. 12).