In an epoch driven by hyper-consumption and marvelously destructive futility, and in the context of a hegemonic utilitarianism where one goes to university to work rather than to “develop a meaningful philosophy of life,” the concept of the useful is perhaps one most in need of interrogation. Taunting the Useful seeks to unsettle notions of usefulness and uselessness, not merely by deconstructing these terms, but by sidetracking them. It doesn’t reverse things by saying that what is useless is useful. Rather, taunting is teasing, heckling, tickling, scratching the useful. By elaborating a notion of the “virtual useless,” Taunting the Useful seeks to tease the dimensions of wonder, use, and play, through modalities, contingencies, and potentialities of the useless-useful. An experimental book, it (un)does what it tells, and is as much an object taunting and taunted as it is a description of taunting the useful. Includes bonus chapters!

Based on extensive research as well as the author's own teaching and mentoring experience, this lively book covers best practices in the essentials of teaching-from organizational tips to proven pedagogic and classroom management techniques. It combines insights from some of the most respected psychologists and educational thinkers with hundreds of firsthand discussions. In style, the book combines the intellectual rigor of a college textbook with the readability, practical relevance, and appropriate humor common to bestselling how-to manuals. While avoiding oversimplification, the author has distilled this vast reservoir of expert wisdom into an easily-digestible guidebook packed with diagrams, interviews, anecdotes, and case studies. The result is both enlightening and enjoyable to read.

In Starting Treatment With Children and Adolescents, clinicians will€get€a clear sense of how other therapists actually work early in their training and how to best manage an early therapy session. They'll also be guided through an exploration of common questions such as How else could I have handled that situation? What other paths could I have tried? Where might those other paths have led? What treatment strategies are most advantageous to my patients' growth--and to my own?