Matthew Johnson

A nineteen-year-old tells his story of wrestling through graduating high school during the pandemic, being diagnosed with cancer in January of 2021, and finding hope in the midst of darkness. He takes you along on his journey as he struggles through the problem of evil, faith, what it is like to face death, loneliness, depression, surrender, forced rest, suffering, perspective, and more. His parents also chime in with their perspectives, which detail how they handled seeing their son go through cancer and how that impacted their own personal faith journey.

Houston Genetic City offers a vision for a future Houston as a global city, beyond its current petro-economy, its laissez-faire land speculation, and its notorious sprawl. The book speculates about new forms of urbanism that offer resiliency against our changing climate--from flooding to sea level rise to volatile storms--as well as new models for development in fast-urbanizing regions. No city in the United States is a synonymous with unbridled growth and land speculation as the sprawling Texas city of Houston. The book offers a vision for a future Houston as a global city, beyond its current petro-economy, its laissez-faire land speculation, and its notorious sprawl. It speculates about new forms of urbanism that offer resiliency against our changing climate as well as new models for development in fast-urbanizing regions. Though Houston is described as a city, its massive size makes it regional or even megaregional in scale--including a patchwork of satellite downtowns and suburbs, a vast floodplain of bayous and coastal prairie, as well as a long stretch of Gulf Coast. Its lack of zoning means ad hoc developments scatter across the landscape with little formal planning, where urban developments are always provisional and negotiable. Using maps, photographs, timelines, and collages, the book lays out the conditions for new urbanization in this fragile landscape.

Beat burnout with time-saving best practices for feedback For ELA teachers, the danger of burnout is all too real. Inundated with seemingly insurmountable piles of papers to read, respond to, and grade, many teachers often find themselves struggling to balance differentiated, individualized feedback with the one resource they are already overextended on—time. Matthew Johnson offers classroom-tested solutions that not only alleviate the feedback-burnout cycle, but also lead to significant growth for students. These time-saving strategies built on best practices for feedback help to improve relationships, ignite motivation, and increase student ownership of learning. Flash Feedback also takes teachers to the next level of strategic feedback by sharing: How to craft effective, efficient, and more memorable feedback Strategies for scaffolding students through the meta-cognitive work necessary for real revision A plan for how to create a culture of feedback, including lessons for how to train students in meaningful peer response Downloadable online tools for teacher and student use Moving beyond the theory of working smarter, not harder, Flash Feedback works deeper by developing practices for teacher efficiency that also boost effectiveness by increasing students’ self-efficacy, improving the clarity of our messages, and ultimately creating a classroom centered around meaningful feedback.

Over the last sixty years, administrators on college campuses nationwide have responded to black campus activists by making racial inclusion and inequality compatible. This bold argument is at the center of Matthew Johnson's powerful and controversial book. Focusing on the University of Michigan, often a key talking point in national debates about racial justice thanks to the contentious Gratz v. Bollinger 2003 Supreme Court case, Johnson argues that UM leaders incorporated black student dissent selectively into the institution's policies, practices, and values. This strategy was used to prevent activism from disrupting the institutional priorities that campus leaders deemed more important than racial justice. Despite knowing that racial disparities would likely continue, Johnson demonstrates that these administrators improbably saw themselves as champions of racial equity. What Johnson contends in Undermining Racial Justice is not that good intentions resulted in unforeseen negative consequences, but that the people who created and maintained racial inequities at premier institutions of higher education across the United States firmly believed they had good intentions in spite of all the evidence to the contrary. The case of the University of Michigan fits into a broader pattern at elite colleges and universities and is a cautionary tale for all in higher education. As Matthew Johnson illustrates, inclusion has always been a secondary priority, and, as a result, the policies of the late 1970s and 1980s ushered in a new and enduring era of racial retrenchment on campuses nationwide.

A lively and accessible introduction to themes and debates in archaeological theory for students of all levels Archaeological Theory is a relatable, accessible, reader-friendly first step into the world of theory for archaeology students. Recognizing that many students shy away from the study of theory for fear that the material is too difficult or obscure, Archaeological Theory maintains that any student can develop an understanding of theory and that a knowledge of theory will lead to better practice. As one of the leading texts for introductory courses in archaeology and archaeological theory, it has provided many students with the essential foundation for a complete education in the discipline. With a focus on clarifying the history and development of archaeological theory, this valuable text serves as a roadmap to the different schools of theory in archaeology, clarifying the foundations of these schools of thought, the relationships between them, and the ideas that distinguish each from the other. Students will also learn about the relationship between archaeology and cultural and political developments, the origins of New and ‘post-processual’ archaeology, and current issues shaping the field. Written in a clear and informal style and incorporating examples, cartoons, and dialogues, this text provides an ideal introduction for students at all levels. The revised third edition has been updated with new and revised chapters and an expanded glossary and bibliography, as well as new readings to guide further study. Engages readers with informal and easy-to-understand prose, as well as examples, cartoons, and informal dialoguesPrepares students to understand complex topics and current and perennial issues in the field such as epistemology, agency, and materiality in the context of archaeological practiceDiscusses current developments in associated disciplinesNew and revised chapters on the material turn, politics and other issues, and an expanded glossary and bibliography with updated reading suggestionsOffers expanded coverage of materiality, cultural-historical archaeology, evolutionary theory, and the work of scholars of diverse backgrounds and specializations Engaging and illuminating, Archaeological Theory is an indispensable resource for undergraduate and graduate students in archaeology and related disciplines.

New teachers have it tough. They have a very difficult and complex job, and they must learn how to do it in front of a studio audience of unruly adolescents, anxious parents, and watchful administrators. To help new teachers navigate this daunting backdrop, Finding Success the First Year is here to act as a personal guide to the first year of teaching. This book was written by a new teacher navigating through his own first year, and it uses those experiences to serve as a foundation for a step-by-step guide on how to survive and thrive in that all important first year. With everything from answers to frequent new-teacher questions and warnings of common new teacher pitfalls to specific strategies and veteran tricks useful for clawing back precious hours of the day, Matthew Johnson gives clear tips and clear reasons for them in a straightforward, jargonless voice and a mixture of practicality and philosophy.

New teachers have it tough. They have a very difficult and complex job, and they must learn how to do it in front of a studio audience of unruly adolescents, anxious parents, and watchful administrators. To help new teachers navigate this daunting backdrop, Finding Success the First Year is here to act as a personal guide to the first year of teaching. This book was written by a new teacher navigating through his own first year, and it uses those experiences to serve as a foundation for a step-by-step guide on how to survive and thrive in that all important first year. With everything from answers to frequent new-teacher questions and warnings of common new teacher pitfalls to specific strategies and veteran tricks useful for clawing back precious hours of the day, Matthew Johnson gives clear tips and clear reasons for them in a straightforward, jargonless voice and a mixture of practicality and philosophy.

Archaeological Theory, 2nd Edition is the most current and comprehensive introduction to the field available. Thoroughly revised and updated, this engaging text offers students an ideal entry point to the major concepts and ongoing debates in archaeological research. New edition of a popular introductory text that explores the increasing diversity of approaches to archaeological theoryFeatures more extended coverage of 'traditional' or culture-historical archaeology Examines theory across the English-speaking world and beyondOffers greatly expanded coverage of evolutionary theory, divided into sociocultural and Darwinist approachesIncludes an expanded glossary, bibliography, and useful suggestions for further readings

Ideas of Landscape discusses the current theory and practice of landscape archaeology and offers an alternative agenda for landscape archaeology that maps more closely onto the established empirical strengths of landscape study and has more contemporary relevance. The first historical assessment of a critical period in archaeologyTakes as its focus the so-called English landscape tradition -- the ideological underpinnings of which come from English Romanticism, via the influence of the “father of landscape history”: W. G. HoskinsArgues that the strengths and weaknesses of landscape archaeology can be traced back to the underlying theoretical discontents of RomanticismOffers an alternative agenda for landscape archaeology that maps more closely onto the established empirical strengths of landscape study and has more contemporary relevance

Ideas of Landscape discusses the current theory and practice of landscape archaeology and offers an alternative agenda for landscape archaeology that maps more closely onto the established empirical strengths of landscape study and has more contemporary relevance. The first historical assessment of a critical period in archaeologyTakes as its focus the so-called English landscape tradition -- the ideological underpinnings of which come from English Romanticism, via the influence of the “father of landscape history”: W. G. HoskinsArgues that the strengths and weaknesses of landscape archaeology can be traced back to the underlying theoretical discontents of RomanticismOffers an alternative agenda for landscape archaeology that maps more closely onto the established empirical strengths of landscape study and has more contemporary relevance

In this engaging book Matthew Johnson looks 'behind the castle gate' to discover the truth about castles in England at the end of the Middle Ages.Traditional studies have seen castles as compromises between the needs of comfort and of defence, and as statements of wealth or power or both. By encouraging the reader to view castles in relation to their inhabitants, Matthew Johnson uncovers a whole new vantage point. He shows how castles functioned as stage-settings against which people played out roles of lord and servant, husband and wife, father and son. Building, rebuilding and living in a castle was as complex an experience as a piece of medieval art.Behind the Castle Gate brings castles and their inhabitants alive. Combining ground-breaking scholarship with fascinating narratives it will be read avidly by all with an interest in castles.

In this engaging book Matthew Johnson looks 'behind the castle gate' to discover the truth about castles in England at the end of the Middle Ages.Traditional studies have seen castles as compromises between the needs of comfort and of defence, and as statements of wealth or power or both. By encouraging the reader to view castles in relation to their inhabitants, Matthew Johnson uncovers a whole new vantage point. He shows how castles functioned as stage-settings against which people played out roles of lord and servant, husband and wife, father and son. Building, rebuilding and living in a castle was as complex an experience as a piece of medieval art.Behind the Castle Gate brings castles and their inhabitants alive. Combining ground-breaking scholarship with fascinating narratives it will be read avidly by all with an interest in castles.

An Archaeology of Capitalism offers an account of landscape and material culture from the later Middle Ages to the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution. In tracing some of the roots of modernity back to the transformation of the countryside, this book seeks an innovative understanding of the transition between feudalism and capitalism, and does so through a unique synthesis of archaeology, economic, social and cultural history, historical geography and architectural history. Medieval and early modern archaeology has in the past focused on small-scale empirical contributions to the study of the period. The approach taken here is both wider-ranging and more ambitious. The author breaks down the dividing lines between archaeological and documentary evidence to provide a vivid reconstruction of pre-industrial material life and of the social and mental processes that came together in the post-medieval period in the transition towards modernity. Matthew Johnson is careful to avoid a simplifying evolutionary explanation, but rather sees the period in terms of a diversity of social and material practices evident in material traces - traces that survive and that, when reused in different contexts, came to mean different things.