Free Schools, Free People

Free Schools, Free People
Author: Ron Miller
Publisher: SUNY Press
Total Pages: 238
Release: 2002-07-18
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9780791454190

The first historical account of the free school movement of the 1960s.

Other People's Colleges

Other People's Colleges
Author: Ethan W. Ris
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 396
Release: 2022-06-27
Genre: Education
ISBN: 022682022X

"America's constant push to make its colleges and universities more efficient and more accountable is not a new phenomenon. Indeed, in Other People's Colleges, Ethan Ris argues that the reform impulse is baked into American higher education. For well over one hundred years, elite reformers have called for sweeping changes in the sector and raised existential questions about its sustainability. Colleges and universities have responded with a combination of resistance and acquiescence. The end result is a sector that has learned to accept top-down reform as part of its existence. When that reform is beneficial (offering major rewards for minor changes), colleges and universities know how to assimilate it. When it is hostile (attacking autonomy or values), they know how to resist it. In the early twentieth century, the "academic engineers," a cadre of elite, external reformers from foundations, businesses, and government, worked to reshape and reorganize the vast base of the higher education pyramid. Their reform efforts were largely directed at the lower tiers of higher education, but their efforts fell short, despite their wealth and power, leaving a legacy of successful resistance that affects every college and university in the United States. Today, another coalition of business leaders, philanthropists, and politicians are again demanding efficiency, accountability, and utility from American higher education. But top-down design is not destiny. Today's reform agenda in higher education should not be viewed as a new existential threat. It is a longstanding fact of life to be assimilated, diverted, or subverted on an ongoing basis"--

Instead of Education

Instead of Education
Author: John Holt
Publisher: Sentient Publications
Total Pages: 266
Release: 2004
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1591810094

Holt's most direct and radical challenge to the educational status quo and a clarion call to parents to save their children from schools of all kinds.

A People's Curriculum for the Earth

A People's Curriculum for the Earth
Author: Bill Bigelow
Publisher: Rethinking Schools
Total Pages: 433
Release: 2014-11-14
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0942961579

A People’s Curriculum for the Earth is a collection of articles, role plays, simulations, stories, poems, and graphics to help breathe life into teaching about the environmental crisis. The book features some of the best articles from Rethinking Schools magazine alongside classroom-friendly readings on climate change, energy, water, food, and pollution—as well as on people who are working to make things better. A People’s Curriculum for the Earth has the breadth and depth ofRethinking Globalization: Teaching for Justice in an Unjust World, one of the most popular books we’ve published. At a time when it’s becoming increasingly obvious that life on Earth is at risk, here is a resource that helps students see what’s wrong and imagine solutions. Praise for A People's Curriculum for the Earth "To really confront the climate crisis, we need to think differently, build differently, and teach differently. A People’s Curriculum for the Earth is an educator’s toolkit for our times." — Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine and This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate "This volume is a marvelous example of justice in ALL facets of our lives—civil, social, educational, economic, and yes, environmental. Bravo to the Rethinking Schools team for pulling this collection together and making us think more holistically about what we mean when we talk about justice." — Gloria Ladson-Billings, Kellner Family Chair in Urban Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison "Bigelow and Swinehart have created a critical resource for today’s young people about humanity’s responsibility for the Earth. This book can engender the shift in perspective so needed at this point on the clock of the universe." — Gregory Smith, Professor of Education, Lewis & Clark College, co-author with David Sobel of Place- and Community-based Education in Schools

Mindstorms

Mindstorms
Author: Seymour A Papert
Publisher: Basic Books
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2020-10-06
Genre: Education
ISBN: 154167510X

In this revolutionary book, a renowned computer scientist explains the importance of teaching children the basics of computing and how it can prepare them to succeed in the ever-evolving tech world. Computers have completely changed the way we teach children. We have Mindstorms to thank for that. In this book, pioneering computer scientist Seymour Papert uses the invention of LOGO, the first child-friendly programming language, to make the case for the value of teaching children with computers. Papert argues that children are more than capable of mastering computers, and that teaching computational processes like de-bugging in the classroom can change the way we learn everything else. He also shows that schools saturated with technology can actually improve socialization and interaction among students and between students and teachers. Technology changes every day, but the basic ways that computers can help us learn remain. For thousands of teachers and parents who have sought creative ways to help children learn with computers, Mindstorms is their bible.

Philosophy and Education

Philosophy and Education
Author: Roberta Israeloff
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 215
Release: 2013-01-15
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1443845590

Are children natural philosophers? They are curious about questions such as the meaning and purpose of being alive and whether we can know anything at all. Pre-college philosophy takes as a starting point young people’s inherent interest in large questions about the human condition. Philosophy and Education: Introducing Philosophy to Young People seeks to illuminate the ways in which philosophy can strengthen and deepen pre-college education. The book examines various issues involved in teaching philosophy to young people at different grade levels, including assessing what teachers need in order to teach philosophy and describing several models for introducing philosophy into schools. Ways to explore specific branches of philosophy – ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, aesthetics, and logic – through literature, thought experiments, and games and activities, as well as traditional philosophy texts, are described. The book’s final section considers student assessment and program evaluation, and analyzes the contributions pre-college philosophy can make to education in general. Teachers and educators – and parents – all want young people to grow up with the skills they need to pursue their own goals and become productive and successful adults. Thinking independently and reasoning clearly are central to these objectives. Philosophy helps students develop some of the analytic skills they need to engage in thoughtful decision-making throughout their lives, and the richness of the questions involved can help young people maintain their awareness of the world as marvelous and mysterious.

The University and the People

The University and the People
Author: Scott M. Gelber
Publisher: University of Wisconsin Pres
Total Pages: 282
Release: 2011-09-28
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0299284638

The University and the People chronicles the influence of Populism—a powerful agrarian movement—on public higher education in the late nineteenth century. Revisiting this pivotal era in the history of the American state university, Scott Gelber demonstrates that Populists expressed a surprising degree of enthusiasm for institutions of higher learning. More fundamentally, he argues that the mission of the state university, as we understand it today, evolved from a fractious but productive relationship between public demands and academic authority. Populists attacked a variety of elites—professionals, executives, scholars—and seemed to confirm academia’s fear of anti-intellectual public oversight. The movement’s vision of the state university highlighted deep tensions in American attitudes toward meritocracy and expertise. Yet Populists also promoted state-supported higher education, with the aims of educating the sons (and sometimes daughters) of ordinary citizens, blurring status distinctions, and promoting civic engagement. Accessibility, utilitarianism, and public service were the bywords of Populist journalists, legislators, trustees, and sympathetic professors. These “academic populists” encouraged state universities to reckon with egalitarian perspectives on admissions, financial aid, curricula, and research. And despite their critiques of college “ivory towers,” Populists supported the humanities and social sciences, tolerated a degree of ideological dissent, and lobbied for record-breaking appropriations for state institutions.

How People Learn

How People Learn
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 386
Release: 2000-08-11
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0309131979

First released in the Spring of 1999, How People Learn has been expanded to show how the theories and insights from the original book can translate into actions and practice, now making a real connection between classroom activities and learning behavior. This edition includes far-reaching suggestions for research that could increase the impact that classroom teaching has on actual learning. Like the original edition, this book offers exciting new research about the mind and the brain that provides answers to a number of compelling questions. When do infants begin to learn? How do experts learn and how is this different from non-experts? What can teachers and schools do-with curricula, classroom settings, and teaching methodsâ€"to help children learn most effectively? New evidence from many branches of science has significantly added to our understanding of what it means to know, from the neural processes that occur during learning to the influence of culture on what people see and absorb. How People Learn examines these findings and their implications for what we teach, how we teach it, and how we assess what our children learn. The book uses exemplary teaching to illustrate how approaches based on what we now know result in in-depth learning. This new knowledge calls into question concepts and practices firmly entrenched in our current education system. Topics include: How learning actually changes the physical structure of the brain. How existing knowledge affects what people notice and how they learn. What the thought processes of experts tell us about how to teach. The amazing learning potential of infants. The relationship of classroom learning and everyday settings of community and workplace. Learning needs and opportunities for teachers. A realistic look at the role of technology in education.

Trans People in Higher Education

Trans People in Higher Education
Author: Genny Beemyn
Publisher: SUNY Press
Total Pages: 344
Release: 2019-02-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1438472730

Addresses the experiences of trans college students, faculty, and staff in a single volume for the first time. While more trans students, faculty, and staff have come out on US college campuses today than ever before, many still report enduring harassment and discrimination. Others avoid disclosing their gender identity because they do not feel safe or comfortable at their schools. This groundbreaking book is the first to address their experiences in a single volume. Genny Beemyn brings together personal narratives and original research to give readers both individual and large-scale perspectives, which provide unprecedented insight into the experiences of trans people in higher education. These contributions reveal that despite an improving environment, trans people continue to face widespread interpersonal and institutional opposition on campuses across the country. Some of the first published research focusing on nonbinary trans undergraduates and trans graduate students is included here, in addition to the most comprehensive research to date of trans students at women’s colleges and of trans academics. Trans People in Higher Education also examines the sexual health of trans students, the treatment of trans people by individuals with institutional authority, and the strategies and lessons learned from one college that successfully became more trans inclusive. “Weaving personal narratives and research studies together in ways that highlight the full diversity of trans individuals, Trans People in Higher Education serves as an urgent call to action for higher education to play a leadership role in catalyzing broad social change around trans rights. In the process, Beemyn offers an invaluable resource for creating a trans-welcoming and trans-supportive environment on college and university campuses.” — Lynn Pasquerella, President, Association of American Colleges and Universities PRAISE FOR TRANS PEOPLE IN HIGHER EDUCATION “Beemyn’s advocacy and research on trans people in higher education is groundbreaking, and this edited volume is no exception. Through a mix of narratives and personal accounts, as well as the findings of research studies by major scholars in the field, the book paints a rich portrait of the variety of trans identities and experiences on college campuses today, along with recommendations for how campuses can create a more inclusive environment. The volume is an extraordinary resource for all who are committed to creating campus communities that are welcoming and affirming for trans students, faculty, and staff, and for those who simply want to learn more about the experiences of trans people on college campuses today.” — Kristin G. Esterberg, President, State University of New York at Potsdam “For more than two decades, Genny Beemyn has been at the forefront of higher education research and policy advocacy regarding trans issues. Beemyn has given us yet another stellar contribution to those fields with this new anthology,which showcases an impressive cohort of emerging voices as well as a burgeoning body of high-quality scholarship. It’s the best, most comprehensive overview to date on the timely topics it addresses.” — Susan Stryker, author of Transgender History, Revised Edition: The Roots of Today’s Revolution “Trans People in Higher Education combines the powerful accessibility of compelling personal stories with the complex and often harsh findings of qualitative and quantitative research to demonstrate the continued need for trans-affirming campuses, from policy to classroom engagement. Despite more than two decades of positive changes in academic institutions, trans and nonbinary students, faculty, and staff continue to struggle for acceptance and equal access. This timely book shows that, in challenging the constricts of the binary gender system, helping others develop skills for culturally competent interactions, and expanding campus-wide policies, these individuals offer academia the best gift of all: learning opportunities and the inspiration to do better.” — Willy Wilkinson, author of Born on the Edge of Race and Gender: A Voice for Cultural Competency