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Books > Social sciences > Education > Philosophy of education
The modern world becomes significantly, even exponentially, more
interconnected with each passing year, month, and even day. The
global flow of goods, services, news, ideas, and cultural practices
and perspectives provides individuals with opportunities to
experience and participate in an unprecedented array of
intercultural experiences. All of this defines a new global
situation and requires new approaches to educating students to not
only survive but prosper on this new geopolitical landscape. This
requires that we venture into ethical and spiritual dimensions of
the process if we are to go about it in a humane and
psychospiritually productive way. This book, in the case study
tradition, examined the lived experiences of 12 former high school
students who participated in an exchange trip to Argentina, in
connection with intercultural competency development.
Perhaps the most salient lesson learned from the pandemic was how
much we still need teachers. Technology will not usurp the
fundamental auspices of principals, master teachers, counselors,
and other support staff. Students, as social learners, require
guidance, structure, and reassurance from adults. The empirical
evidence suggests economically disadvantaged students suffer the
most from the restricted personal connection of over-reliance on
technology. The data indicate that teachers (1) cannot be replaced
in the foreseeable future, and (2) are the most critical component
for student realization of future readiness. The status quo is
antiquated, faltering with crisis talent shortages, and only
projected to intensify further. Preserving the U.S.'s global
standing and expanding democratic principles for equality are
inseparably coupled with the plight of teachers. Reinvigorating the
teaching profession requires decisive action to reorganize the
ecosystem and professional opportunities for educators. Enticing
growing pools of talent into the teaching profession involves
establishing a vibrant academic structure and altering the
perception of teacher value. My viewpoint is to start with
teachers. The optimal approach for educational excellence is
empowered teachers working in a tiered system for progressive
leadership. Grounded in a supportive structure to earn increasing
autonomy, teachers elevate their professional agency.
It Takes an Ecosystem explores the idea and potential of the Allied
Youth Fields-an aspirational term that suggests increased
connection across the multiple systems in which adults engage with
young people. Recent research and initiatives make a strong case
for what developmentalists have argued for decades: A young
person's learning and development is shaped in positive and
negative ways by the interactions they have with all the adults in
their life. Now is the time to reshape our systems to support this
scientific understanding. The chapters in this book provide ideas,
tools, examples, and visions for a more connected, more equitable
world for young people and the adults in their lives.
Faculty and students confront persistent racial, economic, and
social inequities in higher education locally, nationally, and
globally. To counter these inequities, there has been a recent
focus on universities providing an inclusive curriculum that serves
the needs of students from a wide range of backgrounds. Inclusive
and equitable courses and instruction are crucial in today's world
as calls for racial and social justice grow, particularly in higher
education. Universities and instructors must take action and make
changes to best serve their students. Cases on Academic Program
Redesign for Greater Racial and Social Justice provides an
equity-oriented practical guide for those in higher education who
are engaged in the work of curricular reform or program
development. It also explores practices and approaches to
curriculum development that consider program quality and equitable
outcomes as mutually beneficial and necessary outcomes. Covering a
range of topics such as antiracism and mindful hiring, it is ideal
for teachers, instructional designers, curricula developers,
administrators, academics, professors, educators, researchers,
those working in higher education, and students.
The Ethics Bowl Way introduces the Ethics Bowl to the larger
educational community, including those involved in elementary,
secondary, and higher education. Ethics Bowl espouses a new way to
engage in discussions about complex ethical issues. Although it
resembles debate, in that two teams prepare for and present
arguments on an ethical dilemma, participants are rewarded not for
taking adversarial positions but rather for the degree to which
they work together to bolster each other's arguments by asking more
incisive questions, asking for greater clarity, and providing more
thoughtful, reflective, logical answers. Changing positions is
rewarded rather than penalized; civil discourse is a key value;
critical thinking, public speaking, and listening skills are also
nurtured. Ethics Bowl's foremost practitioners explain why this
model is often more productive than debate; and how it fosters the
very qualities that produce more responsible, informed citizens in
a democracy, as well as model co-works, family and community
members, and friends. The book also offers practical, hands-on
advice for those who participate in Ethics Bowl (coaches, judges,
case writers, organizers) and looks ahead to the ways in which it
can be expanded and improved. Ethics Bowl, which began as a
classroom activity, is always evolving to become more inclusive,
fair, and challenging.
In the last half century higher education has moved from the fringe
to the centre of society and accumulated a long list of social
functions. In the English-speaking world, Europe and much of East
Asia more than two thirds of all school students enter tertiary
education. Bulging at the seams, universities are fountains of new
knowledge, engines of prosperity and innovation, drivers of
regional growth, skilled migration and global competitiveness, and
makers of equality of opportunity. Yet they can do little to stop
growing income inequality, and in the English-speaking countries,
government rhetoric and policy economics have narrowed their
purpose to that of sorting careers for the middle class, partly to
justify the rise in tuition fees. Higher education systems have
become more competitive and stratified, with value more
concentrated at the top, and the collective public benefits of
universities are underplayed and underfunded. In short, governments
expect both too much and too little of higher education, and its
contribution to the common good is being eroded. Yet universities
are much much more than factories for graduate earnings. Higher
Education and the Common Good argues that this sector has a key
role in rebuilding social solidarity and mobility in fractured
societies.
The Ethical Educator: Pointers & Pitfalls for School
Administrators is an accessible, nuts-and-bolts resource for
education leaders at the school and district levels as they
confront difficult ethical situations in their day-to-day work. The
book features 100 real-life cases drawn from School Administrator
magazine's Ethical Educator column over the past ten years. The
dilemmas encompass numerous aspects of administration, from First
Amendment and religious liberty issues to personnel and board
relations. Every case provides an opportunity for the reader to
consider how they might handle a similar situation and to reflect
on the perspectives of experienced administrators who explain how
they would address the dilemma. Each chapter begins with a
down-to-earth introduction by a nationally recognized school
district attorney, who touches on relevant legal parameters and
case law. Making ethical decisions tests us as administrators, for
those decisions set precedents that shape how others perceive our
ethical judgment and, in turn, the ethical identity of the school
or district. The Ethical Educator: Pointers & Pitfalls for
School Administrators will help the reader become a more effective
education administrator, a more courageous leader of a school
organization, and simply a human being with a greater sense of
ethical alignment and purpose.
The Ethics Bowl Way introduces the Ethics Bowl to the larger
educational community, including those involved in elementary,
secondary, and higher education. Ethics Bowl espouses a new way to
engage in discussions about complex ethical issues. Although it
resembles debate, in that two teams prepare for and present
arguments on an ethical dilemma, participants are rewarded not for
taking adversarial positions but rather for the degree to which
they work together to bolster each other's arguments by asking more
incisive questions, asking for greater clarity, and providing more
thoughtful, reflective, logical answers. Changing positions is
rewarded rather than penalized; civil discourse is a key value;
critical thinking, public speaking, and listening skills are also
nurtured. Ethics Bowl's foremost practitioners explain why this
model is often more productive than debate; and how it fosters the
very qualities that produce more responsible, informed citizens in
a democracy, as well as model co-works, family and community
members, and friends. The book also offers practical, hands-on
advice for those who participate in Ethics Bowl (coaches, judges,
case writers, organizers) and looks ahead to the ways in which it
can be expanded and improved. Ethics Bowl, which began as a
classroom activity, is always evolving to become more inclusive,
fair, and challenging.
Exceptional education, also known as special education, is often
grounded within exclusive and deficit mindsets and practices.
Research has shown perpetual challenges with disproportionate
identification of culturally and linguistically diverse students,
especially Black and Indigenous students. Research has also shown
perpetual use of inappropriate placement in more restrictive
learning environments for marginalized students, often starting in
Pre-K. Exceptional education practitioners often engage in
practices that place disability before ability in instruction,
behavior management, identification and use of related services,
and educational setting placement decisions. These practices, among
others, have resulted in a crippled system that situates students
with exceptionalities in perceptions of deviance, ineptitude, and
perpetuate systemic oppression. The Handbook of Research on
Challenging Deficit Thinking for Exceptional Education Improvement
unites current theory and practices to communicate the next steps
to end the current harmful practices and experiences of exceptional
students through critical analysis of current practices, mindsets,
and policies. With the information this book provides,
practitioners have the power to implement direct and explicit
actions across levels to end the harm and liberate our most
vulnerable populations. Covering topics such as accelerated
learning, educator preparation programs, and intersectional
perspectives, this book is a dynamic resource for teachers in
exceptional education, general teachers, social workers,
psychologists, educational leaders, organizational leaders, the
criminal justice system, law enforcement agencies, government
agencies, policymakers, curriculum designers, testing companies,
current educational practitioners, administrators, post-grad
students, professors, researchers, and academicians.
Thought experiments do not require a laboratory and need no
funding, yet they are responsible for several major intellectual
revolutions throughout history. Given their importance, and the way
that they immediately engage students, it is surprising that
thought experiments are not used more frequently as teaching tools
in the academic disciplines. Thought Experiments: History and
Applications forEducation explains how thought experiments
developed and shows how thought experiments can be applied to
subjects as varied as theoretical physics, mathematics, politics,
personal identity, and ethics. Teachers at all levels and in all
disciplines will discover how to use thought experiments
effectively in their own classrooms.
Given the increasing diversity of the United States and students
entering schools, the value of teacher learning in clinical
contexts, and the need to elevate the profession, national
organizations have been calling for a re-envisioning of teacher
preparation that turns teacher education upside down. This change
will require PK-12 schools and universities to partner in robust
ways to create strong professional learning experiences for
aspiring teachers. University faculty, in particular, will not only
need to work in schools, but they will need to work with schools in
the preparation of future teachers. This collaboration should
promote greater equity and justice for our nation's students. The
purpose of this book is to support individuals in designing
clinically based teacher preparation programs that place equity at
the core. Drawing from the literature as well as our experiences in
designing and coordinating award-winning teacher education
programs, we offer a vision for equity-centered, clinically based
preparation that promotes powerful teacher professional learning
and develops high-quality, equity-centered teachers for schools.
The chapter topics include policy guidelines, partnerships,
intentional clinical experiences, coherence, curriculum and
coursework, university-based teacher educators, school-based
teacher educators, teacher candidate supervision and evaluation,
the role of research, and instructional leadership in teacher
preparation. While the concepts we share are research-based and
grounded in the empirical literature, our primary intention is for
this book to be of practical use. We hope that by the time you
finish reading, you will feel inspired and equipped to make change
within your own program, your institution, and your local context.
We begin each chapter with a "Before You Read" section that
includes introductory activities or self-assessment questions to
prompt reflection about the current state of your teacher
preparation program. We also weave examples, a "Spotlight from
Practice," in the form of vignettes designed to spark your thinking
for program improvement. Finally, we conclude each chapter with a
section called "Exercises for Action," which are questions or
activities to help you (re)imagine and move toward action in the
(re)design of your teacher preparation program. We hope that you
will use the exercises by yourself, but perhaps more importantly,
with others to stimulate conversations about how you can build upon
what you are already doing well to make your program even better.
In this introduction to educational policy, practice and
professionalism, the authors focus first on providing an historical
overview of English policy from the state's first interventions in
education through to Thatcherism and the election of the Blair
government. Chapters then explore the key contemporary policies of
recent times and offer a critique on how they have worked in
practice, with reference the hysteria that often surrounds
education policy. An important theme is media representation of
educational matters and the effects this has on the teaching
profession. Commentaries and case studies are presented throughout
providing an accessible link to what it was really like to learn,
teach and live at the time the policy was in place. This new
edition now includes: - an account of the measures taken by the
Coalition Government of 2010-15, examining the Coalition's
continuities with the previous administration whilst also exploring
departures from previous thinking and practices; - updated
references and case studies throughout to represent new research
and legislation since the first edition; - an extended discussion
of globalization and global 'policy borrowing'; - further coverage
of social justice theory, including a perspective on identity
theory and the role of education in the development of identity and
the marginalisation of individuals and groups; - a new historical
chapter covering the period 1945 to 1997; - a summary of the
development of the curriculum and a critique of the 2014 National
curriculum, as pioneered by Michael Gove; and - a new conclusion
setting out the trajectory of current policies and how this may
affect educational practitioners. This is essential reading for all
undergraduate students studying education policy and practice.
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