Summarizes and synthesizes four case studies of schools organized to develop self-direction in students. A theoretical perspective on the origins of self-direction is presented and integrated with the findings. The schools, located in the Federal Republic of Germany, Hungary, the Philippines and the USA were studied by local research teams operating under criteria developed for the research. The book seeks to develop a more accurate perspective on the psychological and behavioral characteristics of self-directed learners and to analyze how schools in four different national contexts are organized for the purpose of promoting self-direction in learners.

Children are born full of curiosity, eager to participate in the world. They learn as they live, with enthusiasm and joy. Then we send them to school. We stop them from playing and actively exploring their interests, telling them it's more important to sit still and listen. The result is that for many children, their motivation to learn drops dramatically. The joy of the early years is replaced with apathy and anxiety. This is not inevitable. We are socialised to believe that schooling is synonymous with education, but it's only one approach. Self-directed education puts the child back in control of their learning. This enables children, including those diagnosed with special educational needs, to flourish in their own time and on their own terms. It enables us to put wellbeing at the centre of education. Changing Our Minds brings together research, theory and practice on learning. It includes interviews with influential thinkers in the field of self-directed education and examples from families alongside practical advice. This essential guide will give you an understanding of why self-directed education makes sense, how it works, and what to do to put it into action yourself.

This volume focuses on assessing students' abilities as self-directed learners. The authors use 'triangulation' to ensure that the assessment system is balanced and complete.

Intended to stimulate sociologically informed thinking about educating, this book has become firmly established in its field, winning places on reading lists for Education Studies, Initial Teacher Training and Continuing Professional Development courses. The book begins with a light-hearted taste of sociology, and then goes on to explore five key areas of education: the hidden curriculum ideologies of educating sociological perspectives and the study of education educational life chances, and the next learning system. This new edition includes sections on personalized learning, progressive education, and the impact of assessment on pupils. It also comes with a new chapter 'The Discourses of Education'.

The untold story of the root cause of America's education crisis--and the seemingly endless cycle of multigenerational poverty. It was only after years within the education reform movement that Natalie Wexler stumbled across a hidden explanation for our country's frustrating lack of progress when it comes to providing every child with a quality education. The problem wasn't one of the usual scapegoats: lazy teachers, shoddy facilities, lack of accountability. It was something no one was talking about: the elementary school curriculum's intense focus on decontextualized reading comprehension "skills" at the expense of actual knowledge. In the tradition of Dale Russakoff's The Prize and Dana Goldstein's The Teacher Wars, Wexler brings together history, research, and compelling characters to pull back the curtain on this fundamental flaw in our education system--one that fellow reformers, journalists, and policymakers have long overlooked, and of which the general public, including many parents, remains unaware. But The Knowledge Gap isn't just a story of what schools have gotten so wrong--it also follows innovative educators who are in the process of shedding their deeply ingrained habits, and describes the rewards that have come along: students who are not only excited to learn but are also acquiring the knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to succeed. If we truly want to fix our education system and unlock the potential of our neediest children, we have no choice but to pay attention.

A comprehensive look at the promise and potential of online learning In our digital age, students have dramatically new learning needs and must be prepared for the idea economy of the future. In Getting Smart, well-known global education expert Tom Vander Ark examines the facets of educational innovation in the United States and abroad. Vander Ark makes a convincing case for a blend of online and onsite learning, shares inspiring stories of schools and programs that effectively offer "personal digital learning" opportunities, and discusses what we need to do to remake our schools into "smart schools." Examines the innovation-driven world, discusses how to combine online and onsite learning, and reviews "smart tools" for learning Investigates the lives of learning professionals, outlines the new employment bargain, examines online universities and "smart schools" Makes the case for smart capital, advocates for policies that create better learning, studies smart cultures

The study of lifelong education brings to light aspects of education which go beyond the purely intellectual sphere into all dimensions of being.These dimensions assume great importance for individuals seeking to develop capacities which will enable them to cope successfully with the challenges they will confront throughout life and to participate constructively in the larger processes of development. The subjects covered include communication, corporal man, time, space, art, man as citizen, the ethical domain, technology and the scientific spirit, and from these papers emerges the unifying theme of the interrelationship between morality and technology. This relationship poses the vital question of how individuals should decide which of the new technologies that proliferate in contemporary society is likely to be beneficial to humankind and which destructive. The book is the result of a collective project undertaken by the Unesco Institute of Education (UIE). The approach adopted is new in two respects: first, each theme is treated in terms of learning, and second, each is related to the others in a global and transdisciplinary view of personal development. It is written by experts from various countries who are known internationally for their outstanding contributions to research into the problems of learning as a basis for lifelong education, and will be important reading for all those involved in the study and practice of lifelong education.

Students taking control of their own learning is an upcoming trend in education. With the novelty of this method, there is still room for further improvements to be made on the application of this strategy. Managing Self-Directed Learning in Primary School Education: Emerging Research and Opportunities is an essential reference source on the examination, role, and function of independent learning at the elementary level. Featuring extensive coverage on a relevant range of topics and perspectives such as learning assessment, constructivism, and student factors, this publication is ideal for researchers and educators seeking the latest research on student learning and instructional design.

The Education Dilemma: Policy Issues for Developing Countries in the 1980s focuses on the questions on the adequacy of the Western European and North American model of formal schooling exported to developing countries. The selection first offers information on an overview of the policy issues in the 1980s, future of formal education in developing countries, and factors which promote school achievement in developing countries. Discussions focus on the effect of schooling variables on achievement; comparison of the importance of schooling inputs and home background; educational production function and its limitations; and theories of learning and schooling. The text then examines preschool age investment in human capital, policy implications of instructional technology, and the impact of American educational research on developing countries. The publication takes a look at common assumptions about education and employment, education and employment after independence, and the influence of education on migration and fertility. Topics include education and migration, fertility and education, socializing effects of educational institutions, educational and individual entrepreneurship, and education and access to labor market. The manuscript also surveys education, class conflict, and uneven development and investment in education in developing nations. The selection is a valuable reference for educators and researchers interested in the application of the Western European and North American model of formal schooling to developing countries.