November 2015 Bookshelf
Books 14 November 2015
Inevitable: Mass Customized Learning
Beatrice McGarvey and Charles Schwahn
Individualized learning—everybody wants it, but how do we get it? More and more, forward-thinking practitioners are realizing that real individualized learning will require a radical shift away from our Industrial-era models. They see that it is time for an entire system rethink—or as McGarvey and Schwahn phrase it, “It is time to bring education into the 21st century.” Check out the book that challenges our conventional knowledge of what education is and encourages us to discover a new future for learning.
#EdJourney
Grant Lichtman
In Grant Lichtman’s #EdJourney, he highlights the “brushfires of innovation” burning across America. Revolving around 600+ interviews that took place over the course of a three-month cross-country road trip, Lichtman looks at what practitioners, parents, and administrators are doing right now to prepare learners for the future. #EdJourney goes well beyond the theoretical to explore concrete examples of pioneers from diverse communities across the country already far along the path of transforming their education environments and systems.
Beyond Measure: Rescuing an Overscheduled, Overtested, Understimulated Generation
Vicki Abeles
In Beyond Measure, Vicki Abeles—director of the 2010 documentary Race to Nowhere—tells the stories of educators who are tapping into the passion, drive, and joy of their learners to re-orient their educational systems to support the child’s holistic development— physical, mental, emotional, and academic. With the simultaneous release of a film by the same name, Beyond Measure highlights these stories as opportunities for communities—educators, parents, learners, and community members—to explore how they could transform their education systems to reflect their own values of health, happiness, and genuine learning for all children.
Brainstorm
Dan Siegel, MD
In Brainstorm, Dr. Siegel shows us how brain development impacts teenagers’ behavior and relationships. Understanding how the teenage brain functions can help parents and other adults in their lives—like teachers—make what is often a lonely and distressing time be embraced as an incredibly positive period of growth, change, and experimentation. A great read for parents, teachers, and even learners themselves— filled with activities, tools, and resources to help navigate these critical years to emerge healthy, happy, and grounded.
Age of Opportunity
Laurence Steinberg, Ph. D.
New science indicates that the rate of brain development during adolescence rivals that of the infant and toddler years. In Age of Opportunity, Dr. Steinberg shares new research about the importance of these adolescent years. He describes a new timetable of maturity, the “three R’s” of adolescence—the reward system, the relationship system, and the regulatory system—and offers strategies for working with young learners that instill in them resilience, self-control, and other beneficial traits.
Brain Rules
John Medina
Do you know what’s going on inside your head? Or your learners’ heads? In Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina, a molecular biologist, shares his lifelong interest in how brain sciences might influence the way we teach kids, the way we work, and the way we approach life. Organized around 12 different brain rules, the topics range from exercise to exploring to wiring to sensory integration. In each chapter, he describes a rule—what scientists know for sure about how our brains work—and then offers ideas that might just transform our daily lives at work, home, and in school.
New resources and news on The Big Idea!
×
We recently announced a new R&D acceleration initiative to connect and support local communities ready to bring public, equitable, learner-centered ecosystems to life.