Books
Dewey, J. (2005). Democracy & education. (Reprint edition.) New York: Free Press.
In this classic work that has inspired a variety of educational reform movements, John Dewey addresses a long-standing controversy: whether formal education should focus on development from within or formation from without. He bases his thoughts on lessons learned through several decades of experimentation with “progressive schools” that emphasized personal freedom and self-directed learning. These institutions were set up as alternatives to “traditional schools” that stressed transmission of pre-ordered information and competency in pre-defined skills. Dewey recognizes that not all experience is educative, but that transformational teaching/learning moments involve attention to personal life-experiences as well as purposeful facilitation. This work outlines criteria for experiential learning that ensures construction of transferable knowledge and personal ownership of enlarged learning skills.
Friere, P. (2000). Pedagogy of the oppressed. (Translated by Myra Bargman Ramos) New York: Continuum.
Originally published in 1970 (New York: Continuum), this modern classic flows from the author’s commitment to relieve the burden of both the oppressed and their oppressors, which can occur only when the former perceive oppression “not as a closed world from which there is no exit, but as a limiting situation which they can transform.” The pedagogy of liberation requires reflection linked to action, the learners themselves being the chief agents of growth. Friere decries education that regards students as “containers” and educational institutions as “banks.” In Friere’s pedagogy, teachers and students engage in “co-intentional” education: both dedicate themselves not simply to illuminating reality or knowledge, but to re-creating it. Rather than inculcating solutions, Friere’s prototype teacher collaborates with the learner in a process of “problem-posing education.”
Gardner, H. (1999). Intelligences reframed: Multiple intelligences for the 21st century. New York: Basic Books.
This book describes the characteristics of eight very different intelligences that operate within our classrooms and society. These intelligences include: verbal-linguistic (word smart), logical-mathematical (logic smart), spatial (picture smart), physical-kinesthetic (body smart), musical (music smart), natural (nature smart), interpersonal (people smart), and intrapersonal (self smart). The text provides a platform for students and instructors to reflect on “how” they are smart, not “if” they are smart. By identifying personal strengths and areas for improvement, a reader gets a clearer view of himself or herself and his or her life-vision. A reader also gains an appreciation of how he or she can contribute and benefit from interacting with team members who possess complementary intelligences.
Krumsieg, K., & Baehr, M. (2000). Foundations of learning. Lisle, IL: Pacific Crest.
This text introduces entering college students to the principles and culture of Process Education. It includes a large number of multi-disciplinary examples of guided discovery activities featuring cooperative learning groups. These activities possess a common format that begins with a statement of purpose/significance; includes criteria for performance, supportive models and learning resources, and implementation plans; and ends with a strategy for assessing how well learning outcomes are achieved. Each activity also features up to three transferable learning skills from the Classification of Learning Skills. Activities are grouped by process area, i.e., information processing, teamwork, personal development, and problem solving, and are supported by methodologies that can be used by both novice and advanced learners.
O’Banion, T. (1997). A learning college for the 21st century. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press.
Jointly published by the American Council on Education and the American Association of Community Colleges, this book outlines how colleges can become a place where learning comes first and the right educational experiences are routinely facilitated for the right learners, at the right time, and in the right place. Drawing on significant innovation within America’s community colleges, the author illustrates how institutions at different stages of reform can pursue six principles of a learning college. The book challenges the reader to distinguish between major advances in learning culture and major social changes in the use of information technology, governance and control, student demographics, funding and resources, alliances and partnerships, and classroom innovations that will happen whether they are championed or not.
Palmer, P. J. (1998). The courage to teach: Exploring the inner landscape of a teacher’s life. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Herein lies a place of contemplation for teachers overwhelmed by novel accreditation requirements, institutional reorganization, rapid evolution of instructional technology, pressure to respond to a variety of educational reform movements, and increasing expectations for research and service activities. The author reminds us that because “we teach who we are” all enduring changes in the teaching learning/dynamic must begin within hearts of teachers, not in external mandates for change. Teaching and learning is interpersonal, and the richness of this interaction depends on connectivity to the subject matter, to specific populations of learners, to colleagues, and most importantly, to oneself. The text offers a number of excellent ideas for expanding self-knowledge, leading to more genuine and more transformational dialogue with students as well as communities of practitioners.
Rosser, S. V. (2000). Women, science, and society: The crucial union. New York: Teachers College Press.
Based on her experience at two large research universities, the author suggests cultivating alternative ways of knowing in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SMET) classrooms. Through integrating more interactive teaching methods as well as connecting subject-matter with more open-ended, holistic problems, the book hypothesizes that a larger number of individuals with more diverse learning styles can be attracted and retained in technical fields. Deeper and more frequent dialogue between SMET faculty and humanities/social science faculty is the catalyst for this enlarged vision of scholarship. As an added benefit, the author also theorizes that more intense interdisciplinary cooperation in the area of pedagogy is likely to enrich all aspects of academic life, including research and service.
Senge, P. M., Cambron-McCabe, N., Lucas, T., Smith, B., Dutton, J., & Kleiner, A. (2000). Schools that learn: A fifth discipline fieldbook for educators, parents, and everyone who cares about education. New York: Doubleday.
This anthology thoroughly examines five disciplines essential for an effective learning organization: personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, team learning, and systems modeling. A central theme of the book is that deep, enduring learning occurs when new skills and capabilities, new awareness and sensibilities, and new attitudes and beliefs reinforce each other. Learning is presented as the key ingredient to sustaining change at the individual, team, and institutional level. To support learning within organizations, several systems modeling tools are offered for conceptualizing and constructively responding to change. These tools are presented in a way that is easily accessible to the non-mathematical reader, but also thought-provoking for those with more quantitative backgrounds. Practices in each of the five disciplines are comprehensively illustrated through case studies drawn from a broad spectrum of primary, secondary, and post-secondary schools. Linkages to supporting material in other sections of the book and to other sources are prominently displayed in the sidebars.
Article
Barr, R. B., & Tagg, J. (1995). From teaching to learning: A new paradigm for undergraduate education. Change, 27, (6), 13-25.
This article examines ongoing reform in higher education in terms of a paradigm shift from a teacher-centered “instruction paradigm” to a student-centered “learning paradigm.” Significant differences are noted in the mission and purpose of education, criteria for success, teaching/learning structures, nature of roles, and underlying learning theory. The “instruction paradigm” focuses on enrollment growth, high participation rates, revenue growth, curriculum expansion, and enhancement of physical resources. The “learning paradigm” is closely aligned with the principles of Process Education and focuses on identifying learning goals, facilitating student success, and documenting learning outcomes. The “instruction paradigm” stresses the quality of entering students while the “learning paradigm” stresses the quality of exiting students and the value added to their learning skills.
Web Site
American Association of Colleges and Universities. <http://www.aacu.org>
This organization promotes new paradigms for general education as well as political support for educational funding.