Educational Horizons

The Hidden Dangers in our schools have grown and intensified over the last few years; so much so that I was compelled to write a second edition to Hidden Dangers: Subtle Signs of Failing Schools. Our schools are complex places; each with its own unique climate, administration, faculty, students, parents and community members. Clearly, schools do not work in a vacuum; each is affected by the much larger society, government and economy. In this new edition we will be introduced to the interplay of these facets and how they can help and in some cases hinder our schools, our teachers, and our students from thriving. We also learn why it is more complicated now than ever, and the stakes are even higher than when Hidden Dangers was originally published back in 2008

Acrylic oil, glue stick and layered canvas 1830 x 2075 (Collection of the artist).What does it mean to learn and educate in these social and historical times? This edited collection engages an international group of education thinkers in a series of ongoing intercultural conversations that speak to the challenges and possibilities of engaging with education, difference and diversity in a globalised world.

Going beyond what our schools typically assess to determine readiness to attend school, which is often based upon age, this book addresses the synergistic aspects of readiness, learning, and adaptation that allow children to be optimally ready to learning and capable of handing for challenges and transitions. This more holistic and interactive understanding of readiness involves not only the typical physical development, but also psychological aspects including the cognitive, emotional, spiritual, behavioral, and environmental pieces. The goal of this book is to provide the necessary lens through which we can see what is really hindering many children in schools today, along with possible approaches and interventions typically not seen as educational in nature, but what may be just the needed prescription for our ailing youth.

Teacher professional development is often promoted as a panacea for improving schools but it rarely lives up to its promise. This book develops an approach to professional learning that has motivated teachers and resulted in impressive improvements in student learning, particularly for students who traditionally underachieve in school. As the underpinning research shows, the approach has proven successful in several countries with consistently positive outcomes. The book begins by identifying the shifts that need to happen for the power of professional learning to be realized in promoting student engagement, learning and well-being. Some shifts in thinking include: Moving from professional development to professional learning Putting student learning at the heart of professional learning Focusing on the knowledge and skills to be learned rather than the forms of delivery Focusing on the double-demand of being both immediately practical and developing underlying principles so that new problems can be solved in the future At the heart of the book is an inquiry and knowledge building cycle for teachers that is central to realizing the power of professional learning. The cycle is underpinned by research on how people learn and what it means to be a professional. Later chapters identify what leaders in schools and beyond can do to support teacher learning in ways that directly benefit students. Throughout the book there are case examples of real experiences of primary and secondary teachers and leaders across three countries (UK, Canada and New Zealand) that bring alive what it means to engage in professional learning in ways that excite teachers and benefit their students. This is essential reading for teachers who want to take control of their own professional learning in ways that make a difference to their students and school leaders with responsibility for promoting professional and student learning.

This user-friendly text offers a comprehensive overview at the interface between bilingual/multicultural/ESL education and gifted education. Reaching New Horizons is the first book of its kind. Written by nationally recognized and award-winning leaders in both gifted and bilingual education, the authors have collaborated to create a book that bridges research and practice and has far-reaching implications for educators at all levels as culturally and linguistically diverse students continue to impact public education. The book includes chapters on program delivery models (Ch. 6), bilingualism (Ch. 3), and identification and assessment (Ch. 5)-all topics that have come into the forefront of issues faced by bilingual and gifted education teachers of grades K-12. For educators in bilingual and ESL studies, as well as special educators.

Essays exploring the latest ideas on where religious education is headed, with an emphasis on adult and young adult faith formation in the context of total catechesis.