Lost Educational Opportunities In Alternative Settings

Alternative and flexible education settings may come in different forms, but they generally have in common a focus on young people who have been disengaged from conventional schooling. One challenge of these settings, therefore, is to change the way education is offered in order to better engage these students. Much of the onus for this changed approach is on the staff: teachers, youth workers and other support staff. Therefore, the purpose of this book is to examine different aspects of the work of staff in these settings. Several common threads run through the chapters in this book, highlighting core aspects of the work of staff in these settings: • A strong sense of commitment to working with and for young people from marginalised backgrounds. • Validation of the relational and emotional nature of education, as a fundamentally people-centred enterprise. • The importance of explicit attention to critical reflection on staff members’ own positionality, assumptions and identity. • Collegiality as a crucially affirming part of school culture for staff. These elements are pertinent to educational settings everywhere. The chapters in this book serve as a reminder of what really ‘counts’ for our young people and their schooling. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Teaching Education.

Alternative and flexible education settings may come in different forms, but they generally have in common a focus on young people who have been disengaged from conventional schooling. One challenge of these settings, therefore, is to change the way education is offered in order to better engage these students. Much of the onus for this changed approach is on the staff: teachers, youth workers and other support staff. Therefore, the purpose of this book is to examine different aspects of the work of staff in these settings. Several common threads run through the chapters in this book, highlighting core aspects of the work of staff in these settings: - A strong sense of commitment to working with and for young people from marginalised backgrounds. - Validation of the relational and emotional nature of education, as a fundamentally people-centred enterprise. - The importance of explicit attention to critical reflection on staff members' own positionality, assumptions and identity. - Collegiality as a crucially affirming part of school culture for staff. These elements are pertinent to educational settings everywhere. The chapters in this book serve as a reminder of what really 'counts' for our young people and their schooling. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Teaching Education.

The key question this book addresses is how to identify and create optimal conditions for the kind of learning and development that is especially important for effectively functioning in the 21st century. Taking a new approach to this long-debated issue, it looks at how a design research-based science of learning (with its practical models and related design research) can provide insights and integrated models of how human beings actually function and grow in the social dynamics of educational settings with all their affordances and constraints. More specifically: How can specific domains or subject matters be taught for broad intellectual development? How can technology be integrated in enhancing human functioning? How can the social organization of classroom learning be optimized to create social norms for promoting deep intellectual engagement and personal growth? Part I is concerned with broad conceptual and technical issues regarding cultivating intellectual potential, with a focus on how design research might fill in an important a niche in addressing these issues. Part II presents specific design work in terms of design principles, models, and prototypes.

Across OECD countries, almost one in every five students does not reach a basic minimum level of skills. This book presents a series of policy recommendations for education systems to help all children succeed.