School Children As Agents Of Change

This edited volume promotes the capacity for critical thinking and judgement in primary school-aged children in the face of the challenges that schools encounter in today’s society. Foregrounding critical thinking and judgement as essential capacities for children to develop, each chapter offers a space for reflection on the formation of the ability to think and judge in primary school. While presenting a robust conceptual and foundational framework, chapters focus on the educational-didactic practices deemed most authoritative due to their impact on, and their innovative qualities within, the educational landscape today. Themes affecting schools in both the global north and south are discussed, such as social relationships, children’s voices, life skills and digital education, well-being and health, as well as matters of social plurality, inequalities and discrimination, ecology, global economy and the decolonising of education from various international perspectives. Foregrounding real-world experience within the education system, this book will be of relevance to researchers, scholars and post-graduates in the fields of philosophy of education, moral education and child development. It will also be of interest to pre- and in-service primary education practitioners.

A documented volume about what is going on in the classroom - where traditional education is treated as an enemy.

This book explores various and distinct aspects of environmental health literacy (EHL) from the perspective of investigators working in this emerging field and their community partners in research. Chapters aim to distinguish EHL from health literacy and environmental health education in order to classify it as a unique field with its own purposes and outcomes. Contributions in this book represent the key aspects of communication, dissemination and implementation, and social scientific research related to environmental health sciences and the range of expertise and interest in EHL. Readers will learn about the conceptual framework and underlying philosophical tenets of EHL, and its relation to health literacy and communications research. Special attention is given to topics like dissemination and implementation of culturally relevant environmental risk messaging, and promotion of EHL through visual technologies. Authoritative entries by experts also focus on important approaches to advancing EHL through community-engaged research and by engaging teachers and students at an early age through developing innovative STEM curriculum. The significance of theater is highlighted by describing the use of an interactive theater experience as an approach that enables community residents to express themselves in non-verbal ways.

While most children learn to read fairly well, there remain many young Americans whose futures are imperiled because they do not read well enough to meet the demands of our competitive, technology-driven society. This book explores the problem within the context of social, historical, cultural, and biological factors. Recommendations address the identification of groups of children at risk, effective instruction for the preschool and early grades, effective approaches to dialects and bilingualism, the importance of these findings for the professional development of teachers, and gaps that remain in our understanding of how children learn to read. Implications for parents, teachers, schools, communities, the media, and government at all levels are discussed. The book examines the epidemiology of reading problems and introduces the concepts used by experts in the field. In a clear and readable narrative, word identification, comprehension, and other processes in normal reading development are discussed. Against the background of normal progress, Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children examines factors that put children at risk of poor reading. It explores in detail how literacy can be fostered from birth through kindergarten and the primary grades, including evaluation of philosophies, systems, and materials commonly used to teach reading.

"This edited volume promotes the capacity for critical thinking and judgment in primary school-aged children in the face of the challenges that schools encounter in today's society. Foregrounding critical thinking and judgement as essential capacities for children to develop, each chapter offers a space for reflection on the formation of the ability to think and judge in primary school. While presenting a robust conceptual and foundational framework, chapters focus on the educational-didactic practices deemed most authoritative due to their impact on, and their innovative qualities within, the educational landscape today. Themes affecting schools in both the global North and South are discussed, such as social relationships, children's voices, life skills and digital education, well-being and health, as are matters of social plurality, inequalities and discrimination, ecology, global economy, and the decolonising of education from various international perspectives. Foregrounding real-world experience within the education system, this book will be of relevance to researchers, scholars, and post-graduates in the fields of philosophy of education, moral education, and child development. It will also be of interest to pre- and in-service primary education practitioners"--

This book addresses the changes in education practices, especially basic education, necessitated by the global challenges of climate change and sustainable development and in a context characterized by increasing poverty and inequality, migration and refugees. Written by a range of international scholars, scientists and grassroots practitioners from Africa, Latin America, Asia (India, China, Malaysia) and Europe, the individual contributions focus on education policies and child development in various social contexts. Case-based experiences from both developed and developing countries provide inspiration and shed new light on the fundamental changes needed to adapt existing school systems and teacher training to face the challenges of the future. In this regard, the need to empower children themselves is emphasized. All contributions are based on a Workshop hosted in November 2015 by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences at the Vatican entitled “Children and Sustainable Development: A Challenge for Education” and follow three other significant events on sustainable development in 2015, namely the publication of Laudato Si’, the Encyclical Letter from Pope Francis, the release of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and the COP21 Conference in Paris.

"If education is to be the learning profession, then we must walk the walk of learners. The bottom line is not perfection, constant success, and high test scores. The bottom line is creating a culture in which learning, innovation, and collaboration are the norms-a learning culture. When adults in schools create such environments, children will thrive." -Lucy West and Antonia Cameron How can teacher leaders cultivate an adult learning environment that will upgrade teaching capacity system-wide, and ultimately improve student learning in every classroom? Lucy West and Toni Cameron turn decades of experience designing and implementing coaching initiatives into a practical resource for transforming school culture and inspiring true learning at every level. Agents of Change provides coaches, administrators, and teacher leaders with specific techniques, tools, and strategies for working with individual classroom teachers to plan and co-teach lessons, reflect on them afterwards, and find evidence of student learning. Lucy and Toni argue that when we infuse rich learning conversations into the professional discourse via coaching, study lessons, and regular meeting times for professionals to work collaboratively, we're able to examine what it takes on a day to day basis to reach every student in our classrooms. The transformative potential of content coaching to improve both teacher and student learning on a school-wide level has never been more clear. Purchase includes free access to an online video case study. Read a sample chapter

While governments around the world struggle to maintain service levels amid fiscal crises, social innovators are improving citizen outcomes by changing the system from within. The authors offer compelling stories, lively illustrations, and insightful interpretations on how innovators, social entrepreneurs, and change agents are dealing effectively with powerful opponents, bureaucratic hurdles, and the challenges of securing resources and support.