Reflecting on how teachers can approach challenging aspects of the job, this book will make for interesting reading for educators at all stages of their career.
Making learning whole: how seven principles of teaching can transform education
Curriculum planning
Education theory
Learning styles and cognitive development
Performance and accountability
Synopsis
The problem with current education practices, Perkins says, is there is too much time dedicated to solving teachers’ problems and not enough to ‘problem finding’. Problem finding, he states, is about working out what the problem is and redefining it.
Perkins advocates curiosity, discovery, creativity, and camaraderie in helping teachers ‘find’ explanations and justifications for the challenges they find in teaching, instead of trying to ‘solve’ the problems. He provides three core outcomes of an ‘education done properly’ that teachers can use to test the effectiveness of their explanations. They are enlightenment, empowerment, and responsibility.
Perkins concludes each chapter with practical advice on how to create positive integrated learning environments which teachers can put into practice in their classrooms.