Do you think that the US Education system needs to transform? Despite the standardized “reform” approach taken by state and national politicians, thousands of insightful and caring scholars, educators and parents definitely do! But where do they start?
In response, Dr. William Spady and ten visionary colleagues have given voice to this hopeful viewpoint in his book Bringing Heart and Soul to Education. From classroom teachers to renowned scholars and researchers, its authors offer compelling outside-the-box perspectives on what’s both desirable and possible within education. Its pages contain great working models, inspiring approaches and transformational perspectives that challenge the ingrained inertia and conventional thinking about education and will surely change the way you view it.
Bringing Heart and Soul to Education’s broad perspectives highlight the alternatives open to us if we’re willing to confront the severe limitations of today’s politically driven obsession with content standards – and if we stop long enough to honor the “heart and soul” of learners and their teachers. Most of all, it focuses on ways of cultivating and supporting the distinctive and deep-seated motivations, interests and qualities in every learner that result in young people becoming creative, engaged contributors to our 21st century world – not just successful test-takers!
A compelling read throughout, its thirteen chapters offer answers to many of the struggles within today’s education system and are destined to turn educational thinking and practice upside down! Their key messages are organized around three major themes:
Part 1: Offers transformational perspectives, research and possibilities about learning, curriculum, education, and the fundamental paradigms and values that govern our lives.
Part 2: Reflects the thinking and experiences of people who have brought the transformational ideas and ideals expressed in Part 1 into tangible form. They bring living proof that education can operate from a non-educentric, “heart and soul” perspective, and that out-of-the-box thinking and leadership are still alive and well in the US.
Part 3: Contains the deeply felt experiences and insights of teachers who work directly with students – elementary, secondary, college, and even beyond. In each case, these authors share a deep sensitivity to the complex and often misinterpreted inner life of their students.
A compelling speaker and consultant, Dr. William Spady is an internationally recognized authority on paradigm-shifting and personally empowering approaches to education, organizational change, transformational leadership development, strategic organizational design, and models of learning and living. For over forty years he has spearheaded major initiatives on expanding the vision, deepening the philosophical grounding, and improving the performance of educational systems throughout North America, South Africa and Australia. His pioneering future-focused work on strategic planning, systemic change, instructional design, and leadership development is reflected in a host of articles and seven other widely-acclaimed books. Today he is bringing an elevated and inspiring vision of human learning and education to the world.
To order Bringing Heart and Soul to Education and to learn more about Dr. Spady’s paradigm-shifting work, go to: http://the5thparadigm.net/portfolio/reclaiming-education/.