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You will find that the reviews provided here will often include some reference to policy. This is to maintain the purpose of Critical Professional Learning as outlined in the Home page. Wherever possible, therefore, reviews will include reference to the social and political context.
Book review:
Approaching the reading of books
If asked to state briefly what I believe politics to be about I almost always respond that it is about the consensual arrival at values. If asked to state briefly the central social value at which I would prefer us to arrive I almost always say fairness. If asked to state briefly the central educational value at which I would prefer us to arrive I almost always say fulfilment.
Is that it then? Is there nothing more to be said? I have, after all, clearly stated that the values at which I wish the consensual process of politics to arrive when thinking about society and education are fairness and fulfilment; for me a very pleasing combination of beliefs. Surely, all I now need are the means of identifying and measuring them. If only. Each of my beliefs calls for explanation, exemplification, contextualisation, challenge and testing. I want to explore how I attempt this by the reading of particular books.
Book review:
The Essential Guide to Teaching 14-19 Diplomas - By Lynn Senior
The twists and turns of educational policy are, you might think, sufficiently confusing; but when we get to 14-19 it often feels as though, having just passed the examination to become a tourist guide at a maze, it has been replanted overnight to a different design and you not only have to re-do your examination but also to un-learn what you thought were solid facts. The maintenance of professional sanity is not a priority for government as it sets and re-sets policy but without it costly confusion beckons. It is, therefore, good to see that professional educators continue to be capable of generating supportive, sense-making books like this. Click here to read more
From illusion to delusion: A review of 'Tony Blair, A Journey'
Tony Blair was once thought able to conjure votes out of a hat: an illusionist of incredible charismatic power; but, as his book unconsciously but clearly demonstrates, the more he came to believe in his own powers of leadership the more deluded he became about the rightfulness, even the righteousness, of where he wanted to take us and how we should get there. Afghanistan and Iraq are not the only examples of this. He was the same in domestic policy, including his approach to education. ‘Gadarene’ is probably the best word to describe his style of leadership; the faster he galloped the more he came to believe that what he was doing was right; he gave himself no choice: he simply had to believe that he was right because he could not see or do things differently.
The Essential Guide to Understanding Special Educational Needs - By Jenny Thompson
Feeling out-of-date on special education I approached this book hoping to be gently, but seriously, brought up-to-date. I believe I was. Of course, as I write, government could be planning some wholesale changes that will, inevitably, bring with them new terminology, new sets of initials and new legal requirements so I also asked myself to guess the shelf-life of the book. The detail and overall professional usefulness of this book will not fade quickly. Finally, I could not help remembering my own special need when I was at school: I needed to have more teachers who could really help me to learn so I asked myself if this book could enhance the professionalism of teachers in general. It will, irrespective of any specialism.
Learning to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector - By Ewan Ingleby, Dawn Joyce and Sharon Powell
You often hear the Lifelong Learning sector called the Cinderella of education. The trouble with that description is that Prince Charming is not going to turn up and she is stuck with her father who was called, if you remember, Baron Hardup. Policy-making is continuously set and re-set by the Ugly Sisters and always includes: having to work at a number of educational levels; forming, dissolving and re-forming partnerships; taking the blame for the ills of society; finding money from nowhere; and generally leading ‘an interesting life’.