New Kinds of Smart presents the most important of these changes to practising teachers and educators, and invites them to think about their implications for school.
Since the turn of the century, the idea that intellectual capacity is fixed has been generally accepted. But increasingly, psychologists, educators, and others have come to challenge this premise. Outsmarting IQ reveals how earlier discoveries about IQ, together with recent research, show that intelligence is not genetically fixed. Intelligence can be taught. David Perkins, renowned for his research on thinking, learning, and education, identifies three distinct kinds of intelligence: the fixed neurological intelligence linked to IQ tests; the specialized knowledge and experience that individuals acquire over time; and reflective intelligence, the ability to become aware of one's mental habits and transcend limited patterns of thinking. Although all of these forms of intelligence function simultaneously, it is reflective intelligence, Perkins shows, that affords the best opportunity to amplify human intellect. This is the kind of intelligence that helps us to make wise personal decisions, solve challenging technical problems, find creative ideas, and learn complex topics in mathematics, the sciences, management, and other areas. It is the kind of intelligence most needed in an increasingly competitive and complicated world. Using his own pathbreaking research at Harvard and a rich array of other sources, Perkins paints a compelling picture of the skills and attitudes underlying learnable intelligence. He identifies typical pitfalls in multiple perspectives, and neglecting evidence. He reveals the underlying mechanisms of intelligent behavior. And he explores new frontiers in the development of intelligence in education, business, and other settings. This book will be of interest to people who have a personal or professional stake in increasing their intellectual skills, to those who look toward better education and a more thoughtful society, and not least to those who follow today's heated debates about the nature of intelligence.
How people think about education depends on how they understand the notion of 'intelligence'. Teaching reflects assumptions about what kinds of mental qualities are worth having, and about the extent to which those qualities are fixed or malleable. As the idea of 'intelligence' changes, so should the aims and methods of education. It's time to bring intelligence into the real world. In the early 21st century our understanding of the smart mind is changing fast. The demands of society are now quite different from those when schools were first designed, so the kinds of smart necessary to craft a happy and fulfilling life have changed. As life becomes more complex, ambiguous and uncertain, so a different set of mental and emotional attitudes are needed to thrive. Meanwhile, researchers in the cognitive, affective and learning sciences are developing new models of the smart mind that make it clear that bodies, tools and social contacts are as much a part of intelligence as abstract problem-solving. New Kinds of Smart presents the most important of these changes to practising teachers and educators, and invites them to think about their implications for school. Each chapter illustrates the research behind one of the emerging 'new kinds of smart'; summarises the messages that this research has for practitioners; and presents practical examples, tools and templates that educators can use to weave this new strand of thinking into their work as teachers and their lives as learners.
This volume introduces pedagogical approaches and empirical studies that emphasize deeper, embodied engagement with language, the transformative potential of the language learning experience, and the importance of learner and teacher well-being. A deep learning orientation sees foreign language learning not as a psychologically neutral process of internalising linguistic rules but as an embodied process that is intimately tied to learners' experience of self, including emotion, body states, metaphoric understanding, aesthetic sensibilities, and moral intuitions. This volume challenges language teachers and teacher trainers to move beyond instrumentalist views of language learning, to recognise the deeply impactful nature of the language learning experience, and to consider how language pedagogy can contribute to the development of the learner as a whole person. Chapters in this volume consider the enactment of deep learning from diverse theoretical perspectives, including positive psychology, embodied cognition, cognitive linguistics, motivational theory, literary theory, and moral psychology. The volume provides language teachers, teacher trainers and applied linguists with concrete insights into the multidisciplinary foundations of conceptualizing, planning, and implementing deep learning in language classrooms.
In Powering Up Children: The Learning Power Approach to primary teaching, Guy Claxton and Becky Carlzon harness the design principles of the Learning Power Approach (LPA) to provide a rich resource of effective teaching strategies for use in the primary school classroom. Foreword by Ron Berger. The LPA is a way of teaching which aims to develop all children as confident and capable learners ready, willing, and able to choose, design, research, pursue, troubleshoot, and evaluate learning for themselves, alone and with others, in school and out. This approach therefore empowers teachers to complement their delivery of content, knowledge, and skills with the nurturing of positive habits of mind that will better prepare students to flourish in later life. Building upon the foundations carefully laid in The Learning Power Approach (ISBN 9781785832451), the first book in the Learning Power series, Guy Claxton and Becky Carlzon's Powering Up Children embeds the ideas of this influential method in the context of the primary school. It offers a thorough explanation of how the LPA's design principles apply to this level of education and, by presenting a wide range of practical strategies and classroom examples, illustrates how they can be put into action with different age groups and in different curricular areas especially relating to literacy and numeracy, but also in specific subjects such as science, history, art, and PE. Bursting with tips and techniques to get students' learning muscles stretching from a young age, the book is designed for busy primary school teachers who want to get started on the LPA journey as well as for those who have already made good progress and are looking for fresh ideas. The central chapters are structured around thematic clusters of the LPA's design principles, and follow a common format: 1. First, the authors explain why the design principles focused on are important; including what's in it for the teacher and what's in it for the children. 2. Next, they offer a menu of practical low-risk tweaks to classroom practice that enable teachers to engage with the design principles and experience some quick wins. 3. Then they provide some ideas about how to embed the principles more deeply in the ongoing life of the classroom including some rich lesson examples from across the primary age range, and from different school subjects. 4. Finally, they address some of the common bumps and issues that may crop up along the way, and offer advice to help teachers overcome such potential obstacles. Suitable for both newly qualified and experienced teachers of learners aged 3 to 11.
Applying Cross-Curricular Approaches Creatively explores the relevance and effectiveness of cross-disciplinary and project-based teaching. With a focus on personal reflection and discussion, it offers educators inspiration, guidance and resources to deliver a truly integrated curriculum creatively. Exploring how we can make connections in the classroom through our own lives and those of our children, it supports teachers in becoming more personally involved in decisions about the style of teaching and substance of curriculum in schools. Applying Cross-Curricular Approaches Creatively examines key topics such as: Educationalists with an interest in cross-curricular and creative approaches Planning for and provoking creativity Choosing cross-curricular themes Mind-full approaches to teaching and learning Assessing creative and integrated learning Teachers as researchers in the classroom Applying Cross-Curricular Approaches Creatively is an essential text for those wishing to plan a coherent curriculum with cross-curricular elements. It places the 'basics' of knowledge, genuine motivation, engagement and participation at the core of its arguments for meaningful learning for all children. Filled with autobiographical accounts and case studies, and with ready-to-use ideas for creative lessons, this uplifting book challenges us to return to curriculum breadth and balance and away from a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.
An unprecedented collaboration between leading names from the independent and state sectors, this thought-provoking book addresses the current crisis in education for the most able. Grounded in the classroom, the authors draw on their own first-hand experiences and international research to scrutinise techniques and practices from leading countries, exploring the more divisive issues that have damaged teaching worldwide. Demonstrating what works well in teaching the most able, and also what does not work, the book offers a radical solution, a stimulus to thought and a way forward for teachers, academics and all those with responsibility for ensuring high standards in education, including governments and members of regulatory authorities.
Every early years practitioner should be able to captivate and maintain the interest of young children in their setting, through the provision of a playful learning experience. Covering age ranges 3-8 years, this textbook explores the importance of infusing playfulness throughout the entire early years day, and includes chapters that: establish the core principles underpinning playful teaching and learning help students and practitioners understand how playfulness can be applied to all aspects of the early years curriculum including mathematics, literacy, outdoor environments, science & technology, and ICT explore core issues in early years provision including observing, planning & assessment, and how they relate to playful learning emphasise the role and qualities of the playful professional. This is a fantastic resource for any student or practitioner looking to enrich the lives of young children through meaningful playful learning experiences.
This ground-breaking handbook provides a much-needed, contemporary and authoritative reference text on young children’s thinking. The different perspectives represented in the thirty-nine chapters contribute to a vibrant picture of young children, their ways of thinking and their efforts at understanding, constructing and navigating the world. The Routledge International Handbook of Young Children’s Thinking and Understanding brings together commissioned pieces by a range of hand-picked influential, international authors from a variety of disciplines who share a high public profile for their specific developments in the theories of children’s thinking, learning and understanding. The handbook is organised into four complementary parts: • How can we think about young children’s thinking?: Concepts and contexts • Knowing about the brain and knowing about the mind • Making sense of the world • Documenting and developing children’s thinking Supported throughout with relevant research and case studies, this handbook is an international insight into the many ways there are to understand children and childhood paired with the knowledge that young children have a strong, vital, and creative ability to think and to understand, and to create and contend with the world around them.
In Powering Up Students: The Learning Power Approach to high school teaching, Guy Claxton and Graham Powell detail the small tweaks to daily practice that will help high school teachers boost their students' learning dispositions and attitudes. Foreword by John Hattie. The Learning Power Approach (LPA) is a pedagogical formula which aims to develop all students as confident and capable learners ready, willing, and able to choose, design, research, pursue, troubleshoot, and evaluate learning for themselves, alone and with others, in school and out. This approach therefore empowers teachers to complement their delivery of content, knowledge, and skills with the nurturing of positive habits of mind that will better prepare students to flourish in later life. Building upon the foundations carefully laid in The Learning Power Approach (ISBN 9781785832451), the first book in the Learning Power series, Guy Claxton and Graham Powell's Powering Up Students embeds the ideas of this influential method in the context of the high school. It offers a thorough explanation of how the LPA's design principles apply to this level of education and, by presenting a wide range of practical strategies and classroom examples, illustrates how they can be put into action with different age groups and in different curricular areas especially relating to literacy and numeracy, but also in specific subjects such as science, history, geography, and design technology. All teachers can foster the capacity of students to be, for example, curious, attentive, imaginative, rational, and reflective and Guy and Graham provide clear guidance on how this can be achieved. Step by step, they explore all aspects of pedagogy: from how to make learning compelling and challenging, to how best to make use of the environment for learning; from how to coach students so that they become more independent and responsible directors of their own learning, to subtle shifts in teacher language and behaviour that change the climate for learning. Rooted in the authors' knowledge of international research about how students can and should learn in schools, this practical guide is suitable for both newly qualified and experienced teachers of students aged 11 to 18. It will also appeal to those school principals, educationalists, and administrators who are committed to improving both students' achievement and their preparedness for the world of learning beyond school.