Two founder members of our Golden Circle Seminar group are involved in a new publication entitled Turning the Perspective published by CIDREE, the Consortium of Institutions for Development and Research in Education in Europe. Ian Barr, previously director of the Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum, has written a paper and Dr Jos Letschert, director of primary education in the Institute for Curriculum Development in the Netherlands is the editor. Contributions are also included from professors whose previous work is familiar to us like Luc Stevens (Netherlands), Kieran Egan (Canada) and Uwe Hameyer (Germany).
Turning the perspective New outlooks for education
Nationally as well as internationally education is facing more and greater challenges than ever before. The demands of the 21st century are different to and more complex than they were in the past, they are subject to continuous changes. The content of education is no longer fixed for a long period of time. Knowledge changes and changes fast. For some time already the school has not been the only place to learn. Learning itself is changing. The focus is on the acquisition of competencies and on the combination of knowledge and ability. In this respect the personal responsibility of the student is increasing. The task of the teachers is to motivate the students, to make them and to keep them curious to learn. Teachers realize this by creating challenging learning environments and by making education meaningful to students.
Education is or should be, different to how it was before. The perspective is changing. The content is no longer the dominating factor, but the development of the student.
Students differ and fortunately so. These differences can sometimes be awkward, particularly if education is considered to be a uniform and whole-class occupation. These differences are still awkward, but more so a challenge, if we try and consider them to be assets. We call this perception of education adaptive education. This means: education that makes use of the differences between children. Obviously, making use of the differences takes place within the context of the objectives of the school.
These objectives are broad. They concern the development of the full range of children’s possibilities, being able to take part in society, and transfer of the cultural heritage.
In this perspective the development of social competencies for example is important, just as the moral and ethical development or creative development. Insight into the historic background of society is also important, as is spatial and administrative organization.
In short, education has become a complex issue and simplistic approaches do no justice to it.
Now the question is even being put forward as to whether the system on which education is based, which has its roots in the last century and in the century before last, is still adequate for today’s task.
These issues and related matters are the subject of the essays from the collection of international authors. The contributions have been arranged into themes that concern: – learning and teaching – adaptivity, ethos and school climate – school development in increasingly autonomous contexts – the transparency of the effects of education and the strategies and working methods used – the use of systems
Turning the perspective is a challenging book. The authors risk their necks with their premises, knowing that they do not know all the answers to the questions raised either. They admit that. Their binding factor is the conviction that education is on the threshold of dramatic changes. They advocate the view that these changes, which have started inevitably, should be seen as chances and should be managed and implemented systematically.
It is interesting to observe that the themes of the essays are indeed of an international character.
CIDREE, the Consortium of Institutions for Development and Research in Education in Europe, stimulates the international exploration of educational problems and solutions found for them. Anyone who does not look across borders, runs the risk of being the prisoner of one’s own shortsightedness.
Turning the perspective is the first publication of a planned CIDREE publication series. This compilation sets the quality standard for the series.
Part of the introduction to the book is attached. It contains a summary of the contents of the essays.
More information about the contents of the book can be obtained from: Dr JFM Letschert Editor and head of the Primary Education department of SLO Tel. +31 53 4840 491
Turning the perspective (price € 25,- ) can be ordered from:
CIDREE- secretariat Attn. Ria Benamirouche c/o SLO PO Box 2041 7500 CA Enschede The Netherlands
tel: + 31 53 4840 206 fax: + 31 53 4306 110
A review copy can also be ordered from this address.