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4.5 AVERAGE
4.5 AVERAGE
bergsteiger's review
4.0
Whether you agree with Wagner's ideas or not, it is undeniably a thought-provoking book with plenty of relevancy despite being published 11 years ago.
I like the holistic approach he espouses (cross curriculum teaching, community service, "apprenticeships") and divorce of sports from school. I also partially agree with his focus on relating school to the "real world", however I think he places an over-emphasis on work place knowledge that can lead to some of the very rigidity he correctly identifies as impediments to learning. It also presumes that a job is the sole use of our mental capabilities, career as the pinnacle of achievement, if you will.
I disagree with local institutions completely developing their own curriculum. I think a happy medium between specific national curriculum points and a portion devoted to local curricula would achieve a greater balance of creating common cross-cultural understanding along with relevancy to a specific region.
Evaluations versus grades is a sticky wicket for sure. It presumes smaller class-sizes and a deeper knowledge based curriculum versus one focused on breadth. It also presumes that those institutions that are interested in a student's capabilities as they move on (colleges, employers) will take the time to read all of those evaluations. That said, I do like the idea, if disagreeing with the consequent thought that this can take the place of testing. Evaluations in life are a necessary evil. They allow us to develop organizations such that people can help that organization in the best way possible. Testing is a part of that concept and a world where everyone is okay and no one has to prove their abilities is not very realistic. Perhaps Wagner could have devoted a chapter to alternate methods/construction of tests instead eschewing them for the most part. Besides, the intellectual flexibility that Wagner espouses in education, by its very nature, will enable students to do well on tests, even when they don't know every specific detail they are being tested on.
Fairly well written without any overwhelming redundancies to get bogged down in, an unfortunately common characteristic of many books on education. Certainly makes you think and for that alone it should get 4 stars. If you have any interest in education in the US then you should definitely take this one of the shelf. Solid 4 stars.
I like the holistic approach he espouses (cross curriculum teaching, community service, "apprenticeships") and divorce of sports from school. I also partially agree with his focus on relating school to the "real world", however I think he places an over-emphasis on work place knowledge that can lead to some of the very rigidity he correctly identifies as impediments to learning. It also presumes that a job is the sole use of our mental capabilities, career as the pinnacle of achievement, if you will.
I disagree with local institutions completely developing their own curriculum. I think a happy medium between specific national curriculum points and a portion devoted to local curricula would achieve a greater balance of creating common cross-cultural understanding along with relevancy to a specific region.
Evaluations versus grades is a sticky wicket for sure. It presumes smaller class-sizes and a deeper knowledge based curriculum versus one focused on breadth. It also presumes that those institutions that are interested in a student's capabilities as they move on (colleges, employers) will take the time to read all of those evaluations. That said, I do like the idea, if disagreeing with the consequent thought that this can take the place of testing. Evaluations in life are a necessary evil. They allow us to develop organizations such that people can help that organization in the best way possible. Testing is a part of that concept and a world where everyone is okay and no one has to prove their abilities is not very realistic. Perhaps Wagner could have devoted a chapter to alternate methods/construction of tests instead eschewing them for the most part. Besides, the intellectual flexibility that Wagner espouses in education, by its very nature, will enable students to do well on tests, even when they don't know every specific detail they are being tested on.
Fairly well written without any overwhelming redundancies to get bogged down in, an unfortunately common characteristic of many books on education. Certainly makes you think and for that alone it should get 4 stars. If you have any interest in education in the US then you should definitely take this one of the shelf. Solid 4 stars.