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Making Room for Impact: A De-implementation Guide for Educators
by John Hattie Dylan Wiliam Arran HamiltonDial back and make room for impact With teacher and leader workloads and burnout at an all-time high, it’s time for de-implementation: de-prioritizing and deleting the less effective, higher-cost initiatives we implement in schools. De-implementation allows us to focus on practices that have more supporting evidence and a higher probability of positive impact on students, and at the same time gain much-needed work-life balance. In Making Room for Impact, the internationally respected education experts and authors provide a clear four-stage process for winnowing down teaching and learning to high-effect practices. Informed by the latest research in learning, education, healthcare, and psychology, each step and tool is designed to move educators through the hard parts of letting go. Inside, you’ll find: Research that tells us the process of schooling is often over-engineered and that gives us permission to dial back, carefully A step-by-step process for deciding which initiatives are most effective—and how to let go of the ones that are not Useful tools, templates, and charts that educators can immediately use in their de-implementation work—at school, in teaching teams, or at the system level It’s time to get our lives back—without harming student learning. If we can collectively learn to let go and understand how to identify which initiatives are worthwhile, we’ll have more time for what truly matters.
Making School Count: Promoting Urban Student Motivation and Success
by Andrea Debruin-Parecki Karen Manheim TeelMaking School Count reports on four years of classroom research in which alternative teaching strategies, designed to motivate under-achieving inner-city, African-American middle school students were used and evaluated. The book offers insights into the discrepancy between students' academic dreams (their high performance aspirations) and the realities of their classroom performance. Issues include: *the authors' convictions that the disproportionate under-achievement of African-American students is the result of inappropriate teaching strategies *the prevalent use of a Eurocentric curriculum *results of the authors' research *a guide for teachers wishing to carry out their own research *a study of the collaboration between a university and a schools in an attempt to bring about change from the ground up.
Making School Maths Engaging: The Maths Inside Project (SpringerBriefs in Education)
by Anne Prescott Mary Coupland Marco Angelini Sandra SchuckThis book provides an account of a large-scale, national STEM initiative in Australia, the Maths Inside Project, which is designed to increase secondary school students’ engagement and participation in mathematics. The project’s modules include videos illustrating how scientists use mathematics to find solutions to real-world problems, as well as themed activities linked to the school curriculum for mathematics.Outlining the current debates concerning mathematics education in Australia and beyond, the book describes the development and implementation of the modules to guide their use by teachers in year 8-12 Australian mathematics classrooms. It concludes with a discussion of the research, showing how the project increased student engagement. The book discusses the partners involved in the project, including scientists, a national mathematics teachers’ association and the authors’ university. It also offers insights into how to embark on pedagogical improvement through collaboration between individual institutional stakeholders. Providing details of the modules to enable teachers and teacher educators to help their students better understand and utilise the curriculum resources of Maths Inside, the book is a useful resource for educators around the globe wanting to make mathematics engaging, topical and relevant for secondary school students.
Making School a Game Worth Playing: Digital Games in the Classroom
by Dr Ryan L. Schaaf Ms Nicky MohanIntegrate game-based learning for 21st Century skills success! This straightforward, easy-to-follow guide from experts Schaaf and Mohan helps you leverage technology students love best – digital video games. With step-by-step strategies, you’ll easily find, evaluate, and integrate gaming into your existing lesson plans or completely redesign your classroom. Teachers learn to use well-designed game elements to: Promote meaningful student buy-in Create student-centered, collaborative learning spaces Teach and assess 21st Century Fluencies aligned to Common Core State Standards Address multiple intelligences using research-based strategies Includes a detailed implementation outline. Create engaged, adventure-filled learning with this resourceful guide!
Making School a Game Worth Playing: Digital Games in the Classroom
by Dr Ryan L. Schaaf Ms Nicky MohanIntegrate game-based learning for 21st Century skills success! This straightforward, easy-to-follow guide from experts Schaaf and Mohan helps you leverage technology students love best – digital video games. With step-by-step strategies, you’ll easily find, evaluate, and integrate gaming into your existing lesson plans or completely redesign your classroom. Teachers learn to use well-designed game elements to: Promote meaningful student buy-in Create student-centered, collaborative learning spaces Teach and assess 21st Century Fluencies aligned to Common Core State Standards Address multiple intelligences using research-based strategies Includes a detailed implementation outline. Create engaged, adventure-filled learning with this resourceful guide!
Making Schools American: Nationalism and the Origin of Modern Educational Politics
by Cody D. EwertHow school reformers in the Progressive Era—who envisioned the public school as the quintessential American institution—laid the groundwork for contemporary battles over the structure and curriculum of public schools.Around the turn of the twentieth century, a generation of school reformers began touting public education's unique capacity to unite a diverse and diffuse citizenry while curing a broad swath of social and political ills. They claimed that investing in education would equalize social and economic relations, strengthen democracy, and create high-caliber citizens equipped for the twentieth century, all while preserving the nation's sacred traditions. More than anything, they pitched the public school as a quintessentially American institution, a patriotic symbol in its own right—and the key to perfecting the American experiment.In Making Schools American, Cody Dodge Ewert makes clear that nationalism was the leading argument for schooling during the Progressive Era. Bringing together case studies of school reform crusades in New York, Utah, and Texas, he explores what was gained—and lost—as efforts to transform American schools evolved across space and time. Offering fresh insight into the development and politicization of public schooling in America, Ewert also reveals how reformers' utopian visions and lofty promises laid the groundwork for contemporary battles over the mission and methods of American public schools. Despite their divergent political visions and the unique conditions of the states, cities, and individual districts they served, school reformers wielded nationalistic rhetoric that made education a rallying point for Americans across lines of race, class, religion, and region. But ultimately, Making Schools American argues, upholding education as a potential solution to virtually every societal problem has hamstrung broader attempts at social reform while overburdening schools.
Making Schools Better for Disadvantaged Students: The International Implications of Evidence on Effective School Funding
by Stephen Gorard Beng Huat See Nadia SiddiquiAround the world, governments, charities, and other bodies are concerned with improving education, especially for the lowest-attaining and most disadvantaged students. Making Schools Better for Disadvantaged Students presents detailed research into how poverty affects student segregation and underachievement in schools. It contains the first ever large-scale evaluation of how funding can best be used to lower the poverty attainment gap for disadvantaged students. Drawing on a wealth of empirical research from England, India, and Pakistan as well as worldwide reviews of relevant studies, the book presents high-quality evidence on the impact of funding policy initiatives, such as the Pupil Premium funding in England, and the many variations of similar schemes worldwide. It analyses education measures which have been put in place and discusses ways in which these can be used efficiently and fairly to allocate funding to students who are persistently at risk of underachievement. The book is unique in synthesising many forms of evidence from around the world and finding a definition of educational disadvantage that can be used fairly across different contexts. Offering significant implications for ways to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged students, the book will be essential reading for students of education policy, sociology of education and educational practices, and all researchers, school leaders, and policy-makers working in this area.
Making Schools Different: Alternative Approaches to Educating Young People
by Kitty Te RieleWith a foreword by Professor Stephen Ball What can we do with students who don't succeed in the typical classroom, and what are the alternatives to full-time schooling? With contributions from leading academics from Canada, America, the UK, The Netherlands and Australia, this internationally-minded book helps the reader to reflect on the ways young people are taught, and presents possible alternative approaches. Global social and economic changes and technological developments are driving the need for change within education, so that we can better cater for a diversity of young people. This book offers a forward-looking overview of where we are now, and where we might want to go in the future. It includes chapters on: - educational innovations; - learning identities; - learning spaces; - e-learning and remote students; - alternatives in education. This book will open your mind to the changing experience of schooling, and highlights new and different ways to help those whose needs simply don't fit into the usual mould. Suitable for all those on all undergraduate and postgraduate Education courses, and for those on Education Studies and Childhood and Youth courses, this book is an engaging, thought-provoking read. Kitty te Riele is a Senior Lecturer in Education in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Technology, Sydney
Making Schools Work: A Revolutionary Plan to Get Your Children the Educ
by William G. OuchiIntroducing a bold, persuasive new argument into the national debate over education, Dr. William Ouchi describes a revolutionary approach to creating successful public schools. This program has produced significant, lasting improvements in the school districts where it has already been implemented. Drawing on the results of a landmark study of 223 schools in six cities, a project that Ouchi supervised and that was funded in part by the National Science Foundation, Making Schools Work shows that a school's educational performance may be most directly affected by how the school is managed. Ouchi's 2001-2002 study examined innovative school systems in Edmonton (Canada), Seattle, and Houston, and compared them with the three largest traditional school systems: New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Researchers discovered that the schools that consistently performed best also had the most decentralized management systems, in which autonomous principals -- not administrators in a central office -- controlled school budgets and personnel hiring policies. They were fully responsible and fully accountable for the performance of their schools. With greater freedom and flexibility to shape their educational programs, hire specialists as needed, and generally determine the direction of their school, the best principals will act as entrepreneurs, says Ouchi. Those who do poorly are placed under the supervision of successful principals, who assume responsibility for the failing schools. An essential component of this management approach is the Weighted Student Formula, a budgetary tool whereby every student is evaluated and assessed a certain dollar value in educational services (a non-English-speaking or autistic student, or one from a low-income family, for example, would receive a higher dollar value than a middle-class student with no special needs). Families have the freedom to choose among public schools, and when schools must compete for students, good schools flourish while those that do poorly literally go out of business. Such accountability has long worked for religious and independent schools, where parents pay a premium for educational performance. Making Schools Work shows how the same approach can be adapted to public schools. The book also provides guidelines for parents on how to evaluate a school and make sure their child is getting the best education possible. Revolutionary yet practical, Making Schools Work shows that positive educational reform is within reach and, indeed, already happening in schools across the country.
Making Schools Work: A View From The Firing Lines
by Cheryl L. FagnanoBeginning with the fundamental and essential question, "How do we improve schools?" prominent education theorists and practitioners examine the imperative of education reform. They confront and analyze the pressing need for effective, systematic ways to improve education in order to ensure competent students and graduates, and they offer numerous innovative ideas and models for reform. The discussions in this book are the fruits of the 1992 Milken Family Foundation National Educator Awards Retreat. Committed to recognizing the contributions of educators, the annual conference advances professional development and celebrates—publicly—professional achievement. Addressed in this volume are such urgent and far-reaching issues as enrichment versus remedial strategies for at-risk students; educators' responses to extra-education demands; creative leadership among practitioners; and the crucial role of educator awards. Practitioners, policymakers, and anyone wanting to stay current with the state of American education will find this useful and valuable reading.
Making Scientists
by Gregory Light Marina MicariGregory Light and Marina Micari reject the view that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are elite disciplines restricted to a small number with innate talent. Rich in concrete advice, Making Scientists offers a new paradigm of how scientific subjects can be taught at the college level to underrepresented groups.
Making Sense of Academic Conferences: Presenting, Participating and Organising (Insider Guides to Success in Academia)
by Emily F. Henderson James BurfordThe 'Insider Guides to Success in Academia' offers support and practical advice to doctoral students and early-career researchers. Covering the topics that really matter, but which often get overlooked, this indispensable series provides practical and realistic guidance to address many of the needs and challenges of trying to operate, and remain, in academia. These neat pocket guides fill specific and significant gaps in current literature. Each book offers insider perspectives on the often implicit rules of the game -- the things you need to know but usually aren't told by institutional postgraduate support, researcher development units, or supervisors -- and will address a practical topic that is key to career progression. They are essential reading for doctoral students, early-career researchers, supervisors, mentors, or anyone looking to launch or maintain their career in academia. Based on practical experiences and empirical research, Making Sense of Academic Conferences offers an introduction to the world of academic conferences. This accessible text also includes material to support researchers who are organising conferences. Offering guidance about presenting at, participating in, and planning a conference, it uncovers the purpose of conferences; their role in supporting researcher development; steps involved in selecting and travelling to a conference; routine practices and terminology; strategies for making the most out of conferences. Suitable for doctoral students and early career researchers, this book engages with all aspects of academic conferences, recognising that attending conferences is as much about presenting papers as discos and not spilling your tea on the keynote speaker. The book is ideally suited for graduate researchers and early career researchers, particularly those who may be going to their first conference, or travelling to their first international conference, and for more experienced academics who are working with novice conference attendees.
Making Sense of Adult Learning
by Dorothy MackeracherLearning is an inseparable part of human experience. Understanding how adults learn and applying that expertise to practical everyday situations and relationships opens the window on a broader understanding of the capacity of the human mind.Dorothy MacKeracher's Making Sense of Adult Learning was first published in 1996, and was acclaimed for its readability and value as a reference tool. For the second edition of this essential work, MacKeracher has reorganized and revised many of the chapters to bring the text up-to-date for contemporary use. Concepts are presented from learning-centred and learner-centred perspectives, while related learning and teaching principles provide ideas about how one may enable others to learn more effectively.Written for people preparing to become adult educators, Making Sense of Adult Learning provides background information about the nature of adult learning and the characteristics that typify adult learners. This new edition will be quick to assert its place as the premier guide in the field.
Making Sense of Coaching
by Angelique Du ToitIn her latest book, Angélique du Toit goes beyond the techniques and goals explored in most coaching texts to examine the process of coaching and the importance of sense-making for creating meaning and encouraging self-reflection. In doing this, the coaching experience emerges as a type of transformational learning, in which the individual is guided through a journey of discovery and revelation. Theories are drawn together in a fresh and original way which will cause readers to question how coaching should be defined and practised. <P><P> Dr Angélique du Toit is an academic practitioner and is involved in the delivery of academic programmes and publications related to coaching. She is also an Executive Coach supporting senior executives in their personal development in both the public and private sectors.
Making Sense of Education
by Gert BiestaThis volume gives educational theorists the chance to let rip and say what they really want to say. In doing so it sends a blast of fresh air through the dusty halls of academe. The vast majority of the literature in education theory and philosophy follows the conventions of academic writing, and rightly so. Yet its formal, abstract and objective style, which focuses on the careful presentation of theoretical and philosophical arguments, doesn't always give us insights into what motivates and drives the authors--while for academic neophytes it can be dense and arcane. Here, those same theorists and philosophers have been given the chance to expound at length on the topics that most exercise them. What concerns them, what gets them up in the morning, and what really matters most to them? Readers will discover what happens when these thinkers are explicitly invited to go beyond academic conventions and experiment with form, style and content. Featuring collected essays from leading educationalists from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the USA, Canada, Israel Germany, Belgium and the UK, these essays provide vital insights into their work as well as being a compelling introduction to contemporary attempts to make sense of education through theory and philosophy. All these authors have made key contributions to the field, and their unique 'manifestos' make a fascinating read for any student or practitioner in education.
Making Sense of Education Policy: Studies in the Sociology and Politics of Education
by Geoff Whitty`This book is a very worthwhile read for teachers, student teachers and teacher educators. It would be encouraging if politically based policy makers were to digest its contents also′ - Citizenship, Social and Economics Education `I recommend this book as an enjoyable, thought provoking and politically important read′ - Widenining Participation and Lifelong Learning `This important book challenges current educational policies in England in a style, for the most part, easily accessible to a wide audience. Geoff Whitty′s assertions are supported by a wide variety of research findings and this is a book that should be of considerable interest to student of sociology and to all member of the teaching profession′ - Mark Pepper, Equals `The particular strength of this book is Geoff Whitty′s grasp on and insights into the politics of education... he is able to bring to bear an authoritative perspective which is unrivaled in the United Kingdom. there is no other current book which compares in terms of the breadth and depth of this′ - Professor Stephen Ball, Institute of Education, University of London `This book represents a "struggle" by the director of the London Institute of Education, one of our foremost centres of teacher training and research in education, to understand what lies behind the education policies of recent governments. It is tempting to conclude that if a leading educational sociologist such as Geoff Whitty, who happens also to be brother of the former general secretary of the Labour party, has difficulty with this, there can be little hope for the rest of us. But now, at least, we have this personal odyssey to guide us′ - Bob Doe, Times Educational Supplement This book aims to make sense of the changes in education policy over the past decade, using the resources of the sociology and politics of education. The author shows that wider sociological perspectives can help us to appreciate both the limits and the possibilities of educational change. Geoff Whitty illustrates this through studies of curriculum innovation, school choice, teacher professionalism and school improvement. He considers how far education policy can be used to foster social inclusion and social justice and the book concludes with an assessment of New Labour education policy in these terms. The book deals with education policy in England and Wales, as well as making comparisons with contemporary education policy in other countries. This book is relevant to students of education at masters and doctoral levels, students of social policy, and policy-makers.
Making Sense of Education in Post-Handover Hong Kong: Achievements and challenges (Routledge Critical Studies in Asian Education)
by Michael H. Lee Thomas Kwan-Choi TseSince 1997 when Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, a string of education reforms have been introduced to improve the quality of education and maintain Hong Kong’s economic competitiveness in the age of globalization. This book provides a comprehensive and critical analysis of major issues and challenges faced by the education system, ranging from pre-school to higher education. It analyses the prospects for educational development in Hong Kong. It further addresses how the Hong Kong government has responded to the perceived challenges of the external environment and internal forces and explains the rationales for the actions taken. Not only does it review how the reform initiative challenges have been dealt with, it also reviews how effective these initiatives are and its implications on future directions.
Making Sense of Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy and Theory of Education and Teaching
by David CarrMaking Sense of Education provides a contemporary introduction to the key issues in educational philosophy and theory. Exploring major past and present conceptions of education, teaching and learning, this book makes philosophy of education relevant to the professional practice of teachers and student teachers, as well of interest to those studying education as an academic subject.The book is divided into three parts: education, teaching and professional practice: issues concerning education, the role of the teacher, the relationship of educational theory to practice and the wider moral dimensions of pedagogy learning, knowledge and curriculum: issues concerning behaviourist and cognitive theories of learning, knowledge and meaning, curriculum aims and content and evaluation and assessment schooling, society and culture: issues of the wider social and political context of education concerning liberalism and communitarianism, justice and equality, differentiation, authority and discipline. This timely and up-to-date introduction assists all those studying and/or working in education to appreciate the main philosophical sources of and influences on present day thinking about education, teaching and learning
Making Sense of God: An Invitation To The Skeptical
by Timothy KellerWe live in an age of skepticism. Our society places such faith in empirical reason, historical progress, and heartfelt emotion that it's easy to wonder: Why should anyone believe in Christianity? What role can faith and religion play in our modern lives? In this thoughtful and inspiring new book, pastor and New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller invites skeptics to consider that Christianity is more relevant now than ever. As human beings, we cannot live without meaning, satisfaction, freedom, identity, justice, and hope. Christianity provides us with unsurpassed resources to meet these needs. Written for both the ardent believer and the skeptic, Making Sense of God shines a light on the profound value and importance of Christianity in our lives.From the Hardcover edition.
Making Sense of History: 1509-1745
by Alec Fisher Richard Kennett John ClareDeliver engaging, enquiry-driven lessons and help pupils gain a coherent chronological understanding of and across periods studied with this complete offering for Key Stage 3 History. Designed for the 2014 National Curriculum this supportive learning package makes history fun and inspiring to learn. Making Sense of History consists of four Pupil's Books with accompanying Dynamic Learning Teaching and Learning resources. Structured around big picture overviews and in-depth enquiries on different topics, the course develops pupils understanding of history and their ability to ask and explore valid historical questions about the past.- Help pupils come to a sound chronological understanding of the past and identify the most significant events, connections and patterns of change and continuity with specifically tailored big pictures of the period and of the topics within it.- Develop pupils' enquiry skills and help them become motivated and curious to learn about the past with purposeful and engaging enquiries and a focus on individuals' lives.- Ensure pupils' progress in their historical thinking through clear and balanced targeted coverage of the main second order concepts in history.- Support and stretch your pupils with differentiated material, including writing frames to support literacy and ideas for more challenge provided in the Dynamic Learning Teaching and Learning Resources.- Make assessment become a meaningful and manageable process through bespoke mark schemes for individual pieces of work.
Making Sense of History: 1509-1745
by Alec Fisher Richard Kennett John ClareDeliver engaging, enquiry-driven lessons and help pupils gain a coherent chronological understanding of and across periods studied with this complete offering for Key Stage 3 History. Designed for the 2014 National Curriculum this supportive learning package makes history fun and inspiring to learn. Making Sense of History consists of four Pupil's Books with accompanying Dynamic Learning Teaching and Learning resources. Structured around big picture overviews and in-depth enquiries on different topics, the course develops pupils understanding of history and their ability to ask and explore valid historical questions about the past.- Help pupils come to a sound chronological understanding of the past and identify the most significant events, connections and patterns of change and continuity with specifically tailored big pictures of the period and of the topics within it.- Develop pupils' enquiry skills and help them become motivated and curious to learn about the past with purposeful and engaging enquiries and a focus on individuals' lives.- Ensure pupils' progress in their historical thinking through clear and balanced targeted coverage of the main second order concepts in history.- Support and stretch your pupils with differentiated material, including writing frames to support literacy and ideas for more challenge provided in the Dynamic Learning Teaching and Learning Resources.- Make assessment become a meaningful and manageable process through bespoke mark schemes for individual pieces of work.
Making Sense of History: 1901-present day
by Alec Fisher Richard Kennett John Clare Neil BatesDeliver engaging, enquiry-driven lessons and help pupils gain a coherent chronological understanding of and across periods studied with this complete offering for Key Stage 3 History. Designed for the 2014 National Curriculum this supportive learning package makes history fun and inspiring to learn. Making Sense of History consists of four Pupil's Books with accompanying Dynamic Learning Teaching and Learning resources. Structured around big picture overviews and in-depth enquiries on different topics, the course develops pupils understanding of history and their ability to ask and explore valid historical questions about the past.- Help pupils come to a sound chronological understanding of the past and identify the most significant events, connections and patterns of change and continuity with specifically tailored big pictures of the period and of the topics within it.- Develop pupils' enquiry skills and help them become motivated and curious to learn about the past with purposeful and engaging enquiries and a focus on individuals' lives.- Ensure pupils' progress in their historical thinking through clear and balanced targeted coverage of the main second order concepts in history.- Support and stretch your pupils with differentiated material, including writing frames to support literacy and ideas for more challenge provided in the Dynamic Learning Teaching and Learning Resources.- Make assessment become a meaningful and manageable process through bespoke mark schemes for individual pieces of work.
Making Sense of History: 1901-present day
by Alec Fisher Richard Kennett John Clare Neil BatesDeliver engaging, enquiry-driven lessons and help pupils gain a coherent chronological understanding of and across periods studied with this complete offering for Key Stage 3 History. Designed for the 2014 National Curriculum this supportive learning package makes history fun and inspiring to learn. Making Sense of History consists of four Pupil's Books with accompanying Dynamic Learning Teaching and Learning resources. Structured around big picture overviews and in-depth enquiries on different topics, the course develops pupils understanding of history and their ability to ask and explore valid historical questions about the past.- Help pupils come to a sound chronological understanding of the past and identify the most significant events, connections and patterns of change and continuity with specifically tailored big pictures of the period and of the topics within it.- Develop pupils' enquiry skills and help them become motivated and curious to learn about the past with purposeful and engaging enquiries and a focus on individuals' lives.- Ensure pupils' progress in their historical thinking through clear and balanced targeted coverage of the main second order concepts in history.- Support and stretch your pupils with differentiated material, including writing frames to support literacy and ideas for more challenge provided in the Dynamic Learning Teaching and Learning Resources.- Make assessment become a meaningful and manageable process through bespoke mark schemes for individual pieces of work.
Making Sense of Learners Making Sense of Written Language: The Selected Works of Kenneth S. Goodman and Yetta M. Goodman
by Kenneth S. Goodman Yetta M. GoodmanKen and Yetta Goodman’s professional work has been a lifelong collaboration, informed by shared philosophical strands. An overarching goal has been to provide access for all children to literacy and learning and to inform and improve teaching and learning. Each also is recognized for specific areas of focus and is known for particular concepts. This volume brings together a thoughtfully crafted selection of their key writings, organized around five central themes: research and theory on the reading process and written language development; teaching; curriculum and evaluation; the role of language; advocacy and the political nature of schooling. In the World Library of Educationalists, international scholars themselves compile career-long collections of what they judge to be their finest pieces – extracts from books, key articles, salient research findings, major theoretical and/practical contributions – so the world can read them in a single manageable volume. Readers will be able to follow the themes and strands of their work and see their contribution to the development of a field, as well as the development of the field itself.
Making Sense of Learning: A Research-Based Approach (Springer Texts in Education)
by Norman Reid Asma Amanat AliThis textbook brings together findings from global research on teaching and learning, with an emphasis on secondary and higher education. The book is unique in that the content is selected in an original way and its presentation reflects the most recent research evidence related to understanding. The book covers and presents themes that are based tightly on worldwide research evidence, scrupulously avoiding opinion or any dependence on the personal experience of the authors. The book starts by reflecting on educational research itself. The four chapters that follow relate the story of the research that shows how all humans learn and the variations within that framework. These chapters offer a tight framework that underpins much of the rest of the text. The next four chapters look at the way school curricula are organised and how the performance of learners can be assessed. They summarise the research evidence related to thinking skills and consider the importance of practical teaching. This is followed by two chapters that draw from the extensive social psychology research on attitude development as it applies in education, and then by two chapters that summarise the research related to major issues of controversy: the performativity agenda and the issue of quality. One chapter looks at the place of statistics in education. The next two chapters look at the evidence that can support or undermine many typical education beliefs, or myths and mirages. Finally, the last chapter brings it all together and looks into the future, pointing to some areas where future research is likely to be helpful, based on current knowledge.