The role of education often falls into a larger framework of institutions found in society including family, religion, politics, economics and health – among others. As such, education is constantly adapting – with varying degrees of success. Our interviews and book recommendations pertaining to education cover a diverse range of factors influencing education such as: inequality, globalisation, economic development, gender and information.
Teaching is a complex personal and social achievement. The work of teachers is endowed with personal meaning – as such, we have a broad range of interviews with experts that explore the varied roles of teaching and achievement – covering everything from happiness to educational tests, leadership to philosophy, teaching maths and the idea of success.
Jacqueline Leighton, professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Alberta chooses her best books on Educational Testing, as does André Rupp, research director at the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in Princeton, New Jersey. Les Back, professor of sociology at Goldsmiths’, University of London chooses his best books on Academia, and discusses what he values about universities and how he sees them being threatened.
Alf Coles chooses his best books on teaching maths and Jonathan Zimmerman, professor of Education and History at NYU, chooses his best books on sex education and discusses the complexities of teaching that subject. Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Peg Tyre, chooses the best books on educating your child and Michelle Rhee, the former chancellor of Washington DC’s public school system, chooses the best books on American education.
Frank Furedi, professor of sociology at the University of Kent, choose his best books on the crisis in education. He argues that, far from needing to be relevant, the purpose of education is “precisely to engage you people with issues that do not arise out of their immediate experience.”
The Best Boarding School Novels, recommended by Anbara Salam
Boarding schools make great settings for novels, says Anbara Salam, author of coming-of-age drama Belladonna. The combination of immense privilege with the claustrophobia of a closed society can create an intense pressure cooker atmosphere in which characters might be forged.
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1
Measuring the Mind: Conceptual Issues in Contemporary Psychometrics
by Denny Borsboom -
2
Protocol Analysis: Verbal Reports as Data
by Ericsson and Simon -
3
Knowing What Students Know: The Science and Design of Educational Assessment
by Pellegrino and Chudowsky and Glaser (eds) -
4
How Children Fail
by John Holt -
5
Freedom to Learn
by Carl Rogers
The best books on Educational Testing, recommended by Jacqueline Leighton
The best books on Educational Testing, recommended by Jacqueline Leighton
At school, children get tested a lot. How do those tests impact their learning? How can tests be made fairer? Educational psychologist Jacqueline Leighton introduces the best books in the evolving field of educational testing.
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1
Handbook of Item Response Theory (3-volume series)
by Wim van der Linden (editor) -
2
Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling
by Rex Kline -
3
Handbook of Test Development
by Mark Raymond and Thomas Haladyna (Editors) & Suzanne Lane -
4
The Skilled Facilitator: A Comprehensive Resource for Consultants, Facilitators, Coaches, and Trainers
by Roger Schwarz -
5
Hamilton: The Revolution
by Jeremy McCarter & Lin-Manuel Miranda
The best books on Educational Testing, recommended by André Rupp
The best books on Educational Testing, recommended by André Rupp
Nearly everyone has had to sit a standardised test at some point in their lives and felt the grip it might hold over their future—and not always in a good way. André Rupp, research director at ETS, the nonprofit company that runs some of the most well-known tests, talks us through what’s going on at the forefront of research and the new kinds of tests that are being developed.
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1
Killing Thinking: The Death of the Universities
by Mary Evans -
2
Representations of the Intellectual: The 1993 Reith Lectures
by Edward Said -
3
The Great University Gamble: Money, Markets and the Future of Higher Education
by Andrew McGettigan -
4
Faculty Towers: The Academic Novel and Its Discontents
by Elaine Showalter -
5
Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom
by bell hooks
The best books on Academia, recommended by Les Back
The best books on Academia, recommended by Les Back
Current UK higher education policies, which treat students as consumers, are not only killing thinking but also likely to lead to a financial crisis. And yet, academia is a beautiful vocation, with the power to transform lives year in, year out. University of London professor, Les Back, picks the best books on academia.
The best books on Sex Education, recommended by Jonathan Zimmerman
A one-size-fits-all approach to sex education cannot function in a globalised world, says professor of education and history, Jonathan Zimmerman. He picks the best books on sex education.
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1
Proofs and Refutations: The Logic of Mathematical Discovery
by Imre Lakatos -
2
The Common Sense of Teaching Mathematics
by Caleb Gattegno -
3
Calculus by and for Young People
by Donald Cohen -
4
Teaching Mathematics: Towards a Sound Alternative
by Brent Davis -
5
Starting Points for Teaching Mathematics in Middle and Secondary Schools
by Banwell & Saunders and Tahta
The best books on Teaching Maths, recommended by Alf Coles
The best books on Teaching Maths, recommended by Alf Coles
What is the best way to teach maths? Maths teacher and author Alf Coles recommends books that offer some clues.
The best books on Educating Your Child, recommended by Peg Tyre
Education writer Peg Tyre says many parents don’t understand how children learn and so don’t know what to look for in a school. She recommends five books to bring parents up to speed.
The best books on American Education, recommended by Michelle Rhee
The educationalist tells us about her experience as head of Washington DC’s public school system and explains how poorly performing children, and institutions, can be helped to improve
The best books on The Crisis in Education, recommended by Frank Furedi
The sociology professor and blogger at spiked-online.com says when society is faced with problems like homophobia, healthy eating or integration, for example, then we try to
