2nd Edition
Alternative Approaches to Education A Guide for Teachers and Parents
Alternative Approaches to Education provides parents and teachers with information and guidance on different education options in the UK and further afield. This new and expanded edition, including additional chapters and up-to-date contact details, explains the values, philosophies and methods of a range of alternative approaches available outside and within the state system, as well as if you’re ‘doing it yourself’.
Illustrated throughout with the first-hand experiences of children, teachers and parents, it provides lists of useful contacts, sources of further information and answers to common questions. Together with brand new chapters on recent research and contemporary debates, and on Free Schools, it covers:
- Small alternative schools
- Steiner Waldorf education
- Democratic schools
- Alternatives in the state system
- Parents as change agents
- Setting up a Small School or Learning Centre
- Home-based education
- Flexible schooling
Exploring why alternative approaches to education are needed, this accessible and informative book challenges the dominant educational orthodoxies by putting children first. It will be of interest to teachers looking to build on their knowledge of different educational approaches in order to find new ways of working. It is also an ideal introduction for parents deciding how best to educate their children.
List of figures Acknowledgements Introduction Part 1: Making the Case 1. Education – what for? 2. Recent research and contemporary debates Part 2: Alternative Approaches to Education 3. Small alternative schools 4. Steiner Waldorf education 5. Montessori education 6. Democratic schools 7. Other philosophies, other schools Part 3: Alternatives in the State System 8. State schools: alternative ways of working 9. Free schools 10. Lessons from other places 11. Parents as change agents Part 4: Doing it Yourself 12. Setting up a small school or learning centre 13. Home-based education 14. Flexible schooling Conclusion Abbreviations
Biography
Fiona Carnie is an educationalist and writer. She has three grown up children and shares her time between Bath and the Hebrides.
"I like the way this book is addressed to both parents and teachers - it means that both parties understand and benefit from the same information, making for a much easier dialogue. The book offers information and guidance on different education options in the UK and further afield. This is a new and expanded edition, including additional chapters and up-to-date contact details - highly necessary in view of the rapid rate of change in education explains the values, philosophies and methods of a range of alternative approaches available outside and within the state system, as well as if you’re ‘doing it yourself’. Although the text is dense, it is interesting and very readable for anyone with an interest in education and the different models available. It can be really hard for parents to make choices with so many options available, so they will really appreciate this book. It is illustrated throughout with the first-hand experiences of children, teachers and parents. Topics include Small alternative schools; Steiner Waldorf education; Democratic schools; Alternatives in the state system; Parents as change agents; Setting up a Small School or Learning Centre; Home-based education and Flexible schooling. People may well ask why we need so many options; the book clearly explains why alternative approaches to education are needed. It is a book which puts children where they should be - at the very heart of any decision about education."
Sarah Brew, Parents in Touch Review
