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Educational Heretics Press has continued its prolific publications output. Four new books have appeared over the last 12 months including the new editions of Finding Voices, Making Choices… Creativity for Social Change. Edited by Mark Webster and Glen Buglass, Informal Education by Tony Jeffs and Mark Smith. Roland Meighan has lifted the horizon again with his new classic Comparing Learning Systems and Mike Fortune-Wood’s the Face of Home-based Education…who, why and how, is the first published outcome of our research work.
Educational Heretics Press Latest Book Titles:
Informal Education – conversation, democracy and learning by Tony Jeffs and Mark Smith. ISBN 1-900219-29-8 Informal education has in recent years, attracted a lot of interest amongst educationalists, health and welfare professionals and others. Why is this? Also what is it, who does it and how can it be developed? The book seeks to answer these questions and provide an introduction to informal education. At Personalised Education Now we are convinced there is much for us all to learn from here whatever the learning settings. Tony Jeffs teaches in the Department of Applied Social Studies at the University of Durham and Mark Smith is a Rank research Fellow and Tutor at the YMCA George Williams College, London.
Comparing Learning Systems: the good, the bad, the ugly and the counter-productive, by Roland Meighan. ISBN 1-900219-28-X
Which learning system is best? The answer depends on your purpose. The current learning systems in use in UK, schools and universities alike, draw most of their inspiration from totalitarian-style thinking on education, with the emphasis on mass schooling heavy with coercion and domination. The book ends with a consideration of the principles of a learning system fit for a democracy. Dr Roland Meighan now works as a writer and publisher. Previously he was a Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Birmingham and then Special Professor of Education at the University of Nottingham.
Developing a DVD on Personalised Learning:
The Trustees are at present engaged in applying for funding to produce a DVD on this theme in order to present the principles and values of personalised learning with tangible examples, in another accessible media. A range of affiliated and supporting groups and organisations have agreed to be part of the DVD if funding is secured. Our grateful thanks go to trustee Alan Clawley for his work here.
Personalised Education: A Framework for Evaluation
Trustees are developing a multi purpose evaluation framework based on our Principles of Personalisation.
Demos / Nesta Futurelab / Becta Project… Learner Voice and Technology in Personalised Learning
Major think tank / ideas / analysis project looking at the nature of personalisation, learner voice and technology. PEN was invited to this project, has made presentational input alongside developing ideas throughout the programme. Peter Humphreys has been part of the Core Group developing materials for national dissemination. Two particular ideas have taken hold and will feature in some capacity (a) The Personalised Education Landscape / learner traveller (b) A Learner Personalisation Charter… both these can be traced to PEN input.
Futurelab Seminar Series: Re-thinking Learning Networks: Home, School and Community
Futurelab is holding a series of three, half-day seminars to debate key issues, approaches and policies around home-school-community links, informal learning and the use of digital technologies. Presentations will be given by experts in the field and these will be followed and enhanced by full audience discussions. The seminar audience will be made up of a mixture of people working in the field of policy, research and practice. http://www.futurelab.org.uk/events/seminars/intro.htm PEN trustees are represented in this project and in the Core Working Group but we are also delighted to see good friends from the PEN network like Professor Ian Cunningham and Gillian Trott from The south Downs Self Managed Learning Centre http://www.selfmanagedlearning.org/
Futurelab interview with Personalised Education Now Chair
Peter Humphreys was interviewed recently by Futurelab. The article can be found at http://www.futurelab.org.uk/viewpoint/art73.htm
Futurelab 'Re-Imagining Learning Spaces'.
This residential workshop aimed to bring together experts in the fields of creativity, design, research and policy in order to re-conceptualise what might be meant when considering learning spaces and by re-imagining new possibilities for learning through the use of digital technologies in existing environments as well as new learning locations. (30/31 March 2006). Whilst much is beingmade at the policy level about the need to rebuild or change existing learning spaces, we also need to ask how we might transform what already exists and imagine new learning possibilities within them. The main aim of the workshop was to stimulate new thinking and possibilities in this area and to inform future practice and policy direction. PEN trustee Philip Toogood was involved in this work.