Abstract
The opening statement of the series editors’ introduction reminds us that our rapidly changing world emphasizes that the immediate priority of education is to enable all learners to develop their potential to the full, with an emphasis on the development of creativity and personal responsibility. They write that ‘tinkering at the edges’ of the current education system will not produce the necessary radical shift that is required to truly engage learners, giving them ownership of their learning together with decision-making about what and how they learn.
The key threads running through the text are centred on imagination, challenge, motivation, collaboration, and reflection. The overall purpose of the series is to support educators in rethinking their practice in order to create exciting and innovative learning activities. The book layout encourages fast reading, with clear diagrams to summarize main points, rich suggestions for learning activities, suggestions for reflection and follow-up reading, and pithy quotes such as: Coherence across professional learning environments was not achieved through the completion of checklists and scripted lessons but rather through creating learning situations that promoted inquiry habits of mind throughout the school.
Helen Timperley refreshingly reminds us that true professional learning occurs when educators experience exciting learning themselves, reflect upon and internalize the educational principles involved, and create their own practice following the principles they have internalized and understood. She writes that inquiry-based learning using a constructivist approach should be at the core of educational goals. She pleads for coherence across teaching approaches, whole-school planning, and community involvement.
I have long argued that the education of teachers should not be carried out through rows of students sitting in lecture theatres taking notes! All learning should be living, active learning, and the result of reflection on practical, well-thought-out values, and consequent procedures. I thoroughly recommend this book as essential reading for all educators; it is both inspiring and informative.