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Œuvres complètes de Voltaire: Religious works of 1776 (Œuvres complètes de Voltaire (Complete Works of Voltaire) #79B)
by VoltairePart of the complete works of the French philosopher, historian and social reformer, Voltaire. Contains the author's last great works dealing with religion, in which he aims at the final destruction of Christian superstition, and religious intolerance. For students and scholars of the 18th-century Enlightenment.
Of All That Ends
by Günter Grass Breon MitchellThe final work of Nobel Prize-winning writer Günter Grass – a witty and elegiac series of meditations on writing, growing old, and the world.Suddenly, in spite of the trials of old age, and with the end in sight, everything seems possible again: love letters, soliloquies, scenes of jealousy, swan songs, social satire, and moments of happiness.Only an ageing artist who had once more cheated death could get to work with such wisdom, defiance and wit. A wealth of touching stories is condensed into artful miniatures. In a striking interplay of poetry, lyric prose and drawings, Grass creates his final, major work of art.A moving farewell gift, a sensual, melancholy summation of a life fully lived.
Of Arms and Artists: The American Revolution through Painters' Eyes
by Paul StaitiA vibrant and original perspective on the American Revolution through the stories of the five great artists whose paintings animated the new American republic.The images accompanying the founding of the United States--of honored Founders, dramatic battle scenes, and seminal moments--gave visual shape to Revolutionary events and symbolized an entirely new concept of leadership and government. Since then they have endured as indispensable icons, serving as historical documents and timeless reminders of the nation's unprecedented beginnings. As Paul Staiti reveals in Of Arms and Artists, the lives of the five great American artists of the Revolutionary period--Charles Willson Peale, John Singleton Copley, John Trumbull, Benjamin West, and Gilbert Stuart--were every bit as eventful as those of the Founders with whom they continually interacted, and their works contributed mightily to America's founding spirit. Living in a time of breathtaking change, each in his own way came to grips with the history they were living through by turning to brushes and canvases, the results often eliciting awe and praise, and sometimes scorn. Their imagery has connected Americans to 1776, allowing us to interpret and reinterpret the nation's beginning generation after generation. The collective stories of these five artists open a fresh window on the Revolutionary era, making more human the figures we have long honored as our Founders, and deepening our understanding of the whirlwind out of which the United States emerged.
Of Black Study (Black Critique)
by Joshua MyersOf Black Study explores how the ideas of Black intellectuals generated different ways of thinking and knowing in their pursuit of conceptual and epistemological freedom. Joshua Myers explores the work of thinkers who broke with the racial and colonial logics of academic disciplinarity. Bookended by meditations with June Jordan and Toni Cade Bambara, the book focuses on how W.E.B. Du Bois, Sylvia Wynter, Jacob Carruthers and Cedric Robinson contributed to Black Studies approaches to knowledge production within and beyond Western structures of knowledge. Especially geared toward understanding the contemporary evolution of Black Studies in the neoliberal university, Of Black Study allows us to consider the stakes of intellectual freedom and the path toward a new world.
Of Books, Barns, and Boardrooms: Exploring Praxis through Reflexive Inquiry
by Ellyn Lyle“Of Books, Barns, and Boardrooms: Exploring Praxis through Reflexive Inquiry is an engaging and accessible book that is at once scholarly and personal. Ellyn Lyle explores how self intersects with pedagogy and education in three separate but connected contexts: formal education, horse training (joining-up), and workplace learning. She begins with a narrative of how she learned about reflexive inquiry; from that foundation, she questions how educational systems can both debilitate and inspire, using her own life story and explaining how theories relate to practice. In so doing, Lyle is informative and invitational, providing a model for educators to problematize their own contexts. Most interesting is how she uses the concept of joining-up, not training, when exploring her work with horses. This transferable concept requires educators and learners to communicate, build reciprocal relationships, work towards understanding, engage in meaning-making, and interact with others through mutual respect. Educators in all contexts would benefit from reading this book, and I will be recommending it to my students.” – Nancy Taber, Brock University “Ellyn Lyle uses the successful, deep communication with horses, a process called ‘Join-Up,’ as a lyrical and practical metaphor for negotiating learning in multiple contexts. A fascinating personal story, Of Books, Barns, and Boardrooms is also an invaluable guidebook for learning, teaching, and questioning: for parents, teachers, students, administrators, and entrepreneurs. I am urged to consider where learning and systems fail and, also, to celebrate how ‘life is my classroom, and all encounters, my teachers.’ I wish I had had these insights and inspiring analogies at hand when I was a university professor and president.” – Elizabeth R. Epperly, Professor Emerita and Past President, University of Prince Edward Island, author of Power Notes: Leadership by Analogy “When I ‘Join-Up’ with Ellyn Lyle’s philosophical inquiry, I experience a process of deep trust and listening that she suggests is the basis of authentic learning. Of Books, Barns, and Boardrooms, about learners and learning, is a critical and creative inquiry that questions and challenges practices that prevent learning. It is a way of doing philosophy, a method of (re)constructing narrative to examine some of the metaphors that shape and inform concepts, biases, and assumptions. Using her understanding of join-up to identify problems that prohibit growth, the author constructs a compelling story of change and invites readers to do the same.” – Anne-Louise Brookes, author of Feminist Pedagogy: An Autobiographical Approach “Ellyn Lyle takes readers on an inspirational journey celebrating learning and teaching as a shared and respectful partnership—one that values the breadth of life’s experiences as sources of knowledge.” – Debra Manning, Federation University Australia
Of Education, Fishbowls, and Rabbit Holes: Rethinking Teaching and Liberal Education for an Interconnected World
by Jane FriedThis book questions some of our most ingrained assumptions, not only about the nature of teaching and learning, but about what constitutes education, and about the cultural determinants of what is taught.What if who you think you are profoundly affects what and how you learn? Since Descartes, teachers in the Western tradition have dismissed the role of self in learning. What if our beliefs about self and learning are wrong, and relevance of knowledge to self actually enhances learning, as current research suggests?Jane Fried deconstructs the Grand Western Narrative of teaching and learning, describing it is a cultural fishbowl through which we see the world, rarely aware of the fishbowl itself, be it disciplinary constructs or the definition of liberal education.She leads us on a journey to question “the way things are”; to attend to the personal narratives of others from ethnic, racial and faith groups different from ourselves; to rediscover self-authorship as the core task of learning in college; and to empower ourselves and students to navigate the disorientation of the Alice in Wonderland rabbit holes of modern life.This is a book for all educators concerned about the purpose of college and of the liberal arts in the 21st century, and what it is we should reasonably expect students to learn. Jane Fried both upends many received ideas and offers constructive insights based on science and evidence, and does so in an engaging way that will stimulate reflection.
Of Education, Fishbowls, and Rabbit Holes: Rethinking Teaching and Liberal Education for an Interconnected World
by Jane FriedThis book questions some of our most ingrained assumptions, not only about the nature of teaching and learning, but about what constitutes education, and about the cultural determinants of what is taught.What if who you think you are profoundly affects what and how you learn? Since Descartes, teachers in the Western tradition have dismissed the role of self in learning. What if our beliefs about self and learning are wrong, and relevance of knowledge to self actually enhances learning, as current research suggests?Jane Fried deconstructs the Grand Western Narrative of teaching and learning, describing it is a cultural fishbowl through which we see the world, rarely aware of the fishbowl itself, be it disciplinary constructs or the definition of liberal education.She leads us on a journey to question “the way things are”; to attend to the personal narratives of others from ethnic, racial and faith groups different from ourselves; to rediscover self-authorship as the core task of learning in college; and to empower ourselves and students to navigate the disorientation of the Alice in Wonderland rabbit holes of modern life.This is a book for all educators concerned about the purpose of college and of the liberal arts in the 21st century, and what it is we should reasonably expect students to learn. Jane Fried both upends many received ideas and offers constructive insights based on science and evidence, and does so in an engaging way that will stimulate reflection.
Of Essence and Context: Between Music and Philosophy (Numanities - Arts and Humanities in Progress #7)
by Rima Povilionienė Rūta Stanevičiūtė Nick ZangwillThis book provides a new approach to the intersections between music and philosophy. It features articles that rethink the concepts of musical work and performance from ontological and epistemological perspectives and discuss issues of performing practices that involve the performer’s and listener’s perceptions. In philosophy, the notion of essence has enjoyed a renaissance. However, in the humanities in general, it is still viewed with suspicion. This collection examines the ideas of essence and context as they apply to music. A common concern when thinking of music in terms of essence is the plurality of music. There is also the worry that thinking in terms of essence might be an overly conservative way of imposing fixity on something that evolves. Some contend that we must take into account the varying historical and cultural contexts of music, and that the idea of an essence of music is therefore a fantasy. This book puts forward an innovative approach that effectively addresses these concerns. It shows that it is, in fact, possible to find commonalities among the many kinds of music. The coverage combines philosophical and musicological approaches with bioethics, biology, linguistics, communication theory, phenomenology, and cognitive science. The respective chapters, written by leading musicologists and philosophers, reconsider the fundamental essentialist and contextualist approaches to music creation and experience in light of twenty-first century paradigm shifts in music philosophy.
Of Farming and Classics: A Memoir
by David GreneA fiercely independent thinker, colorful storyteller, and spirited teacher, David Grene devoted his life to two things: farming, which he began as a boy in Ireland and continued into old age; and classics, which he taught for several decades that culminated in his translating and editing, with Richmond Lattimore, of The Complete Greek Tragedies. In this charming memoir, which he wrote during the years leading up to his death in 2002 at the age of eighty-nine, Grene weaves together these interests to tell a quirky and absorbing story of the sometimes turbulent and always interesting life he split between the University of Chicago—where he helped found the Committee on Social Thought—and the farm he kept back in Ireland. Charting the path that took him from Europe to Chicago in 1937, and encompassing his sixty-five-year career at the university, Grene’s book draws readers into the heady and invigorating climate of his time there. And it is elegantly balanced with reflections stemming from his work on the farm where he hunted, plowed and regularly traveled on horseback to bring his cows home for milking. Grene’s form and humor are quite his own, and his brilliant storytelling will enthrall anyone interested in the classics, rural Ireland, or twentieth-century intellectual history, especially as it pertains to the University of Chicago.
Of Farming and Classics: A Memoir (Osiris Ser.)
by David GreneA fiercely independent thinker, colorful storyteller, and spirited teacher, David Grene devoted his life to two things: farming, which he began as a boy in Ireland and continued into old age; and classics, which he taught for several decades that culminated in his translating and editing, with Richmond Lattimore, of The Complete Greek Tragedies. In this charming memoir, which he wrote during the years leading up to his death in 2002 at the age of eighty-nine, Grene weaves together these interests to tell a quirky and absorbing story of the sometimes turbulent and always interesting life he split between the University of Chicago—where he helped found the Committee on Social Thought—and the farm he kept back in Ireland. Charting the path that took him from Europe to Chicago in 1937, and encompassing his sixty-five-year career at the university, Grene’s book draws readers into the heady and invigorating climate of his time there. And it is elegantly balanced with reflections stemming from his work on the farm where he hunted, plowed and regularly traveled on horseback to bring his cows home for milking. Grene’s form and humor are quite his own, and his brilliant storytelling will enthrall anyone interested in the classics, rural Ireland, or twentieth-century intellectual history, especially as it pertains to the University of Chicago.
Of Farming and Classics: A Memoir
by David GreneA fiercely independent thinker, colorful storyteller, and spirited teacher, David Grene devoted his life to two things: farming, which he began as a boy in Ireland and continued into old age; and classics, which he taught for several decades that culminated in his translating and editing, with Richmond Lattimore, of The Complete Greek Tragedies. In this charming memoir, which he wrote during the years leading up to his death in 2002 at the age of eighty-nine, Grene weaves together these interests to tell a quirky and absorbing story of the sometimes turbulent and always interesting life he split between the University of Chicago—where he helped found the Committee on Social Thought—and the farm he kept back in Ireland. Charting the path that took him from Europe to Chicago in 1937, and encompassing his sixty-five-year career at the university, Grene’s book draws readers into the heady and invigorating climate of his time there. And it is elegantly balanced with reflections stemming from his work on the farm where he hunted, plowed and regularly traveled on horseback to bring his cows home for milking. Grene’s form and humor are quite his own, and his brilliant storytelling will enthrall anyone interested in the classics, rural Ireland, or twentieth-century intellectual history, especially as it pertains to the University of Chicago.
Of Other Thoughts: A Guidebook for Candidates and Supervisors
by A. Chr. Engels-Schwarzpaul Michael A. PetersOf Other Thoughts offers a path-breaking critique of the traditions underpinning doctoral research. Working against the grain of traditional research orthodoxies, graduate researchers (almost all from Indigenous, transnational, diasporic, coloured, queer and ethnic minorities) AND their supervisors offer insights into non-traditional and emergent modes of research—transcultural, post-colonial, trans-disciplinary and creative practice-led. Through case studies and contextualizing essays, Of Other Thoughts provides a unique guide to doctoral candidates and supervisors working with different modes of research. More radically, its questioning of traditional assumptions about the nature of the literature review, the genealogy of research practices, and the status and structuring of the thesis creates openings for alternative modes of researching. It gives our emerging researchers the courage to differ and challenges the University to take up its public role as critic and conscience of society. Barbara Bolt | Associate Professor and Associate Director of Research and Research Training | The Victorian College of the Arts |University of Melbourne | Australia These writings are essential reading for all PhD students interested in making their critical work count for more. They examine multiple sites where conservative politics and ethics, institutional regulations, culturally constrained supervisory practices, and disciplinary boundary maintenance run counter to the radical and transforming potential of critical PhD work. Graham Hingangaroa Smith | Distinguished Professor | Vice-Chancellor/Chief Executive Officer | Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi| Whakatāne | Aotearoa – New Zealand This book makes a distinctive and valuable contribution to the growing literature on doctoral education. Readers will find a wonderfully diverse collection of perspectives on non-traditional paths to the PhD. The book synthesises theory with practice in a highly effective and engaging manner. It sets doctoral experiences in their broader cultural, political and intellectual contexts, and addresses epistemological and methodological questions with fresh insight. Of Other Thoughts will appeal to students and supervisors in a range of different fields and deserves a wide international readership. Peter Roberts | Professor of Education, University of Canterbury | Christchurch | Aotearoa – New Zealand
Of Primary Importance: What's Essential in Teaching Young Writers
by Ann M. CorgillFrom the first chapter of Ann Marie Corgills Of Primary Importance: What's Essential in Teaching Young Writers, you experience the swirling energy, the sights, and the sounds of a primary classroom. Forming the heart of the book are detailed units of study on poetry, nonfiction, and fiction writing that provide a clear demonstration of the writing workshop process at work throughout a school year. You'll also find examples of favorite texts for teaching various craft components, ideas for classroom organization and where to purchase materials, suggestions for publishing student work, lists of professional resources and, most importantly, inspiring examples of what children who are empowered to write can and will write. Of Primary Importance is not a how-to manual as much as it is a celebration of the idiosyncratic journey of teaching young children to write. If you are a grade-one through grade-three teacher struggling to get your students writing well, if you want to push your writing workshop to new dimensions, or if you are just plain skeptical that primary kids can write something beyond "I love my mom. I love my dog. The end," this book is for you. You will come away inspired, challenged, supported, and wiser in your classroom writing instruction.
Of Primary Importance: What's Essential in Teaching Young Writers
by Ann M. CorgillFrom the first chapter of Ann Marie Corgills Of Primary Importance: What's Essential in Teaching Young Writers, you experience the swirling energy, the sights, and the sounds of a primary classroom. Forming the heart of the book are detailed units of study on poetry, nonfiction, and fiction writing that provide a clear demonstration of the writing workshop process at work throughout a school year. You'll also find examples of favorite texts for teaching various craft components, ideas for classroom organization and where to purchase materials, suggestions for publishing student work, lists of professional resources and, most importantly, inspiring examples of what children who are empowered to write can and will write. Of Primary Importance is not a how-to manual as much as it is a celebration of the idiosyncratic journey of teaching young children to write. If you are a grade-one through grade-three teacher struggling to get your students writing well, if you want to push your writing workshop to new dimensions, or if you are just plain skeptical that primary kids can write something beyond "I love my mom. I love my dog. The end," this book is for you. You will come away inspired, challenged, supported, and wiser in your classroom writing instruction.
Of Princes and Promises (St Rosetta's Academy)
by Sandhya MenonFrom the New York Times bestselling author of When Dimple Met Rishi comes the second instalment in a brand-new series set in St Rosetta's Academy.Caterina LaValle is determined to show she's still the queen of St. Rosetta's Academy. Sure, her crown may be slightly askew after her ex-boyfriend, Alaric, cheated on her, but she's a LaValle. She'll find a way to march right back in there, her hands clutching the strings to the whole puppet show. This time, she's going to be untouchable.Rahul Chopra knows that moment he shared with Caterina LaValle at the winter formal meant something. Surely she feels it, too. He's a little uncertain how someone like him (socially inept to a point way past "adorkable") could fit into her world, but he's loved Caterina for years. He knows they'll find a way.When Caterina finds out Alaric is taking a supermodel to the upcoming gala, she knows she cannot arrive without the perfect date. But the thought of taking another superficial St. R's boy exhausts her. The solution? Sweet-but-clueless Rahul Chopra and a mysterious pot of hair gel with the power to alter the wearer into whatever his heart desires.When Rahul tries it, he transforms instantly into RC-debonair, handsome, and charming. But transformation comes with a price: As Rahul enjoys his new social standing, the line between his two personas begins to blur. Will he give up everything, including Caterina, to remain RC? Or will this unlikely pair find their way back to each other?_________________________________________________Praise for Sandhya Menon's work:'Pure, fantastical escapism with a tiny critique embedded in the privilege that it so joyfully describes' Financial Times'One of the great rom-com YA writers' Paste Magazine 'Adorable, joyous.' BuzzFeed 'Anytime your soul needs a hug, pick up a Sandhya Menon novel.' Book Riot'There's something irresistible about Sandhya Menon's novels: the romances are sweet and winning, the humour is cheerful and sly, and the families are warm and complicated.' Stephanie Perkins
Of Prophets' Visions and the Wisdom of Sages: Essays in Honour of R. Norman Whybray on his Seventieth Birthday (The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies)
by Heather A. McKay David J. ClinesOld Testament prophecy and wisdom are two of the main themes with which Norman Whybray, formerly of the University of Hull, has concerned himself in his highly productive and innovative scholarly career. In honour of his seventieth birthday,a distinguished international group of scholars have expressed their personal and professional admiration for him with essays that Are particularly rich And significant. The roll-call of contributors reads: Brenner, Brueggemann, Cazelles, Clements, Clines, Coggins, Crenshaw, Eaton, Gelston, Gordon, Goulder, Grabbe, Jeppersen, Knibb, Mayes, Mettinger, Soggin and Williamson.
Of Scribes and Sages, Vol 2: Early Jewish Interpretation and Transmission of Scripture (The Library of Second Temple Studies #51)
by Craig A. EvansOf Scribes and Sages focuses primarily on early interpretation of Scripture, including the emergence of Scripture as Scripture in its various versions and contexts. It examines recent research into the relationship of the Old Testament to the New and how sacred Scripture was interpreted during New Testament times. It also provides stimulating examples to students, scholars, and clergy in how the task of interpretation is to be done.
Of Teaching, Learning And Sherbet Lemons: A Compendium Of Careful Advice For Teachers (PDF)
by Nina JacksonWho do you turn to when you need all your learning and teaching queries answered? Your Agony Aunt Nina! Nina supports readers by making sure that they can be the best that they can be, as second best just won't do. They will be inspired to evaluate their impact on learning and teaching of pupils as well as their own professional development, and be able to measure their impact on learners of all ages and abilities. The book will also give them the confidence to share ideas and innovations and give them strategies on how to approach some of the more 'delicate' areas of teaching and education. It's OK to want to do well and it's OK to be different, daring and a risk taker in order to have an impact on education.
Of Teaching, Learning and Sherbet Lemons: A compendium of advice for teachers
by Nina JacksonEducation is like a sherbet lemon: we need the structures and systems - the hard exterior - but we can easily lose sight of the magic that is at the heart of this; the teaching and learning - the fizz in the centre. Nina Jackson's mission in Of Teaching, Learning and Sherbet Lemons is to put the fizz back into classrooms by solving some of the toughest dilemmas facing teachers. You know the child in the class who never asks that burning question because they worry it might make them look silly, even if everyone else is thinking the same thing? Sometimes teachers can be like that child. And they don't know where to turn to get the answers. That is where Nina comes in. The teachers' questions in Of Teaching, Learning and Sherbet Lemons have been anonymised, but Nina's answers will resonate with teachers everywhere, offering support and practical advice. Nina doesn't have a magic wand but what she does have is years of experience, honesty and a commitment to help everyone be the best they can be. After all, second best just won't do! Whether you are wondering about difficulties and disagreements with colleagues, pushy parents, promotion and ambition or losing the love for teaching, Nina has plenty of tips and advice. There is wise guidance on what to do when learners keep shouting out, or chit-chatting, or won't say anything. Nina also shares her valuable insights into inclusion and learning differences including dyslexia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia, ADD and ADHD, stutters and stammers, as well as addressing the sensitive issues of bereavement and self-harm. Topi covered also include: learner engagement and motivation, group work, learning styles, spoon feeding, feedback, unveiling learners' skills and talents, music in the classroom, transition from primary to secondary school, digital leaders, action research, school councils and INSET days. Suitable for all teachers - from NQTs to experienced teachers - across all subject-specialisms and phases; from primary to higher education.
Off-Campus Study, Study Abroad, and Study Away in Economics: Leaving the Blackboard Behind (Contributions to Economics)
by Joshua Hall Kim HolderThis volume discusses diverse methodologies in economics education, focusing on experiential economic education away from campus through study abroad, study away, and other off-campus programs. These twenty-three chapters provide a ‘how-to’ guide for economic educators looking to expand their pedagogical repertoire, whether they want to take students to Ireland to study Adam Smith or South Africa to study poverty. Readers are provided with information about the economic content of the course as well as the nuts-and-bolts of on-the-ground experiences. Delivering a modern take on economic education, this volume is intended for economics educators wishing to engage students in new and creative ways.
The Off-Modern (International Texts in Critical Media Aesthetics)
by Svetlana BoymSvetlana Boym writes a new genealogy of modernity, moving beyond older debates between modernism and postmodernism to focus on the intersection of art, architecture, technology, and philosophy in the early twenty-first century. Drawing on theories of Georg Simmel, Henri Bergson, Aby Warburg, and Jacques Derrida, Boym presents the off-modern as an eccentric, self-questioning, anti-authoritarian perspective with roots in the Russian avant-garde, now developed in surprising ways by contemporary artists, architects, and curators around the world. She illustrates the off-modern in discussions of (and with) figures as diverse as architect Rem Koolhaas, Albanian artist-turned-mayor Edi Rama, an art collective in Delhi, and the creator of the Museum of Jurassic Technology in Los Angeles. Both a manifesto and a memoir, The Off-Modern often returns to themes of travel and immigration, exploring issues of diasporic intimacy and productive estrangement amid nostalgic landscapes of urban ruins.
The Off-Modern (International Texts in Critical Media Aesthetics)
by Svetlana BoymSvetlana Boym writes a new genealogy of modernity, moving beyond older debates between modernism and postmodernism to focus on the intersection of art, architecture, technology, and philosophy in the early twenty-first century. Drawing on theories of Georg Simmel, Henri Bergson, Aby Warburg, and Jacques Derrida, Boym presents the off-modern as an eccentric, self-questioning, anti-authoritarian perspective with roots in the Russian avant-garde, now developed in surprising ways by contemporary artists, architects, and curators around the world. She illustrates the off-modern in discussions of (and with) figures as diverse as architect Rem Koolhaas, Albanian artist-turned-mayor Edi Rama, an art collective in Delhi, and the creator of the Museum of Jurassic Technology in Los Angeles. Both a manifesto and a memoir, The Off-Modern often returns to themes of travel and immigration, exploring issues of diasporic intimacy and productive estrangement amid nostalgic landscapes of urban ruins.
Off-road Harry (PDF)
by Tracey HawkinsThe books in the 'Young Heroes' series feature action-packed and dynamic stories focusing on heroic characters.
Off the Mark: How Grades, Ratings, and Rankings Undermine Learning (but Don’t Have To)
by Jack Schneider Ethan L. HuttAmid widespread concern that our approach to testing and grading undermines education, two experts explain how schools can use assessment to support, rather than compromise, learning.Anyone who has ever crammed for a test, capitulated to a grade-grubbing student, or fretted over a child’s report card knows that the way we assess student learning in American schools is freighted with unintended consequences. But that’s not all. As experts agree, our primary assessment technologies—grading, rating, and ranking—don’t actually provide an accurate picture of how students are doing in school. Worse, they distort student and educator behavior in ways that undermine learning and exacerbate inequality. Yet despite widespread dissatisfaction, grades, test scores, and transcripts remain the currency of the realm.In Off the Mark, Jack Schneider and Ethan Hutt explain how we got into this predicament, why we remain beholden to our outmoded forms of assessment, and what we can do to change course. As they make clear, most current attempts at reform won’t solve the complex problems we face. Instead, Schneider and Hutt offer a range of practical reforms, like embracing multiple measures of performance and making the so-called permanent record “overwritable.” As they explain, we can remake our approach in ways that better advance the three different purposes that assessment currently serves: motivating students to learn, communicating meaningful information about what young people know and can do, and synchronizing an otherwise fragmented educational system. Written in an accessible style for a broad audience, Off the Mark is a guide for everyone who wants to ensure that assessment serves the fundamental goal of education—helping students learn.
Off to College: A Guide for Parents (Chicago Guides to Academic Life)
by Roger H. MartinFor many parents, sending their child off to college can be a disconcerting leap. After years spent helping with homework, attending parent-teacher conferences, and catching up after school, college life represents a world of unknowns. What really happens during that transitional first year of college? And what can parents do to strike the right balance between providing support and fostering independence? With Off to College, Roger H. Martin helps parents understand this important period of transition by providing the perfect tour of the first year on today’s campus. Martin, a twenty-year college president and former Harvard dean, spent a year visiting five very different colleges and universities across the United States—public and private, large and small, elite and non-elite—to get an insider’s view of modern college life. He observes an advising session as a student sorts out her schedule, unravels the mysteries of roommate assignments with a residence life director, and patrols campus with a safety officer on a rowdy Saturday night. He gets pointers in freshman English and tips on athletics and physical fitness from coaches. He talks with financial aid officers and health service providers. And he listens to the voices of the first–year students themselves. Martin packs Off to College with the insights and advice he gained and bolsters them with data from a wide variety of sources to deliver a unique and personal view of the current student experience. The first year is not just the beginning of a student’s college education but also the first big step in becoming an adult. Off to College will help parents understand what to expect whether they’re new to the college experience or reconciling modern campus life with memories of their own college days.