Educators, politicians, parents, and even students are consumed with
speaking the language of academic achievement. Yet something is missing
in the current focus on accountability, standardized testing, and
adequate yearly progress. If schools continue to focus the conversation
on rigor and accountability and ignore more human elements of education,
many students may miss out on opportunities to discover the richness of
individual exploration that schools can foster.
In The Best Schools, Armstrong urges educators to leave narrow
definitions of learning behind and return to the great thinkers of the
past 100 years--Montessori, Piaget, Freud, Steiner, Erikson, Dewey,
Elkind, Gardner--and to the language of human development and the whole
child.
The Best Schools highlights examples of educational programs that are
honoring students' differences, using developmentally appropriate
practices, and promoting a humane approach to education that includes
the following elements:
* An emphasis on play for early childhood learning.
* Theme- and project-based learning for elementary school students.
* Active learning that recognizes the social, emotional, and cognitive
needs of adolescents in middle schools.
* Mentoring, apprenticeships, and cooperative education for high school
students.
Educators in "the best schools" recognize the differences in the
physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual worlds of students of
different ages. This book will help educators reflect on how to help
each student reach his or her true potential, how to inspire each child
and adolescent to discover an inner passion to learn, and how to honor
the unique journey of each individual through life.
