Understanding and Using Challenging Educational Theories
- Karl Aubrey - Bishop Grosseteste University, UK
- Alison Riley - Bishop Grosseteste University, UK
This textbook gives you a clear overview of fifteen thinkers who have offered challenging perspectives on education, including influential sociological thinkers (Bourdieu, Foucault, Mezirow, Bernstein), those who have questioned the orthodoxy on schooling (Holt, Darling-Hammond) and other key names whose writing has helped shaped our views on teaching and learning.
Each chapter includes:
• Practical examples showing how theories can be used to inform classroom teaching
• Critiques of each theorist exploring opposing viewpoints and the strengths and weaknesses of different ideas
• Reflective tasks inviting you to apply what you’ve read to your own educational experiences
This book includes learning theories which educators can use and apply directly to practice and would be useful for early career researchers who may appreciate an overview of educational theory. The personal background perspective included with each chapter makes the book an accessible read as a story is weaved through an understanding of the context of the times and personal circumstances of each theorist. The structure of each chapter including: proposed learning outcomes, summaries and further reading, facilitates learning and encourages a critical understanding of each theory.
An excellent companion to Aubrey and Riley’s ‘Understanding and Using Educational Theories’, this book presents the ideas of more peripheral and contemporary theorists, serving to extend and enrich readers’ knowledge of key thinkers on education and learning.
The key concepts of each theorist are clearly presented and contextually cushioned, enabling readers to form a web of understanding in how they link to, and have been influenced by, others in the field, whilst at the same time recognising how they may be viewed as ‘challengers’ to more traditional ideas on education.
Application to policy and practice helps to illuminate key ideas visibly in educational settings in an easily accessible format. I will, most certainly, be adopting this as one of our key texts.
Supported students in a number of ways; they began to comprehend, especially first years, what it means to be critical when exploring and implementing Educational Theories not just challenging ones. Secondly the way in which the theories were mapped out, referenced and presented provided greater information and learning support for most students.
This works supports the previous book, in expanding to include the more commonly used theorists work, very helpful to understanding the links between scholars and how their work is used to critique in social sciences writing
This book has really got our Postgraduate students thinking!
The authors of this book have done a very good job. Educational Theories have clearly been explained.
Brilliant book - introduces many essential education theorists and explores both their background and the key concepts of their theories. Really useful for critical analysis.
This is an essential addition to our BA (Hons) Education reading list. We have a module called Constructions of Learning which looks at the theories of learning and this book is one of the key texts we recommend our students buy.
Well written introduction to some of the key educational theorists. Very useful for students when beginning to look at different theories and how they can be applied in practice.
An excellent text. Very informative in discussing a range of theorists and their relationships within their work. This provides a very in-depth understanding around educational theory and application which supports wider reading.
