In addressing the complex issue of how to improve education, it’s helpful to understand the bigger picture of how people think and learn, what are the best approaches for working with children, what jobs opportunities are on the horizon for people now being educated, and how our roles in society have shifted in today’s global economy.
So I have assembled a list of favorite books and articles that deal with "bigger picture" issues that relate directly or indirectly to learning and education. Students, like adults, come equipped with all types of backgrounds and needs. These readings below speak to the issue of who we are, how we think and learn, and how we understand others. Wisdom in these areas are bound to help us create better schools and approaches to teaching.
Books, Articles, and Websites
1. "That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back" by Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum
I list Friedman’s book first because it was instrumental in my creation of this website. I have always had an interest in teaching and education (and was formerly a college math teacher). But Friedman packs a powerful punch in the way he says that improving education is a necessary cornerstone of renewing our country’s greatness.
Check out this comment from his book, about the Duke of Wellington who defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. (The underlining is mine.)
"In this century, education is the foundation of economic strength… The Duke of Wellington…..once asserted that the Battle of Waterloo…..was won "on the playing fields of Eton," an exclusive British private school in which the nation’s elite was trained. In the same spirit, one could argue that (our) stability and prosperity…..will be maintained--or lost--in the classrooms of America’s public schools."
Published in 2011, this book provides ample reason to regard improving our educational system as crucial to our individual and our collective well-being as a nation. The stakes couldn’t be higher. And, Friedman makes clear, the time to act is now!
His other books are thought provoking, too, such as "The World Is Flat: A Brief History of The Twenty-First Century," "Hot, Flat and Crowded," and others. Key to Friedman’s writing is his frequent use of hard-hitting, down to earth analogies that make his point instantly clear.
2. "The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes our Future" by Mark Bauerlein
Copyrighted in 2008, this book is an examination of the impact of the digital age on education, and it doesn’t paint a pretty picture. Bauerlein demonstrates in study after study, that although today’s youth grew up with the internet and are facile in retrieving information, that hasn’t translated into greater knowledge or better use of information. On the contrary, they struggle to read and write as well as past generations and their analytic skills are weak.
The picture of where the average student stands today, compared with past generations, is bleak, and Bauerlein sounds an alarm bell consistent with that of Tom Friedman and many of the other authors mentioned on this page. He, too, says that improved training and education are needed to secure the future of this generation. He cites an impressive array of studies to support his thesis that students today learn less, are not trained to deal with frustration and the discipline of ongoing hard work, and are thus not prepared to compete for the global marketplace jobs that are the current economic reality.
3. “The Smartest Kids in the World and How They Got That Way” by Amanda Ripley
The author of this book was a Time magazine journalist who followed several American children for a year when they went to school in other countries. She tracked their experiences and progress in their new schools and made some astonishing discoveries on what contributes to getting a good education.
4. “David and Goliath” by Malcolm Gladwell
Chapters 2, 3, and 4 of this book provide a fascinating account of how educational disadvantages can become advantages and vice versa. There are counter-intuitive findings on the impact of class size, among other insights.
5. “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell
In chapters 2 and 8 there are case studies of how people work hard to become top experts, with interesting reflections on how people learn.
6. "Stumbling on Happiness" by Daniel Gilbert
This important book is one of my all-time favorites. Gilbert, a Harvard psychology professor, explores modern research on how people think and get by in this world. The book is dense in studies on how we all think, feel, and function---and they explode a lot of myths. Gilbert’s subject matter has to do with self-understanding and thinking. As a result, his book has indirect relevance to how children are educated, and I think it’s a great read. Moreover, it provides a broad and useful framework for understanding how we find happiness and how we deal with the setbacks and frustrations of daily life. I think understanding these things should guide us in designing an effective education system.
7. Pygmalion in the Classroom by Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson
Ultimately and unfortunately, as educators, we cannot guarantee that student will learn, or even care about learning. But we can do everything possible to create an environment in which they will learn as much as possible. That is our responsibility to all students, whatever their talents and whatever their background.
An important piece of research was done in the 1960s, that demonstrated the importance of believing in students’ abilities to learn. Lenore Jacobson and Robert Rosenthal concocted an experiment in which they gave teachers at the beginning of a school year the names of certain students who could learn and progress quickly, regardless of whether they were currently good students. At the end of the school year, testing showed that those students had indeed made above average improvements during the course of the year. However, in reality the students who were named were chosen at random. There was no reason to believe those students had any greater learning capacity than others in the class.
This very important study was reported in Psychological Reports (1966, vol. 19) and it reflects how important it is for teachers to believe in their students’ abilities, and do their best to push them. It is our responsibility as educators to give the students the best chance possible to learn.
8. "The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education" by Diane Ravitch
Ms. Ravitch takes aim at all of the modern reform movements in education. With warmth and insight, she outlines the issues that have befuddled all of the efforts to date aimed at improving student learning and performance. From No Child Left Behind, to charter schools, vouchers, teacher incentives, computer learning, and test-based accountability, she brings her considerable expertise to an analysis of how programs functioned and why they failed to produce consistently good results. Moreover, it’s a comprehensive look at how culture and politics have collided with our efforts in education. Ravitch leaves the reader with little confidence in our country’s ability to tackle these problems. But her final chapters have a hopeful ring, and some parts read almost like poetry when she describes the desired role of education in society. This is a great book for parents and educators to have a handle on how education has changed in recent decades and what to look for and what to avoid going forward as we continue the effort to provide a strong education our children.
This Washington Post Article on Jan. 15, 2012 addressed the dangers of meaningless praise and over attention to self-esteem, which comes at the expense of real learning.
10. "Brain Rules: Twelve Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School" by John Medina. Medina is a molecular biologist who applies findings in his field to how we can best use our brains at work, school, and at home. His suggestions for how school is best organized and teaching best conducted are very interesting and sometimes novel. He extends the findings on the importance of repetition of material, introducing and returning to subjects rather than passing through them once only, in an orderly fashion. He also applies the fact that physical exercise is essential to optimal use of the brain, in suggesting how society can best benefit from this finding at work and at school. Medina’s book is fascinating reading. and the delivery is humorous, in a tone that is almost smug, but it’s always entertaining. And he explains his points very clearly for the lay reader.
11. Is Geometry a Language That Only Humans Know? By Siobhan Roberts in the New York Times March 22, 2022
12. "Math Doesn’t Suck" by Danica McKellar
OK, OK. The ditzy subtitle for this book is "How to Survive Middle School Math Without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail." The book is written by the actress who played "Winnie Cooper" on "The Wonder Years." She grew into someone with a strong mathematical understanding though she initially feared the subject. Her book is aimed at making math lessons comfortable and low stress for the reader. Her insights are as clever as can be; she has a great repertoire of tricks and techniques for making each topic come alive and make sense in "the real world."
The book helps students understand the concepts behind the major topics covered in middle school mathematics. It doesn’t hurt that Ms. McKellar is a beautiful and slightly foxy lady, showing that women can be both attractive and good at math! (It’s a great antidote to the infamous talking Barbie Doll that was recalled from the market years ago due to bad PR, after she was programmed to say, "Math Class is Tough.")
13. Kahn Academy (http://www.khanacademy.org/)
This is a website where you can find Salman Kahn’s excellent lectures on literally hundreds of topics, from what a Ponzi scheme is to lectures on science and art history, etc. Kahn has a relaxed delivery that makes the viewer feel relaxed--his talks don’t feel overly scripted--you can see him erase mistakes, change his mind on small matters, etc. But he does an unfailingly strong job of explaining everything.
Books for Young Children
1. "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch
This beautiful book was given to me years ago by a friend, who said it was given to her by a friend…. It is a children’s book guaranteed to make the parent reading it weep. It’s a short, picture book to read to small children, about the meaning of love and family. It begins with a young mother rocking her new baby boy, and moves on to her dealing with his antics as a growing child and teenager, as he moves toward becoming a man. Eventually she becomes old and ill and the tables turn. You see him, now a grown man, comforting his sick mother in her home before he leaves to return to his own home. There he picks up his new baby and sings the same song of love that his mother sang to him. The heart-warming message, which would not be lost on a reader of any age, is the reciprocal love and dedication that parents share with their children.
2. "The Little Engine That Could" by Watty Piper
This book holds a special place in my heart; I had a son who for years accosted every adult who entered the house to read it to him. Indeed, it’s a nice book to read to children, as it centers on the power of positive thinking. The engine of a train laborsomely pulls carloads of toys and food for children up over a steep mountain chanting all the while, "I think I can; I think I can; I think I can." What could be a better message to give children starting school, ready to tackle all manner of mental challenges?