There is a fundamental gap in education. While we focus on building knowledge and securing good grades there is something missing. All of us, whatever we do, need a core set of skills which go beyond the academic - to work with others, to manage ourselves, to communicate effectively, and to creatively solve problems. We might call them different things but we draw on them as much as numeracy or literacy. Tom Ravenscroft knows them as the enterprise skills. If we need them, our students need them even more. They underpin effective learning in the classroom. They stop students dropping out at university. They are more highly valued than academic grades by employers. They are a foundation for successful entrepreneurship. They are the enablers of civic engagement and social mobility. When we look to the next decades, in a world of increased automation, fragmented jobs and the need for constant learning it is these skills that will really set our children and young people up for future success. Yet as an education system, we behave as if they cannot or should not be taught. But they can be, and they must be. Tom Ravenscroft has writen this book almost a decade after he set up Enabling Enterprise as a social enterprise. He was a secondary school teacher and the Enabling Enterprise programme was for the students in his inner-city classroom. They were not learning enough in school, and were in no sense set up for the rest of their lives. Over the last ten years, he has had the enormous privilege of leading a growing team of teachers and has worked with hundreds of classroom teachers, thousands of employer volunteers and over 200,000 students. He has seen these students build those skills with the same rigour and focus as any other academic learning. And he has seen that when they are mastered, we truly allow our students to achieve their potential.

Debate and critical oracy allow students to deepen their knowledge and understanding of academic subjects while simultaneously developing their communication and critical thinking skills, which can be hugely effective in increasing attainment. This book, written by an experienced teacher and founder of The Noisy Classroom, aims to help students learn to argue, disagree and debate in a constructive manner. Packed with resources and engaging exercises, it shows teachers how to develop an argument culture in the classroom that promotes open-mindedness and encourages students to explore new perspectives, defend views and challenge others. The Noisy Classroom includes: A reflection on critical oracy and why it is important. A step-by-step guide for teachers to set up and encourage debate across the curriculum, highlighting how to get the most out of a noisy classroom. Advice for teachers on how to overcome barriers to building and using critical oracy in the classroom, including troubleshooting when things go wrong. Practical ideas for sharpening pair, group and whole-class discussions, ranging from small starter and plenary activities to full parliamentary-style debates. The book brings together activities gathered and tested over 20 years of working in debate, oracy and education. It is intended for school teachers, including both NQTs and more experienced practitioners.

Helps students prepare for applying to and admittance into medical school, discussing topics including curricula, the MCAT, the interview process, admissions, financial aid, high school preparation, and national rankings.

Based on observation and experience, analysis translates into a proposal for reform. Eight essays explore in personal terms several troubling educational issues undergirded by the fundamental belief that the purpose of public education is the cultivation of civic virtue. The first essay addresses the widespread loss of faith in public schooling. In the second essay, qualities are described that students are encouraged to develop through their experience of schooling. In addition, these qualities are discussed in relationship to the qualities that are needed for society to become more compassionate. A critique of commonplace assumptions that underpin the commitment to sorting and labeling comprises the third essay's topic. Questioning the assumptions that standarized tests perpetuate constitutes essay 4. Essay 5 describes current practices and issues in teacher education. Essay 6 presents an analysis of the type and quality of school knowledge and describes the promising directions for improvement. Conditions necessary for the development of creativity in the public schools is the focus of essay 7. In the concluding essay, some of the metaphors used by Americans as they ponder the issues of public education are analyzed. In addition, an alternative metaphor--"school and community"--is offered as a means for thinking about public education and the public world. (JAM)

This debate-style reader is constructed to introduce students to controversies in special education through paired pro and con articles on such issues as emotional/behavioral problems, ADD/ADHD, inclusion, minority overrepresentation, learning disabilities, use of paraprofessionals, and applications of brain research. For additional support for this title, visit our student website: www.dushkin.com/online