The Palgrave International Handbook of Alternative Education

Nel Noddings editor Helen E Lees editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Palgrave Macmillan

Published:7th Sep '16

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

The Palgrave International Handbook of Alternative Education cover

"Amazing in its scale and scope, this collection is a glorious demonstration of the multitude of 'alternatives' which have been stimulated in recent decades by the global ubiquity of performance-driven national education systems. Whilst such creative opposition risks tangled incoherence, the collection is tamed and given progression by its three part structure of 'Thinking', 'Doing' and 'Acting' differently. And thus the book stands as a multi-faceted clarion call - to bravely, boldly, think outside the box." (Professor Andrew Pollard, Institute of Education, University College London, UK)

This state-of-the-art, comprehensive Handbook fully explores the field of alternative education on an international scale.

This state-of-the-art, comprehensive Handbook fully explores the field of alternative education on an international scale. Alternatives to mainstream schooling and education are becoming increasingly recognised as pertinent and urgent for better understanding what really works in successfully educating children and adults today, especially in light of the increased performance driven and managerially organised economic modelling of education that dominates. For too long we have wondered what “exactly” education done otherwise might look like and here we meet individual examples as well as seeing what alternative education is when a collection becomes greater than the sum of parts. The Handbook profiles numerous empirical examples from around the world of education being done in innovative and excitingly democratic and autonomous ways from Forest Schools and Home Education through to new technologies, neuroscience and the importance of solitude. The book also sets out important theoretical perspectives to inform us why seeing education through an alternative lens is useful as well as urgently needed. 

Global in its perspective and definitive in content, this one-stop volume will be an indispensable reference resource for a wide range of academics, students and researchers in the fields of Education, Education Policy, Sociology and Philosophy as well as educational practitioners. 

“An ‘International Handbook of Alternative Education’ is indeed timely, given the intensifying critiques of global education systems. ... for a broader range of professionals and adults concerned with the mental, physical, moral and spiritual welfare of young people.” (David Leat, Other Education - The Journal of Educational Alternatives Volume, Vol. 7 (1), 2018)

“The Palgrave International Handbook of Alternative Education is a much friendlier and accessible text … . I think the real strength of this book is its diversity of research, writing styles and countries covered … . I think this book fills a much needed gap in the market of diverse and rigorous academic and practitioner research into alternative education and I would recommend it to students, academics and parents interested in learning more about educating differently.” (Alys Mendus, Journal of Unschooling and Alternative Learning, Vol. 10 (21), 2017)

“The Handbook convinces that the value of alternative education lies not just in the benefits it may provide to particular groups of learners who are engaging with it at any point in time. Rather, its ultimate value is in the challenge it can provide, to disrupt existing ways of thinking, doing and acting. For this reason, it is an essential read for all educators.” (Nicola Kemp, British Journal of Educational Studies, September, 2017)

ISBN: 9781137412904

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 9103g

505 pages

1st ed. 2016