Education Studies & Teaching Books

This book deals with the relevance of recognition and validation of non-formal and informal learning education and training, the workplace and society. In an increasing number of countries, it is at the top of the policy and research agenda ranking among the possible ways to redress the glaring lack of relevant academic and vocational qualifications and to promote the development of competences and certification procedures which recognise different types of learning, including formal, non-formal and informal learning. The aim of the book is therefore to present and share experience, expertise and lessons in such a way that enables its effective and immediate use across the full spectrum of country contexts, whether in the developing or developed world. It examines the importance of meeting institutional and political requirements that give genuine value to the recognition of non-formal and informal learning; it shows why recognition is important and clarifies its usefulness and the role it serves in education, working life and voluntary work; it emphasises the importance of the coordination, interests, motivations, trust and acceptance by all stakeholders. The volume is also premised on an understanding of a learning society, in which all social and cultural groups, irrespective of gender, race, social class, ethnicity, mental health difficulties are entitled to quality learning throughout their lives. Overall the thrust is to see the importance of recognising non-formal and informal learning as part of the larger movement for re-directing education and training for change. This change is one that builds on an equitable society and economy and on sustainable development principles and values such as respect for others, respect for difference and diversity, exploration and dialogue.

This open access book develops a theoretical concept of teaching that is relevant to early childhood education, and based on children’s learning and development through play. It discusses theoretical premises and research on playing and learning, and proposes the development of play-responsive didaktik.  It examines the processes and products of learning and development, teaching and its phylogenetic and ontogenetic development, as well as the ‘what’ of learning and didaktik. Next, it explores the actions, objects and meaning of play and provides insight into the diversity of beliefs about the practices of play. The book presents ideas on how combined research and development projects can be carried out, providing incentive and a model for practice development and research. The second part of the book consists of empirical studies on teacher’s playing skills and examples of play with very young as well as older children.

The book uses a comparative study of Germany and Britain to reveal how national institutions shape the labour market careers of higher education graduates. It identifies four institutional spheres that are important: the structure of higher education systems, the content of study, the structure of graduate labour markets, and labour market flexibility. Due to country differences, the transition from higher education to work in Germany follows a smooth path, while in Britain it is more comparable to a long and winding road.

This open access book critiques real world learning across both the curriculum and extracurricular activities. Drawing on disciplines as diverse as business, health, fashion, sociology and geography, the editors and authors employ a cross-disciplinary approach to examine how this concept is being applied in higher education. Divided into three parts, the authors and contributors analyse broader applications of real world learning, student experience of practicing in a real world setting, and how learning strategies can be employed to engage students in real world learning. The editors and contributors provide up-to-date, cross-disciplinary and international insights into how real world learning could be integrated into the higher education curriculum to support effective, relevant and life-long learning for 21st century students.

This open access book presents a person-centered exploration of student profiles, using variables related to motivation to do school mathematics derived from the IEA’s Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) data. Statistical cluster analysis is used to identify groups of students with similar motivational profiles, across grades and over time, for multiple participating countries.While motivational variables systematically relate to school outcomes, linear relationships can obscure the diverse makeup of student subgroups, each with varying combinations of motivation, emotions, and attitudes. In this book, a person-centered analysis of distinct and meaningful motivational profiles and their differences on sociodemographic variables and mathematics performance broadens understanding about the role that motivation characteristics play in learning and achievement in mathematics. Exploiting the richness of IEA’s TIMSS data from many countries, extracted clusters reveal consistent, as well as certain nuanced patterns that are systematically linked to sociodemographic and achievement measures. Student clusters with inconsistent motivational profiles were found in all countries; mathematics self-confidence then emerged as the variable more closely associated with average achievement. The findings demonstrate that teachers, researchers, and policymakers need to take into account differential student profiles, prioritizing techniques that target skill and competence in mathematics, in educational efforts to develop student motivation.

Adult Learning and Education The graduate student guide in adult education explores theories of adult learning and adult education participation. It provides a frame of reference for understanding the development of a rapidly evolving field and for enhancing knowledge and competencies in this professional domain. The publication is divided into two sections: a section on adult learning theories and a section on adult education participation theories. If Adult Learning and Education (ALE) is now a recognised professional field, the theoretical perspectives, underlying practices and policies draw on a variety of academic disciplines. Various theories of learning and of adult education participation shape the practice and the "engineering" of adult learning. In the first section, this study guide provides a review of the most important learning theories, including behaviourist, cognitive, and constructivist approaches, their modern development, as well as specific developments in adult education theory. The second section examines the psychological and sociological theoretical backgrounds of adult education participation in order to understand the factors at work in participation patterns along the adult life course and between different social contexts. Observing the relativity of social reproduction allows to identify the conditions and variables that need to be addressed in order to alter prevailing trends.

A Treatise on Education Public, Private, and Homeschooling is a collection of my writings related to education of children in the various ways families choose to do so. Heavy on my heart, as I put this collection together, is the recent school shooting of the Connecticut elementary school, where 20 children and several adults were murdered in cold blood by a ruthless young man gone mad. I cannot fathom one of my own eight children being put in that situation, which is partly why I am choosing to home school my two youngest children at this time. I find it strange though that I just recently had my daughter read the diary and story, Rachel’s Tears, of a young girl, Rachel Joy Scott, who was killed at Columbine, one of the first tragic school shootings, for a home school assignment this year, and then another tragic school shooting occurs. Rachel virtually prophesied of the massacre to take place before it happened in her diary. Her father’s testimony is a very moving account of the circumstances surrounding her last year or so of life. In such a world as this, where mentally ill people are left to wander our streets, even when known to be dangerous, and where schools have little or no security means, and have all been deemed “gun free zones,” where only the criminals have guns, I wonder how we can protect our children from tragedies like these. Education is and should be one of our highest priorities for our children, but what is education without emotional and physical safety, not to mention spiritual heritage? Child sexual abuse is another tragedy that regularly occurs in many school systems and many teachers have abused their students in unfathomable ways during the school day. Many have been caught and stopped, but how many others have yet to answer for their crimes against our children? I once made a presentation in my college days where I addressed this very subject to a group of young teachers going into the field. I was severely berated and asked to leave the education program because my adjunct college professor took it personally. One of her teachers at her school had just been arrested for having sex with a student. I didn’t know that it was one of her teachers that had been arrested. The case remains that teachers do sometimes abuse their students in sexual ways and this is certainly relevant to warn new teachers entering the field. I’m certainly no expert on education but this collection of writings are just some of the thoughts and ideas that I have had on the subject of education. I took a few education classes in college and taught briefly at a private Christian school, and then began home schooling my two youngest children. All of my older children were publicly educated. So I have seen and learned a few things about the different ways of educating children and I hope my thoughts on the subject might just interest a few people, whether they are teachers or parents, public, private, or home school educators. Education of children is the combined responsibility of us all, and we need to consider how we might educate them best, while keeping them safe from harm, whether by bullets, knives, or sexual predators. It doesn’t take a gun to harm children. It only takes one crazy person with a weapon of any kind or one pedophile with a sick mind to destroy our children’s lives. So I would ask, What are we going to do about it?

Universities around the world are under increasing pressure to maintain high levels of graduation and to make study processes as efficient as possible, with teachers and students struggling to meet the expectations placed upon them as a result. The Psychology of Study Success in Universities asks whether it is possible to meet these demands at the same time as protecting the well-being of students. Drawing on an extensive and detailed analysis of study success in universities in Finland, the authors of this thought-provoking work argue that universities should be more concerned with students’ satisfaction and place greater weight on students’ perceptions of the elements that enhance or hinder their success.The book provides a multi-dimensional picture of the student-related and teaching-related factors that promote study success. Giving voice to graduate students, including those enrolled on a PhD, the authors look at the resources that students have at their disposal in order to establish what inspires and motivates the students, what slows them down, and what kinds of experiences students have of successful studies. Määttä and Uusiautti present a wealth of high-quality research showing that good teaching and successful study processes can be secured by immediate and caring interaction, flexible and student-centred teaching and supervision, and interdisciplinary collaboration between teachers. The Psychology of Study Success in Universities is essential reading for academics, researchers and postgraduate students in the fields of education and psychology, as well as for those interested in positive psychology, student well-being and pedagogical studies.

This open access book explores the key dimensions of a future education system designed to enable individuals, schools, and communities to achieve the twin twenty-first century challenges of sustainability and human well-being. For much of the twentieth century, Western education systems prepared students to enter the workforce, contribute to society and succeed in relatively predictable contexts. Today, people are at the controls of the planet—making decisions that are dramatically reshaping social, economic, and environmental systems at a global scale. What is education’s purpose in this new reality? What and how must we learn now?  The volatility and uncertainty caused by digitalization, globalization, and climate change weave a common backdrop through each chapter. Using case studies drawn from Finland and the US, chapter authors explore various aspects of learning and education system design through the lenses of sustainability and human well-being to evaluate how our understanding and practice of education must transform. Using their scholarly research and experience as practitioners, the authors propose new approaches to preparing learners for a new frontier of the human experience fraught with risks but full of opportunity. 

With everyone wanting a get rich quick way to reach, I have used as I learned to reach a better quality of financial wellbeing. in this book you will find a different view of the stock market, and how it could be of benefit to you, A simple stress free way of budgeting,a way to make those pesky bills we all fall behind to create an asset out of them,. In this book is loaded with information from Warren Buffett, Robert Kiyosaki, Charlie Munger and Donald Trump. Since I started this book, developing a system that has worked for me and wanted to share those things a bit refined from the start of this venture 20 some odd years ago. thanks to the internet that opened my eyes to ways to advance in such a short time with greater results these other people and their wealth they passed on. most of this book was comprised by opinion and can be entertaining at times, informative, and educational. I hope you will enjoy this book at the very least and can use the information to your advantage to secure a better quality of your financial life style my number one saying is understanding comes in time and education is our number one tool, learn to live and live to learn. we all have one road and many exits choose a path that is both healthy, and wise. As theodore Roosevelt once said “I am only an average man, but by George, I work harder at it than the average man.”You don't know success until you fallen a few times and the path you choose can influence an outcome, the best way is to remain positive and to learn, adapt and grow. Live well and Prosper... Marc Dalanni.