Teachers, schools, and society

About this book

PREFACE Content Coverage. First of all. we have tried to give you a panoramic view of education. To accomplish this, we have elected to view the field from several different vantage points. In Part One you will see the world of teachers and teaching from a new perspective—the teacher's side of the desk. In Part Two your field of vision will be widened so that you can examine the history, structure, culture, and curriculum of that complex place called school. Part Three then examines the broad foundational forces (legal, financial, organizational, and philosophical) that underlie and shape the world of teaching and schools. In Part Four you will have a chance to examine and debate current issues and trends in education and to join us in speculating about their future. Finally, the Resource Handbook provides practical information about entering the teaching profession. It also offers guidelines and strategies for collecting important information about teaching as you observe in schools. Style of Presentation. The trouble with panoramic views is that the observer is often at such a distance from what is being viewed that all richness of detail is lost. Vague outlines devoid of human interaction dominate the scene. To combat this trap, we have at various points throughout the text replaced our wide-angle lens with a narrower telescopic view that captures the human drama that comprises the world of education. For example, in many chapters we introduce traditionally city, abstract topics with illustrative scenarios that help personalize and dramatize the topic at hand. In a slightly- different vein, introductory quizzes that probe your prior knowledge and beliefs are used to introduce and personalize the chapters on governance, law, and philosophy. We hope that these stylistic elements, along with a writing style that is deliberately informal rather than academic, will add spice and human interest to the text.