Bad Education: Debunking Myths in Education
Foreword by Paul Black
Introduction by Philip Adey and Justin Dillon
Part 1: School Organisation Are there "good" schools and "bad" schools? Is vocational education for the less able? Grouping pupils by ability in schools Class size: is small better? Supporting learning?: How effective are teaching assistants?
Part 2: Teaching methods Traditional versus progressive education Synthetic phonics: the route to reading? Is informal education better than formal education? The social and emotional aspects of learning (SEAL) programme Computers good, calculators bad?
Part 3: Learners Left-brain, right-brain, brain games and beanbags: neuromyths in education From fixed IQ to multiple intelligences Learning styles: unreliable, invalid and impractical and yet still widely used “TV is bad for children” – less emotion, more science please! Playing with emotions: why emotional literacy trumps emotional intelligence The dyslexia debate
Index
From the foreword by Paul Black
We all know that small classes are better than large classes; that children are best taught in groups according to their ability; that some schools are much better than others and that we should teach children according to their individual learning styles ... or do we?
This book asks awkward questions about these and many other sacred cows of education. Each chapter tackles a persistent myth in education, confronting it with research evidence and teasing out any kernel of truth which may underlie the myth. Leading authors from the world of education each bring analysis and expertise to bear on their chosen subject, presenting their argument in an accessible manner based on sound scholarship.
Some of the conclusions drawn in Bad Education are likely to be real eye-openers for many teachers and parents, who will find some of their basic assumptions about education called into question. It is also essential reading for anyone involved in educational policy making or management.
Contributors: Philip Adey, Mike Anderson, Ed Baines, Paul Black, Peter Blatchford, Margaret Brown, Guy Claxton, Frank Coffield, Justin Dillon, Julian (Joe) Elliott, Simon Gibbs, Jeremy Hodgen, Neil Humphrey, Annette Karmiloff-Smith, Bill Lucas, Bethan Marshall, Brian Matthews, Corinne Reid, Rob Webster, Dylan Wiliam
“As education policymakers it can be difficult to resist the comfort of our own experience and gut instincts or the lure of populism. Bad Education is an invaluable myth-buster that tears down common misconceptions and serves up hard facts in their place. This is a politically unpalatable guide to the evidence that will challenge policymakers, the press and parents alike.”
Dale Bassett, Head of Public Policy, AQA
“This book should become a manifesto for change for all of those in education who want to ensure our children do not receive a Bad Education. Every Headteacher should buy a copy for every teacher and hopefully somebody might even place a copy under the Secretary of State’s Xmas tree.”
Gary Phillips, Head Teacher, Lilian Bayliss School
“This is a welcome and important book. It takes apart the myths which support the dearly held convictions, simplistic assumptions, prejudices and irrational certainties of both politicians and teachers. Admitting that education is not itself a science, but demonstrating how both neuroscience and psychology have become available to inform educational policy and practice, it should provide food for more careful and well-informed thought to all who can influence what happens in our schools.”
Baroness Perry of Southwark