Rethinking Secondary Education

Dr Scherto Gill is a Research Fellow at the Guerrand-Hermès Foundation for Peace and Visiting Fellow at the School of Education, University of Sussex. She has published widely in education. Her recent books include Transformation Through Education and Learning Across Cultures. Professor Garrett Thomson is the Compton Chair in Philosophy, College of Wooster, Ohio, USA and the Chief Executive Officer of the Guerrand-Hermès Foundation for Peace. He is the author of many books on philosophy, including Needs and On the Meaning of Life.

"This is a significant book for the field of education generally and human-centred education in particular.  Recently, human-centred education has entered into something of a cul-de-sac characterised by exhortation and repetition – this book offers an important route out of the current impasse." - Professor Ivor Goodson, Education Research Centre, University of Brighton"At a time when secondary education is so impoverished by the deadly weight of testing and league tables, by performance indicators and targets, it is important to have reasserted the aims of education in terms of personal development, human flourishing and enriching community. 'Rethinking Secondary Education' does this admirably. It offers the insights of alternative approaches to education, and does so with a philosophical depth that is rarely seen. This book is a welcome antidote to the impersonal nature of much educational theory and practice. It should be on the reading list of both trainee teachers and those teachers who need to be refreshed in their further professional development." - Professor Richard Pring, Department of Education, University of Oxford"This is a timely, accessible and engaging book of considerable intellectual stature, bold imagination and practical wisdom. Not only does it develop penetrating, elegant analyses of what is wrong with current state controlled and alternative approaches to contemporary education, it also offers imaginative, practical suggestions for a more fulfilling, human centred alternative." - Professor Michael Fielding, Institute of Education, University of London“With great sensitivity and force, and in wonderfully clear prose, Scherto Gill and Garrett Thomson explore some fundamental questions about what we want from our education system and what we can expect from it. Their work is largely philosophical in nature, but it also draws on empirical findings. It is highly recommended for all who are interested in education, whether from a more theoretical point of view or from a more practical point of view.” - Professor Adrian W. Moore, Oxford University

• PART 1 Towards human-centred educationChapter 1 The aims of educationChapter 2 The natureof learningChapter 3 Motivation and emotionChapter 4 The experience of being an adolescentChapter 5 Understanding adolescenceChapter 6 Human-centred educationPART 2 Rethinking secondary educationChapter 7 Curriculum Chapter 8 The teacher and the art of teachingChapter 9 Assessing assessmentChapter 10 Young people’s experience of secondary schoolingChapter 11 Building learning communities - humanising schools