Keith J. Topping – författare

A Teacher’s Guide to Philosophy for Children provides educators with the process and structures to engage children in inquiring as a group into ‘big’ moral, ethical and spiritual questions, while also considering curricular necessities and the demands of national and local standards.

Based on the actual experiences of educators in diverse and global classroom contexts, this comprehensive guide gives you the tools you need to introduce philosophical thinking into your classroom, curriculum and beyond. Drawing on research-based educational and psychological models, this book highlights the advantages gained by students who regularly participate in philosophical discussion: from building cognitive and social/emotional development, to becoming more informed citizens. Helpful tools and supplementary online resources offer additional frameworks for supporting and sustaining a higher level of thinking and problem-solving among your students.

This practical guide is essential reading for teachers, coaches and anyone wondering how you can effectively teach philosophy in your classroom.

A Teacher’s Guide to Philosophy for Children provides educators with the process and structures to engage children in inquiring as a group into ‘big’ moral, ethical and spiritual questions, while also considering curricular necessities and the demands of national and local standards.

Based on the actual experiences of educators in diverse and global classroom contexts, this comprehensive guide gives you the tools you need to introduce philosophical thinking into your classroom, curriculum and beyond. Drawing on research-based educational and psychological models, this book highlights the advantages gained by students who regularly participate in philosophical discussion: from building cognitive and social/emotional development, to becoming more informed citizens. Helpful tools and supplementary online resources offer additional frameworks for supporting and sustaining a higher level of thinking and problem-solving among your students.

This practical guide is essential reading for teachers, coaches and anyone wondering how you can effectively teach philosophy in your classroom.

In the early 1980s, concern about disruptive behaviour in secondary schools had grown, being variously regarded as a symptom of a decaying society or as a failure on the teachers’ part. One response was to ‘throw money’ at the problem and various different kinds of special schools and units had been devised to deal with disruptive adolescent pupils. Yet there was little systematic evaluation of the different options – particularly in terms of cost effectiveness.

Originally published in 1983, this book reviews all the available research on 21 alternative systems for the education of disruptive adolescents at the time. These range from the highly expensive residential special schools to on-site adaptations which involve no extra cost. Most are based on developments in Britain and the United States and the author concludes in favour of many of the less sophisticated systems. This book will be interesting historical reading for workers and students in educational psychology, special education and educational policy.

In the early 1980s, concern about disruptive behaviour in secondary schools had grown, being variously regarded as a symptom of a decaying society or as a failure on the teachers’ part. One response was to ‘throw money’ at the problem and various different kinds of special schools and units had been devised to deal with disruptive adolescent pupils. Yet there was little systematic evaluation of the different options – particularly in terms of cost effectiveness.

Originally published in 1983, this book reviews all the available research on 21 alternative systems for the education of disruptive adolescents at the time. These range from the highly expensive residential special schools to on-site adaptations which involve no extra cost. Most are based on developments in Britain and the United States and the author concludes in favour of many of the less sophisticated systems. This book will be interesting historical reading for workers and students in educational psychology, special education and educational policy.

Programs like philosophy for children, reciprocal teaching, problem based learning and computerized games can help students’ critical and creative thinking skills, but which are most effective? This research-to-practice book showcases how you can improve the thinking (cognition) of your students, across the curriculum and beyond.

Each chapter focuses on a particular program, describes the method and background research, offers examples and explains key processes in implementation. You''ll learn about thinking programs within a subject, across the curriculum, outside the curriculum and those which can be either within or outside the curriculum, so you can choose a program which suits your context.

You’ll also find out what to consider when evaluating a thinking skills program. And finally, you’ll discover shared features of the methods – such as peer interaction, discourse, argumentation, scaffolding and transfer – so you can see the commonalities of the programs and think about designing your own approaches.

Whether you’re a classroom teacher, department head, or other key stakeholder, this powerful resource will help you determine what really works for teaching thinking, so your students can apply such skills and thrive long after they’ve left school.

Note: This book is part of a set; a companion book focuses on programs for teaching metacognition, or thinking about thinking.

Programs like philosophy for children, reciprocal teaching, problem based learning and computerized games can help students’ critical and creative thinking skills, but which are most effective? This research-to-practice book showcases how you can improve the thinking (cognition) of your students, across the curriculum and beyond.

Each chapter focuses on a particular program, describes the method and background research, offers examples and explains key processes in implementation. You''ll learn about thinking programs within a subject, across the curriculum, outside the curriculum and those which can be either within or outside the curriculum, so you can choose a program which suits your context.

You’ll also find out what to consider when evaluating a thinking skills program. And finally, you’ll discover shared features of the methods – such as peer interaction, discourse, argumentation, scaffolding and transfer – so you can see the commonalities of the programs and think about designing your own approaches.

Whether you’re a classroom teacher, department head, or other key stakeholder, this powerful resource will help you determine what really works for teaching thinking, so your students can apply such skills and thrive long after they’ve left school.

Note: This book is part of a set; a companion book focuses on programs for teaching metacognition, or thinking about thinking.

What are the best ways to enhance metacognition in the course of classroom teaching? This research-to-practice book shows how to go beyond simple student reflection to use any of 19 different practical strategies. Each chapter describes a different method, gives the research evidence to support the effectiveness of the method and then provides guidelines for implementation. You will learn about programs within traditional curriculum subjects, programs across the traditional curriculum, programs focusing especially on self-regulation, programs for disabled and special needs students, and programs embedded in a digital environment. You will also discover common features of the methods, so you can see the similarities across the methods and ultimately devise your own ways to develop metacognition and self-regulated learning. With the powerful practices in this book, students will develop a refined ability to think about how they think and learn, preparing them for their futures beyond school.

What are the best ways to enhance metacognition in the course of classroom teaching? This research-to-practice book shows how to go beyond simple student reflection to use any of 19 different practical strategies. Each chapter describes a different method, gives the research evidence to support the effectiveness of the method and then provides guidelines for implementation. You will learn about programs within traditional curriculum subjects, programs across the traditional curriculum, programs focusing especially on self-regulation, programs for disabled and special needs students, and programs embedded in a digital environment. You will also discover common features of the methods, so you can see the similarities across the methods and ultimately devise your own ways to develop metacognition and self-regulated learning. With the powerful practices in this book, students will develop a refined ability to think about how they think and learn, preparing them for their futures beyond school.

Modern practice in the 1980s was to involve parents increasingly in the education of their children, and was supported by legislation. Particularly when children had special needs, parents required structured training and support to ensure they affectively sustained their vital role as educators at home. Many large-scale programmes to provide this had been developed throughout the world at the time, for example, Home Start, Portage Home Visiting Projects and Paired Reading Projects.

However, not all of these had been thoroughly evaluated, and the existing literature was scattered and difficult to access. Some projects demonstrated spectacular results and high cost-effectiveness, while others proved more disappointing. Originally published in 1986, this book critically analyses over 600 international English-language research reports on the effectiveness of parent training programmes. In addition, a detailed guide to the practicalities of planning projects is provided, together with a comprehensive directory of useful resource materials.

After an introductory overview, the evidence on the effects on child progress of parental involvement in school activities is reviewed, as is research on the impact of schemes of regular structured communication between home and school. Programmes designed to train parents to accelerate the development of their children at home are considered in the subsequent chapters, starting with “ordinary” children. Much of the book reviews projects targeted on children with some sort of special educational need, from children whose special needs stem from a widespread difficulty such as poverty or second language learning, systematically through to children whose needs stem from rarer and more severe issues. Each chapter has its own summary for ease of reader use, while an overall summary chapter points out “best buys” and directions for future developments.

This volume will be of major interest to teachers, psychologists, social workers, community health personnel, community educationalists, researchers, many others working with parents and children, and to some parents themselves.

This book is a re-issue originally published in 1986. The language used is a reflection of its era and no offence is meant by the Publishers to any reader by this re-publication.

Modern practice in the 1980s was to involve parents increasingly in the education of their children, and was supported by legislation. Particularly when children had special needs, parents required structured training and support to ensure they affectively sustained their vital role as educators at home. Many large-scale programmes to provide this had been developed throughout the world at the time, for example, Home Start, Portage Home Visiting Projects and Paired Reading Projects.

However, not all of these had been thoroughly evaluated, and the existing literature was scattered and difficult to access. Some projects demonstrated spectacular results and high cost-effectiveness, while others proved more disappointing. Originally published in 1986, this book critically analyses over 600 international English-language research reports on the effectiveness of parent training programmes. In addition, a detailed guide to the practicalities of planning projects is provided, together with a comprehensive directory of useful resource materials.

After an introductory overview, the evidence on the effects on child progress of parental involvement in school activities is reviewed, as is research on the impact of schemes of regular structured communication between home and school. Programmes designed to train parents to accelerate the development of their children at home are considered in the subsequent chapters, starting with “ordinary” children. Much of the book reviews projects targeted on children with some sort of special educational need, from children whose special needs stem from a widespread difficulty such as poverty or second language learning, systematically through to children whose needs stem from rarer and more severe issues. Each chapter has its own summary for ease of reader use, while an overall summary chapter points out “best buys” and directions for future developments.

This volume will be of major interest to teachers, psychologists, social workers, community health personnel, community educationalists, researchers, many others working with parents and children, and to some parents themselves.

This book is a re-issue originally published in 1986. The language used is a reflection of its era and no offence is meant by the Publishers to any reader by this re-publication.