The fact that computers can do so much for students -- even write their papers -- creates a new incentive to ask questions about the diminishing human element in the teaching-learning process. When thirty-two commerce students submitted identical papers taken from the internet, there was a flurry of excitement about plagiarism in the local press, but not much interest in the teaching strategy that could have allowed this to happen.

The human exchange between teacher and student -- once thought essential to the teaching-learning process -- has disappeared from the very structure of educational systems beyond the primary level. Where is the human element to be found in education today?

In his signature book, Insight: A Study of Human Understanding, the Canadian philosopher-theologian, Bernard Lonergan (1904-1984) claims that human learning flourishes best when students experience their own minds at work asking questions and finding answers for themselves. As a long time student of Lonergan's work, I have mined his thought on human understanding to uncover a model of teaching and learning that suggests a new educational ideal for our times.

This book is written out of my own desire to make accessible to readers the freedom and capacity of their own minds to learn what is real or true or valuable. It is my own attempt to contribute the human element to the educational system of our time by engaging students in their own learning process. It has become the story of students yielding to my desire to engage them in their own learning and suggesting that I write it down!  

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This book gives a synopsis of American public education in a style that is "public-friendly." Its content is comprehensive, but pithy. It offers insights into public schools that merit attention and action by the public. Education jargon is defined in lay terms; educational tenets are uncovered; and educators' credentials are exposed. It is meant to inform you... and it may surprise you.

Proudly Teach is a book of quotes and wisdom on the teaching profession. Dr. Jack Denbow collected these valuable quotes over 35 years of teaching at the high-school and university levels. This book should prove invaluable to anyone looking to enter into, or anyone who is already in the teaching profession. It is a mixture of wisdom, opinion and humour from educational professionals and other prominent figures in history.

The African continent is in the midst of a renaissance of monumental proportions... ...As a result, the dawn of the new millennium constitutes an exciting period of change and opportunity for all those interested in the future evolution of the African continent and its peoples (Schraeder, P.J. African Politics and Society (2000: 2)

President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, the current Chairman of the African Union, is being associated in a special way with the concept of African renaissance. Mbeki's notion of renaissance is fundamentally "African political renewal and economic regeneration" (Ajulu, R. 2001 in Review of African Political Economy Vol. 24 No. l 87, February: 27-42)

The concept of African renaissance, which is in vogue in political and academic circles, encapsulates a vision of rebirth of Africa as the African peoples come to terms with the challenges of the 21st. century. It is a vision that eschews the dictatorships, economic mismanagement, suppression of the civil society and ascendancy of state monopoly of power that have hitherto characterized the operations of post-independence African governments. It is a vision that rejects, according to the Constitutive Act of the African Union, the policy of tolerating in its membership those African leaders who obtain power in their countries undemocratically, unlike the toleration of dictators that characterized the Organization of African Unity, the predecessor of the African Union.

This book aims at being part of that vision, and that is why its title is Education for Renaissance in Africa. It aims at showing the centrality of education in the achievement of that vision. Indeed it is obvious to all that African renaissance is primarily a mental achievement or simply an educational achievement. If we are to contribute anything to the political or economic order for the development of Africa we must have acquired certain kinds of knowledge and attitudes that involve commitment to our goals as prerequisites for any action that can change society. However, it is the contention of this book that education for the renaissance of Africa must not be haphazard. It must be conceptualized in a manner that lays foundations for its effective working in the practical order.

The philosophy of education envisaged here has to be liberating, characterized by creativity and social commitment, which presupposes social consciousness. Here we define the notions of liberation, creativity and social consciousness, and strives to situate these concepts within a historical trajectory that not only includes Africa but other parts of the world as well. We have tried to show the suppression of African subjectivity during the colonial period with the result that liberation, creativity and social consciousness were inhibited in both the educational and other spheres of life. We argue that humans are radically free and that they need not succumb to this kind of socialization, which has tended to negate their subjectivity. We note in particular that Kenyan educational commissioners have been cognizant of the harm that was done to African subjectivity by the colonial and missionary experience.

We also consider to what extent, if any, the philosophy of education as an academic discipline has prepared teachers for the challenging task of making education liberating, creative, and imbued with social consciousness. We suggest ways in which the training of teachers can best fulfill these worthy goals of education.

We address the nature of social consciousness, which we consider to be central to the learner's involvement in development of his or her country. We have endeavored to discuss the minimal and heroic forms of consciousness as exemplified in such leaders as Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, and leaders of African liberation struggle. An attempt is made to come to terms with diversity in social consciousness and to seek ways of living on the basis of unity in diversity. We discuss the role of education in the development of social consciousness taking into consideration the manner in which the learners are socialized into various moral, political and religious values, while at the same time identifying the controversies that bedevil value education. Chapter eight tries to come to terms with the problem of value education as an educational objective. We have shown the efforts that have been made in educational research to find out how value education can be carried out effectively.

We treat the role of education in the enhancement of African continental consciousness, emphasizing the need for ethical education within the different African countries to have continental, pan-Africanist orientation. Salient features pertaining to the role of education in the development of global consciousness are identified in the context of the cognitive, ethical, dialogical and creative dimensions of education.

The book concludes with the treatment of some of the problems that have hindered African development, especially the shortcomings of African subjectivity, which has been negatively impacted by colonial and missionary experience. Given the polarization of the African continent in the realm of values, the last chapter of the book proposes that African leaders should take into consideration three factors. First, working together they need to cultivate transcendent affectivity, a form of suspension of judgment before all the facts of a decision-demanding situation are obtained. Second they need to have allegiance to the dialogical principle by virtue of which Africans would pragmatically seek for solutions to national and continental problems. Third, they should use their continental unity as a pragmatic tool for making their influence felt in global forums for the good of African and the entire world. The form of thinking encapsulating these three ideals is best described as the "Philosophy of African Dialogical Pragmatism."

Is our public education system headed in the wrong direction?

Richard Hancock asks us not only to scrutinize education, but to consider crucial pragmatic revisions. He looks hard at some of the negative trends which have become entrenched, including grade inflation and social promotion, and a variety of biases which undermine the integrity of the system. He suggests workable solutions.

The book addresses a wide audience: students, parents, educators and administrators in the public system and realms of higher learning, government members, professionals, service and business people, Hancock also refers to others who are striving to bring the plight of the system to the attention of the public and the educational policy-makers.

We cannot continue to stifle the brilliant, condescend to special interest groups, and ignore the "average" students, cheating them all of pride in honest achievement. Perhaps it is time to encourage and honour excellence! This is at once a warning and a voice encouraging us to act on behalf of our children and our nation!

Parents of school children frustrated and confused by the way the public school system seems to shut them out of any meaningful contribution to the education of their children should find this book informative and very helpful. The author recounts many of her experiences in the Public Education System from the inside where she taught in a wide variety of places and grades throughout Western Canada, over a period of 46 years. She recounts the many changes that have taken place in that time frame. Roberta (as she prefers to be called) prides herself on the courage to face difficulties head on and challenge authority when it appears to be self-serving rather than dedicated to its founding principles. This pursuit has led her to run for public office three times and enter several other fields, some in the private sector, which gives her a different perspective than souly as a public servant. The topics covered range from new trends since the end of W.W. II to whether uniforms should be instituted to what can be done about bullying. Many authorities are quoted and brought into the discussion from Statistics Canada to Hilda Neatby. Education is a hot button topic these days, second only to Health Care in Canada it seems. Roberta wonders whether we are due for some real fundamental changes in the way we teach our children. This book encourages us to open a true dialectic on the subject.

Why is there something rather than nothing? A fundamental question which goes to the very heart of creation and existence. Yet there are only two realistic options: 'Intelligent Design', or 'Accident of Chance' - a choice between ‘God’ and 'Science'. Religion, however, lacks objective evidential support, and requires no justification beyond unconditional belief, while science addresses only material creation, but ignores essential ‘intangibles’ - mathematics, logic and rationality - without which the universe would not be able to function. These are the Enigmas of creation, and this book addresses all aspects as equally important, including theories of creation, the purpose and nature of the universe, implications of time, concepts of reality and existence, life (biological, artificial and destiny), laws of nature, metaphysical concepts of ‘pre-creation’, the nature of ‘higher intelligence’, and the validity and limitations of ‘human’ Probability. Proposals put forward include, that 'the future' does not exist - only indefinite perpetuation of increments of 'present'; laws of nature being stored by digital encoding onto quantum fluctuations of vacuum energy; and that quantum gravity does not exist. The book collates and evaluates these topics, to compare and prioritize the relative significance of ‘real’ and ‘speculative’ arguments, and reaches a ‘balance of evidence’ conclusion as to why the universe exists - Accident or Design?

Why is there something rather than nothing? A fundamental question which goes to the very heart of creation and existence. Yet there are only two realistic options: 'Intelligent Design', or 'Accident of Chance' - a choice between ‘God’ and 'Science'. Religion, however, lacks objective evidential support, and requires no justification beyond unconditional belief, while science addresses only material creation, but ignores essential ‘intangibles’ - mathematics, logic and rationality - without which the universe would not be able to function. These are the Enigmas of creation, and this book addresses all aspects as equally important, including theories of creation, the purpose and nature of the universe, implications of time, concepts of reality and existence, life (biological, artificial and destiny), laws of nature, metaphysical concepts of ‘pre-creation’, the nature of ‘higher intelligence’, and the validity and limitations of ‘human’ Probability. Proposals put forward include, that 'the future' does not exist - only indefinite perpetuation of increments of 'present'; laws of nature being stored by digital encoding onto quantum fluctuations of vacuum energy; and that quantum gravity does not exist. The book collates and evaluates these topics, to compare and prioritize the relative significance of ‘real’ and ‘speculative’ arguments, and reaches a ‘balance of evidence’ conclusion as to why the universe exists - Accident or Design?

Parents of school children frustrated and confused by the way the public school system seems to shut them out of any meaningful contribution to the education of their children should find this book informative and very helpful. The author recounts many of her experiences in the Public Education System from the inside where she taught in a wide variety of places and grades throughout Western Canada, over a period of 46 years. She recounts the many changes that have taken place in that time frame. Roberta (as she prefers to be called) prides herself on the courage to face difficulties head on and challenge authority when it appears to be self-serving rather than dedicated to its founding principles. This pursuit has led her to run for public office three times and enter several other fields, some in the private sector, which gives her a different perspective than souly as a public servant. The topics covered range from new trends since the end of W.W. II to whether uniforms should be instituted to what can be done about bullying. Many authorities are quoted and brought into the discussion from Statistics Canada to Hilda Neatby. Education is a hot button topic these days, second only to Health Care in Canada it seems. Roberta wonders whether we are due for some real fundamental changes in the way we teach our children. This book encourages us to open a true dialectic on the subject.

The sequel of The Priority – The Individual in Education Revisited, it is about what is done in school as much as what is not done. It offers pertinent recommendations for shaping marketplace-ready Good Citizens of Earth.

It is a series of thoughts about aspects of teaching and learning handed down rituals and methods that need to be restructured and reconfigured to obtain desired outcomes imagination, creativity, and innovation essentially “thinking out of the box” as a means of solving global problems. It questions the significance of licensure and recommends the replacement of the principal as the school leader with that of a master teacher responsible for the totality of interactive instructional processes. It proposes the implementation of a learning organization environment inspired by a set of core values that direct internal accountability according to a systems analysis structure from needs assessment to implementation with evaluation and revision as may be needed.

Imagine, if you will, a group of doctors trained in 1850 seeing for the first time a modern operating room. They would, of course, be overwhelmed - and not just with the equipment! Even the process of diagnosing the patient's problem would be totally alien. Then imagine an equally talented group of teachers trained in the same era seeing a classroom in a modern school. They would perhaps (but not necessarily!) be appalled at first by the behavior, dress and grooming, but they would feel right at home in terms of teaching in and managing the classroom. That is an indication of the problem which Pete Melcher is addressing in this book. Simply stated, the procedures and practices of elementary and secondary schools and the teacher's role in them are virtually unchanged from those of a century and a half ago.

We can probably all agree that change for the sake of change, whether in education or elsewhere, is not necessarily desirable. In fact, Melcher's logic frequently takes us back to some of the successful structures and patterns of education which have been abandoned in a decades-long, discouraging parade of failure: our attempts at curriculum reform, the introduction of more and more social programs, the growing dominance of athletics and the ever-less-demanding levels of academic achievement. In the course of these observations he makes us realize that without substantial qualitative changes in the structure of the school "system(s)" themselves, the general quality of public education will continue its descent to ever-lower levels of mediocrity.

And nothing of this accelerating process, which has been characterized by others as "the dumbing down of America," is as critical as the ever-shrinking pool of high quality teachers. Always in short supply, the number of bright and well-educated young people who graduate from college and enter the teaching profession is shrinking rapidly. Mostly because teaching salaries have never kept pace with the economic development in this country, a situation which in turn has been encouraged by the lack of professionalism projected by teacher unions, the young people who should be exercising their talents in the classroom are entering other businesses and professions where their efforts are more respected and better compensated.

Of course, at the root of all of the problems is the archaic and inadequate nature of school financing which prevents appropriate remedies. Melcher traces the history of this problem in compelling terms through the first chapters of this book. He also manages to deal surprisingly well with such persistent and nasty problems as student rights, religion in the classroom, and the Columbine massacre, to identify a few of his "Thoughts."

This is a book which, while it does not pretend to have all the answers, does indeed provide many which everyone concerned with education should either accept or reject on a conscious level, any rejections being only on the basis of other proposals that are better. This is a book by a man who has worked with schools and school children for forty years, a man who appeals to our common sense to begin the painful process of necessary change. No one really interested in the quality of public education should fail to read it!

Behind the Open Door airs the dirty laundry as it is practiced behind closed doors in the community college-especially the contrived rationalizations faculty use to foster the mis-education of minority students and to deny minorities teaching positions. They have become the gatekeepers in the college, the college controllers who know little about the students with whom they work. The scant presence of Asian, Hispanic, and African-American teachers in community colleges is due to intent, not oversight. It is clear that in the two-year college race is a difference that makes a difference.

It is confirmed in the volume that those who control community colleges are baby boomers. The baby boomersÕ attitudes about people, things and ideas in the college were shaped by their lower-class parents and grandparents who lived during a time of incessant social agitation (1900-1940). From these people the baby boomers learned who to value and who to disregard. With this type of guidance they were programmed for the roles they would later play in their professional lives, some of which were out of sync with the stated egalitarian principles of the community college. They became conservative and resistant to change. This was especially true after they became interested in collective bargaining. As they gained power they made the institution teacher centered. This change affected all aspects of the college.

The baby boomers have not been very successful with developmental education students and often blame the students for their own lack of achievement. They insist the students are without motivation, have low self-esteem, are of low intelligence, and their parents have no higher education experience. The teachers are always seeking explanations about cultural and class-based deviations of their students. These assumptions are used to sort and label students. All of this has precipitated the culturally disadvantaged syndrome and the deleterious affect it has had on learning and institutional resources. It is a deficit model but one that has become the centerpiece for faculty activity. The teachers know that developmental education is not education; it is a dead end.

The soliloquies of the students offered in the book reveal much about their own backgrounds and how they feel about their teachers. And like their teachers, when queried about their feelings in the college environment they give socially acceptable answers. But when at IHOP, MacDonald's and Wendy's, they offer no hosannas for their instructors.

Behind the Open Door records some of the lessons in racism that persons in community colleges should know. These include strategies used to hide some of the discriminatory practices from the public. Such practices are easy to understand and easy to dismiss.

A series of hurricanes ripped through the Gulf Coast of the United States in early September 2005. Scenes of destruction and despair were haunting. Video footage of thousands upon thousands of evacuees trying to survive in the New Orleans Superdome, as well as in the Convention Center, without food, water, protection or security was televised throughout the first weeks of this tragedy. Commentators and observers raised at the question, "Why didn't these people leave the state, as others have done, to find safety,".

Suddenly, the "aha" moment arrived. These poor souls didn't leave simply because they were poor. With no money, no reliable transportation, no idea of where they would stay if they left their homes, they were stuck.

The one positive outcome of Katrina's wrath could be that our nation and our leaders engage in a discussion on the culture of poverty, a subject that has not been seriously addressed for at least a decade. As a society, we need to attain some understanding of the reality faced on a daily basis by those living in generational poverty.

This book is illustrates the day-to-day reality of teaching in an urban school district under conditions that would not be tolerated in any other school district in the St. Louis metro area. Many studies have been published on the challenges of urban education, and many books have been written about the causes of the achievement gap between socio-economic levels, and between racial groups. These works, while informative, do not give any actual description of the conditions under which urban teachers are expected to teach, and students are expected to learn.

Additionally, the comment that "Schools should be run as businesses are run," is a recurrent theme from non-educators. The St. Louis Public Schools contracted with a business turnaround team to take control of the district for one year and "streamline" operations. The impact of this turnaround team was not positive.

On both the federal and state level, through the No Child Left Behind Act and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's accreditation requirements, a more rigorous set of requirements and accountability has placed additional pressure on school districts. This is not a bad thing; to the contrary, I feel that the goals are ones that most teachers share. Unfortunately, educational funding has decreased, making compliance a challenge. These are issues that every school district faces.

Urban school districts face additional challenges. During my brief tenure in the St. Louis Public Schools as an eighth grade teacher, I found all of the social challenges I had dealt with in a suburban school district pronounced exponentially, and administrative support systems seriously lacking. The business turnaround firm hired to straighten out the financial quagmire that the district was in simply increased the problems.

In all too many cases, students were from single-parent homes or foster homes, or were homeless. Many had parents who were either absent, or were negative role models. The culture of poverty in which they lived caused instability and an absence of long-term goals.

The administrative staff in the Central Office was not supportive of building administrators or teachers. Discipline alternatives, such as an In-School Suspension (ISS) program, were not available. One of the first actions of the turnaround team was to close two alternative schools, leaving nowhere to place students who needed intervention and counseling, in addition to education. Suspensions were not enforced by Central Office. Social workers were understaffed and overloaded to a dramatic degree.

There was little academic accountability. Too many classes were taught by substitutes not qualified to teach the subject matter. There was a lack of cohesion in terms of academic programs. Students were not held accountable academically, with too many being passed on despite a lack of skill development. Many of my eighth-graders had math and reading skills at the second or third grade level.

Basic teaching supplies such as textbooks, copying supplies, dictionaries were insufficient, and delivery of them uncertain. Funding that should have gone to after school programs and teaching supplies was frozen by the district administration.

Special education services, mandated by federal law, were totally out of compliance, and the majority of Special Education teachers were either not certified, or on provisional certification. As a result of cost-cutting efforts by the turnaround team, many classrooms did not have aides.All too many of the faculty were burned out, and concentrated on just "getting through the day." Several in my building said, "I don't care about the kids. I just need the job." Morale was lower than I'd ever seen.

In this book, I've tried to provide the reader with an account of my experiences, to bridge the gap between the abstract to a more concrete understanding of the needs and challenges of urban education. I've also attempted to illustrate the impact that School Board and administrative decisions can have--both positively and negatively--on students and teachers. Many people don't understand that public education is not, and cannot be, viewed in a purely business perspective.

The management team of Alvarez & Marsal, headed by William Roberti, made many decisions without regard to the enormous needs of the students and the community. Rather than being attentive to the support systems that were necessary for teachers to teach and students to learn, these systems were decimated. An educational system addressing students from generational poverty cannot be run in the same way as Brooks Brothers.

Is our public education system headed in the wrong direction?

Richard Hancock asks us not only to scrutinize education, but to consider crucial pragmatic revisions. He looks hard at some of the negative trends which have become entrenched, including grade inflation and social promotion, and a variety of biases which undermine the integrity of the system. He suggests workable solutions.

The book addresses a wide audience: students, parents, educators and administrators in the public system and realms of higher learning, government members, professionals, service and business people, Hancock also refers to others who are striving to bring the plight of the system to the attention of the public and the educational policy-makers.

We cannot continue to stifle the brilliant, condescend to special interest groups, and ignore the "average" students, cheating them all of pride in honest achievement. Perhaps it is time to encourage and honour excellence! This is at once a warning and a voice encouraging us to act on behalf of our children and our nation!

The fact that computers can do so much for students -- even write their papers -- creates a new incentive to ask questions about the diminishing human element in the teaching-learning process. When thirty-two commerce students submitted identical papers taken from the internet, there was a flurry of excitement about plagiarism in the local press, but not much interest in the teaching strategy that could have allowed this to happen.

The human exchange between teacher and student -- once thought essential to the teaching-learning process -- has disappeared from the very structure of educational systems beyond the primary level. Where is the human element to be found in education today?

In his signature book, Insight: A Study of Human Understanding, the Canadian philosopher-theologian, Bernard Lonergan (1904-1984) claims that human learning flourishes best when students experience their own minds at work asking questions and finding answers for themselves. As a long time student of Lonergan's work, I have mined his thought on human understanding to uncover a model of teaching and learning that suggests a new educational ideal for our times.

This book is written out of my own desire to make accessible to readers the freedom and capacity of their own minds to learn what is real or true or valuable. It is my own attempt to contribute the human element to the educational system of our time by engaging students in their own learning process. It has become the story of students yielding to my desire to engage them in their own learning and suggesting that I write it down!  

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